Of the many places Raijin had been in Boreas, the Orchard somehow hadn’t made it on his list. Really, it was quite the waste because what he found was far beyond his imagination. Fruit trees stretched as far as the eye could see in neat rows, though the grass that sprung up from the ground at their roots was anything but neat. It was so tall that it practically reached his elbows, but he paid it no mind. What he was really looking for was up above: apples. Normally it took the trees another half a season to produce the delicious red fruits, but there seemed to be a dozen or so of the hundreds of trees that had blessed him with an early harvest. He’d called to his owl companion to help him get the higher up apples while the hefty man worked on the lower ones. He’d stand up on his hind legs and reach his neck up to grasp at any that he could grab with his jaws, placing them in a basket brought by his antlered fox companion. Once he’d gotten all that he could from the low hanging ones, he’d opt to shaking the trees. Placing both forelegs on the trunk, he pushed it to and fro until it dropped any loose fruits. The bundles would come in handy when he wanted to produce wine later, a little treat he could provide to the adult staff members and students of the Abaven Academy.

As he was busy shaking a tree, his fox companion alerted him to the presence of a predator. He lowered himself back down to the ground with a thud, auds twitching along with his nose as his brilliant golden eyes squinted to try and find where it was approaching from. It was then that he saw it: a grizzly bear. He wasn’t surprised by its presence, seeing as the animal’s species was known to indulge in fruits, but what did shock him was its appearance. Huge, glowing mushrooms sprouted from its body, some dead or dying, others in full bloom. A bright, glowing liquid dribbled from its eyes, nose and mouth and from the places impacted by the mushrooms. It walked with a swaying motion, its thick muzzle open and panting and it’s eyes fogged in a way that it almost seemed unseeing. He felt a chill go up his spine and the man let out a growl, taking a step back. Though he was big, Raijin wasn’t so stupid as to think he could take on a full grown Grizzly bear, especially not one seemingly overtaken by an unknown sickness.

WC: 443/1500

"Speech"

Tyrfing needed to get out of Fireside. There were pups fucking everywhere, and while he had no issue with having a huge family, he had no idea he'd ever have THIS big of a family. Was there any wolf in the world whom he wasn't related to? Even the strangers he came across somehow recognized him and the family whom he belonged to, declaring themselves a cousin or aunt or whatever they may be. Not moments after the sun had risen in the sky did the yearling peel from his den, shout a goodbye to his siblings and head off in search of adventure and mystery. He hadn't intended to make a stop in the orchard - after all, that's one of the places he'd met random family members in the past - but the sound of growls drew his purple ear. Tyrfing crawled forward, arching his head around a tree to watch the conflict unfold. A wolf was picking apples and had been surprised by a grizzly, the largest animal Fin had ever seen. There was no hesitation in the brave boy's eyes, and while this wolf was nobody to him he knew only a coward would abandon the poor man to his death in the orchard. He flew forward in a ground-eating sprint, coming up at the grizzly's hind end and closing his jaws down hard upon the beast's rear leg. It roared, it's attention temporarily diverted from the stranger as it turned and slapped Tyrfing with one heavy paw. The yearling lost his grip, rolling across the grass and groaning. He felt pain in his shoulder where those claws surely tore the skin, but got to his feet with as much speed as he could muster before the bear could come back for a second mighty hit. Word Count: 738 / 1500 "Speech" table art by nightauctor

The sound of thudding pawsteps alerted Raijin to the presence of another and he saw a flash of light grey before a yearling threw themselves onto the beast. He was stunned for a moment, surprised to see such a quick, decisive movement from one so young. He was reminded of his nieces and nephews, who were surely quick to act with justice no matter the wolf. Well, he was mostly right, save for Oki. He watched as the bear released a roar, batting the large yearling away with a massive club of a paw, sending him sprawling across the ground with a groan. Raijin snarled, instincts kicking in as he raced forward. He threw himself between the boy and the bear, body tense as he threw a paw upward and onward, aiming to slice across the predator’s eyes in an attempt to blind it. The animal, surprisingly deft despite its odd ailment, reared back, jaws opening in another roar that sent gobs of glowing spit flying into the air. He’d only managed to skim the top of the animal’s muzzle, sending similar looking dribbles of glowing blood down its muzzle.

Raijin dodged to the side, barking to keep the bear’s attention on him as he gave the yearling a sideways glance to make sure he was okay. The man began to back away, issuing another series of barks to try and entice the sickly beast to follow after him, and in its simple state of mind it seemed content to follow. In a quick movement, the man pushed off the ground and sprinted at the beast, leaping with jaws open to sink his sabers into the thick, muscly neck of his foe, hoping to sever whatever important blood vessels he could to bring the animal down. It thrashed, throwing the man like a ragdoll who hit the ground with a thud. The wind rushed from his lungs but he rolled to his paws, coughing and wincing, but he’d seemed to find a mark. Glowing blood poured from the bear’s neck in gushes, but it didn’t stop, instead continuing straight for him.

WC: 1093/1500

"Speech"

The stranger reacted quickly, throwing himself between Tyrfing and the bear before it could land a second hit upon his sore body. The man's paw came up and over the beast's eyes, bringing from it's maw a mighty, angry roar that compelled Tyrfing into action. He watched as the stranger first called the bear away from him, then lunged for it's throat. The long sabers hanging down past the wolf's jaws were not a mutation that was rare to see, but each time Fin saw them utilized in combat he found himself awestruck by their strength. Reminded of his own mutation, the yearling sprung forward once more. Rather than pick a losing fight at the bear's massive face, he threw himself at the creature's side and sunk his cat-claws into the flesh there. The pain to the bear was nothing compared to the gaping wounds on it's neck, and Tyrfing's clinging barely managed to cause mild annoyance to it. The stranger hit the ground hard and coughed, clearly winded, and the bear continued forward with Tyrfing clinging to his side. He flexed his paws hard and began to scale the grizzly, moving as carefully as he could fueled by so much desperation. Each step the bear took felt like it would throw him from it's back, and Tyrfing crawled across it's spine swaying with the motion and feeling weirdly sea-sick. Once he reached the bear's head, the Viking yearling acted out of impulse. He lifted and threw his paws down, wrapping them around the bear's head and digging the feline claws into both eyes at once. The bear roared in pain, backpedaling from the koi wolf and thrashing it's head to dislodge the yearling, forcing Fin to simply hold on for dear life and pray. "Oh god, kill it, I'm slipping!" He yelled. Word Count: 1396 / 1500 "Speech" table art by nightauctor

Raijin watched as the yearling sprung into action, leaping to sink his surprisingly retractable claws into the predator’s side and scale his way up onto its back. It was an impressive feat considering the boy’s size, and in a smart, decisive move, he reached down to sink his claws into the bear’s eyes. The predator roared in pain, trying to throw his companion who cried out for him to kill it, and the Genji man needed no more prompting. He lunged forward, jaws opening for the last time as he sank his sabers directly into its throat. Blood, which was already spurting from the deep neck wound he’d inflicted, coated his pelt drenching him in it’s glowing liquid hue. The bear stumbled under their combined weight, a wheezing, coughing roar bubbled from its mouth as the air supply was cut off. Already weakened from loss of blood, the predator swayed, took another stumbling step, then collapsed to the ground on its side. Raijin didn’t let go, however, not until the odd bear took its last, shuddering breath and moved no more.

WC: 1579/1500

"Speech"