fight 1/3

Hattori had never seen a white bear before. Given that wolves came in all sorts of colours it didn't seem all that special, at least until it clambered to its paws and Hattori realised just how massive it was. Tall and looming, with a form thick of mass and muscle. Despite all of the trouble he'd gotten himself into during his time in Boreas Hattori was content to leave the bear be as he picked his way over the rocks, giving it plenty of space to call its own. The ocean winds rolled over the Garden, blowing Hattori's scent right into the bears nostrils and then it was like a flip had been switched. It got to it's massive paws and sniffed at the air with slow and wheezing breaths. Now that he was standing he noticed that for it's massive size it looked awfully skinny, beneath the thick layers of muscle and fur he could almost see it's ribs. Like it hadn't eaten a proper meal in weeks.

And then it started walking his way, trotting and then running. Hattori took a hesitant step back, his hind talons clicking against stone as he readied to defend himself. The look in it's eyes was feral, almost manic as it charged him down, yellow teeth bared and saliva dripping. Hattori bounced out of the way and climbed up onto a rock and jumped down, using the momentum of falling to add more force into his swipe as he clawed at it's face. Blood splattered against the rocks and Hattori readied himself for a retaliation.

Except that despite it's initial swiftness the bear's reactions were slow and sluggish, pawing at him a second after he'd already moved from his spot atop the rock. It didn't even seem to register the cut he'd left on it's face nor did it seem to be in any pain. There was something very very wrong with this bear.

Lynvarr skirted the southern portions of northern Boreas, eventually working his way down into the Rock Garden of the eastern regions. The weather was decent, warm and sunny though a cool breeze was blowing in from the north. Summer was half over with and it wouldn't be long before autumn crept into the higher lands. Lynvarr leapt upon one of the nearby rocks to get a view of the surrounding area when he noticed a large white shape. A polar bear? What was it doing so far south in the summer? Was it ill?

Lyn didn't think to long on it before he noticed the bear charging toward a black and orange shape. It was the horned man he'd fought with some time back. Well, so much for them never running into each other again and of course it was near another predator. He turned and barked to Káti, the man he'd been traveling with before charging after the bear.

Lynvarr closed the distance swiftly, jaws diving down as he seized the back of the bear's left ankle. He thrashed his head then released it and ran as the bear twisted around to chase after him.

Kati was lost in his own thoughts. He had a number of herbs he still needed to collect and he had yet to really decide where he was going to be spending the winter. He'd thought about asking Lynvarr if they could team up but he felt embarrassed to ask and he wasn't sure what the other, more reserved, male would say in response. He'd just about been ready to ask when Lyn barked a warning and suddenly took off toward a… oh no. Káti groaned as he saw the polar bear. Well, at least the Rock Garden was fairly flat and he didn't see any tigers or lions this time around. He followed swiftly after Lynvarr. As the other male took one of the bear's legs Káti dove for the back of the other. He tore flesh there in a lancing blow but swiftly let go and took off running.

fight 2/3

Hattori wasn't exactly sure what to do. He had no reason not to defend himself, but the thought of fighting a beast that was clearly out of it's mind didn't sit well too with him. As though the bear was low hanging fruit, not worthy of his time or effort. Except that beyond the fact it had attacked him he got the sense that it was suffering, if the roles had been reversed and he was sick enough to go mad then he'd want someone to put an end to his sorry existence. Perhaps this was what it sought, an end before it lost all sense of self. As if the universe knew of his decision a pair of wolves entered the fray and Hattori was smacked with a sense of familiarity. Were those the wolves he'd fought alongside last time? Most likely.

They dived into the fray, attacking and running the sluggish bear in circles as it uselessly struggled to keep tabs on all three of it's opponents.

With a quiet little huff, Hattori was on the move again this time grabbing a hold of it's nubby little tail as he dug his talons into the dirt and arched his back as he pulled with all of his strength. Given that it wasn't smart enough to come up with a strategy this fight was simply a matter of dealing damage in waves, coming in and out till it could do no more.

Lynvarr raced away from the bear's jaws. It moved awkwardly, clearly something was going on in its brain or perhaps its spine. He wasn't sure what it had but one thing was clear and that was that the bear was dangerous. It was unusually aggressive and didn't seem to have many qualms about jumping right into a fight. The horned man grabbed a hold of the bear's stubby tail. It twisted around to to after him and as it did Lynvarr leapt at the exposed part of the bear's neck, digging his fangs in deep. It wasn't easy. The bear had thick fur and lots of fat and as its paw moved up to swipe at him Lyn was forced to let go. He just managed to dodge out of the way, claws just nicking his back as he circled around in search of another opening in which to do damage.

Kati eyed the bear, watching its movements carefully but they were hard to predict. In some ways this made the bear that much more dangerous. He didn't want to get anywhere near the front end so he kept his focus on damaging the hind legs. He saw the horned man go for the tail and he quickly followed, biting hold of the bear's ankle where Lynvarr had already started doing damage. The gamble paid off as he severed the achilles tendon. The damage done he quickly leaped away as the bear limped around. It was now standing on three legs and the wound was likely to slow the bear's movements down. Hopefully this would give them more of an advantage in the overall fight. At the very least it would make it hard for the bear to attack with both front paws without losing its balance.

fight 3/3

A lot of damage was being dealt and even though the bear was as deadly as it was unpredictable Hattori felt as though they had this. That it was only a matter of time before the beast fell. Relinquishing his grip of the tail, Hattori stepped around, driving his horns between the bears ribs as it collapsed to it's stomach, having just lost it's balance. It's paws were in a right state, clearly no longer able to support itself as it squirmed on the ground, twisting and squirming like a fish on dry land. It was moaning quietly now, throaty grumbles as it puffed and panted, perhaps asking for a dignified end. Hattori raised his gaze, watching to see what the others would do. Would they grant it a quick and decisive blow or would they mess it up and force him to step in?

Blood stained the polar bear's white fur as the wolven trio continued to deal their damage. As the bear tried to follow and attack the wolves with its injured hind leg it soon lost its balance and fell to its side. At that moment the wolves descended on it. Lynvarr seized hold of the bear's throat, this time keeping to the back of the bear's neck and reaching over to use his weight to help keep the bear down. At this angle it also made him harder to reach. He saw the horned man drive his horns into the bear's ribs and felt the bear shudder. Lynvarr latched his jaws tighter over it's throat, digging into the place he'd previously wounded where the flesh was thinner. Soon the blood loss put an end to the polar bear and Lynvarr released his grip before looking at the horned man and giving a nod. "Name is Lynvarr. I figure if we keep running into each other I out to let you know."

Kati tensed as the bear fell. Ok, they were making good progress but now what? He saw Lynvarr go for the throat and he immediately sprang into action. He seized hold of the bear's upper wrist, seeking to prevent it being used against the wolf at its throat. The horned man slammed into the bear and it roared in a gurgling cough. The bear twisted to try and bite him so Káti abandoned the grip on the wrist and instead bit the bear squarely on the nose. It pushed him back. Káti felt the weakness in the shove and quickly moved back in to shred the wrist. Moments later the bear had passed and Káti stepped away from the kill panting. Lynvarr introduced himself and Káti followed suit, simply stating his name. "Káti." It was all he had energy for after that fight.

Hattori watched, his eyes cold and critical as the duo put an end to the bear. Given that he'd dealt the killing blow last time it seemed only fair that they did it this time. The bear died and it's passing brought down a heavy silence, a strong wind rolled over the Garden, filling Hattori's nose with the salt of the ocean rather than blood. His ears tipped forward in acknowledgement of the names that were offered him, better late then never given neither of them had even thought to introduce themselves when they'd last met. Not that it really mattered, Hattori hadn't taken offence.

"Hattori." He dipped his head in a polite greeting, despite the blood that marred his face he was nothing if not a stickler for tradition. Besides if nothing he could respect they were decent in a fight, useful to have around.