Relm occasionally did some patrols outside of Elysium lands, scouting for herds or traces of residents that may have stayed in the outside lands for the night or longer. She'd never introduce herself though if she came across them... She was just trying to find a way to fill the time between day and night.

As she quietly made her way through the steppe, she scented the large predator nearby and a part of her wondered if she should just take her leave. But she figured the bear would follow her trail back to Elysium and she'd end up having to fight it anyway. So with that, she started tracking the grizzly in hopes to get the upper hand first.

Gentle steps followed after it, she spotted it down on all fours as it too was smelling the air to track her scent as well. She seemed to have the right idea coming after it.

"Relm"

Merrick had been a little grumpy after his run in with the anaconda. The wound in his thigh was healed enough to venture out once more, but he would have a permanent scar there. No big deal, but he was still miffed at being bested by a fucking reptile all because the ground wasn't reliable. The ground had one job and it had failed. Piece of shit mangroves...

Out to stretch his leg, Merrick came across the scent of Relm. She'd seen him get his ass handed to him, so he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to see the woman again. The scent of bear on the breeze made up his mind for him, however. If he could kill something in front of her, in his mind, he'd redeem himself. That was how it worked, after all. So, the big brute adjusted his course, following the scent of Relm and the bear.

He came upon the pair squaring off. It looked as though the bear wanted a fight as well. As it saw Merrick come up behind Relm, the bear rose on its hind paws and roared at the two canines. He'd never had a fear for bears, so the brute merely sneered and ran past the woman, launching himself into the ursine's big, brown belly with all four feet. The force of the blow toppled the bear backwards, effectively pissing it off as it got back to its paws. Merrick had already run a circuit and was back on the side with Relm once more. The now enraged bear was coming right for them.

"Merrick Mendacium"

Relm stepped out to face the bear, and it's attention was now on her. That seemed to change though as Merrick unknowingly came up behind her and the bear rose up on it's hind paws to show it's size to the two wolves. Relm wasn't scared either, at least not while the situation wasn't dire.

She didn't know of Merrick's presence until he sprung forward, toppling the bear with his brute strength through his legs. She took a moment before she went forward herself, the bear getting back up on it's paws. She took a loop around the bear, climbing up on it's back before it had the chance to fully stand up again. Her teeth latched just behind it's ear, and it started to thrash around to get the wolf off of it's neck. If nothing else it was a distraction to help Merrick.

"Relm"

With Relm taking the top, Merrick went for the bottom. Jaws opened wide and he soon had a mouthful of bear knee. Planting hind paws, the purple giant jerked backwards as though playing tug of war. The bear's stance faltered and it fell to one knee. With one knee injured and bloody, he ran a circle, avoiding an angry swipe. On the other side, he grabbed that knee as well, repeating the action and tearing into muscles and tendons.

The bear snarled and thrashed, spinning and jerking the big wolf along with it. Merrick never underestimated the strength of bears. In fact, it was fun to catch a ride some times. So, when the bear spun, the wolf held on, his paws coming off of the ground at points before they settled back to earth.

"Merrick Mendacium"

As the bear stumbled on one knee, Relm's claws dug into it's shoulders and back. With Merrick locking down on it's flesh, the bear continued to thrash them around giving them quite the carnival ride. Relm felt herself slipping occasionally and would only latch on hard to the back of the bear's neck in response. She wasn't even sure how tight her grip could go.

Finally she let go of what little grip her claws had, swinging to the opposite side of the bear she had a hold of and causing it to fall to the ground. Now was the perfect opportunity to go for the kill. With her teeth still sunk in to the bear's scruff, her eyes looked up towards Merrick. He did after all tell her that the kill made his day.

"Relm"

Merrick shook the bears knee and soon both hind legs were out of commission. Relm used the momentum of the bear in just that moment of thrashing and flailing to pull the bear to the side, its big body crashing to earth. The man had planned to rush in anyway, but catching the fae's pointed look brought an actual grin to his face. How nice of her.

With the bear trying to get the wolf off of its back, the dumb thing left its throat completely exposed. Goody. Dodging flailing limbs, the dire bastard slammed his teeth into the throat of the bear, just below its jaw. He knew where the sweet spot was and instantly ripped into it, doing his best to do the worst. Blood poured into his mouth and the bear's breathing turned gurgly. Blood bubbled from its mouth as the now happy wolf danced backwards. He watched the bear die, tail swishing back and forth merrily all the while.

"Merrick Mendacium"

It was easy for Merrick to take the opportunity, they wouldn't be left waiting and fighting for long. Not this time at least. As the bear was bleeding out and became weak in Relm's jaws, she released it and just watched absentmindedly. Aware of Merrick's own pleasure in the bleeding beast, but she didn't draw attention to him.

She waited a moment before pulling the bear onto it's back a little more and grabbing a knife out from under her cloak, slicing the beast right down the middle. The pelt would be nice to bring back to Elysium, not that she intended to bring it back to her own den. She stayed silent, remembering the last encounter she had with Merrick. It was no hard feelings, but she preferred to keep her mouth shut from now on.

"Relm"

In his good mood, tail still swishing happily back and forth behind him, Merrick looked to the silent fae as she began working. He thought nothing of her silence. "Well done," he rumbled before moving to the dead bear to help her with her task. He agreed that a bear skin was a handy thing to have around. This area was likely to get very cold during the deep of winter.

As Relm slid her blade along the inside of the bear, separating skin from fat and sinew, the dire brute held it firm, making the cuts easier for her. They had to work in rather close proximity for this, but he didn't mind. It also didn't matter to him if she minded, she he stayed where he was, their fur brushing periodically as they worked.

Merrick pushed the bear, rolling it when they got to that point. He continued keeping the bulk of the pelt out of the woman's way until the fur was completely separated and the bear was just a hunk of pink meat. Stepping back, Merrick folded the skin in half, keeping the wet parts touching one another. He then rolled the hide and, after searching for a moment, tied it with a vine that had grown over one of the stones. "So why the cloak?" He asked, shooting a dual-toned glance her way. "It has to get in the way."

"Merrick Mendacium"

Relm hadn't necessarily minded how close he was to her, but anytime their pelts or bodies touched she became tense if only for just a second. She had run over a few of the bumps in the road with Alastor, but Alastor was different from everyone else. Still, she tried her best not to be too weird or freak out, if anything the rest of her expressions showed otherwise. They could work normally side by side without a problem.

They skinned the bear together, Merrick knowing just how the process worked not that Relm would have expected any less of him. He seemed well capable and experienced. It wasn't a sense of admiration but she was happy that they could work like this without having to explain or ask things. Silence was better, and being able to work like that was even more.

Once they were done, Merrick folded the hide and tied it up, Relm wiped the knife on the grasses before putting it back under her cloak. Her gaze rose to him as he asked, but without lifting her cloak she responded, "It makes it easier to camouflage." It didn't occur to her that he may not have been aware of her neon pelt. It was the most striking part of her but maybe she didn't realize how often she wore it which was anytime she was outside of her den even just casually outside in the pack lands. If Merrick had even seen her without approaching her, it would have been with the cloak on.

"Relm"

Relm answered his question, claiming that the cloak provided her with camouflage. The big man wrinkled his nose slightly. Of course he knew she was bright ass pink underneath. During their battles together, it would have been impossible to remain completely covered. Especially when the snake was flipping her about. "Camouflage is just hiding," he rumbled, tying up the last of the vine into a loop that could be fitted around his neck and shoulder. "You're a good fighter and a good hunter," he remembered the deer that she'd downed on her own. "So what's there to hide from?"

Based on the woman's disposition and mannerisms, Merrick imagined that she might be keeping herself hidden from others. A silly notion. "If you think it's your coloring that you need to keep hidden, my family is bright fucking purple," he spoke somewhat humorously. It was kind of funny to him that he didn't like that Relm wore a cloak. She was a fine fighter and hunter and should be proud to walk as openly in the world as he did. "The next time we kill together, don't wear the damn cloak." There was still humor in his mismatched gaze as he began the lope back to Elysium, assuming she would follow.

"Merrick Mendacium"

Relm didn't respond much to his question, only smirking with a little chuckle huff as if he was right. She didn't feel that way, but she wouldn't argue with him. Her bright pink pelt could be seen through the trees a mile away. Prey could easily spot her, and other wolves too. She wasn't much of a chatter clearly. She liked to go unseen. Whether that was remnant of her days hiding from Kefka or her want to stay secluded was unknown even to her. She just wanted to wear the cloak.

"You're not so bad yourself." Relm joked while all serious to his comment about her being a good hunter and fighter. Merrick's physique was easily telltale of his strength. He probably didn't need to be told that.

Merrick would go to move on back to Elysium with the pelt strapped to him. Relm joined along beside him expecting the silence to follow. There wasn't anything to be said while they ran.

"Relm"