A Somber Homecoming
12-30-2021, 09:00 PM
Úlfr settled into his mother's old den. It was a cool and misty morning and he was content to sit inside his den for a bit and watch the fog roll in. Alas, the moisture in the air was going to be an issue for he was trying to dry out wood for a bonfire. Luckily he'd found an old cave not too far off in which to stash the wood for now. With any luck it would dry and be used before anyone decided to pilfer it.
It was a good day to get his mothers' items in order. When they'd passed on they'd left a number of belongings and so he set about sorting them. What he would keep, what would be given to the pack, what would be part of their funeral pyres.
12-30-2021, 09:00 PM
Dagrún licked at her comes which were sore and bleeding. She wasn't quite sure what she'd done but maybe she'd been chewing on too many bones and it had caused the inflammation. She meant to go to Álarr with this but embarrassment had stopped her. She didn't want her uncle staring at the inside of her mouth anyway. Now that she was getting older she was becoming increasingly interested in the jobs of a warrior within a pack. While it was true she aspired to the rank of raidsmen she still wanted to be able to protect her pack and go out on patrol. After the hard winter she'd caught bear tracks awfully close to the Fireside border. No doubt their livestock were attracting unwanted attention. She'd heard that Úlfr had returned to the pack for awhile and decided to bug him.
12-30-2021, 09:01 PM
Úlfr had just finished cleaning up a good portion of the den when he heard someone approaching. He looked to see Dagrún, one of Chaos' children. He'd done some crafting and sparring with the girl back when he'd been a member of Fireside. It was nice to see she'd grown well and seemed to be healthy. He slipped out of his den and into the cool spring air to meet her. "Dagrún? You came to see me?" She'd been headed directly toward his den so he doubted very much this was just a coincidental encounter. Maybe she had news or some task he could engage in. Sorting through sentimental belongings was taxing him emotionally. He could do with a distraction.
12-30-2021, 09:01 PM
Dagrún didn't mind the mist most days. However, if there was a ferocious enemy afoot in the mists then the impaired vision was going to be a real nuisance. Luckily it seemed Úlfr saw her, saving her the awkwardness of calling out for him. She nodded. "Yea, I was out on patrol this morning and found bear tracks near the border, seems like it was heading toward our flocks but then changed its mind at the last minute. At least for now. I followed the tracks and found it had neared the border of the range to. Seems to be testing our borders. Anyway, I wondered if you wanted to head out on patrol with me, maybe expand our usual track to see if this bear is denning nearby." If it was maybe they could chase it off.
12-30-2021, 09:02 PM
Úlfr listened with interest as Dagrún mentioned a bear. Now that was something worth looking into. Honestly a good brawl would do him a world of good though he wasn't sure how he felt about dragging Dagrún into it. He knew she was nearly an adult but this battle could get ugly, depending on what the found. Still, he doubted very much he could say anything to make her stay in pack lands and away from the bear tracks so he might as well go along and at least supervise. "Ok, sounds good to me. I could use a break." He gestured for her to take the lead and soon followed after, giving his mothers' den one last glance before focusing on the task at hand.
12-30-2021, 09:02 PM
Dagrún was glad he agreed to go with her, especially as an equal. While she didn't get to much pushback from her parents or the pack, she knew Sperla would have something to say about her going after a bear alone. At least with two of them the minimize injury and agitate the bear enough to drive it further away from Fireside territory. It didn't take long for them to reach the border. As she arrived, Dag noticed how quiet it was. Normally the birds would be singing away on a a quiet spring morning, mist or no mist. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Well, she certainly wasn't going to turn back now. Dag strode across the border and tested the air for the scent of bear. Soon she locked onto it and traced it farther into the wooded area near the Orchard.
12-30-2021, 09:03 PM
Úlfr followed close behind Dagrún, noticing how off the morning seemed. He could almost sense a wrongness with it. Something large sounded like it was moving ahead but the sound swiftly vanished. As Dag picked up on the scent he set his defenses, preparing for a battle. He didn't need to wait long. A moment later he heard something lumbering toward him. A large male black bear strode out of the underbrush toward them and the moment it saw them it paused and growled. Úlfr returned the growl, trying to make himself look bigger. He knew size alone wasn't going to intimidate their foe so he darted forward, swiftly ducking one of the bear's paws to sink his fangs into it's right knee.
12-30-2021, 09:03 PM
Dag's ears flicked forward as she picked up the sound of something moving in the forest ahead. Oh yea, that sounded big and if the scent was any indication the bear was headed right for them. She stood her ground and waited. A moment later the bear appeared. Well, it was go time now. She snarled, setting her defenses and waiting for a moment as Úlfr sprang forward to begin the attack. With the bear's focus on Úlfr Dagrún raced for the bear's left knee, mimicking the other man's attacks. As the bear twisted after Úlfr its leg was presented perfectly. Dag bit down hard, ripping into the bear's leg. She heard it roar in pain, abandoning its attack on Ulfr as it twisted for her. She quickly let go and sprang away.
12-30-2021, 09:04 PM
Úlfr's fangs snagged the bear's left left, ripping through the flesh of the knee but only for a moment before he lost his grip as the bear twisted around to get him. He felt the fangs graze the back of his own leg, ripping off chunks of fur but failing to get hold of him. He didn't look back, just bolted forward before twisting around. By this time the bear was going after Dagrún. Úlfr took the moment of distraction to bet back between the bear and Fireside. The goal was to herd it away, not towards. He snarled again and leapt forward, fangs seeking for the face. His fangs connected and the bear was sent stumbling back. He posed as ferociously as he could, stepping forward as the bear's uncertainty of the situation grew.
12-30-2021, 09:04 PM
Dagrún grinned as she struck home, fangs ripping into the bear's leg. She got a good hold but was forced to let go immediately as the bear whipped around toward her. It's paw swept her hind legs out from under her but before it could land another blow Úlfr had latched onto its face. The bear pulled itself away from the wolf's grasp, stumbling back. She quickly got up and stood beside the other warrior, staring the bear down. She hoped forward with a snarl and the bear took a few more steps back before turning and running. Good, that was taken care of. She grinned as she looked at the pirate.