oh me, oh my, a bear

Just on the other side of the forest's boundaries rested the crumbling edge of a long-forgotten wall. Cement no long sturdy enough to hold anyone in or out. Stones tumbled from the tops and rolled off until they left aging indents where they would never move again. It was a peculiar area that Akito could not quite figure out. On their journey up to the north, they had passed by the Hallows' castle which appeared to be in pristine condition despite being set upon a sea-faring cliff. Why, this wall in the middle of a deserted plain, would crumble sooner than the castle? He studied it carefully as his ears flickered back and forth to keep tabs on his surroundings.

There. A slight tremble beneath his paws. Though he stays within the very edge of the forest boundary, he can feel it. As he stares at the wall, birds scatter, and smaller animals begin to run. The tremble grows and forces him to look away from the wall. He could have easily gone to the wall and explored it. His mother would not have been terribly upset about him leaving Armadan lands when this place was so close. Yet, he would obey the rules. Feeling his muscles begin to tense as the palpable tremor of fear emanated from the retreating animals. What would cause so many critters to leave like this?

Waiting, still as the rocks that lay not far off, Akito watches. Hidden as a shadow, none of them notice him. Slim, but growing more muscular by the day, the young wolf is... tense. As the wind begins to shift, he smells it. Fury poured from every pore of a massive animal. His chin turns slightly to get a better look. Scars mar a thick chocolate brown coat as a pair of beady eyes are wide and bloodshot. Snarling so loud that even the deer leave the forest, Akito suddenly finds himself on his paws. He is not yet fully grown, but he is not afraid either.

Though he assumes he is out of the way, the bear catches sight of him. With a slight twitch, a shiver of a leaf, he is revealed as one paw nudges forward. His lips pull up in a snarl as the bear turns on him. Blood is already matting the fur of his newly found opponent which puts the odds in his favor. Knowing now he cannot escape, Akito prepares to take the bear head-on.