GOT AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER But the devil always won... Harbringr shifted the stick in his mouth as he trotted back toward the lake. It was a beautiful autumn morning, crisp and clear and sunny. It was the perfect morning to spend some time by the lake with the sun on his back and a project between his paws. Costanza was sleeping in a tree near the lake so he opted not to disturb her. This was one unfortunate thing about her coming back as an owl. She tended to be asleep when he was awake and vice versa but they were managing. He arrived at the lake where he had a small deer hide with an assortment of rocks and other items. Carefully he set the stick down, placing it between his paws as he started to strip off the extra branches and little bits that were in the way. If he was going to craft a spear he needed to get the stick smoothed out.

Zee was still reeling from her dismissal from Deathbelle's side, and just like the last time she'd stumbled upon this particular Klein she was in desperate need of a distraction. She was not sure she could offer him another spar if he requested it of her, her neck was still healing from Sirius' attack. Thankfully, Harbringr seemed to be absorbed in some sort of activity himself. Perhaps she could take the opportunity to learn more of her other masters - and if Deathbelle did indeed want to remove Zee from her service it would be good to know which Kleins were safe to serve and which were cruel. "Harbringr, Your Grace, hello." She greeted. There was still awkwardness in the way she addressed her superiors, and so she made sure to follow his name with a formal title just in case. "Do you need help with anything?"  Zee gave him a friendly - yet shy - smile, and settled down into the dirt before him. Blue gaze eyed the stick curiously, head tilting gently as she wondered what he could be chewing on it for. "Speech"

GOT AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER But the devil always won... Hari ripped another small branch off when he heard approaching pawsteps. He looked up and when he recognized the approaching woman he grinned. "Well, well, if it isn't the mighty warrior!" Was he embarrassed to have lost to the little slave? Absolutely! But fate would do as it would and there was little use in crying about it. Besides, a smile was how he responded to most misfortune now. After the drought he'd gone through sorrow and rage and another myriad of emotions but nothing ever made the pain better. If he smiled though and laughed it off he could at least pretend it was better. "We'll have to have a rematch some time when I'm not quite so busy. " He thought for a moment at her question. He was quite fine working on this spear by himself but he had considered making more than one and perhaps she could help with that. He'd certainly enjoy the company. "That might be good. I'm crafting some spears. I'm not sure for what yet. They could be used offensively or defensively and I saw a clever trap once where a loner had dug a pit and filled it with pointy sticks to catch game." He stood and went over toward the bundle. On the other side of it was a few more sticks he was working with. He picked one up and set it down near Zee. First you'll want to strip the little branches and what not off the side. When you're done I'll show you what to do next." He settled down near his own stick and on one end carefully began to work a canine into the top of the stick, seeking to carefully split a notch in it that could hold a sharp stone. He notched first one way and then another so that he had a good cross going.

Zee's smile widened with confidence as Harbringr's response came through with friendly tones. At least there were Klein's other then Deathbelle whom Zee might grow to like. He mentioned her spar, and she gave a small short laugh. "As if you didn't let me win."  The she-wolf reminded him. She was convinced that if he wasn't worried of harming her, that she would have only had mere moments more before she was against the ground in submission. "You'll have to wait until I'm healed, but I'd gladly serve as further practice for you."  Her head turned to the side so that he might see the long marks upon her neck - gouged by Sirius' fangs. He dropped a stick before her, and her ears perked with curiosity. She'd never crafted before, but his plan to use pointy sticks to slay prey animals was intriguing. While Zee might never become an expert fighter or hunter herself, she could see the use in these tricks to help her to take down game bigger then her small self. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."  She agreed, looking down at the stick and moving it within her paws so that she could easily work the branches off it's side. Occasionally her gaze moved from the peeling bark to Harbringr's work, watching how he was completing the next few steps to the spear. "Speech"

GOT AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER But the devil always won... Her comment about waiting until she was healed brought his attention to the wound at her neck. They looked to be bite wounds and for a moment he wondered if there'd been some spat at the border he didn't know about. He flinched. "That does not look fun, what happened?" Harbringr, as flippant as he could appear some times, was very much concerned with the security of Ashen. If there had been an attack or hostile wolves roaming near the borders he wanted to be alerted. Hari looked over at the woman's work and nodded approvingly. "Looking good. Once you're ready you'll want to carefully use one of your canine teeth to make two notches in the end of the stick like so." He picked up his own stick in his teeth and angled it for her to see. Then setting it down he stood up. After that we'll try and wedge some rocks in there. "I think we can try and pack them in with some clay or sap but I don't have any on me at the moment. Might be some clay in the lake." Curious he padded along the bank for a short ways til he saw what he was looking for. Excellent! Taking a big scoop of the clay he limbed back toward his stick. Others might take a big mouthful of the stuff to transport but he refused to since it was such a short distance. Smearing the clay on a rock he took a little bit of it and forced it down into the grooves. Looking it over he nodded to himself before returning to his scrap of deer hide and unfolding it. Inside were a number of odd items. Selecting a couple of flat, yet sharp rocks he delicately picked them up in his mouth and brought them over to where he and Zee were crafting. He selected one rock and then gently wedged it into the sticks. As it became harder he pressed more firmly until he was satisfied with how the rock was wedged into the. "And there we go. A spear!"

Zee shrugged off Hari's concern, tucking her head back so her wound wasn't front and center. The memory was not one she enjoyed, and the situation it revolved around was awkward. "Sirius accidentally tried to murder me in his sleep." No, that would bring too many questions up. Why was Zee sleeping so close to Sirius to be nearly killed? Was he not right in the head if he was attacking randomly? Was it safe to have him near the Kleins and the to-be-born babies? No, no that wouldn't do. "I appreciate your concern, but typically the injuries of a slave do not bring up these sort of questions."  She chuckled sadly. "I've got a mouth on me, been known to have my head pushed to the ground a time or two. I guess I went to far."  It was a lie, and Zee did not like to lie. She coughed, and returned to her spear. Hari was proving a wonderful teacher, and the small slave's expression grew happier as he complimented her work. He angled his stick so she might see, and she nodded to confirm she understood the process. Her teeth were small and so it was easier to make the proper notches within the bark, within a few minutes she felt it was ready for the stone. "This is remarkable, who taught you to do this?"  She asked with interest, taking the rock and clay and wedging them within the crevice herself. It wasn't an easy task and she rocked it back and forth hard to be sure it would have a firm hold within the stick. Not too long after he held up his own creation, Zee proudly presented her own. "Wow!"  She marveled, grabbing the stick in her mouth at the middle. She stood and swung her head around, waving the weapon in the air for a moment before gently placing it back onto the ground. "Yeah, I think they'd be hard to wield in battle - the pit idea is flawless." "Speech"

GOT AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER But the devil always won... I appreciate your concern, but typically the injuries of a slave do not bring up these sort of questions. Harbringr considered her for a moment and then shrugged lightly. "It is a concern if it is someone who poses a thread to the pack. If a loner got too close to our territory for example but if it does not concern pack security I will not pry." He hadn't realized it but Belle's pregnancy was heightening his concern. He was quickly realizing how inadequate he was. Hari had spent so much time on his own that he was still in a loner state of mind. Having to defend and hold a territory suddenly felt so foreign. He turned his attention back to Zee as she spoke and sighed softly. "An old teacher who was a weapon's specialist. I always thought I'd follow in his paw steps one day but during the drought he caught Typhus and passed on. However, I hope to find others who have knowledge to share." He smiled when she tried to swing the spear and grinned proudly at the pit idea. "Thank you for saying so, I-" He froze and whipped his head around when he heard movement. The movement was something far larger than he was. Then out from the reeds emerged a large grizzly bear. She fixed the wolves with a violent stare and reared back on her hind legs. "Ah hell, go away!" He growled, his defenses setting, hackles raised. "There's plenty else for you to eat before hibernation, piss off!" He hoped that some saber rattling might frighten the bear off but the grizzly didn't seem at all impressed. She crashed back down onto all fours, let loose a roar and charged.

Hari didn't prod further and Zee was glad for it. Better to avoid that line of questioning all together. He explained the weapon specialist who taught him his craft, and the slave nodded her head understandably and with empathy as he mentioned the late-tutor's death. Harbringr was turning out to be a good Klein, one Zee was happy to spend time with. One of few. Suddenly the man whirled his head and Zee's too turned to stare in the direction of the sound. She'd not heard anything - Zee wasn't exactly trained to be perceptive - but she trusted the concern in his eyes and knew something was coming. Slowly the slave began to back up, reaching down to grasp her spear for safety. It was a silly thing and she knew she couldn't swing it, but it made her feel better to hold in her jaws. From the bushes a large grizzly emerged and Zee's ears flattened fearfully. Sirius was not here to protect her, and Zee was too proud to hide herself beside Hari when she knew him so little. She swallowed hard, still gripping the spear firmly. Harbringr shouted to the bear and Zee's gaze flicked to him frequently to assess how confident he was about the situation. It was then that the bear charged, and the slave had to very quickly decide whether it was time to fight or flight. The beast was aimed towards Harbringr and not to Zee, and so she knew she could likely just leave him behind and escape. You don't need to outrun the bear, just your friends, right? From her smaller stature she knew she could outrun the samurai. Gulping, she readied her paws firmly in the dirt. She promised Deathbelle to try and earn the Klein's respect. Running would not accomplish it. As the bear charged forward, Zee moved to intercept. She timed it well, and the bear was half way to Harbringr when the slave threw forward. Spear still in her jaws, she angled her body so that it would face tip-on against the larger predator. The bear barreled forward further and Zee held her grip firm. She was expecting the force of the charge to assist her in impaling the creature, but she did not consider the blow-back she herself would face. The spear's tip punctured high on the bear's shoulder and slid deep inside the muscle there, hitting bone and preventing further damage. The grizzly did not have the ability to react in time and as she continued forward, her force of movement pitched Zee backwards. The spear snapped in two - the pointy end still lodged into the bear - and the slave tumbled off her feet and away. "Speech"

GOT AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER But the devil always won... There was something wrong with the bear's around here in Harbringr's mind. They were more aggressive. Most sensible predators went out of their way to avoid a fight. Any injuries received by either party could put them both at risk of starvation but fine, if the bear wanted a fight it would get a fight. His thoughts flickered to the spears for a moment but by then his body was already reacting, trained by years of conditioning. Very rarely was there time to actually think in a fight, one's body just reacted and he dove down like quicksilver slipping straight between the bears front legs as his fangs seized hold of the patella of the bears left hind leg. He bit down hard and immediately began to thrash at the same time he heard the bear roar in pain. He did not know that Zee's spear had forced its way through the bears left shoulder. As a result the bear began to pitch and fall. Harbringr afraid of being crushed raced out from under the creatures descending bulk. He quickly turned taking in Zee and the broken spear as he turned to face the bear. He then barked out a laugh. "Aha! Good show!" Surely after that the bear would relent. It did not. Instead the creature rolled back to its feet and let out another massive roar. "Come on, we can do this!" He snatched up one of the spears in his jaw and immediately aimed it for the bear's throat. The bear immediately responded by rearing up and out of the way of the fearsome points. Stubborn thing! Why wasn't it retreating?

Zee expected Harbringr to rush her away from the scene as Sirius would have, insisting that grizzly bears were not the kind of prey a small servant like Zee should be taking on. However the Klein male had a different opinion and he shouted words of encouragement to her. Zee somehow smiled - for a moment the fear fading to make way for pride - before looking for an opening to once more attack. The bear shed back from the pointed stick Harbringr held in his jaws and Zee wondered how she might be able to help in his attack. Surely the bear wouldn't be able to be herded into it, if she aimed for it's back end the thing would only turn to attack her. The idea stuck in her mind though, because although the danger was greater if she could distract the bear then Harbringr could stick it with the pointy end of the spear easier. The servant barreled forward, moving around the bear towards it's hind legs and narrowly avoiding a swat to her head as it turned to follow her. She nipped at it's back thigh - more to be annoying then anything else - and then continued to run her circle around it. With any luck, the creature would be frustrated enough to take eyes off Harbringr and try to put down the smaller wolf harassing it instead. "Stick it, stick it!"  She urged, breathless as she continued to circle the beast. "Speech"

GOT AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER But the devil always won... Harbringr had hoped the bear would decide they were too irritating of prey to deal with but it refused to back down. He caught no scent of cubs and wondered if the creature was really that desperate for food. Zee sprang forward toward the bear's hind legs, the movement catching the creatures attention as it turned to swat at her. With the bear distracted Harbringr had an opening, he watched Zee's movements carefully and as the bear moved to swing again Hari leapt forward, aiming the spear up and at an angle. The bear had little time to readjust and it's massive right arm went swinging right into the spear which pierced all the way through. Harbringr held on tight, digging his legs in until he felt enough damage had been done. Yowling and stumbling the bear fell down to all fours and with a growl at the wolves it started backing away from them until it felt it was far enough to turn around and run. With the bear gone Harbringr turned panting to Zeitgeist before he sat down heavily. "Yeesh… well, that was something. Good work. You sure you're not supposed to be a fighter?" He winked at the woman but felt it was definitely time for a nap.

It's a small hail storm!

The two talk and practice, learning from one another. Clouds above gather and darken the light. One by one, little droplets of rain fall, some seem to be... hard? Is that hail? It's a small hail storm! While none of the pellets are large enough to harm anything, they are annoying. Within seconds of landing, most of them melt into the ground, but they sure seem to be fine pelting against the two wolves. The mix of rain and ice continues for a while... it might be best to find some shelter!

Harbringr's assault was successful, the bear took the bait and her packmate was quick to skewer the beast in the arm with his spear. It yowled in pain and the Klein dug in further, surely damaging it beyond repair. The bear took the hint, backing away until it finally decided to run for safety. Zee watched it carefully, her fur fluffed up defensively as if it might come back any minute with an army for revenge. Harbringr spoke, and she relaxed slightly. "Thanks." She breathed, giving him a genuine smile. "You did well, I can see where you earned your rank." This Klein was full of surprises, and Zee found herself quite enjoying his company. Suddenly something hit the servant between the eyes and she double back, spluttering. Another pellet fell upon her head, and then her back. The intensity of the hail increased until it was pouring down, and Zee gave a soft disgruntled sound as it pelted her. "The hell is going on lately?"  She muttered, ears flattening under the assault. Her den was back at the ravine, and she did not fancy the trip she'd need to make to get there in this weather. "I suppose it is time for shelter and a long nap."   "Speech"

GOT AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER But the devil always won... Harbringr's chest puffed out just a bit at Zee's praise. There were many days he wondered if he really was worthy of his rank so any bit of confirmation was helpful. He blinked as small bits of ice suddenly started to fall from the sky. His ears pinned to his head and he growled in frustration. "Hell if I know! Mother earth must be in a particularly foul mood as of late. That or we are in for the mother of all winters." He wasn't starting to wonder if it might be worthwhile to just leave Boreas. He eagerly nodded in agreement. "Yea, that sounds good to me. Let's get out of here!" He bounded back toward the ravine where there was more shelter out of the reach of the hail. -exit-