Now that the Cedar Falls was officially theirs and they were allowed to go in groups since it was within the borders, Morendo had started spending more and more time out this way whenever he wasn't spending time with their mother. He had never thought of himself as much of a fighter, but the encounter that he had with his father and brothers where they fought the bear together made him start to reconsider. It wasn't all bad and while he still didn't exactly enjoy the usual fighting lessons or casually tussling with another wolf, he did kind of like the rush that came from fighting a hostile predator. He had come out here with Strix today under the pretense that they were going to do some work on the communal den that they all had been putting in work for, but secretly he was kind of hoping they would run into another bear while they were here so he would have an excuse to fight one again. He walked along the river that ran through the cedar forest next to Strix, keeping a sharp eye out for any bears that might be wandering through.

"Morendo Klien"

The fact that the boys are allowed to leave the island is an exciting prospect. Add exploring Cedar Falls to the list and Strix would go with almost any of his brothers! The one glaring exception is Quill but the smaller boy is even reconsidering that as he happily prances next to Morendo. Cleaning and working on the communal den seems boring but, when his taller brother had invited him out here, Strix could not pass up the chance. A smug smile is on his lips as they go and, after some time, the shorter boy casts his mismatched eyes up to his sibling.

Slowing, Strix says, “Hey Ren… working on the den is all fine and good but what do you say we get our blood pumping first? Maybe a ra…” A loud roar cleaves through the boy’s words and his eyes flash with deadly delight. Is he imaging things or does Morendo seem excited too? There is no time to dwell on it as a grizzly catches his attention, barreling onto the scene, bushes bowing under its weight as it charges toward the Klein boys. Strix is already moving, short legs churning as he darts out of the angry bear’s path only to make a tight turn and rush back in to bite at one of its back legs.


"Strix Klein"

Morendo looked down to Strix at his side when his brother began to suggest doing something other than working the communal den. Right at that moment the bear he had been looking for suddenly decided to show up and interrupted Strix with a loud roar. His ears perked and his mismatched gaze popped back up to the trees around them, focusing quickly on the grizzly bear that singled them out as its opponent. It was like his silent wish had been answered. He probably should be more concerned that he and Strix were getting attacked by a massive bear, but he was pretty eager to get into the fight. He immediately got into a fight ready stance with a snarl and the bear came charging for them. Strix darted out of the way so Morendo did the same, jumping out of the way at the last second and just missing the bear's heavy paws as it tried to slam them down where he had been standing a few moments before. He pivoted and bit hard into the bear's shoulder, earning another angry roar from the bear. He caught a glimpse of his brother on the other side of the bear and saw that he was going for the bear's hind legs so he tried to keep most of the bear's attention with quick bites around his shoulder and neck while jumping back out of the way to avoid swipes of its large paws.

"Morendo Klien"

The Klein boys separate, Morendo avoiding the heavy paws that slam into the ground where the boys had been standing mere seconds before. Strix moves, running around to attack the grizzly’s back legs. They work as a team, Ren keeping the bear’s attention on himself while the smaller boy delivers a series of sharp, painful bites to the hind legs. This grizzly is angry, roaring and swiping at Morendo when he bites it shoulder and neck.

Strix backs away as he realizes that his own attacks are proving useless. He knows that, to defeat this bear, his taller, more powerful brother will need an opening. Mismatched eyes look to the hind leg he had been attacking, tracing the muscles toward where the paw is. There, a tendon runs close to the surface, right there.

Measuring his attack in the span of a few seconds, the small boy darts back in once more. Teeth close around the space close to the bottom of the leg and, with a loud snarl, Strix thrashes his head. A loud, pained roar splits the air and he is forced to retreat as the bear turns to smack him. However, the damage is done and the tendon is severed. Ren now has a huge opening.


"Strix Klein"

As he's in the middle of doing this dance of dealing a little damage here and there while avoiding the heavy, dangerous paws of the bear they're fighting, he was surprised by the sudden roar of pain that came from the bear. He blinked with surprise and glanced over to where Strix was at the bear's back leg and realized what his smaller brother had done with a grin. Their opponent very quickly lost the ability to put weight on that back leg and struggled to stay standing as it limped and attempted to twist around to get to Strix—not that Morendo was going to let that happen. As soon as the bear turned its head and focused its attention on the wolf that had crippled it, Morendo leapt in again. This time he latched his jaws around its throat and bit down hard, feeling its throat crush down between his teeth and tasting the blood on his tongue. The bear's protests and roars of pain and panic were cut short by the attack and Morendo thrashed his head to tear open the skin and do as much damage as he could before he felt the bear jerk back as it stumbled back onto its haunches in its failed attempts to get away. He finally let go and stumbled back a few steps himself, watching as the bear struggled for a bit longer in its attempts to get back to its feet, but the numerous bites and wounds sealed the deal and eventually it fell over and stayed still. A small grin tugged at his lips and Morendo looked over to his brother, his tail wagging gently behind him.

"Morendo Klien"

A huge, shit-eating grin is on the small Klein boy’s lips as the bear roars, short legs pushing Strix away from the swinging paw that is sure to follow. Morendo leaps forward, taking the opening that the small boy had given him and latching his jaws around the bear’s throat. The grizzly’s eyes widen and it tries to swing a paw at Ren but Strix rushes in, catching the offending appendage and pulling it away from his brother. With its leg stretched out, the bear has no options left except to die as Morendo deals the killing blow. Releasing the paw, the small boy watches as the grizzly stumbles backward before collapsing. It struggles against death, the encroaching darkness making it fight even harder. But, in the end, death would not be denied and the bear stills as its life slips away.

Tongue darts out to lick away the blood that paints his lips as he looks to Ren, mirroring the tail wag that is given. With a huge grin, Strix says, “Now that we got our blood pumping, what do you say we go work on that den!” He barks out a laugh, moving to his brother and offering a friendly headbutt in congratulations for killing the huge bear. Before they leave, the boy’s mismatched gaze falls on the downed predator and he muses, “Well, at least we have one fur ready.” Looking back to Ren, Strix gives his brother a wink before moving back where their project awaits.


"Strix Klein"