Spirit Animals and Fire

Ardyn laughed softly, rolling his shoulders as he remembered the battle that he’d had with a bear that had wandered into Valhallan lands. “A bear managed to slip through a patrol when I was a pup. And me, being an idiot, took it on myself, alone. Pretty sure I saw most of my short life flashing past my eyes and if I recall right, I got clobbered. The bear died anyway but it wasn’t me that killed it.”

At least, he added silently to himself, it wasn’t him that killed that bear. The next one he’d been just big enough, and not alone enough, to kill.

Ari pronounced that she was a healer, and a fighter, and he grinned, glossing over her remark about the strength of her pack and suggesting, “We could spar some time. I’m always open to working on my skills. Win or lose, I’ll always learn something.”

A flash in the sky, moving quickly toward them, caught his attention, and he rose, smiling as Lyr dropped from the now-dark sky to land on his withers in a flutter of glowing white and black-red plumage, casting a quick beady glance to the girl and her cat before reporting to Ardyn.

“There’s a spot about two miles ahead down the trail. It’s narrow and there are no easy deviations for the bull to take between his position and there, and he looks like he may be resting a bit. He’s gored badly, looks like he took on two at once. Hello, I’m Lyr, miss’s.”

He nodded his bi-parted bill at the tiny yearling and her cat, chipper through his croaking Welsh accent.

Ardyn nodded, and Lyr caught the look the Destiny pointed at him, adding, “There’s an alternate path that connects back onto this one, but he’s already too far past it, and the path’s too narrow for him to turn around where he is.”

Ardyn grinned. “Should give enough time to build a surprise. Could you lead us, and then when we’re setting up – if, that is, you want to come along, Ari – I’d like you to keep an eye on the elk and warn when it’s headed on.”

The bird nodded and pushed off, drifting ahead and to the right of the path as Ardyn pressed on after him, tossing a quick grin of invitation to the girl as he went. It was up to the tiny girl if she wanted to help out.

Ardyn followed the raven’s glowing figure along a path at a brisk trot, long legs and fur where it was exposed to the air crackling and simmering with fiery light, until Lyr dropped to a stone outcropping where the trail connected with the one the elk was on.

Ardyn looked around, shaking out his ruff and mane to shed more light as he took in the materials available, stamping his forepaws on the ground and testing the soil’s texture. Good for digging, and there were saplings at hand nearby that he could shop down, or perhaps use for a snare, though the elk’s antlers would probably be too large to fit through the loop of a noose.

He glanced uphill, taking note of the stones and boulders there.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think