Between a rock and a hard place

He’d ventured south of the pack border, today. Aello led the way, snowy pelt gleaming against the dark stone wall as they delved into the ravine. Part of the reason he’d come here was to explore behind the reasoning of Sterling’s presence. Thus far, from the stale scent around the top of the wall, he could see that she’d seemingly been wandering.

The rain had made it difficult to discern if she’d been actively scouting. While he didn’t believe she’d been scouting, he was still curious as to what had brought the girl so close to Celestial’s lands. Something he’d have to ask her personally.

An infuriated roar of a bear ahead snapped him straight out of his musings and into high alert as Aello came racing back, fur on end. “There’s a wolf being chased ahead. Bear, big, and pissed!”

Regulus felt ice rush through his veins, but he’d already launched himself forward into a dead run. It wasn’t in his nature to stand idly by or retreat when another wolf was in danger of a mauling. Artashir and Aello flanked him as he came around the last bend, and he registered the red flash mostly obscured by a bear before he took the last big stride, gathered himself with his good hind leg and pushed off.

Had he had both hind legs in full order, his launching, flying tackle of a leap would have taken him well up on the ursine back. As it was, he struck the beast a solid slam of muscle in the lower back, laying his teeth to the thick hide with a resounding snarl.

Aello crashed into the bear’s upper back, claws ripping into it. Artashir went for a hind leg with his claws.

To say the bear was surprised would have been an understatement. Downright shocked. Suddenly the anger of being prodded out of a nice nap was forgotten in favor of the fear and anger of the unexpected attack as he staggered to the side and tried to turn and face the attackers with a bawling roar of displeasure.

Regulus pushed himself away with a leap, to bring himself between the astral red woman and the ursine, jaws snapping around a fresh snarl as the cats worked as a team and convinced the bear that sticking around would not be the best plan of action.

The cats dropped away and bounded aside as the bear took off, but none of the three saviors relaxed until the crashes of a fleeing bear faded far into the distance. Hopefully not toward Celestial. Regulus let the fur lay flat along his spine as he turned and studied the woman, fathomless sapphires roving her frame with a quick assessment of her condition.

Nothing that said the bear had managed to lay a paw on her, luckily. So, his features relaxed into an easy grin, tongue half lolling as he quipped, “What did you do to piss him off?”