Balthier had been more adventurous as of late, finding himself farther and farther out of Abaven as he grew bigger. He didn't want his father to worry as he and his siblings were getting bigger and older, but he also couldn't stand staying around the den or even just Abaven in general anymore. The harsh weather had most of the wolves tucked away in their dens and while he tried to make advances to meet others, it seemed like he couldn't try hard enough. He didn't want it to seem like he was trying too hard because that would be a little embarrassing. He didn't want to look desperate, but he really could have used a friend. Or anything. He wasn't quite skilled to take down any large prey yet, but he still worked on his senses in finding them. He wanted to learn to sift through the different senses and learn the different prey scents so he knew what he was tracking. Allegro had taught him much, but he just didn't have the experience for his own hunts yet. He came to the springs as he followed a strange scent, the ghostly steam making him sneeze a little to the unfamiliar smell. He squinted as he saw what it was moving through his fuzzy vision, but it became clear when it was too late that it was in fact a rather small, emaciated bear that must have come out of hibernation with out much findings for food. Balthier crouched down, hoping the bear hadn't spotted him, unfortunately it had as it swiped weakly over his head before he could back up enough to get away. Only as he shuffled backwards, his rear end hit the un-level stone of the springs. He was cornered, and the only way to get out would be to attack the bear. Walk "Talk" Think

There were a lot of things Kuroki wasn't supposed to do, some rules slipped his mind from time to time, but above all else he knew not not to step beyond Ashen's lands unattended. That the consequences would be severe if he even contemplated going against his parents wishes. And thus he was a good boy, mostly, keeping quiet as he lingered in his Sire's shadow as they pressed east, hoping to find prey of...what Hattori had rumbled of reasonable size. Their stores were full so the little Prince wasn't exactly sure what the problem was but if his Father told him to jump he would only ask how high. Wanting to put the heirs senses to the test they eventually split up, with Kuroki ambling his way close to the water, his pale nose shovelling snow. He hadn't really nailed the basics of hunting just yet, but he knew them enough in theory to go through the motions, to try and act as though he knew exactly what he was doing.

Or at least that was until he caught sight of a bear.

He sucked in a breath through gritted teeth as he glanced over his shoulder. Where was his Father? Surely he'd be able to handle a beast no problem...except that he didn't seem to be nearby. The bear was distracted, with it's back turned to him and that was all well and good for Kuroki but the same couldn't be said for that stranger over there. He needed help and fast, there was no time to think or linger on the what ifs. Kuroki was spurred into action well before he'd made up his mind.

He kicked off, talons extended as he launched himself-or attempted to- at the bears back, hoping to gain a foothold.

A stranger, a pup younger than himself would come shooting at the bear, not that Balthier even knew of his presence until he was hanging off the back of it. He wouldn't take off running though, it would be impolite to just take off and leave the younger one to tend to the bear. It wasn't like him, and it would be dumb for anyone else to abandon him especially while he was trying to help Balthier. Balthier jumped up himself, his body twisting opposite of the newcomer to a point where they ripped a good hole into the bear's shoulder. Balthier didn't expect to actually kill the creature even while it appeared starving and weak. At least if they injured it enough, they could run off before it could catch up to them. He wouldn't have wanted the predator to suffer, but his life, and that of this new stranger, was more important than putting the frail beast out of it's misery. Walk "Talk" Think

It was not half as easy as Kuroki thought it would be to hold on. In his mind he'd imagined it'd turn out to be some sort of rodeo game, that he'd have to grit his teeth and put in some work to stay in place but...this was awful. Every muscle in his form was screeching for him to let go, coiled so taut he felt as though they were about to snap at any moment. The bear wriggled and trashed, eyes rabid with strings of spittle being flung in all directions. Put simply...to call this even a fight was giving the pups too much credit. It was sloppy and inelegant, their inexperience shining through in the floundering attacks that only proved to get the bear all the more worked up.

Though at least to the stranger's credit he managed to actually shed some blood. The smell of it hit Kuroki's nose like a wallop and he let out a sharp bark as he curled his talons in even tighter, despite the loud protests of his toes. He yanked his limbs back, leaving raking marks as he slid down the bears side and hoped off. Just barely dodging the swiping paw that whooshed overhead.

Balthier hadn't noticed all the boy's mutations that helped greater even in his younger age. He was after all too busy with the bear to worry about his odd horns and long claws, these things were not common in Abaven or at least not that he had noticed. They would interest him though not now, and probably not after while he had already laid eyes on the young boy and the extra appendages were now just a part of his shadow to him. Balthier would drop from the bear as the stranger did, and he would start to move away from it now that it seemed injured enough to not chase them or perhaps even run off and die somewhere, "Now seems like a good time to run!" His voice was strong, only in a low shout in the heat of the commotion. He still wouldn't leave the boy behind, but he hoped he had the sense to run off alongside him. Walk "Talk" Think

Kuroki didn't need to be told twice. They'd managed to scratch the bear up just enough to put it off making them into a puppy-stew, but now it was most certainly time to turn tail and run. The bear turned, attempting one last swipe as Kuroki whipped around on the spot and dove through the space between its legs. It attempted to make a grab for him but got tangled up in its own limbs, causing it to lose it's balance and thunk to the floor with a loud thud. Despite the danger he smirked to himself as the thrill raced through his blood, it was bad to say but he was having a lot of fun.

"Yup yup, coming!"