Predators had been chased out of Valta territory but it didn’t mean they didn’t try to wander in at points.  The rapids had a great collection of fresh flowing water and a good supply of fish that was attractive for anyone daring enough to try and visit.  This tended to include small predators that thought they could quickly get in and out or larger ones that thought they could take on a wolf or two.  

Kotori imagined predators were a handy enough thing though.  Frequent patrols kept them in line and made sure the pack had plenty of live targets to practice their fighting skills on.  Today Kotori had gone on a patrol with Arc.  It was much for protecting the pack as trying to get to know his nephew better.

Kotori grinned when he spotted a bear that was indeed heading towards their home.  He wasn’t on their border yet and perhaps it would turn away when it caught the scent of the pack territory but then again maybe not.  Kotori didn’t bother with a warning growl or anything.  The wolf enjoyed a good fight.  He ran straight towards the bear, then swept wide about it, raking his horns into the bear's leg.  Kotori was about to bite it but the bear was turning to try and get revenge.  Kotori was willing to back off and let it look away from Arc.

"Kotori Fatalis"

Arcturus walked along beside his uncle as they went out to do a patrol, easily falling into the day to day routine with Kotori and enjoying protecting what was beginning to feel more and more like his home. It had been an adjustment, going from constantly wandering and not staying in one particular place to having a steady home with his family around him, but it was an adjustment in a good way. He was enjoying getting to know wolves like Kotori and Mortis and others that he had known of, but had really hardly known. As they neared the border they spotted a bear heading in that direction and there was no hesitation from his uncle that immediately darted in, circling around the bear to go for it's back leg and drawing its attention. He couldn't say he was really the type to go head first into a fight all the time like Kotori was, but he enjoyed a fight from time to time as well—plus he wasn't just going to leave his uncle high and dry either. He followed suit just a little way behind his uncle, letting the bear turn toward him before Arc went back behind the bear as well, reaching forward to bite and slice his saber fangs through the back of the bear's leg, earning a roar of pain from the predator.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Kotori’s nephew got in a solid bite into the bear’s back leg, enough damage done to have the bear roar in its pain.  Kotori took that moment to rush in, lunging forward to bite the side of the bear's throat, squeezing down to get past the extra fluff and find the muscle underneath to pierce.  The bear wasn’t going to give Kotori a lot of time though, a new angry roar as it turned on the wolf.  Kotori backed up but aimed to keep this face-to-face glare off.  Kotori grinned at the giant with his large teeth and muscular jaw.  It didn’t matter how bulky it was, the brute would be dead soon enough.

Kotori lunged in straight toward the face.  The dumb bear thought Kotori was ready for a face-to-face charge and opened his own mouth to bite.  Kotori swerved to one side, now biting into a front leg.  How long could the bear move about to avoid attacks if they kept damaging its various legs?  It was already at a point where it had to make decisions on how he would support his weight with the various injuries.

"Kotori Fatalis"

Arcturus kept an eye out for an opening as his uncle went in for a bite at it's neck keeping its attention mostly on the earthen hued male despite the deeper wound Arc had left on its leg. Arc shifted around a bit, keeping out of the bear's line of sight but edging around toward its side instead of sticking strictly behind it. In that time Kotori stepped back after his attack at its neck and when he charged in Arc readied himself to jump in at the same time so they could double team the bear. He watched Kotori swerve and go for it's leg and as the bear stumbled back a bit, now off center with deep bites on two different legs. That was Arc's signal to act and he leapt forward with a snarl, coming from an angle past the bear's shoulder with his jaws open toward its throat. His long fangs sliced more easily through the thicker fluff of its fur and drove home more deeply into skin and muscle, tasting blood rush across his tongue as he managed to tear through an artery in the process.

He didn't hold that grip long through, slicing through a portion of their opponent's neck before he stepped back again with a quick hop, making sure to stay out of range of any angry swipes or desperate attempts to get away from its attackers. He knew with these kinds of wounds there was no way the bear was going last much longer, but that fact hadn't quite sunk in for the bear yet it seemed as it kept up its angry roars and attempts to lash back out at the two wolves. It was possible that it was simply making its last stand since its leg was too damaged now to make a run for it, but regardless Arcturus remained on the defensive for now.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Arcturus had gotten a bite to its neck and the bear was determined to still not stop its fight.  Kotori would guess it simply knew it couldn’t escape.  A great paw swung at Kotori, slower than it had been and the wolf took advantage of the slower speed.  Kotori lowered his head down and then lifted up, his horn stabbing through the large paw and it cried in an angry rage from pain.  

The bear jerked its paw back and Kotori had to lower his head for the horns to be free so that he didn’t lose his own balance.  The bear gave another angry threatening roar that was more bluff than anything.  Kotori rushed in at the bear, biting the opposite side of the neck than where Arc had bit. It would do more damage where Arcturus had bit before but this would work and if the younger wolf wanted to bite there then his teeth would do more damage.  

Regardless, this bear would die and it was now just a matter of how fast it died.

"Kotori"

It was obvious that it was only a matter of time now before the bear went down. Really, they could just back off now and walk away knowing that it wasn't going to survive with the wounds they had inflicted, but that wasn't the kind of wolf that Arc was. They had put it in this state so they ought to at least make sure it didn't go on suffering because of it. He hung back for a moment, looking and waiting for an opening while it swung for Kotori. His uncle had an impressive use for his horns and Arc watched as he stabbed them through the bear's paw and sent it reeling, leaving it's neck wide open for Kotori to get a bite in on the opposite side from where he had originally struck.

The bear stumbled back from the blow and that's where Arc saw his opportunity. Jumping up and rearing back on his back paws, Arc dove in for a bite on the back of its neck where he had originally landed a blow, using the already torn flesh as a place for him to dig even deeper. He felt his fangs cut straight through to the bear's spine, that tale-tell feeling of teeth grinding against bone giving it away, and as his fangs sliced through the spinal chord he felt the bear twitch a bit and then go limp. He let go just as the bear crumpled to the ground and very quickly succumbed to its wounds between the two wolves. Licking his lips clean of the bear's blood, he glanced up at Kotori with a small nod, giving his uncle a slight grin for their victory.

"Arcturus Indarra"