woke up in a hearse

Part of the phoenix was nostalgic today. He'd woken up to a cloudy, rain free morning. As the last dredges of sleep had shaken loose from his mind, the memory of his sire beckoning him to head out into the world and see what was out there had slipped into his awareness. So he'd dragged himself from his quarters within the castle, and slipped from the Empire's territory. He'd wound up far from home, near the edge of what he knew. The southern tip of Auster was up ahead, but he wasn't ready to set out on such a grand adventure yet. Instead, he was looking to find a hidden gem close to home. Something to remind him of his youth, and the travels with his sire he hadn't known he would miss.

~**fight starts here**~

Face to face with a snarling wolverine, he wasn't feeling so nostalgic anymore. The godling backpedaled like his nose had nearly caught fire, startled by the roar of the animal he'd all but stepped on amongst the bamboo. It had been nestled into an alcove that he'd poked his head into, wondering if there was anything interesting hiding in the foliage. It had managed to get a good swipe in, long claws raking across the left side of his muzzle. The gouges were deep enough to start steadily weeping blood within moments. Worse yet, the bastard had managed to get its fangs into the meat of his right forelimb, just above the ankle. Seems he hadn't been quick enough in his hasty retreat.

Flattening his auds against his skull, the young male peeled his lips away from his fangs in a snarl of his own. He didn't dare try to tug the limb from the wolverine's jaws, lest it do some real damage. Instead, the male narrowed his eyes and lunged for its head. If he could get a solid enough blow dealt, then perhaps it would release his leg. Spittle flew from his jaws as they splayed wide, slicing through thin flesh across the top of the beast's skull as he sought to grab hold of its left ear, which was closest to him. The grip wasn't ideal, but it was enough for him to clamp down and hope the pain would be enough to force the wolverine's jaws away. Blood seeped into his mouth, coppery taste exploding across his tongue. He hadn't eaten yet today, and he was suddenly reminded of his hunger.

Sure enough, the wolverine released his foreleg in favour of thrashing violently and raking razor sharp claws across any piece of flesh it could manage. This meant his muzzle came away freshly tattered, and he narrowly avoided being bitten in the face. The godling took this moment to settle more solidly into his stance, balancing his weight on his three uninjured limbs and lowering his chin over his throat. A fresh snarl painted itself across his ichor stained features, tail flagging over his hips. He hadn't been looking for a fight today, but the little bastard had made this one personal. Clawing his face would have been a warning, but there was no need to bring maiming into this.

The wolverine didn't need to protect itself as much, it was lower to the ground. There was no reaching the soft underbelly without going through the gauntlet of claws and fangs first. But the godling had bulk on his side, and skill. Cerulean gaze narrowed to slits, he waited for his opening. One breath in, one breath out. Time to go. He leaped forward, pushing off with his hind paws to avoid straining his injured forelimb. They were in close quarters, which meant he would have to be careful to execute this perfectly. Once again, the male found himself splaying his jaws open wide in a garish snarl. The two predators clashed in a flurry of teeth, battling face to face to see who could gain the best grip. The godling's lips were sliced up quite brutally by the smaller animal, but he came out on top. With a mostly secure hold on the upper half of the wolverine's muzzle, he had control over most of its movements. He couldn't keep it forever, though. The little bastard was squirming something awful, and his lower jaw was on fire with the ferocity of its snapping.

He'd managed to gain his hold from the left side of the wolverine's face, and so he decided to pivot his body as best he could to force the wolverine into an awkward position. He muscled its head to the side, where the awkward angle of its neck would cause it to lose some of its bite force. Then, in true canine fashion, he tipped his chin towards his chest and started to shake its head as violently as he could. If he could disorient and upend the little bastard, the fight would be his. Digging his claws into the soil beneath him, he snapped his head to his left one final time and dragged the beast off its feet. He released his hold on it, and slapped his bloodied forepaw onto its flank emphatically. The little bastard was panting with exertion, and the whites of its eyes rolled with fear.

He drew his head back, chin tucked into his chest as he observed his work. He pressed more of his weight into the animal, ensuring it wouldn't be going anywhere. "You fought well, I'll make it quick." he growled, lips peeling away from bloodied ivories as he lunged forward and grabbed hold of its thick neck, just below the chin. With each second, the wolverine regained its vigour and fought against its inevitable demise. The muscles of his own neck bunched with the strain of delivering as much force as possible into a single bite, but he felt the horrible grinding of his teeth against bone as they slipped through the thick skin of the wolverine. The ruddy animal stilled quite suddenly, and the godling felt tension start to bleed from his form.

~**fight ends here**`

With a hefty sigh, the male dropped the carcass and surveyed the damage to his forelimb. It was a bloody mess, but he couldn't see bone or anything that appeared severe. He'd heal, he assumed. Shaking out his ruff, he began to feel the bumps and bruises of the fight settling into his muscles. A soft groan shook itself loose. Rather than linger until he felt too sore to move, he grabbed the back of the wolverine's neck and started the task of hauling its carcass back to the Empire. He wanted to keep his hard won prize.

ooc. word count: 874