Running from my demons

The woman had followed @Almight's advice, heading up north to a pack called Empyrean. She hesitated as she approached, looking around cautiously as if a boogyman was going to appear and eat her. In all honesty though, that is partially what she expected to happen. She was sure that @Reign had discovered she was gone and there was no going back now. At first, she thought about howling for someone, but she was also too scared and opted for huddling herself down, waiting until either someone showed up, or she got the courage to call out for someone, whatever happened first.

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On this mountain with many eyes upon it, it was inevitable that someone would be making a trip around their outskirts sooner or later. Today it all timed out right to make him that lucky one; Jarilo had been skimming along on patrol, freshening scent markers and just generally keeping a lookout when he thought he smelled something strange on the winds. Unfamiliar. Unexpected. Certainly, worth investigating while he was out, so he was lured on.

Marked with curious caution, he soon found his way, and then afterward he found someone. Someone all huddled up out here, which already made him very suspicious by default. Why here, so close to Empyrean's claim? He went trotting closer, tail beginning to lift just some in case he would need to make a point. Who knew what he might be getting into, and just in case where strangers were concerned, he was always a guardian of the mountain first. “Hey! What are you doing here?” he asked with a bit of a bark, though not unkindly as he started to slow himself down to further scrutinize this new unknown more thoroughly.

As well as he could tell, she looked small.. and he didn't recognize any scent on her so far either. He didn't know where else to begin besides see what she would do now that he was here.

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The matriarch was near, as ever; the borders were one of her frequent haunts, her scent most concentrated here as of late. Nothing of concern transpired in the past few days, but that did not mean in the coming ones this would remain the same. Hydra was ever prepared for anything to change; she felt that here, she must always be alert. The voice of her brother caught her attention, and she headed in his direction swiftly. Long-legged strides brought her to them in no time, and her eyes were quick to fall upon the anomaly. Her own defenses were quick to set as she drew near her brothers hip, ears flattening and gaze narrowing to protect her eyes. She kept this distance but squared her weight, knowing that if the other made any sudden moves she had given herself the space to avoid an attempt for either pastern. For now, her tail flagged behind her in an obvious display of who she herself was, though her muzzle draped neatly over her throat.

The new she-wolf made herself small near the border, but was close enough to warrant suspicion. Hydra's tail lashed behind her, a silent rumble bidding the girl answer her brother (and quickly). Hydra was a patient woman, but the trait was not one that evinced itself upon her borders. Even though the stranger did not look like a threat did not mean that they were not one, and Hydra would sooner be rid of such things than let them linger. It was only that they did not trespass that they were granted any time at all, but they had precious little of it left.

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It didn't take long for someone to find her and honestly, she wasn't sure if that was a blessing of a curse. The man that approached spoke harshly, causing the terrified woman to scramble quickly to her feet. Along with the loud words, she had expected an attack and flinched harshly, her scar on her cheek a harsh reminder of what others could do. However, the attack never came and it took her a moment to realize that and after a few held breaths, she would lift her head up, wide eyes watching him with nothing but fear. "I... I'm sorry. I... I was told to come here...." She was very hesitant, unsure of what to tell him. 

As another approached, a female, the girl would cower away, clearly more scared of women than anything else. "Please don't hurt me..." She muttered softly, eyes flickering between the two of them. She looked like she was moments away from running and in all honesty, she was. She was entirely ready to run back to Almight and hide out with him.

Finally taking a deep breath, she would speak up, her voice shaking in fear. "I'm running... from m-my kidnapper... I want to, I want to join you... please.... I'll do anything."

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He watched her carefully as she was prompted to her feet, knowing it could go any direction from there--it was up to her how she took it. Jarilo had stopped himself a few strides short of her by then, her fear plain to see and putting the sterling Ostrega on a new edge. He still did not know exactly what he was dealing with here, and her explanation had him tilt his head a bit. “Who told you to come here..?” he asked in return, a lot lighter than his earlier demand. No one came to mind, unless perhaps of an allied pack.. but he generally left those finest details to their alphas.

Thankfully for him, Hydra had then materialized at his side, too, and his ears slicked back for a beat when he saw the stranger cower at the sight of her. “Relax, we're not going to hurt you,” he assured her, then checked over his shoulder to make absolutely sure his dark sister was not appearing extra horrifying or anything to warrant such a reaction, and gave her a small nod and nervous glance--glad she was here to navigate this with him. But, he wasn't lying. They wouldn't set their teeth on her without due cause. As long as she didn't give them a reason. Which--she still looked like she was one loud noise away from fleeing the entire scene. “Wait--kidnapper?” he had to ask. This certainly warranted more detail, especially if she wanted to join them.

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Her eyes turned to her brothers as he spoke, and her own gaze said, do not make promises you cannot keep. One misstep, and Hydra surely would. As it stood, though, the quaking stranger had done nothing to warrant Hydra's hellfire, and so she remained even-tempered. It was the next set of words that raised alarm bells, and it surely did for Jarilo, too.

The strangers wellbeing was the least of her concerns. Not now, with this out in the open. As far as Hydra could tell, the she-wolf was fullgrown, though she wisely made herself small. Wolves that abducted other wolves. In their midst, enough so that this was the place she had been told to flee to. Who indeed! Hydra trusted her brother to handle this aspect of things; she moved beyond the duo to canvas the path that the other had swept in on.

Adept tracker that she was, she would have no one on the trail of the other wolf. Not for her sake, but for her own families. The matriarch was quick to remove evidence of the others trail, in all matters of ways. Obscure it with her own. She kicked out at the dirt with her hinds, and would move to drag tree-limbs and branches this way and that, cutting through the path taken. Hiding any tracks that could be seen. Hydra saw her shadow beside her, and @Alya then moved to do the same. Trusting her to the rest of it, the matriarch marched toward the stranger and her brother, prepared now to listen to the whole of the story.

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She most certainly was one loud sound away from running off, away for anything she thought as a threat. And, after her run in with Reign, she saw everything as a threat. She did notice however, how his voice softened slightly.

However, as she spoke of kidnapped, everything seemed to shift, and not in a good way. For a moment, she glanced behind her, really considering cutting her losses and leave. But, she was too far now. So instead, she would speak to the man, still extremely scared of the female. "I'm sorry... It .. Reign, the leader of Demonia Empire... She attacked me.... Almight from Nightwalkers helped me, told me to come here.... Should, should I go?" She shifted on her feet, glancing around as if she expected to be attacked randomly and, honestly, she did.

She watched the woman move past her and move to lower herself to the ground, watching her with fear and curiosity. After a few moments, she would lift her head off of the ground, watching silently to see what she was doing. She really didn't know if her hiding the tracks was a good thing or not. It could mean that they would help her.... Or that they would kill her...

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He felt like his hold on the situation was awfully tenuous, and the subject deepened faster than his understanding did. Jarilo didn't like the nature of any of this, really. To have a kidnapped, presumably marked wolf sent their way to escape--it put them in a certain type of position to have her turn up here as is. However, she detailed Reign, Demonia Empire, Almight... all unknown personally, which kept his ears fanned back. Nightwalkers, however, finally gave him a piece to get half a grip with.

Should she go, though? He didn't quite think so. It might be an easy knee-jerk type of answer to just shoo her off, true, but maybe there was more to it. Not yet. He shook his head no, at least for now, and after a flick of a glance to his canvassing sister--he was unbothered by the second shadow he realized in Alya as well. Jarilo wasn't even the final say in this anyway, he was just acting as the voice of it all for now.

This stranger was here already on Empyrean's doorstep with a trail that led her here, so it seemed wise for them to take care of it. Hopefully, she had not been followed immediately. If she had already passed through this Nightwalker Almight's care first, that might lead them there first.. if anything. “So do you think they have any reason to follow you still?” he pressed some. He didn't know Demonia Empire beyond this, but already, wondered why they would attack her--if there was something that prompted it, or... The Ostrega was inclined to favor the Nightwalkers, at least. “We wouldn't just be a place to hide away in until they forget about you. The mountain keeps us safe and fed, but sharp and loyal--if you do really want to join us, still..” he mentioned to see if she would even want that given that she seemed awfully startled by Hydra. Plus maybe whatever else about her intentions here he could coax out wouldn't hurt him understand more, about her, and what landed her here.

They had many mouths to feed at the end of the day and neither were they going to cater to someone needing a terribly gentle handling as they mended, and regrouped. But, here--if she was one of them and on this mountain, he had faith that some petty kidnapper would not stand a single chance at anything. Maybe she could have peace again after what had happened. It just might not be so easy.

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It was only the mention of The Nightwalkers that gave the matriarch true pause.

That pitiless group had aided this one? Hydra could scarcely believe it, but as her nose flared to drink in the scent of the one at their borders, there was an indication of them. Which meant that she had not been lying.

Hydra was more heartless than that, it seemed. But she could listen, and determine the best course of action from there. For her own part, she was silent, her cold gaze hard upon the woman who had gotten away from her assailant. Empyrean was no sanctuary, and she was glad her brother made that clear. They were a family. True, they protected their own—but they were each capable of such a task. Would this one be able to carry her weight, and turn her fangs against her enemies?

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She was clearly scared, hunkering herself down as she looked at everyone around her. There were too many wolves here and she suddenly seemed to realize that if they wanted to, they could easily kill her. That caused her to freeze, almost paralyzed with fear. However, as the man in front of her continued to speak, she would turn to look at him, clearly hesitating. 

"Reign will never let me leave... not alive." She spoke in barely a whisper, almost speaking to herself. Glancing over at the females that she was clearly scared of, she would whimper softly before speaking up again, eyes glancing over at the male. "I... I can't fight, but I can heal a little and I can watch children..." Suddenly she got very concerned that they would find her useless and shook her head quickly, seeming to panic slightly. "I mean, I can do things I promise. I can learn I promise... please don't kill me, I won't be useless." She tensed herself slightly as if she was expecting retaliation, which honestly she was. She had gotten used to being attacked if she spoke wrongly, which was why she had turned mute for a period of time.

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Unflinching, he listened on with a squint as she said this Reign would not leave her alive. The steely Ostrega came from a place of comfort and strength, second to Hydra, a queen of the wilderness, often perched on their mountaintop guarded by many--he was faster to view the threat of another wolf as an annoyance more than anything. But fear was woven so deeply into this unfamiliar wolf. She was so shaken that even here, now, she still looked she was just waiting for something to go wrong, almost inviting it with a weakness like that. Jarilo had been forgiving enough so far, right?

To find she did not fight worried him, too; that could only invite further risk upon her. He passed another glance to his sister, tail flickering as he thought on. A healer interested him personally; he wanted to learn more, varied skills and see their own Elke benefit from more teachers too--but that was not something he was desperate enough to risk the whole pack over. If she wanted to be useful, it would have to start somewhere. “Would you want to learn to fight..?” he asked with a head tilt of his own. Did she have the backbone to even try to protect herself, and by extension, the rest of them? Empyrean even raised their young to hold their own because they would not cower in fear to petty enemies like this. And, if her enemy would truly track her to death's end, then it should only serve her to be able to bite back instead.

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She was on the hit list of another. Perhaps it was due to their vindictiveness and no other reason. Hydra listened to the girl, and rumbled in a manner that was unsympathetic. “You must learn to fight. I would not have you watch the cubs if you could not even manage to protect them,” her eyes were cold as she spoke the words. But what Jarilo thought, so too did Hydra. There was use for a medic here. Hydra could appreciate that much, at least.

“But I will not force you to learn. You must want it for yourself. Tell me true, girl—is this a trade you would wish to learn?” Hydra knew the girl could not survive without such a skill, for more reason than one as there was a target upon her back. But there were gentler places than this that would take her in the name of sanctuary. Better the pale stranger know now that here, there would be something of a cost.

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She paused for a moment, listening to the man, however before she could respond, the woman spoke up again, putting the scared girl on edge once again. Her distrust for females went deep, though she tried her best to keep herself from slinking away. She made an effort to keep standing, though her body shook from the fear. 

She needed to learn to fight, she knew that, but could she? After a few seconds, she would nod, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. "Y-yes, I, I will learn... I want to learn." She flicked her eyes back and forth, clearly unsure of her choice. But, she didn't back away from it.

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He was quiet with a slow nod as his commanding sister spoke, more than willing to let her have the lead here. As he watched the stranger, he still saw how she was more nervous before Hydra than himself. He wondered if she could overcome that with time...

Jarilo glanced Hydra's way when she confirmed that yes, she would want to learn. He thought it was as good as they were going to get for an answer here, and breathed a slow exhaled. “Well, Empyrean does take pride in strong warriors.” He had the impression she knew their name already, but may as well make it official. “I'm Jarilo. Beta, and guardian here,” he flicked another glance to Hydra, assuming she would have her piece to finalize things, or not. But he was willing to consider this a tentative agreement if she was open to the consideration. “You could train with me, among others.” He wanted to see what she would be capable of from here, and only time was going to tell on that one.

If all went well, he would show her some of the mountain--and regroup anew tomorrow.

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this can be my last here/feel free to pp him if needed sister

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last from me, tooo!

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Hydra looked over the girl. Her uncertainty was evident, and Hydra was none too pleased by it. She looked to her brother in a way he would surely understand: if she truly is unable and unwilling to learn, she has no place here. There would be children again in the future, and all a pack needed was one weak link in its fence surrounding them for one of them to be harmed or killed. The womans saving grace was that there were no children then or there, nor any expected soon.

But if the she-wolf proved to be useless on that front, Hydra would not risk it. After her brother spoke, she drawled: “Your training begins tomorrow. Rest now,” she commanded. Looking to Jarilo, she drawled, “would you guide her to the rendezvous?”

She suspected Ara might make short work of this one, were she escorted alone. Her grown cubs could test the newcomer as only young wolves could. And in truth she counted on it; she would need a spine to survive. “I am Hydra, your Sovereign Queen,” she drawled, now expecting the other to give her name... or else be named by her, perhaps.

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