Bramble was excited to be able to wander outside the castle walls. While still young and growing a lot by the day, she had much to learn. Her curiosity brought her to the shady oaks of Wildberry Grove. Trails wove in and out of the forested area as bushes full of berries led her toward the grove's center. Something she had not seen before had caught her attention! Large raking indents on the trees had stripped them of their bark. Littering the trail before her were smashed berries and decimated bushes.

What kind of creature could have caused such terror? The beauty of the grove was diminishing before her eyes as she wandered closer to the strong unfamiliar scent. Winding around a corner with both ears pressed forward and tail lifted above her haunches, the Carpathius pup was suddenly taken by surprise. Lumbering out of the shadows, a dazed bear with a full stomach of toxic berries lifted up onto its rear paws. Letting out a fearsome roar, Bramble braced herself. This had to be the creature that was ruining the grove!

Unsure if she could take such a large beast down by herself, she wasn't going to be scared off so easily. Releasing her scariest growl (which really wasn't that terrifying yet), Bramble held her ground as the bear took notice of her. "You'll pay for what you did!" She yelled at the bear before running in to snap at its paws.

Bramble Carpathius

Since the day that the coyotes had surrounded the hodgepodge-hued girl in the berry grove, Caladia has been avoiding the land. Dusk had been brave, facing down the hungry predators while she had run away. Shame keeps her from meandering from the grassy plains into the berry laden land since, each time she gets close enough to smell the sweet aromas, memories assault her. It feels foolish to be so scared of the land and the girl has been working up her courage to step back into the grove.

That is why she is standing underneath the first line of trees, tail tucked and mismatched eyes scanning the area. Slowly, tentatively, Callie moves further in, bracing herself to face whatever dangers lay ahead. The sound of a roar, followed by another pup yelling, has the girl’s head snapping up, ears perking forward. Realizing that there is danger, she quickly releases a howl for help, and then swiftly charges toward the sounds of the fight. A bear appears, along with one of her cousins and the girl does not hesitate to engage.

Bramble attacks the paws and the creature grunts in annoyance before reaching down to swipe at the pup. Caladia charges forward, leaping at the paw that swings for her cousin and delivers a sharp bite. The beast huffs and shifts so that it shakes her free, causing Callie to hit the ground and roll before springing back up to her paws. His attack had been interrupted and the bear looks at the pups with annoyance. Casting a glance toward her cousin, she offers a grin, as she feels proud of herself for facing her fears and coming to the aid of Bramble.

A roar from the bear pulls her attention away from her cousin and they face the creature… together.


"Caladia Carpathius"

To say she wasn't scared would be a lie. The bear appeared so huge to her while to an adult, it would be average. If it wasn't so messed up on all those berries, she would have been in a lot more trouble. Feeling the fear and buzz of adrenaline tingling in every joint of her body, Bramble's gaze never left those big meaty paws. Even as an alarming howl rang through the grove to call for backup, she continued to snap at those berry covered toes.

As a paw came barreling toward her, she saw from the corner of her eye as her spotted cousin came to her rescue. A sigh of relief rushed out of her as she watched the bear become distracted by Callie. Quickly returning the smirk, Bramble reset herself so she could assist in taking down the huge monster! "We'll show it whose boss!" She chirped as she showed the bear her teeth once more.

Darting over to the side of the bear, Bramble leaps forward with her cat-like claws extended. With the bear slightly more distracted by Callie, Bramble is able to latch on to the bear's extended belly. Sinking her sharp claws in as far as she can, she holds on for dear life.

Bramble Carpathius

As the two girls face down the grizzly, Callie’s tail wag wags fiercely. At Bramble’s words, the smaller pup shouts, “Yeah!” before charging back into the fray. Since her cousin is older and bigger, the girl leaves her earthen coated cousin to do the damage while she works to distract the beast. She rushes into the bear’s space, harassing the creature by barking and growling as loudly as she can.

Small body jumps from side to side as she avoids teeth and claws while giving her cousin precious moments to do damage. A loud, annoyed roar has Caladia backing away, the drunken creature now much angrier than before. Mismatched eyes slide over to where cousin is, eyebrows lifting in silent question as to what they should do. Bramble is older so she must know.


"Caladia Carpathius"

The confidence within Bramble can only carry her for so long. As her smaller cousin does her best to distract the bear, Bramble lunges in to do the damage. In and out, she weaves from left to right, swiping and nipping at the bear. Even though it is drunk off rotten berries, it is still a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, their efforts are not as great as they had believed. Her gaze flickers over to her cousin, uncertainty in both of their gazes. What were they going to do? They couldn't possibly take down the bear by themselves... A croak from her raven reminds her that she has companions that could assist. "Uh, can you go get help?!" She screeches frantically to the bird that she hopes will understand her. Thankfully the feathered corvid takes flight back toward the castle. Knowing her fisher would be hiding in the shadows, too scared to help, Bramble turns her attention back to the bear before it can harm her cousin. "We gotta try to scare it off!" Bramble's voice is shaky as she tries to let out a loud growl. It sounds more akin to a squeaky whimper as she bares her teeth and backs away closer to her cousin. Bramble Carpathius

The pair fight the large, drunk bear while the smaller Caladia does her best to keep the grizzly’s attention. It is a delicate dance between getting close enough to get the creature’s attention while staying far enough away to avoid any bodily harm. The girl is quickly tiring as the massive beast seems to have unlimited stamina. Bramble’s voice fills the air as she talks to her raven and Callie hops backward to avoid a swinging paw. Mismatched eyes turn to her cousin as she pants heavily, waiting to hear their plan. Scare it off? All she can do is nod before diving back toward the grizzly. Part of knows that the two pups do not stand a chance of chasing the bear away by themselves but she is ready to try anyway.

"Caladia Carpathius"

Fern is near the castle, working in the gardens, when a raven swoops down toward her. Many of the Carpathius family have the birds as companions so she it is no surprise to see one. However, what is surprising, is how it is acting. It caws, screams, and spins in the air to get her attention. Knowing that something is wrong, the gray woman hefts her sword, that she always keeps close by, and buckles it in place across her back while telling the raven, “Show me.”

Without another sound, it begins to fly toward the grove and Fern chases after it. The musk of a bear strikes her nose along with the scent of her daughter and one of Art and Briar’s children and the woman’s eyes darken. Paws thunder across the plains, past the area where it transitions into the grove, without her even noticing, as she barrels toward the pups and the grizzly. The sword is pulled free from the scabbard as she runs and she doesn’t even break her stride as the metal slides from its home.

Arriving at the fight, she does not stop, running up the bear as it shifts to stand on its hind legs. With the arrival of an adult, the drunken bear seems determined to at least kill one pup before it flees. It near gets the chance. Fern tilts her head down and to the side as prepares to leap in the air. Muscles bunch and release and the gray woman is airborne as she starts her swing. She feels the moment the sword hits the bear’s neck, feels the way it cleaves though muscle and bone while she finishes the swing and slams her body into the creature’s chest.

The dead bear’s body falls to the earth as its head slides free and bounces to the ground, rolling away where it comes to rest at the base of a tree. As the grizzly’s dead weight hits the leaf littered floor, Fern lands on top of it, standing on its chest… on all fours. Her mouth is curled into a snarl around the hilt of her sword as her tail is curled over her back in a show of dominance.

Just as quickly as the rage hit, it dissipates and she is left blinking at her surprised daughter. Worry has her plunging the tip of blade deep into the creature’s chest as she turns to look at Caladia and Bramble. Blood from the beast’s carotid artery, paints her face as she softly asks, “You girls okay?” Fern ushers them toward her so she can look them over before giving them both a hug.


"Fern Carpathius"

When her eyes meet her cousin's, Bramble knows that there is no hope. This grizzly is far too large and strong for them to handle. Even as she dives back around to the side to swipe sharp claws at the bear's meaty thighs, it does not care. All it wants is a piece of one of them. Fear begins to fill her as she scoots back toward Callie. What were they to do? The beast was not going to back down and they were both exhausted. Her own tongue lolls from the side of her mouth as her chest heaves. Trying to focus on too many things at once, Bramble can feel the tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. They were done for! Utterly convinced that they were going to die right here in the grove, the pup was surprised when the flap of her raven's wings caused her ears to turn backward. Her eyes widen as she takes a moment to assess what is happening. One moment the bear is gunning for them and the next, her aunt Fern is taking the bear down in one fell swoop. It was effortless the way the woman wielded a sword across the bear's throat until its head rolled across the ground. She was frightened, proud, excited, and so much more all at once. A gasp even falls from her as she catches her breath and quickly closes the space between herself and Fern. Leaning into the woman, Bramble closes her eyes and lets the tears flow. "I'm so sorry," she mumbles as a breath shudders through her. "I was just looking for berries and the bear came out of nowhere!" Her voice is high-pitched and squeaky as she pulls back to look up at Fern. "I d-didn't mean to put Callie in a bad situation!" Bramble exclaims as she frowns and glances at her cousin. Bramble Carpathius