The two wolves had just stepped away from the Bifrost and headed towards the berry grove.  They had chosen to meet up with Manea and join up with her band of wolves.  They would have done it sooner but they had sort of gotten lost.  Who knew the swamp area could be so hazardous?  It felt like they had been stuck there forever.  Still, they had somehow made it out alive and would likely never step paw in the place again.

Since then things had gone much smoother but they were still late.  Hopefully, this was the path to take to find Manea’s band.  Hopefully, they were still invited.  What if they weren’t wanted now?  Chade was fairly confident at this point that Ry and himself would make it alone if necessary.  However, it would continue to be one day at a time.  Too many failed hunts, or if Chade got injured, or any other unknown could cause them to die before even reaching adulthood.

Chade’s hunting had improved but the prey animals were strong and healthy once more.  It felt like Chade never got quite enough meat to build up his own muscles enough to easily take down the stronger prey by himself.  Luck wasn’t going to be on his side forever.

“Sure wish we knew if they were safe,” there were berries all over this place. Chade almost made another comment to Ricin when a deep ‘huff huff huff’ sound could be heard, and heavy paws stomping across the ground.  The bear had apparently been behind some other brush and it didn’t like the pup’s company.  

The bear roared and charged deciding to apparently not waste time.  Chade made sure to be in front of his brother, “Ry we gotta,” ‘run’ was the unsaid word.  Chade attempted to bite the charging bear to keep it away from his brother.  The bear’s large paw slapped Chade so that he was thrown on the ground and kept going towards Ricin.  The dark blue gangly pup hollered, “Ry, run!” Chade wasn’t overly hurt so much as that’d be a good bruise but there was a moment of disorientation as his brain sorted out up from down.  

"Speech"

The brothers make their way across the bridge, finally on track to meet back up with Manea and her bad. They had lost so much time in that swamp as days had turned into months and Ricin had started to wonder if they would ever be able to find the purple wolf and her band. Since the last time they say the purple adult, the boys have sprouted up, growing into their paws as the time ticked past. The thicker fur on the back of their necks has grown along with their height, becoming longer with the top often flopping into eyes. Ricin casts a glance toward his brother and wonders if Chade insisted on meeting back up with Manea for his sake.

While lost in the swamp, the brothers had survived because of each other. They looked after each other, protected and defended each other. They had made it, a little worse for wear but not in horrible condition. In Ricin’s mind, he does not understand the need to be part of a band anymore but Chade had vehemently swore they still needed the band and Ricin had relented, following his brother across the land bridge. The lighter pup’s paws touch the land of this new place and crimson eyes look around, taking in the abundance of fruit and towering maple trees. Sniffing the air, the pup’s mouth waters at the innumerable intoxicating scents that fill his nostrils.

Chade’s comment about the band is lost on the lighter boy’s ears as hungry eyes fall onto a juicy patch of berries. Mouth opens, moving to bite the ripe fruit and burst the small orbs of deliciousness in his mouth. However, Ricin never gets the chance. From behind the light pup an all too familiar roar reaches his ears and dread settles like a block of ice in his stomach. Quickly, Ricin whips around, watching as Chade steps between him and the grizzly bear. The darker pup’s words are unnecessary but fear roots the lighter boy’s paws to the ground. The bear slaps Chade away, its large paw connects with his brother and Ricin is no longer fixed in place.  

Everything slows, time stretches as the moments elongate and Ricin hears his brother yelling at him to run. The lighter pup remembers a time past with another bear. Chade had saved his life then, sacrifice their sibling so Ricin could live. As the grizzly turns to face the downed pup, time snaps back to normal and, like a rubber band stretched too far, time speeds up as Ricin races straight toward the deadly predator. Shouting loud, unrecognizable words to get the bear’s attention off his brother, the lighter boy closes the distance to the grizzly. It is already turning toward him, pulling back a deadly paw and aiming it toward his face. Ricin doesn’t care about his safety anymore, the need to save Chade overriding any sense of self preservation.

Nimbly, the light boy dodges the swinging paw, lunching up toward the bear’s head. Mouth opens, a snarl of defiance piercing the air as his jaws clamp shut around the grizzly’s ear. Gravity takes hold of his body, pulling the pup’s back toward the ground, ripping the ear away from the bear’s skull as he goes. With a roar of pain and anger, the grizzly rears up onto its back legs and Ricin releases his hold on the bear’s ear. As his body moves back toward the ground, the enraged grizzly swings its massive paw hitting the lighter pup’s falling body and sending him spinning to the side. Lucky, the claws miss his flesh but the power behind the paw sends Ricin careening toward a large maple tree.

He tries to tuck his body to try and lessen the inevitable impact that is coming. With a loud ‘crack’ the back of Ricin’s head, neck, and part of his shoulder connect with the immovable tree. The world spins as his body comes to rest at the base of the tree. Nausea washes over him as the world tilts on its axis and he tries to blink away the stars that burst into his vision. He needs to get back up to protect Chade from the deadly bear but his body refuses to obey. He hopes Chade can forgive him that somehow his brother survives and is able to carry on. With his world rotating Ricin lays at the base of the tree, trying not to pass out or spill what little contents his stomach holds.


"Speech"

The number of bears that lingered in this grove had made her question whether camping here had been a wise choice or not, but in the end it had just provided her and Alastor more entertainment and something for them to sink their teeth into from time to time so ultimately they hadn't ended up moving locations. If anything it had just provided even more plush bear pelts to line their beds with and since she was trying to avoid having to dig out more dens and had just created beds of furs between nooks of trees instead the extra warmth had been welcomed. She was doing a brief patrol around the grove as she considered their next move. There were some locations within Auster that seemed promising, more promising that the grove at least, and she did want to stick close to Fenmyre for a bit longer, but more and more she was beginning to wonder why she needed to wait for a pack to dissolve to stake her claim or why she needed to wretch power away from someone else to have it. Could she not just build her claim on her own? She certainly had enough wolves behind her to warrant having a permanent home for them.

Her thoughts were disrupted by distant shouting voices and a commotion from within the grove and her ears perked at the sounds that were quickly followed by the roar of a bear. She immediately turned back into the thick of the trees and started running. She knew Avacyn at least knew better than to engage one of the bears on her own, but after how Saracyn had behaved in the fight she had been in with him she wouldn't put it past her son to do something foolish. That was honestly what she was expecting when she rushed forward toward the bear in question, but instead she found the two young boys that she had taken in and fed back near the island. She spotted Ricin at the base of a near by tree and Chade knocked to the ground with the bear lumbering toward him. Manea snarled and bounded toward the bear, coming at it from its right side, and reared up on her hind legs to wrap her forelegs around its neck. Her tiger-like claws sank into its flesh and started to rip across its throat while her teeth bit deep into its cheek. These pups weren't her own by blood, but she had welcomed them into her band and that made them hers in their own way and she'd protect them as such.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Chade wanted Ricin to run not fight!  Chade teetered a bit one way then another until his mind and body came to an agreeance on the world about him.  That was about the same time Ricin hit the tree and sent a rush of rage and desperation flowing into Chade.

The lady they had been going to meet was suddenly there.  She attacked the bear without a thought.  For a moment Chade just stared in surprise at her help before realizing the fool he was being.  Running was always the smart option though he would fight for Ricin when needed as they were family.  This wolf who had offered them home was defending them so Chade felt honor-bound suddenly to help fight.  That was what you did with your pack, right?

Chade charged in and while she attacked the right side Chade lept up to grab the left arm, bracing with his back legs and snarling.  Chade had a good experience with killing prey but fighting predators was far less common.  Bite and grip was the best technique he knew despite a voice inside that screamed to run instead.  Chade had learned self-control and ignored emotions over practicality long ago, long in his mind at least.  Luckily the bear was more focused on the adult going for its neck.  Still, there came a point he had to let go when the bear shoved his arm back, trying to multi-task on getting both wolves off of him.

"Speech"

The tree that Ricin stuck seems to have scrambled his brain and, since the world is still tilting wildly, the lighter pups opts to stay where he lays. Roars and grunts and snarls reach his ears and he turns his head in an attempt to find Chade. The ground rolls, solid trees morphing into disjointed twigs and bursts of green. Eyes squeeze shut in a vain attempt to right the spiraling world. Swallowing back the nausea, Ricin reopens his eyes and finds two blurry forms fighting the grizzly. He would know that blue blob anywhere; Chade’s darker form darts toward the fuzzy brownish splotch, while a purple orb attacks the beast’s right side. Relief floods the pup as he makes his way up onto wobbly paws, trying his best to stumble around the large tree trunk and put it between him and the fight. The progress is slow but he makes it, collapsing into a seated position and lowering his head to try and breathe through the waves of pain and nausea. Distantly, Ricin still hears the sounds of fighting but he knows he can be of no help. So, he sits there, trying not be a hinderance.

"Speech"

The bear roared with pain at her attack and attempted to rear back to shake her off, but with her weight pulling down on its head it didn't get the chance to. She dug her claws and teeth in harder, ripping through flesh and deepening the wounds she already caused. She started kicking against the ground with her hind legs, attempting to pull and topple the bear forward off of its feet, but wasn't having much luck until she saw the darker blue of the two boys get up and latch himself onto the bear's left leg. That was enough to knock it off balance so that she could wrestle it to the ground, careful to make sure it fell toward her and not onto the boy. She let go of the predator and hopped out of the way as it fell like a tree being cut down and hit the ground with a heavy thud and she reached out a paw to help catch the boy she was protecting just in case he got toppled over in the process as well.

Before the bear could begin to get up again she made a leap to pin its head down under her large paws, her claws gripping viciously around the curve of its jaw, and she sank her teeth deep into its throat to rip away a large chunk of flesh and rip apart its windpipe. She was able to take a step back then while it struggled and gasped for air for a few moments until it finally fell still with a few final twitches. She sighed and swiped her tongue across her muzzle to lick away any of the blood that was left there and she turned to face Chade with a soft smile. "Are you alright?" she asked before looking around the clearing for his brother. "Where is Ricin? I thought I saw him a moment ago."

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Chade’s eyes widened in surprise as Manea was able to actually make them bear collapse.  Woah, she was strong.  Even more surprising was what she did after releasing the bear. Chade hadn’t been prepared to watch his landing, his body curling in on itself protectively but instead of hitting harsh land the boy felt his back braced up against something, Manea's paw, his body slid for a gentler landing on the earth.

Just for a moment, she had offered a touch that had felt oddly protective before she had raced back to the bear. Chade ran back determined to help but not knowing how to help the way Manea seemed to be completely dominating it.  Since she was at the head Chade bit into the bear’s foot.  The bear was far too busy with Manea to worry about the bite of a child to its massive paw.  Soon enough Manea had finished it off.  The bear that had so easily taken down Chade and Ricin had been killed off by her and she made it look easy.  Chade could say she technically had help but the pup wasn’t going to label what little he had done as true help.

Manea asked where Ricin was and Chade turned his head about quickly, “Ry!” Ricin had gotten tossed aside also so what if he had been help?  Chade would have been more scared had Ry been in sight and not moving though the fact his brother had hid meant most likely he was alright but any chance of bad injury was horrifying.  “He’s supposed to run or hide if something attacks,” the boy hesitantly informed Manea as he moved to where he’d last seen Ricin fall.

"Speech"

Ricin sits behind the large tree he had slammed into, riding out the dizziness and nausea that grips him while the fight rages on. When the sounds of battle end, the lighter pup lifts his head slowly, waiting for the world to right itself before tentatively calling out, “Ny… is it gone?” He hears Chade’s voice and slowly stands, gingerly moving around the tree to get into full view of Manea and his brother. Looking to Chade first and then slowly moving his gaze to the purple wolf, the boy says, “Uh… Hello Mrs. Manea. Thanks for saving… u…” eyes dart to Chade as the word 'us' almost makes it past his lips but quickly corrects himself, “me.” Shame flares in his chest as he slowly looks away from Chade and whispers, “I’m sorry Ny. I couldn’t let it hurt you.” A burst of pain spears his brain and grays out his vision. The pup whimpers and squeezes his shuts shut, trying to will away the blossoming migraine.

When the discomfort settles back to a more acceptable level, Ricin peels his eyes open and whimpers to his brother, “My head hurts Ny.” The lighter pup feels pitiful and he hates his own weakness. He tries to tune out the purple woman, afraid she is going to yell him, tell the boy to ‘suck it up and stop complaining’ like his mother use to. Softly, Ricin says, “I’m really sorry.” Crimson gaze drops to his paws as the headache builds once more, pulling a soft whine from the lighter pup.


"Speech"

Manea turned when she heard the soft voice of the other boy calling back to them as she and Chade looked for the lighter colored brother. She moved toward the sound and soon Ricin came out from behind one of the trees, clearly a little worse for wear from the fight. She didn't see any open wounds, but there were still plenty of injuries that could happen under the surface. She gave a little shake of her head when he thanked her for saving them, though he quickly changed it to say saving him. From where she was standing both boys needed the help equally, but she didn't point that out right now. She was much more concerned with making sure they were okay. She frowned and hurried over to him as he squeezed his eyes shut, his head clearly hurting him. She settled down in front of him and leaned down to take a closer look, looking for any points of impact. She did see some slight scuffs on one side of his head and saw some bits of bark still caught in his fur, but there were luckily no noticeable cuts to clean or bandage.

Once he was able to open his eyes again he confirmed what she had guessed and stated how his head hurt, followed by a heart breaking apology. Her ears flicked back and she glanced between the two boys, wondering what their lives before she found them had been like. She knew very little about them and only knew what she had gleaned from context clues so far. Her soft spot for young wolves knew no bounds and seeing him so deeply upset over something out of his control hurt her heart. She lifted a paw to gently brush his cheek, giving him a smile. "Don't apologize. It's okay. None of this was your fault. Either of you," she insisted, looking up at Chade as well. "Come on. Lets go have my handmaiden look at you and get you something for your head." She got up and ushered them toward the camp a short distance away so they could get some help and rest.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny