He woke with the dawn, as he had since birth. Things were different however, normally he would have a pack, albeit a small one. Their warmth was missing. His instinct was to find others, but instinct no longer ruled him the way it used to rule his parents. He saw things more clearly.

Hyde was part of a species that had not existed very long, as species go. Magic beasts competed in an echelon of their own, lesser quality sustenance would not do. This ensured a thriving ecosystem underneath, that grew slowly but surely and competed for resources in the more mundane landscapes. Those who were successful developed quickly with each generation, carving out their niche and slowly growing in some direction to suit their environment.

Mosswolves came from a region with mundane volcanoes that clashed with marshes and forests. The sacks of brackish liquid on their backs served to nourish the evolving mosses intertwining with their naturally bristling fur that ensured the moss got plenty of sun. The liquid, which consisted of a bromine mix and allowed them to turn thermophilic for extended durations, was what had kept them alive when they were first driven from the forests into the volcanic area. Not that their tormentors would leave them alone there. Many generations later Hyde and his even more evolved kind were driven in turn into Doc Forrest since apparently the Cloven now had some use for their lands. The result was them being forced to feed on the lesser beasts, corrupting their development and causing a chain reaction to mutate their appearance. Desperate times called for desperate measures, but Hyde knew he could never do the same, even for his children. He would live or die as an example.

Of course Hyde did not know the details of this, he just felt deeply and knew what he was. A beast of a proud lineage on a journey to Spirithood.

Once Roldy had finally figured out what he was doing wrong in his relationship with his new pup he had been over the moon. [Bond of the Forest] had allowed him to sense some of what the beast was thinking, but the distance between them was hard to interpret, Roldy had made the precarious interpretation that his slaying of its parents must be to blame. Now it was clear that the unexpected sight had bothered Hyde, but that he ultimately preferred that all the hard work they had put into their bodies not go to waste. Wolves were practical creatures and saw no use in being eaten by maggots to feed the plants. Others were more fit to serve such a purpose. It was why the world was divided into prey and predator.

Such basic communication was finally happening, and since it was Roldy's first magic creature he was finally starting to feel like a real [Druid]. But that didn't mean he would stop being himself.

He had been slowly approaching the sleeping Hyde in the pre-dawn light. One step at a time, slowly but surely over the course of half an hour. He was finally close enough, he poked the single leaf on the end of a stick into the sleeping wolf's snout. Now I just need to hold it for 10 seconds.

As Hyde slowly reacted to the suddenly looming presence he knew it must be his [Druid] or some other one of the fellowship, his nose would have alerted him earlier to anything else. Rather than react in reflex he managed to remain still to figure out exactly what prank was being pulled. He absolutely did not want to give Roldy the satisfaction of jumping up in fright like some toddler. Of course that proved his undoing.

By the time Hyde realised the leaf being held against his nose was that of the tickle elm the bastard was already laughing and gaining volume with every second. The tickle grew in intensity at the speed of Hyde's waking mind, but just as he was about to rush up to a tree and drag his snout across it to get rid of the pinprick Roldy finally stopped laughing and stepped in. "Let me get it for you!"

The satisfying scratch that finally rid him of the ticklish particles was a Spiritsend, but it hardly made him forget who had caused the tickle in the first place. When he could finally withdraw his snout his damning eyes said only one thing; Dick

Roldy still wore a huge smile. "Oh don't be like that, I'm sure you'll get your revenge one day, it's all in good fun. I will be vigilant though, don't be clumsy about it just because you don't have hands, that's no excuse!" Hyde actually rolled his eyes, making Harold laugh again. "Anyway, I came to get you because Livia apparently had you in mind for some scheme she's cooking up, interested?"

The mosswolf had been figuring it was time to start contributing a bit more concretely, what with all the good food they kept procuring for him and all, it had established quite the baseline, especially with his hunting on top. He conveyed his agreement and they stepped to it, ready for another day.

"You know, I know Livia probably picked it for some reason from home, but I really like Roldy. Roldy and Hyde, it has a ring to it, you know?"

The mosswolf seemingly ignored the [Chaos Druid] as he loped ahead, but their bond conveyed his true feelings. Agreement.