like a rat in a cage

For a few long moments he lay there stunned, jaws gaping in an attempt to drag air into his lungs with no success. He couldn't hear the bear anymore, his ears filed with the sound of his own rushing blood and heartbeat, and while his body was occupied with trying to stop itself from siezing like this his mind was acutely aware of the fact that he was probably going to be torn apart any moment now. Many gruelingly slow seconds past, until finally his body seemed to remember how to breath again.With a gasping cough that finally brought air into his burning lungs, Teneo seemed to regain his senses.

He staggered to his pws so quickly that he practically tripped over them, un-coordinated after the stunning blow and momentary lack of oxygen. Amber eyes landed on the bear in a daze and his hackles rose, a snarl that was far too savage for a wolf who was barely able to keep his own balance. His vision was blurry but clearing quickly, and after a second or two his voice crumpled in his throat and his eyes widened in surprise. That... That wasn't the bear.

It was a wolf, impossibly large with a coat unlike anything he had ever seen before. He was just standing there, blood still fresh on his lips, and Teneos gaze reluctantly slid over to the crumpled figure on the ground beside them. It was the bear, already dead at the paws of this stranger. He didn't know weather to be relieved at his death being post-poned, or angry and jealous that this monster of a wolf had been able to so easily dispatch what had almost killed Teneo.

"I hope you don't expect a thank you."

The words were not at all what someone in his position should have said in that sitution. He was half-strved, bleeding from open wounds along his left side, and had just been knocked into the dirt so hard that his shoulder and head were still pounding from where they'd hit the packed earth beneath them. And yet he still had the nerve to straighten his posture and glare defiantly in the other wolfs direction, the melodic tones of his accented voice- which was best described as reminiscent of the humans english back when they existed- were spoken sharply and with a confidence he had no business possessing. Maybe he still had a death wish, maybe he was just done cowering regardless of the consequences. Either way, Teneo wouldn't run anymore.