Odysseus wasn't sure what exactly was drawing him back to Boreas, but with each passing day he found himself getting close to the land bridge without a reason to turn back. There wasn't anything wrong with that; he just found it surprising. It had been years since he'd been there and nearly as many since he'd thought of the place...and yet the draw to it was nearly palpable.

A warning hoot from Oly frozen him just as he placed a paw on a piece of driftwood. His crimson eyes swept his surroundings in search of the danger and then his companion's long, skinny arm was thrust over his shoulder, outstretched finger pointing towards...

A deep growl left his lips as he recoiled from the giant lizard. The crocodile lay just on the other side of the log Odysseus had just stepped on. Had he taken another step he would have stepped right on it. Assuming, of course, it wouldn't have whipped around and bitten the descending appendage before contact could be made.

The crocodile was equally unhappy with the encounter. It straightened its stubby little legs and threw back its head so he could see its formidable jaws. For emphasis it hissed at him. The sound was harsh on Odysseus' ears and he found himself flattening them to muffle the sound. Out of instinct his hackles rose and his lips curled. He didn't take kindly to being menaced.

But, he saw no need to fight the creature simply because they'd had a close encounter and exchanged a few warnings. No, Odyssues was content to simply walk around it and let it be.

He kept his eyes on the crocodile as he did just that. His steps were slow and cautious as he circled the giant lizard. Its hisses were nearly continuous, but he paid them no mind. If he kept his distance, everything should be-

It spun to face him and he jumped back with a warning snarl. He held his head and tail high and bared his fangs at the beast in frustration. All it had to do was let him by.

OOC: word count is 347

He had gotten used to living in Abaven for the most part, though it was still a strange, new life to him. For so long he'd been used to the chaotic mess he lived in for so long, but that part of his life was done and over with. He decided to take some time away to explore a bit and get his thoughts in order. At least, the exploring bit is what he had told Ignis and Actaea. The real reason was to see if he could track down his traitorous brother and punish him for what he did. Since he couldn't seem to find a trace of him in Boreas, he thought maybe he might be able to find him in the neighboring continent of Auster. It had been a while since he'd been down this way, but the path there remained the same for the most part. The large male made his way across the sand as the wind gently tugged at his fur. He was starting to enjoy this walk. It let him think more clearly about what he was going to do and what he wanted to do. While Ignis and Actaea were a big part of his life, he felt like he was missing something. Eyes downcast, he didn't notice that he had stumbled upon the same path that one of his packmates had taken. At least, not until he heard something that sounded out of place here. Brows furrowed as he looked up, finally noticing his pack mate. He was curious as to what he was doing out here, and so began his approach. It wasn't until he noticed the man's odd behavior that he slowed his pace and watched him. What was he doing? "Everything...alright there?" He hadn't yet noticed the crocodile on the other side of the man. "Speak"

Odysseus' eyes narrowed to slits at the beast continued to hiss at him. With every passing second it seemed to grow more and more agitated and he wasn't sure what to make of its behavior. He wasn't familiar with this species so he didn't know if reptiles like this one were normally so cantankerous or if this one was just particularly feisty. Either way, he was ready to be rid of it and had it not been blocking the path he needed to take he'd have simply let it be.

"Everything...alright there?" Without taking his eyes off the crocodile, Odysseus answered Acere in a voice like distant thunder, "No. This....beast has taken offense and will not let me pass." The annoyance in his voice was impossible to miss, but how could he not be with a large and hostile creature blocking his path? He had done nothing (as far as he could tell) to deserve such a reaction and yet here they were, locked in this aggravating showdown.

Its movements punctuated by an explosive hiss, the crocodile lunged at Odysseus suddenly. Even though it didn't get close enough to bite him, he jumped away anyway. There was no need to take chances. Those jaws looked like they could do a lot of damage in a very small amount of time and on this particular stretch of beach he didn't think there was much in the way of medical supplies. Of course he could scavenge and no doubt make (temporary) substitutions, by why go through all of that when he could save himself a lot of time and pain by being cautious?

He growled at it again and bared his teeth in annoyance. Two could play at this game. Odysseus charged at it with a roar and then retreated just as the crocodile flinched. It was startled just enough that it didn't recover fast enough to attack before he outside its reach. Good. Perhaps now they had an understanding-

The crocodile gaped and then gnashed its teeth in a threatening display. Its boldness caused Odysseus to scowl in annoyance. He then had an idea. Perhaps, since the other male was approaching from behind, he too was hoping to cross the land bridge. If that was the case then the crocodile posed a threat to him too. Together they would increase their odds of getting by.

He shot a quick glance over at the other male before returning his attention to the cranky reptile. "If you are going this direction too, perhaps we can work together to get this grumpy gatekeeper to stand aside. If you'll harass him from the left, I'll take the right." Together they could overwhelm it and force it to retreat. Odysseus didn't want to kill it unless there was no alternative, but he wasn't afraid to have that option on the table.

Without waiting for an answer Odysseus began to stalk towards the crocodile. He didn't plan on attacking. Rather, he was hoping Acere would take the opportunity to attack while the crocodile was watching Odysseus. With the element of surprise surely he'd be able to get a bite or two in before the crocodile caught on. Of course if Acere didn't plan on helping him then he would have to do his best to get around the crocodile on his own. One way or another, though, he was getting to Boreas.

  "Odysseus" and "Olafur"  

Acere's gaze found the creature soon after Odysseus spoke. A brow rose at the sight of the grumpy creature. He had heard about them, but hadn't seen one up close before. He used to live in an area full of them as well, but they were always hiding in the water. Assuming this was the same creature as the ones from his past. He eyed it, watching as it lunged towards Odysseus but his packmate had been able to get out of reach and even returned the favor. Well, it seemed this reptilian creature wasn't going to let them by without some trouble. Odysseus soon spoke up again, and Ace nodded at the plan. He wasn't one to hesitate, either. Within moments Ace darted in as soon as Ody started advancing towards it, hoping that it would be distracted enough for him to get a couple quick bites. He lunged towards the left side of crocodile's hind leg, jaws splayed as he aimed a bite first at that hind left leg. He felt his teeth sink for a moment before he released again and quickly sought another bite around the same spot. At that point, the crocodile had lifted that same leg in an attempt to get it away from him, causing Ace to instead bite its foot. The wolf's teeth closed around the toes, and when he pulled back, he could feel the breaking of bones and tearing of flesh. He skittered away just in time, leaping in the air like a cat scared of a cucumber as soon as that Crocodile turned to get a chunk out of him. Crimson gaze spotted those jaws and teeth as it tried to lunge, hissing with pain. Ace managed to get out of range, and he stood with hackles raised, ready to move again. He realized then that he had something in his mouth, and he spit to find that he had managed to tear off a few toes. Oops. He hadn't meant to do that. He shuddered in slight disgust, but it wouldn't keep him from plotting his next move. speech action