all these voices in my head

Red stains the grass around him as the doe continues to struggle to free herself. His leg stings from the chomp of the coyote but it is quick to dissipate when Uruk tosses the coyote off to the side. A single snort of recognition is given before Xurek faces the rest of the pack. With three down, there seemed to only be... four? Six? He wasn't always good at counting, plus more could creep from the crevices of the valley at any moment.

Standing tall and proud, Xurek releases a bellowing call into the darkening air. Charging forth, he relishes in the way the ground trembles beneath his weight. Hooves leaving clear imprints as dirt and grass fling up behind him. Meeting the coyotes head on, Xurek is quick to snake his head forward, goring one through the neck and tossing it into the nearby water with not a care in the world. It's dying gurgle drowned out by the loud thud of his hoof to the next coyote as he kicked it as hard as he could.

The coyotes give him a bit of a berth now, allowing him a moment to scan the surroundings. Behind him, the doe lay upon the rocks, her ankle still caught beneath. He's not sure if it's broken, but he doesn't want to think of that now. He sees how the valley widens away from the river, sloping upward toward the neighboring lands. How far did it go? More exploration would have to wait for the searing nip of coyotes at his legs draw him back to the fight.

Xurek Namorn