Avoiding the Abyss

Spring arrived in the north as autumn swept its way through Auster on the wings of strong winds. Tarnish crouched down on the sands of the Bifrost, watching the water churn around him. Every so often the wind would kick up hard sending waves crashing over the land bridge, sweeping more sand down into the ocean's depths. Worc opted to hop along the ground, taking a break from flying as the duo journeyed along the north border of Auster. They curved around the Hallows border as he'd bene instructed to do, even though it didn't think it was that big a deal. Soon enough they were on the road to the Aspen Dam. Now six months old and stretching his hunting muscles, Tarnish was eager to try his paw at fishing again. The Dam had proven a great place to fish in the past. He hoped the arrival of autumn wouldn't change that.

Tarnish flattened his ears as they moved into the forested area. The wind was still blowing aggressively, causing the trees to sway and creak. He eyed them nervously for a moment then swiftly put on a brave face. He was a raider! He wasn't going to let anyone see him afraid. Tarnish arrived at the edge of the creek near the dam, where the water flowed down into a pool. Tarnish settled himself on the edge of the pool to fish. The water was fairly clear. A few leaves danced along its surface, soon swept off by the current as well as the wind. The farther he crouched down the less the wind stung his ears.

Worc settled in the lower limbs of a nearby tree, his feathers fluffing up and talons digging into the branch. Both fell silent as the fishing began leaving only the roar of the wind and the rushing chorus of the water to fill the forest. Tarnish was just about to strike at a leaping salmon when Worc let out a loud screech of warning. Despite the rush of the wind the noise still cut through. Tarnish turned just in time to see a coyote dive for him. Tarnish scrambled out of the way, leaping to the side then spinning to face his attacker. Now six month sold he was beginning to rival the coyote in size.

Unfortunately as Tarnish turned to face the coyote he was facing into the wind. It stung his eyes, kicking up dust and making them water. He squinted to try and protect his eyes as best he could without losing too much vision. His ears pinned to his head, hackles and fur on end. He heard Worc cry out and relied on the raven to be his eyes, following the directions the bird was giving him as the coyote attacked.

The coyote charged straight for him, fangs apparently aiming for his face. Following Worc's cry Tarnish was quick to duck, the coyote's fangs sailing over his head. The enemy's lower fangs just nicked the skin across the top of his head, right between his ears. The coyote's body blocked the wind for a moment and Tar's eyes snapped open as he lunged for the coyote's throat, hoping to put his hunting skills to use and to end the fight quickly. To his surprise the coyote suddenly leapt, hind legs vaulting it over Tarnish. His fangs failed to grab his opponent's throat and instead grazed the other canine's chest. Tar was swift to pivot around to face the coyote as it lunged once more, fangs snapping near his tail and just missing.

Now with the wind at his back Tarnish felt he had the advantage. He could see the coyote squinting into the wind, its ears pinned and its head twisting and tilting as it tried to keep an eye on him while lessening the impact of the wind. Tarnish sunk down low, his legs coiled beneath him for just a moment before he sprang, barreling right toward the coyote. He crashed into his opponent, chest to chest as his bared feline-like claws raked down the front of the coyote’s arms, causing it to screech. At the same time his fangs found purchase on the left side of the coyote’s face and he held on tight as the other struggled. Worc was still in the tree sending out caws of encouragement as he hopped up and down the branch, eager to see how the fight turned out.

Eventually Tarnish got the upper paw, pinning the coyote down under him but only for a moment before the slippery creature managed to wiggle out of his grasp. It was sent limping off into the forest but Tarnish let it go. He was here to hunt salmon and he wasn’t going to waste any more of his precious energy on a stupid coyote. Sitting down he licked at his wounds, seeking to clean himself up a bit for he returned to the creek.

Raider Brats