In the heart of the Wildberry Grove, Dusk stood tall, her fire opal eyes gleaming like molten gems in the fading light. Dusk was not just any wolf; she was a spirited and courageous girl, fiercely protective of her family, which included her younger brother Solaire and her little sister Ember. With each step they took through the dense undergrowth, the forest seemed to buzz with an unusual tension, a primal energy that set her fur on edge.

Animals of all shapes and sizes, predator and prey alike, dashed past the trio in a frenzied rush, a chaotic procession that sent shivers down Dusk's spine. It was as if the very fabric of the woods had been woven with threads of fear. Dusks brow furrowed as the various beasts ran past and waved with one paw for her siblings to step in closer to her, lest they be trampled. What was going on?

As the siblings pressed on, a chilling growl erupted from the shadows. A massive brown bear, its usually imposing form now one of panic and desperation, burst forth from the underbrush. With its eyes wide and fur matted, the bear seemed to be fleeing from an unseen terror, driven to the edge of its instincts. Dusk's heart quickened, her senses sharpening as danger drew nearer. But fear did not rule her heart; determination did.

Without hesitation, Dusk stepped forward, positioning herself between the charging bear and her siblings. She knew that they had to stand their ground, for flight would only invite further chaos. Her cat-o-nine tails weapon, aptly named Whisper, gleamed in the dappled sunlight. Its wickedly sharp edges caught the light, reflecting the fierce determination in Dusk's eyes.

The ground beneath her paws seemed to pulse with every pounding heartbeat, and time slowed as the bear's massive form closed in. At the last possible moment, with a primal roar that shattered the stillness of the woods, Dusk swung Whisper in a wide arc. The weapon whistled through the air, a testament to Dusk's strength and agility. The bear, driven by a mix of fear and instinct, was momentarily caught off guard.

Whisper's impact sent a shockwave through Dusk's body, reverberating from her paws to her tail. The bear staggered, its charge halted by the unexpected assault. Dusk's eyes never wavered as she maintained her defensive stance, her muscles taut with readiness.  Retractable claws latched into the earth, holding her steady and strong as she waited to see if one lash of her weapon would send the beast running or if it would enrage it instead.

The bear let out a guttural growl, its wild eyes locking onto Dusk with a mixture of anger and uncertainty. Dusk held her ground, her fire opal eyes locked onto the bear's gaze. The standoff seemed to stretch on for an eternity, the forest holding its breath as the two predators of the wilderness measured each other's resolve.

A lowing growl emanated from the bear as it weighed its options. In the end, it chose to try and claim payment for the wound that was inflicted by the dark wolf. Gigantic paws thudded upon the earth as it rushed towards Dusk. The dark girl, already poised for an attack, whipped her long, obsidian tail with practiced ease, catching the bear in the side of its face and causing it to stop and stumble a step.

Dusk spared a moment to look at her brother and sister. "Hide behind something and call for dad." Her growling tones bit out before her attention was on the bleeding ursine once more. She was sure that she could at least run the bear off with her skill, but Artorias had made her promise to call for help, so she would give that task to her siblings.

"Dusk Carpathius"

WC-632

Ember loved getting to spend time with her siblings—her littermates and elder siblings alike—so any chance she got to do things with them, she snatched them up in a heartbeat! Today, that opportunity came when Dusk offered to take her and Solaire out for their first ever patrol around the northern territory of the Hallows. Ember had never been up to the Wildberry Grove before, so this would be her first time venturing past the plains and boy, was she excited! Practically bouncing with each prancing step, the little Carpathian princess followed close behind Dusk, keeping close to her older sister while still poking about and exploring as they walked the well worn patrol routes. Ember wanted all of her older siblings to like her and wanted to be around them all the time, so she was doing her best to get on Dusk's good side. She didn't think the black-coated Carpathian hated her or anything, but Dusk had kept to herself for the first few weeks once her litter had been let out into the world, so she was trying to get things going on the right foot.

Amidst their patrol, the vibe in the woodlands began to shift and change, growing tense and uneasy. Ember did not know what it meant, but it felt distinctly and unsettlingly different from how she had felt coming across the plains. Like something was off, but she could not quite place her paw on it... Some time passed, and then animals began to hurry past them—prey animals rushing by like something had spooked them. Ember watched as a herd of deer ran through the woods in the opposite direction they were heading in. The dark-furred girl tilted her head in curiosity. That was strange... Then more animals came, prey and predator alike, all fleeing from the way they were headed. "What do you think they're all running from?" asked Ember, but her question never got answered. No sooner had she spoke, a giant bear came lumbering through the woods, crunching through the underbrush in its frenzied panic, and coming careening too close to the wolves for comfort.

Ember stepped in closer to Dusk for safety. That was when the ebony princess acted, and Ember watched in awe as Dusk's tail whipped about and sent her bladed whips screaming through the air toward the bear. Ember gasped in awe as the blades made contact, cutting into the angry ursine and getting its attention on her big sister. The bear was wounded, bleeding, and oh so angry now. Ember's heart beat fast and strong in her chest; her first real fight and it was against a freaking bear! She watched while Dusk squared off against the bear, refusing to back down, and now both wolf and bear were readying for the inevitable fight. The bear charged and Dusk responded with another whip of her blades against the side of its face. Ember cheered and bounced in place behind Dusk, cheering her sister on. Then Dusk looked back at her and Solaire, fierce determination in her fiery eyes, and told them to hide and call for their father. The last bit made sense—their dad was the greatest warrior of all time, after all—but hide?! Ember scrunched up her nose in distaste at the idea of hiding.

"I can help, Dusk! I can help!" she shouted back with a proud determination in her little voice. Not wanting to fully refuse their big sister's direction, Ember did run back a few paces and give a few sharp puppy howls for their father, alerting him of the danger, but then she was running right back to Dusk's side again. "I wanna help protect our home! I can fight!" And fight she would. The only thing keeping Ember back by Dusk's side right now was not wanting to get in the way of those sharp tail blades. So instead, the tiny midnight black pup stayed back by her sister, puppy teeth bared at the bear as she growled threateningly back at the massive predator.

WC: 675
Total: 1307 / 1500

"Ember Carpathius"

Solaire quickly picked up on the shift in the atmosphere as they made their way through the grove just as his sisters did and his steps slowed behind Dusk as he watched all of the various animals run out of the forest. They darted past them, one of the deer springing past dangerously close to him and making him stumble slightly as he shifted out of the way. He didn't know what was going on or what was making them all so uneasy, but he definitely knew he didn't like it. Just as Ember was voicing her curiosity and concern about what all the forest animals were running from, they were suddenly interrupted by the sudden, panicked appearance of an absolutely massive bear. He had heard about bears from stories and stuff, but he'd never actually seen one in real life!

With a gasp he ducked back behind Dusk with Ember as their older sister immediately squared off against the much larger predator. He thought they were about to have to run, but then he heard the sound of Dusk's tail weapon wizzing through the air above their heads and he watched as she flicked it toward the bear, making a solid smack into the predator that sent it wheeling. His mouth hung open for a second with awe until their older sister growled to call for their father and hide. He nodded enthusiastically and darted back a bit with Ember, throwing in his own puppy howls with hers to make sure their father heard their calls for help. He was far more willing to follow his older sister's directions than Ember was, apparently, and watched uncertainly as Ember darted back to Dusk's side with an insistence that she could fight. He really wanted to just go duck behind the nearest tree, but never one to be outdone he charged forward and went to stand with his siblings, hoping maybe he could help in looking intimidating too. He wasn't sure if it was his and Ember's contributions to the "fight" or if it was just his sister's second hard wack with her whipping weapon that did the trick, but the bear didn't stick around long. The bear apparently decided that whatever had spooked it first was more important and it darted off back into the trees, obviously not wanting to tangle with the wolves it had accidentally run into.

WC: 399
Total: 1706 / 1500

"Solaire Carpathius"