The bear backhands Álarr away, sending the man tumbling and Merlin is quick to gain the angry ursine’s attention to allow his packmate some time to recover. Fur bristles as he snaps and snarls, showing the bear that he is not to be taken lightly as he lunges in to bite at its face. The grizzly roars, planting its back paws to raise up as the yearling is joined by the older male and the pup. Eyes dart between the pair and he knows that, together, they will push this bear back and off of Avalon land.
Tail snaps up, arching over his spine in a show of dominance and Merlin presses forward, encroaching on the grizzly’s space as it also tries to show how fearsome it is. It roars, swinging a paw at the yearling and this time he does not retreat, instead swinging his head to intercept the clawed appendage and deliver a sharp, painful to the tender pad. The paw is retracted and he willing let’s go, not wishing to get tossed away simply because he held on a little too long.
Darting a glance to Álarr, Merlin dips his head slightly, showing the man his readiness to follow his lead at this point, knowing that the horned male has more experience driving off predators than he does. With that, he times works to time his movements with the man while also trying to be protective of the pup that earned the ire of the huge bear.
