Moonspear At the sick bed of Cuchulainn, we'll kneel and say a prayer

wee bit backdated! @Osiris

 

Her sons recovery was going smoothly. Lyra had seen to that, and Hydra then urged her to go and visit the ailing @Dacio to check in and see how he was while she checked in with her son. The matriarch intended to visit him too afterward to do the same with him. For the most part lately, Hydra had been patrolling, searching for @Arcturus, and crafting a plan of attack in how best to prepare for the days to come. 

The matriarch could not think Arcturus had left of his own volition in his condition. That he might be angry with her was the furthest thing upon her mind, and so thinking that he might abandon their family for it was too farfetched a thing to consider. She feared the worst now that several days had came and gone without him when he did not answer her calls... but she would not stop her search for him. That he would abandon their family when Osiris had been hurt so recently simply did not translate. 

So as Lyra departed for a short time after ensuring her son was alright when Hydra entered, she sighed, no luck today, kiddo. But we will not give up on your uncle. He is strong, she acknowledged. Hope, the insufferable thing, could not be smothered with a pillowcase try though she might. They would simply keep looking. How are we feeling today, hmm? the matriarch inquired, eyes searching for signs of distress.

Osiris' physical healing progressed according to the status-quo; he had good days and bad days—but ultimately, his trajectory was positive. He had begun to stray from @Lyra's den and re-assimilate himself with Moonspear's territory, as he felt his sense of duty return. Osiris' strength had returned in full, but his migraines had persisted. 
The news of Arcturus and Revui's fight had added to his physiological strain, and he spent his waking hours occupied with worry; it was very unlike his uncle to stay away for so long. 

 In the back of his mind, Osiris often fretted that the black-furred woman had gotten Arcturus, too. 

Hydra's report was met with a nod, despite the sudden pang of disappointment that he felt in his heart. "He'll be back," he offered weakly as his tail swished against the floor. "He always comes back." 

When asked about his condition, Osiris answered, "Fine," he was always "fine"—his expression remained nuetral, too. "I took some time to go outside when the light wasn't too bright. It felt good." he ignored the fact that he had actively avoided his usual hangs, dreading seeing Firefly Glen again.

He will, she agreed, believing this in her heart. Arcturus would not abandon them... not if he was alive. And were he not, she would find his bones; he would not wish to be anywhere else, she did not think. Little did she know how wrong she was in that! Hydra reached forward to nibble at a hair out of place before withdrawing with a wan grin. 

His report was met with a wave of her tail. Any progress was progress. She had hope that his headaches would end entirely, and held onto that despite hope being a misleading wretch. For her children, she clung to the thing. Thinking that it was not too bright now, she wondered if he might want to go out now... but she would let him suggest it. Hydra had no desire to overexert him. 

In any case, I am glad that it did. Perhaps I could walk with you next time, she offered with a wave of her tail. Hydra reclined onto her haunches and then slid to her belly, tail thwapping against the dirt floor. She opened the floor to him, content to talk with him about whatever he wished.

Comforted by Hydra's confidence, Osiris smiled. They were both naively heedless of the catastrophe that would occur in the coming days; Arcturus was not the man they thought he was. 

"I would like that," he mumbled, tail swishing against his bedding at the thought. Patrolling with Hydra would be a return to normalcy, which was something that he wanted. Although he was fatigued, he wasn't one to pass up an opportunity when it was presented. "Maybe tomorrow?" he asked. "I'm a little tired now, but I should be good to go at sun-up." 

Osiris had been mostly alone with his thoughts, and he had thought over many things; his duties, his motives, his reason for living—he had found himself re-thinking everything. "There is something I would like to discuss," Osiris began, his gemstone gaze lingering on his mother's chin. "I would like to halt my hunting training for now—in favor of honing my abilities in guarding and fighting." Osiris had never been much of a fighter—until now. He saw a need to step up not only to protect his family but himself; his inability to defend himself was inexcusable. "I would like to begin to train as soon as I'm able."

Tomorrow, then, she agreed aloud, stretching some. Osiris had prevailed in this; she was endlessly proud of him. Disappointed that he had gotten hurt at all, Hydra attributed that to the naivety that came with youth. Who had done this to him would find her wrath, she felt certain. Hydra only hoped that she could cull them and whoever else partook in such a revolting game. Hearing he was tired served to cause her own lids to droop a little; she, too, was tired. Restless with all that had happened, she only hoped that Arcturus would return soon. His absence caused her much unease for more reasons than one. Like Osiris, though, Hydra could not know his return would bring even more than this. 

When Osiris spoke again, though, her eyes opened. She shifted to lift her head from her foreleg so that she could look to him. She was rather pleased with what she had heard, if only because Hydra wanted this from all of her children. It was only the circumstance that pained her... but for him to take this path meant that he would be far better prepared for what might come. 

Alright, she accepted easily, sensing that it was something that he wanted. He was a skilled enough hunter where if he did not focus all of his energies upon it, he would still succeed. His self-defense needed work, clearly... but Hydra also knew that the advantage of surprise was not to be discounted in the events from that day. That could shift the odds of any battle significantly. Hydra liked to think that she had taught him enough that were that not to have been the case, there may have been a chance for him to come out at least unscathed, if not victorious. 

Semantics, and her own hearts bias perhaps. 

Stretching a little more so that her paw was splayed against a near rock, Hydra looked thoughtful. Once Lyra gives you the all clear, we can begin whenever you wish. Perhaps your siblings might be interested in joining these lessons, too, she drawled, wondering if he might wish to train with them as well. Regardless, she would surely teach them what she knew up until the point she was satisfied they would not be a walking target out there within the Wilds. Hydra never saw any of her children as that, but those that had an eye for the young seemed to recognize untested might when they saw it.

Time, then, to work at it... and put it to the test, once more time had passed and she was satisfied with the work they had done.

"Whenever Lyra gives you the all-clear, we can begin whenever you wish," Hydra revealed. Osiris nodded, understanding the constraint; it wouldn't make sense to injure him further. The mention of his siblings brought a smile to his face. "I hope they do," he replied, "I know that they'd all do great." 

Curiosity struck then, and Osiris scooted closer to where Hydra laid. "When did you start your training?" he wondered. Had she been his age? Younger? "And did Aunt Ayla and Lyra train with you?" Koeri Julia was forgotten; her absence had allowed for Osiris regard her with indifference.

Hydra grins at his response. I think so, too, she hummed. And that she did. Namely Atlas and Antares; one brawn, one stealth. Both quite strong, she imagined. Hydra wondered if Dragomir might wish to partake, but would leave it up to him; his interests seemed less in the physical pursuit lately (not that he did not train, but that he did not call her to train with him as once he had), and she was inclined and happy to let him pursue the path he wished to. That did not mean she would not see if he wished to for herself. 

She considered his question. When had she? I suppose my parents always trained me, whether I knew it or not, she hummed with a grin, or perhaps I always had the spirit of a fighter within me. As a cub, I would rally my sisters to take on whatever stranger came too near to the den, she recalled aloud fondly. But as for when it really began... I was quite young. There was a wolf that trespassed and attacked me; she gave me the notch in my ear, and at that, her ear flicked. I had learned plenty with mother and father before then, but that was when I knew that I wanted to protect, I think. That I did not want any of our own to be hurt by a stranger... or anyone else, for that matter. It became my passion... and I loved it. I loved training with my mother and my father. I often roped Alya and Lyra into it, whether they liked it or not, she quipped. Of course they loved it; they were a physical trio, and always had been. Those had been the good days; not so much carefree, but certainly moreso than now. Looking to him now, Hydra grinned. I also found a friend, @Towhee, who I consider to be like a sister. So, aunt Towhee to you, she drawled, moving to nose him. She and I trained much together. We have quite similar perspectives, she and I. When her own brother killed your aunt Galaxy, she believed where others thought him innocent. I wanted to kill him, but for my friends I did not. It came to be that later in life, he attacked his own pregnant leader... ones true nature will always come to the fore. So, another lesson: trust your instinct. It typically will not lead you astray, if you inherited it from me, she teased, thinking that her mate had brilliant instinct himself. 

Adulthood changed much. Responsibilities shifted, roles changed, and so did perceptions. It was a strange thing, that. I was glad for all of my training then. I felt that if I came across any who hurt my family again, I could deal with them. And I could teach those that I loved to do so, too—so that they could teach those they loved the same, she hummed. All of her family, defenders of one another. Fighters of those that would bring harm to them. Another dream she would like to see become reality.

Osiris listened to Hydra's story with rapt interest—namely, the origin of both her ambitions and the notch in her ear. "Mmm," Osiris hummed thoughtfully in reply, considering their similar origins. "I never knew that we had that in common," somehow, it made him feel better about the entire ordeal, "Do you remember how young you were?" He asked then with excitement in his voice. 

The mention of Towhee, Galaxy, and everything in-between kept Osiris focused; how had he never heard of all of these instances? "Aunt Towhee..." he echoed thoughtfully. "Where does she live?" Perhaps she could help him, too. And her brother," he wondered in the next breath, "Is he dead now?" Or would he need to help? The thought of performing justice inspired him greatly. 

"That's what I want to do, too," Osiris agreed, "I want to keep our family safe."

There was much he would learn in his lifetime. You are young still, and there is much of history for you yet to learn. My own, and that of our heritage. Not all of it is pretty, but we are meant to be better than all of what is not. Some say that history is destined to repeat itself... there is truth to this, but only when we let it, she informed. She looked thoughtful for a moment at his inquiry, and shook her head. No... it was very long ago, she admitted. She may have even been younger than Osiris... the sequence of events, and the timeline, was distant enough for her not to know the exact details of it. 

Where did his aunt live? With the Firebirds, she informed, though their leader and I have our own history. It is a very long story, that, but perhaps it will give you some comfort to know that in some stories, I am the monster others are told to fear. How I hated that once! But now it gives me peace, if it means that it would keep my family safe and keep lesser ones away. She was a wolf I thought a friend and learned, when she left Moonspear without a word in the midst of all those events, was not... she baited, licking her chops and grinning playfully. There is no bad blood between us now... at least not from me. Though perhaps she will still warn her subordinates of the Wicked wolf of Moonspear, she drawled. It would answer his question as to whether or not the boy lived who he asked about, to boot. 

As for his next statement, Hydra hummed and nosed him. Good. Then that is what we shall do. You will have younger siblings to protect soon enough, after all, she informed with a grin.

Hydra's prefacing statement interested Osiris. "I want to learn as much as I can," he replied in earnest. "The good, the bad, the ugly—I want to know it all." He'd share the stories with the next generation of their family, and keep the memories of their forefathers alive. His tail thumped across the floor then, and his smile broadened. 

Leaning closer to Hydra, Osiris listened as she spoke of Towhee, the Firebirds, and the intriguing facts in-between. "A monster?" he echoed in disbelief; his mother was far from being a monster. "Honestly, she sounds more like a monster," he drawled then, considering the events that had lead to their fallout. "Who leaves their friend behind when all of that is happening?" He quirked a brow, his head tipping to one side. "That sounds like a monster to me." Osiris had a little tolerance for those who abandoned Moonspear—especially when it happened amid a travesty like Galaxy's death.

The mention of younger siblings came out of left-field, leaving him dumfounded. "Younger... siblings?" he asked, his gaze giving a once-over.

Hydra listened to her son and nodded. She would not give him false notions; though she felt their family superior to all, there was still work to be done. Hydra had shared with him most of the good, and very little of the bad, but now he was old enough to think mindfully and work toward understanding it all, as she did. Her mind still worked at it, in fact. 

She nodded, agreeing with her son. She is a coward. Content to tell stories, but never able to confront me herself. It is why I feel I mostly cannot trust wolves that tell stories such as that, and I do not mean of history; the narrative is hardly reliable, more often told from the singular, narrow perspective of a wolf who likely did plenty of wrong, if not more, themselves, she drawled. I would rather believe what I see with my own eyes. And from a coward, I trust no thing at all. They will say or do anything to keep alive, and cowards can be clever, she drawled, very clever. She warned. 

Hydra inched closer to him at his question, chuffing a warm breath of air. Yes, you heard right, she drawled, younger siblings. Little brothers or sisters, perhaps both, which prompted some thought. What might come from the union of she and Dirge this year?

"I don't like her," Osiris decided. Hydra continued to speak, and he nodded in agreement; there was very little that was worse than a coward in his mind. Moving forward, he would be more mindful of strangers and less trusting.

"Yes, you heard right," Hydra confirmed, and Osiris' excitement grew tenfold. "When will they be here?" he asked, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Not too much longer now, she supplied, tail swaying easily behind her. Hydra was pleased that Osiris disliked the woman based on proxy; she was comforted by the thought, and remembered the bond she and her father had shared that was similar to that end. Hydra trusted him implicitly; once her mind was set, there was no word or action that could cause her to think otherwise, particularly when it came to the word of her parents. Never had they misguided her, and even though her father had behaved foolishly he was earnest in admitting his error and keen to find a way that his error might make her own life easier. He would only do right by them, as assuredly as she would in his absence... just as she always had done. 

Hydra felt a weight lift to think that perhaps Osiris might have that same loyalty within him. There had not been any doubt, but one never knew until they knew, did they? And to hear him say it was a comfort she had not known she longed for. She trusted that he would show them all the same, too. @Lyra had returned, now, and on that note Hydra rose to all fours and hummed, I will let you rest, and come find you to patrol tomorrow evening, when the sun set, mindful of his head. And on that note, Hydra turned to quit the scene so as to find @Alya and blow off some steam together with her in a wrestling match, or perhaps the tracking and wrangling of some unsuspecting fox or coyote they might find too close to home.

tag 4 ref, last from me!

"Not too much longer now," Hydra supplied, and Osiris nodded. Although it had been a relatively generic statement, he took his mother's answer at face value. When she had a more precise answer, he was sure that she would update him. For now, Osiris would anticipate that conversation with unbridled excitement. 

"Alright," Osiris agreed with an unexpected yawn, as Hydra moved to exit the den. "I'll see you then, mom." Although he was excited about their patrol, Osiris was also happy to sleep; he hadn't realized how much their conversation had taken out of him. Once Hydra was gone, Osiris was quick to lower his head onto his forearms and fall asleep, and within minutes, he began to snore. He was out like a light, and wouldn't wake until the next morning.