Crabby Patties

Bastet was farther south than she had intended to go. She'd just started walking and found herself pulled in that direction and when she'd gotten to the land bridge she just had to go across it. The sparkling sand, the beckoning of yet unexplored lands. How could she resist? And so she found herself in Auster when she decided to forget actively looking for her family. She would do what she wanted, she would start a new life wherever she happened to be and if the gods deemed it so, she would find her family. Fate would lead her to them or it wouldn't and either way she would have to accept and work with what followed. She wanted to control every aspect of her life, she still did, but more and more she was learning the importance of accepting what she could not control and instead controlling the one thing she could, herself.

Bastet shivered as she moved further through the grove. Where as the summer heat was boilling the north it seemed winter held sway in the southern continent. She'd heard of that, in some locations the seasons would be opposite. Many animals seemed to be holed up from what she could tell. The weather was certainly colder than what she'd have liked and she debated about turning around and heading back north when she heard a growl. It was low and guttural and way to close for comfort.

With her thoughts lost and drifting she'd failed to keep a proper eye on her surroundings and and managed to walk right past a sleeping sun bear not more than two feet away, buried under a pile of bushes and brambles. The bear heaved itself onto its hind legs, bushes breaking and snapping as the beast drew itself to its full height. The bear was agitated at being woken and clearly upset as it let out a roar and came crashing down on all fours in an aggressive movement that sent her skittering backwards. Her large ears quickly swept back as she returned the creatures growl. She hadn't thought that sun bears were normally so aggressive but she had to admit she knew little of their behaviors.

Bastet drew herself up to her full height, her defenses quickly setting as she did her best to look fierce and strong. She had no desire to get into a fight unless absolutely necessary, especially when she was so far from home. Her skull and tail lowered to align with her spine, chin tucked slightly and neck scrunched back as her shoulders rolled forward, pushing fur and fat over her vitals.  Hackles rose sharply as limbs spread equidistant apart, bending slightly to lower her center of gravity as well as evenly distribute her weight.  Toes splayed as claws dug into the earth.  Jaws parted, eyes narrowed and ears pinned tight to her head.

She was ready for whatever this beast dished out assuming it didn't back off. She let out another warning growl but the bear was not deterred. It didn't back off and she prepared herself for a fight. Bears were faster than they looked, she didn't want to expose her back to the creature though as fast as the bear was she was certain she could out maneuver it. Bastet's one saving grace was her light build. It gave her added agility and speed that she often relied on in battle.

Unimpressed with her display the bear lunged, swinging a massive, clawed paw at her head. She swiftly ducked and leapt out of the bears range. It charged again and once more she danced out of the way, doing her best to keep out of the creatures range as she debated on tactics. She could try quick and glancing blows towards sensitive areas like the tendons in its ankles or she could just stay out of range until the creature tired itself out and decided she wasn't worth the trouble. Bastet decided the later would pose the least risk to her person. Wolves were known for their stamina and if the bear was trying to conserve energy for the winter in Auster it would give up sooner than she would. After all she intended to head back north eventually where the game was plentiful and that was looking like sooner rather than later. She could always return to Auster when the seasons turned again. Right now exploring while the prey was decreased was risky. Bastet was a skilled hunter but hunting alone limited her options and she wished to keep herself well fed. She needed the fuel if she wished to continue exploring these new lands.

The bear charged again, and again, and again. Each time Bastet leapt out of the way, carefully measuring the distance between herself and the bear to make sure she was well out of range of its claws. At one point the bear charged right past her. Quick as a cat she twisted around and bit the bear straight on the behind. It yowled and whipped around but the quick wolf stayed right on the bears tail. It was almost like a silly and yet more dangerous version of chasing ones own tail. The tussle continued until at last the bear grew weary of this irritant. With a half-hearted growl and a snort of derision the beast lumbered east through the bushes, intent on finding a place to sleep where it would not be bothered by noisy, irritating wolves.