How About That Picnic Basket?

Éldi gave in to curiosity and with the company of his companions he worked his way southward, across the sand bridge, and into the southern continent. He'd heard the seasons were reversed here and he found it quite fascinating. The weather was cool but it was not what he would call a winter. Still, he supposed he hadn't gotten very far. Maybe it would get colder the farther south he went. The band had begun to split a bit with the horned siblings going their own way. Éldi hadn't been quite sure what to think of that. It was a shame Aesir disappeared before Éldi could properly kick his ass. Even so he was sad to see them go.

The wind picked up but Éldi worked his way through the berry brambles. He needed to work on getting back into shame and improving his team work with his companions. He didn't know when but he was sure when fall came around that Valkyrie would be in a raiding mood. It would be their last chance before winter moved in and pushed them back north.

The shift in the wind brought with it a myriad of scents, one of which was bear. He froze, one paw still in the air as his nostrils flared. He sifted the air for the creatures scent, trying to pin point where it was coming from. It was true, he had said he was in the mood for a workout but that didn't really involve tangling with a larger predator. He didn't want to walk away with a bunch of lasting injuries. Suddenly he spied the bear, mist pouring from its nostrils as it growled at him. He quickly set his defenses, his hackles raising, ears back as he eyed the bear. Carefully he started to move toward the side, hoping he'd be able to get around it but the bear was not going to have it. It charged right toward him!

Éldi dodged out of the way of the barreling beast as it slid to a stop, sending a spray of dirt and grass into the air. Turning the bear eyed him again and let out a roar. "What do you want, you bastard?" He snarled at the bear. What had he done to make the creature so crabby at him? He was just trying to exit this situation, he didn't need the bear giving him grief. Did it have cubs or something nearby. Kaler pulled up next to him as Askr took to the sky. "Maybe we can split up, divide it's attention and take off past it?" Éldi nodded at the bobcat, it sounded like a good idea to him. However, he did worry about one of them taking the full brunt of the bears attention. He wanted all of them to make it safely past the bear, not two of them sneaking past while the third was mauled.

The didn't get much time to plan as the bear suddenly charged again, its right paw swinging past Éldi's face. Kaler danced to the side as Éldi bit the bear right on the butt. It roared and spun around trying to get at him, he scrambled to hang on and keep out of the reach of the bears jaws. They spun around like a pup chasing its tail until Kaler's claws raked across the right side of the bears face. Éldi let go as Kaler hissed. The bear roared and Askr dove down, his talons seizing one of the bear's ears and deftly shredding it between his claws. With another groaning roar, the bear swiped upward, trying to get at the raven but it was clear he was too slow.

At this point Éldi thought they had a fair chance of chasing the bear off instead of being chased off themselves. It was times like these that he was grateful for his companions. While neither of them could match the bears strength, together they had the advantage.
Askr took to the sky then dove down, seizing hold of the bears tail. At the same time Éldi leapt at the bear's left shoulder, his fangs sinking in deeply, just behind the shoulder where he'd be a trickier target to get at, Kaler did the same on the bears right shoulder. The bear roared and jerked violently forward. It shook itself and attempted to roll, forcing the animals to let go. Éldi snarled as Kaler yowled and the bear decided that it had had enough of this and went lumbering quickly south.

Panting Éldi turned to his friends and chuckled. That had been an experience. "I think we're getting better at working as a unit." Kaler didn't say anything but Éldi could tell from the feline's soft smile that he felt the same. The trio set about cleaning themselves off and tending to any injuries.