i am the blood of the mountain

I had forgotten how quickly they grew, how fast they could shift from bundles of fur that I could cuddle at my abdomen to energy filled pups that wanted nothing more than to push the boundaries. But then it had been so long ago since it was my young dragons testing my patience and evoking a deep sense of nervous protectiveness. Where had the years gone? Each day of my three youngest daughters' lives had seemed to fly by in a blur. And I knew that one of these times when Nymeria tried to give me the slip and go off exploring on her own she would succeed. It was better, I thought, to let her think she was on her own and keep an eye on her wanderings from a distance. So I had let her go, let her sneak away and believe that I was too distracted with other things to notice which way she'd gone. Of course it had not taken me long to track her down, always keeping enough distance that I could hear her but not see her - and so the illusion of her independent adventure was perpetuated. I knew I could not keep them sheltered from the dangers of the world forever, but I wanted to hold onto her innocence as long as possible.

When a torrent of high pitched barks rang in my ears I stood alert, ears pitched forward and nostrils flaring wide. It did not last long, and my heartbeat steadied, speculating about what she as getting up to. But the laughter of another that was soon enough joined by the familiar tone of my daughter's put my mind at ease. She'd met another pup. Perhaps now was the time to truly give her some freedom, to allow her to roam our homeland in the company of another her age. I was torn between motherly instincts to protect her always and the confidence in her that she would be alright. This was home, after all, and there was always someone nearby if any trouble arose. A deep seated, gut feeling told me to stay. Told me to remain close.

And then everything fell silent, if only for a second, and the hair along my spine prickled with unease. I knew something was wrong before Nymeria's yelp ever pierced the air. Suddenly I was sprinting forward, crashing through the brush and paying no heed to the well worn trails that my daughter had followed. I had kept my distance, far enough away that she would not detect my presence. But now it felt like miles separated us, and my legs could not get me to her fast enough. Racing through the foliage I finally grew near enough to see the shapes of the juvenile wolves in the clearing. I only barely caught a glimpse of the young black wolf as his movement cast my daughter's form backwards and away from him, but she was not the only pup at risk. As his jaws swooped down towards the other child with malicious intent, I barreled forward and into the clearing. My stride never slowed, unwilling to ask questions of this trespassing fiend that brought harm against the youth that fell under my protection.

With all of the might and power that my bodice possessed I plowed into the obsidian boy - for he was nothing more than a boy, younger even than my own sons - dipping my shoulder with the knowledge of experience to drive it into his side and push him away from Samus before his teeth could cause any more damage than they already had. I would wipe that sickening smirk from his face, as I used the imbalance my motion would cause him to strike. My jaws went straight for his throat, seeking the spot that would prevent him from being able to bite back, and gripping just tight enough to make him uncomfortable before twisting my head to force him to the ground and submit to me. If he struggled against me I would increase the pressure I held on him, waiting for him to surrender to me. If he thought attacking a couple of pups made him strong, I would teach him otherwise.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nymeria move forward and I shot her an equally threatening glare which immediately stayed her paws. Relief washed over me to know she was not hurt, but in this moment I was also furious with myself for letting her roam so far. I knew my territory backwards and forwards, and clearly I had let her venture too close to the borders, despite still being above the foothills. If nasty, ill-tempered yearlings like this one thought they could just waltz into Spirane without any repercussions, I would gladly make an example of the boy that squirmed beneath my grasp now.

ooc; using alpha power play right to force submission.

daenerys