One Fist of Iron, One Fist of Steel

Éldi was pleased that the other man was down to split the meal with him. Good, he could use a full belly and if the other man didn't mind he hoped to take the pelt as well. Éldi had no idea where the band was going to be settling down next and if they moved up north for the winter then he wanted to make sure he had a good set of pelts to line his den. He hoped to find a way to treat hides to be more water resistant so that he could hang one at the opening of his den to help keep heat inside. It might also help prevent snow from drifting into his den though Éldi always tried to be conscious of the direction the opening of his den was facing, often choosing a more southernly direction in the winter time.

How about the buck?

He nodded at the man's words. "Sounds good to me. When we're done you're welcome to the beasts head but if I could have it's pelt I'd appreciate that. I don't know that I'll be in the south for the winter. Need some hides just in case." He chuckled at the other man's words. It was a fair point. It was helpful for the wolves if herds remained strong and healthy. There was no problem with culling a weaker member. "Alright then, let's go. My name is Éldi by the way. What's yours?" He was just getting ready to move in and set up a plan of attack when the other man asked him if he had another companion near the herd. He shook his head. "Nope, it's just Askr and Kaler…" His eyes were fixed on the herd. He'd picked up on their restlessness and the wariness in the other man's voice. Something else was riling up the herd.

Éldi slowly sank down and crept forward seeking to get a better view and that's when he saw it. Off to his right was a massive grizzly bear that was eyeing the herd from time to time then moving along the east side of them. Crap! The unfortunate thing about autumn was that this was the time that bears went about fattening up for winter. No doubt the bear had smelled the injured buck and was debating about going after him. Éldi wasn't quite sure what to do. They could go ahead and try to hunt with a bear at their backs but if they spent all their energy taking down the buck there would be very little left over to chase off the bear who would, no doubt, be on their kill in a matter of moments. He had no desire to hunt for a bear. "Psst, there. Grizzly." He glanced back at the other man. "What say we give him a little hell, hm?" It was still a risk. There was good chance that a fight breaking out was going to scare the elk off. However, if they were victorious they could always continue to track the elk. With an injury like the bucks it was unlikely he'd be able to get to far away.

Éldi started to creep toward the bear, he moved slowly and carefully as he sought to take the bear by surprise and startle it. It would be tricky for two wolves to chase off a full grown grizzly but he'd done it before and he'd do it again. Sizing up the bear Éldi waited until the bear looked toward the herd and then he sprang forward, fangs seizing hold of the back of the bear's left forearm where it connected to its size. It roared in pain and anger, it's head whipping around to try and bite him but he was in an awkward position and difficult to reach. The beast was powerful though and as it flailed, Éldi lost his grip and went tumbling to the ground. Askr called out an alert and Éldi just avoided getting skewered by the bear's claws. He heard a yowl and looked just in time to see Kaler land on the bears back, claws digging into flesh.