Getting to spend days with Mom were easily Satira's favorite days of all! The little girl loved her father, but her mother had always stayed a constant fixture in her life, caring and providing for her, making sure her belly was always full and her bed furs were soft and fluffed. To say Satira looked up to her mother would have been a gross understatement. The tiny fawn-furred girl practically worshipped the ground Asla walked on, trying to absorb her mother's poise and confidence by proxy. One day, she wanted to be as beautiful and formidable and clever as Asla was!

After their tussle with the bear at the nearby orchard, the two wolves had headed down towards the nearby river to slake their thirsts. Satira gazed in awe at the massive river; she'd never seen one so big and powerful before! Yet as they came to the water's edge and Tira's tiny pink tongue lapped at the shallow edge of the water, the sound of thudding footsteps nearby caught her attention. "Mom, look, it's another one!" said Tira, lifting her muzzle to spy the great brown grizzly bear milling about the same bank of the river they were on, its heavy breaths forming dense clouds of humidity before its stout muzzle. "Oh, this one looks bigger though."

Having spotted the two wolves, the bear let loose a fearsome roar. It had claimed this part of the river as its territory and would not allow other apex predators to set foot in it. "And it's meaner too!" The pup gave a growl back, her high-pitched girlish sound far from intimidating, but she'd get there someday.

"Satira Fatalis"

Tira had done well in her battle with the bear and Asla was terribly proud. The mother was practically beaming as she and her daughter moved to the chilled river to wet their dry mouths. Fighting bears was hot work and they both deserved a nice, cool drink. The woman's amaranthine gaze scanned the area around them as they drank. There was never a time outside of pack lands when Asla wasn't on alert. Especially when her children were with her. Before Tira even spoke, Asla's eyes were on the angry brown bear.

As the beast roared its displeasure, Asla took her last drink, licked the clinging droplets from her chin, and gave a small sigh. "Same as before, Tira. Stay away from the front. Only attack the back." The ursine came rushing towards them, its wide paws throwing up dirt and water as it ran. Asla's pelt bristled and she snarled loudly, baring curved, sharp teeth. The woman made a show, keeping the bears attention on her so that Tira could move undetected and slip behind.

Rather than run, Asla lashed out with one paw when the bear was close. Her feline claws cut into a wide brown cheek and the bear blinked in surprise, giving its head a shake and taking a moment to try and figure out what just happened. It wasn't used to wolves having sharp claws. It was almost comical as it looked Asla up and down for a moment before getting its shit together and roaring in her face.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Her mother already had her violet gaze locked on the angry ursine as she was speaking. Asla gave her guidance: same as before. It was a simple instruction, but it had worked well a few minutes ago for them! Why fix what wasn't broken, right? The bear roared and charged at them, and this time Satira was smart enough to bound out of its way while Asla took it head on. That was why she had gotten caught by the snake last time, and she wasn't going to make the mistake of being somewhere she shouldn't have been in a fight.

Satira watched her mother swipe at the bear's face with her claws and snap her jaws at its face, the two apex predators going at one another with vicious fangs and violent snarls. Narrowing her gaze to focus on the bear's exposed shins, Satira ran as fast as she could around to the back of the bear, homing in on a hind leg and throwing herself into her enemy. She dug her feline-like claws into its ankles, though it was more to hold on and less likely to cause harm given how small they were, but they allowed Tira to grapple the bear and get a few good bites on its skin until she tasted blood.

The bear gave a startled and confused grunt, glancing back just as Tira let go to run back to her safe distance, grinning proudly with a few speckles of red on her tiny muzzle from the wound she'd caused.

"Satira Fatalis"

Asla watched as Tira ran in, grasped one big, burly leg, gave the bear a bite, and ran away. Did she mention that she was proud? Because she was. Blood in the air made the bear angry, but it was also rethinking its attack. What had it gotten itself into? Well, the two lovely ladies were going to show it exactly what it walked into.

The bear turned its head to look back at the retreating child and Asla took the opportunity to snap her jaws onto one of its thick jowls. The bear grunted and gave its head a shake, but Asla was already backtracking. Running around the side, she bit its elbow, then its rotund side, teeth digging in, but leaving no lasting damage. The bear turned, following the larger wolf. That was exactly what it should be doing.

Asla pushed the bear back and away from where she and Satira had been having their drink. Yes, there was an entire river to drink from, but it was the principle of the matter. The bear had disturbed them, now it would learn that this little piece of river belonged to the wolves for however long they were here.

"Aslatiel"

Every time Satira got to watch her mother in action, she learned a little bit more. Asla was nimble, agile, and she used her smaller size to her advantage. This was how Tira would need to be when she grew up. Fast, elusive, using speed and size to her benefit. But for now, the slightly chubby puppy was content zipping in between the bear's legs like an annoying gnat, taking nips and bites before darting back out to spread the bear's attention thin while Asla did the bulk of the damage. It didn't take long for the bear to get completely turned around, stuck in an infinite loop of trying to pick a target and getting bitten for doing so. Satira gave little wily barks as she took enjoyment in confounding the bear, grinning wide from the sidelines while she waited for Asla to deal the final pushes to get it to leave.

"Satira Fatalis"

Teeth and claws. Scratches, nips, bites, headbutts... It was all too much for the bear. The bear originally thought that its great size and the mighty roar that it gave would be so impressive that the smaller predators would leave, but it underestimated the sheer determination and fighting spirit in the two threatened ladies. Asla internally laughed at the bravado of most creatures. She never underestimated herself. The woman was more than sure of her abilities. In time, Satira would be sure of her own abilities as well. In time, the girl would be just as good of a fighter, if not better, than her mother. That was the goal: for children to surpass their parents in skill.

The bear turned and began to rush back down the edge of the rushing river. Asla took off after it, delivering one more harsh bite to its very round rump. The ursine squealed, tucked its rump a bit, and took off into the river instead of beside it. The beast swam to the other side to escape the tiny, golden furies that stood on the opposite bank.

Turning to Satira, Aslatiel grinned, visibly beaming with pride. "You know, I think we'll make a fighter out of you yet. You'll be more than ready for our adventure come springtime." Needing another drink after this bout of physical exertion, Asla stepped out into the cool water and slaked her thirst once more.

"Aslatiel"