Anlage woke that next morning. Raiden, Ekron and Maja had returned that evening with an elk. It had impressed the alpha as well as the rest of the pack. It normally took more than three wolves to bring down a cow, never mind a bull-elk. The pack had eaten well that evening. After only a short while after the elk had been brought back and night had blanketed the forest, Desire, Ananza and Ardal had run into the clearing, dropping the prey they had caught--which consisted of several rabbits and a bird that Ananza's instant reaction had caught. Panic showed in their eyes and Desire ran forward to Anlage.
"Alpha! I scented a loner at the South Border and we three followed it. It led across the territory over to the creek and we checked, it left the territory, but by the creek we discovered a bear that has begun to dig a hollow for itself into the mountainside. It appears it is going to try and stay for the winter as it hibernates. It is going to be a huge problem for our prey source, alpha!" Desire spoke rapidly but clearly. Anlage had nodded, his eyes narrowed as he considered. They had recently recruited many wolves, so it wouldn't be hard to gather a patrol, but a bear was a dangerous opponent to face. One paw-swipe and a wolf could be killed.
This morning he continued to mull it over. He finally decided the best course of action would for them to try and fill the den it was creating with the dirt that was spilled and mark their territory around it. A bear searching for a den to hibernate shouldn't put up much of a fight and Anlage wasn't eager to lose wolves from his pack in fighting a losing battle. He stood on top of the ledge above his den and called out.
"Desire, you will lead the patrol." he said. A flash of pleasure crossed her face and was quickly covered by determination.
"Yes, Alpha!" she answered him, standing tall.
"You may choose your patrol. Do as I have suggested and return. I forbid you to fight the bear if it is inside the den. If you must, lure it out of the den by some means other than going too close to it, but again, I forbid any of you to enter battle with it. It isn't threatening us currently other than the prospect of future prey-loss. There is no need to injure wolves especially with the herb supply in low-stock."
The alpha dipped his head. "That will be all." he finished, and turned and jumped off the rock to lie in the early morning sun.
Desire turned around and scanned the pack before calling out whom she had chosen to come with her.
"Ananza, Ardal, Kuoza, Kolo and Vikol!"
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Kuoza had been resting, legs crossed nonchalantly, when Desire called. He was on his feet instantly when she said his name, ears pricked forward alertly. He spoke quietly as he approached Desire. "I've dealt with bears before. If it's around, I can lure it away from the area without too much trouble, if you would wish." He offered, mind just on the facts. Of course, the last time he had dealt with a bear...no, he wouldn't think about it. Bears were slow. He could outrun one, and lose it easily if it chased him. It was just in the technique.
"Maja...are you really okay? You haven’t said a word to me since yesterday," Ardal nudged his companion with his paw. Her smoldering golden eyes glared at him; his gray fur prickled slightly at her ghastly aura. She and two other wolves had returned last night some time before his patrol, dragging with them a four hundred pound elk. It was impressive how they managed the feat, but she declined to interact with him ever since the expedition. “What’s the deal? I’m worried I’ve done something to upset you, but then you’d tell me. So that must mean it was another wolf….wait, it was the hunt, wasn’t it? What happened –”
Ardal looked up as his name was called by a certain white wolf. He glanced over to Maja again, grinning apologetically as he stood up, “Sorry. I guess I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’m sorry.” She said softly after him.
The gray wolf froze, his blinking surprise not helping him. Maja didn’t look him in the eye; instead she stared vacantly at her small paws. There wasn’t even a hint of dangerous air floating around her anymore, to his relief. Ardal smiled a small genuine smile, eyelids droopy in the way they did when his heart was comforted. He replied tenderly, “It’s alright.”
After earning an unseen smile from Maja, Ardal bounded away towards Desire. The white wolf was already in the company of an older, shaggier wolf. He waltzed in, unadulterated contentment radiating waves off him. Ardal grinned his signature wolfish smile when greeting the two wolves. “So…are we going bear scouting? I’m surprised I even qualify for the job.”
Desire nodded curtly.
"We may be faster than bears but I'm taking no chances with those claws. They are certainly slower when they're packing food for hibernation, but it isn't too close to winter yet, so I imagine it's still got some good energy." she turned and began walking, gesturing for them to follow.
"Allowing that we've been lucky in the amount of prey around these parts, it should be well-fed and not too irritable."
The white wolf glanced east at the rays of the early morning sun that filed through the thick pine branches and sniffed the air.
"No scent of it yet," she muttered.
Kuoza followed close behind, his ratty coat a prominent difference against the Desire's pure white one. He kept his ear pricked and scenting, his paw steps silent. Trailing off to one side, he caught a wisp of scent, and beckoned Desire over. "It's fresh." He said softly, glancing around the area around them. He pointed his nose in the direction the scent trail was heading.
Desire turned at the sound of Kuoza's voice and softly stepped across the hard-packed trail to where he motioned. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she concentrated and her nose sifted through the scents of the forest. The pungent, rank smell of bear hit her suddenly and she exhaled sharply to rid herself of it.
"Yeah, it must be out hunting still," she said, referring to the fact that bears were generally nocturnal.
"Come on,"
Her long legs became a blur as she trotted along the forest. Occasionally she scented the stench of the large mammal and it began to get stronger the further they traveled. Anxiety and excitement wafted off of her and her pace quickened slightly as they neared the creek.
"Careful now, Desire, you don't want to race into trouble," Ardal said with frivolous manner, yet there was an undertone of cation and wariness blended too. His nose twitched as they neared the tumbling water of an unfamilar creek, scenting the wretched odor as the approached the source. The normally aloof wolf began to feel the vibes of adreniline run laps in his veins. The last time he saw a bear was a year ago - the large patrol had attacked it, thinking they were strong enough to chase it out, but by the end of the skirmish there were two immobile bodies and a large silhoutte sprinting into the beyond, vanishing from their sights. Ardal might not have known the two dead wolves very well, be he could remember the dread that followed after the event.
His head low, Kuoza raced after the scent light on his toes, skimming the ground gently like a bird skims a mirrored lake, it's wings barely rippling the surface. He was tense, but his movements were smooth- relaxed, the best for quick movement. His ears were pricked forward, the only part of his body not engaged in a relaxed trod through the trees. Every sound could be an attacker, even the slightest rustle could mean the difference between life and death if they were attacked. Kuoza sniffed carefully, inhaling the musky scent and focusing hard on following the trail. Carefully he scanned the woods, but stole a glance at the wolves around them. Even Ardal seemed focused- the aloof energetic wolf seemed serious, focused as everybody else- everyone seemed completely aware of the danger involved in this search. They could hope no blood would be shed, but Kuoza knew from experience not to get his hopes up- bears, with thick pelts, sharp claws, and an attitude like a female with eight newborn pups, could be deadly with little to no effort.
Desire froze. She didn't need her nose to tell her the bear was around the corner with the sounds it was making. As a large predator, the shaggy mammal didn't need to walk quietly.
"It's not at its den." she muttered.
"Come on. We'll circle around.."
(Free For All* rp the bear if you wish)
Memories of Ananza's mum and siblings coursed through her, filling her with a new found fear. Patterns of blood from her early childhood filled her eyes. Stopping herself for a moment, she realized she probably looked like she was about to hyperventilate. Picking herself up, she knew this was her chance to truly prove herself to the pack, and take avenge for the mother. Glancing over at Ardal, she looked at the proud he-wolf, but quickly looked away. She also looked at the other wolves, Kuoza and Kolo. But not for long. It was time for her to take care of what her mum never did. Circling around, she caught up to Desire, and saw a flash of brown. "This could be the same bear that killed my mother," she muttered, close enough for Desire to catch a wisp. And then Ananza ran towards the bear howling out, and used her powerful back legs to jump on the bear, earning her a look of surprise from the bear. Digging in with her claws, flashbacks of her young fight filled her mind, and calling out like her mother did so long ago, she howled, "Desire, Ardal, come on! We got a bear to get out! Try to get it at his windpipe at both sides!" Looking at the other wolves she had just met, at any other circumstance, she would be a little hesitant to call out like this, but she yelled, "You both, try to get him at the back! I'll get him at the top of his windpipe!" And the fight began.
Desire's eyes narrowed in concentration as Ananza muttered "This could be the same bear that killed my mother.". Her face became tense with past emotions. She had once traveled for days, not stopping, not eating, not even resting. She had relentlessly tracked the killer for miles across the long stretches of forest. Her paws had bled, leaving bloody paw-prints as she trekked. She had been entirely obsessed with finding the murderer.
She glared ahead. They couldn't attack. It was too risky. She opened her mouth to stay Ananza, to warn her not to attack but she leapt backwards, adrenaline pumping, as Ananza bounded forward and attacked the bear.
"Desire, Ardal, come on!" Ananza howled. The bear was thrashing about, its bellowing snarls swallowed up by the dense forest around them.
"NO!!!" Desire bellowed as she leapt forward with her teeth bared.
"ANANZA, WE CAN'T RISK IT!!" she shouted as she skidded on the hard-packed earth a few feet from the enraged animal. Every sense was alert as the adrenaline shot through her like a bolt of lightning.
Kuoza flinched as Ananza leapt at the bear- what happened to avoid a fight at all costs? Still, he didn't hesitate- if the she-wolf was so inclined to fight, then he couldn't leave a pack mate to be mutilated. Even the most skilled wolf had a one in a million chance of bringing down a bear themselves. But if Kuoza joined in, their chances would be doubled. He was the first of the packmates to join the tussle- leaping, attracting the attention of the sharp claws for a moment and allowing Ananza to get a better grip with her teeth. Nimbly dodging what could have been a deadly blow, he used the bears momentum to his advantage and pushed into the dirt with his back legs, rearing up and biting into the windpipe as Ananza recommended. He felt a twinge of victory, but it was short-lived- the bear, quickly recovering, turned it's head sharply, twisting and trowning Kuoza to the ground and knocking the wing out of him. His paws scrabbled at the earth desperately, but couldn't get up quick enough. The bear came down with a sharp blow. Luckily, Kuoza was able to dodge it enough that it only bruised and cut him, as opposed to ending his life, but there was still a wound over his right flank. Panting heavily, Kuoza searched for another opportunity to attack, this time a bit more carefully.
Ananza still had adrenaline pumping through her, but for a second her eyes flashed with memory. "I wasn't supposed to fight the bear," she thought. But again her mother's blood filled her eyes, and Ananza's claws dug in to the bear's neck. Looking at Kuoza, she knew she probably should have thought more, but there was no time to lose, Desire was doing what she told, but Kuoza was down. Ardal had yet to join the fight, and it was the same with Kolo and Vikol. Probably too stunned. Hoarsly but strongly calling out to them, her paw fell on top of the bear's windpipe. In the seconds that passed, time seemed to slow down. One side of her said, "Take revenge." The other said, "Nobody should end this way. It might not be the same bear." The bear had fear in wait-her eyes, realizing it might be her end. Hearing a wail from inside the den, she heard cubs. Ananza should have ended that bear's life for her mother. But something stopped her. Getting off the bear, she went inside the den. Inside were 4 little cubs, their eyes wide in fear. Backing out, Ananza stepped back, and went a little ways into the forest, and started to cry.
Kolo felt frozen in his tracks. Ananza`s attack had bought them time, but he couldn't move. Beside him, Ardal and Vikol looked as stunned as he felt. Images flashed in his mind, of his first encounter with a bear. He had barely been out of puphood, curious and foolish, and that hadn't gone very well. He wondered if his reluctance to attack was out of fear of for his own safety. Gathering all his courage, he leaped at the massive creature.
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