Ooc: directly follows Teddy Bear Panic

Whether the bear was trying to flee into the river, or drown itself in the depths to avoid admitting defeat, the two yearlings would never know. The beast didn’t have the strength to make it to the bank of the river. It tripped over its two hindered limbs, tumbling to the earth while releasing a groan that was filled with pain. If one were to listen close enough, one may have even heard the sorrow in the bear’s voice. The sadness of leaving this world behind, and all that it loved. Perhaps it had been a father. A brother. It was someone’s son. And yet, its life had been stolen to fulfill the gluttony of the Saxe boy. He had heard the anguished cry it released in its last moments. It sounded like a young cub, crying for its mother to comfort it. And he drank it up, savoring every last drop of the agony until there was nothing left but an empty shell of a creature. He had already been on its heels when it fell, and he didn’t hesitate to descend upon the now lifeless body. His first target was the belly, which had been sliced open enough to cause much of the small and large intestines to spill out. He went to work opening the hole, wanting to make it large enough to fit his upper half inside. He kept the other boy in his peripheral vision, noting how the body of crimson became larger as he approached. Sephiran released a low, domineering growl. One that made it clear he wouldn’t hesitate to fight if the boy tried to take what Sephiran wanted. ”Speech”

Looking out across the river, he was becoming more aware of the pain in his hips where the bear had fallen on him earlier in their fight. Aresenn ran his tongue along his lips to clear any remaining droplets of water before turning back to the freshly slain bear. He stood still for a moment, carefully watching the other boy- nearly the same age as himself- tearing through the opening he had started while the bear was still alive. He could still hear the pounding of his own heart in his ears and had no desire to press tensions any further.

However, the kill was very much to his own credit as it was to the other wolfs, and while they might have worked well together, he would not mistake a shared experience for camaraderie. And it seemed that the sentiment was mutual. Aresenn answered the growl with one of his own as he pressed closer. "Take whatever you want." The Praetor boy demanded. "I just want some of the hide for leather." And without waiting for further input, Aresenn set to peeling back flesh, starting at the tear into the shoulders he had started the fight with.

When the other wolf growled and stated Sephiran could take whatever he wanted, he responded by deepening his growl. It became more guttural in tone, animalistic in nature, but served the same purpose. It was meant to display dominance. And whether it needed to be followed by aggression would be up to his new acquaintance. So long as they didn’t want the same prizes, and he didn’t overstep his bounds, Sephiran would stay occupied with his own task. Though, he couldn’t deny that the boy’s next statement interested him. Something about taking some of the pelt for leather. He decided he would inquire about it once he was done getting what he wanted. Using his fangs and teeth to slice, and his front paws to dig and claw at the opening, Sephiran wormed his way into the abdominal cavity of the bear. The tight space put pressure on his hurt limb, and he grit his teeth to keep himself from yelping. He pushed forward, his entire upper half now engulfed by the entrails. He sought the large brown organ that was on the right side of all mammals. Eating the liver of your opponents will make you stronger. He kept pushing forward, as his father’s words came to his mind. Their heart will make you fearless, His muzzle finally pressed against the large meaty organ. And their brain will make you smarter. Nearly having to hold his breath at this point, Sephiran quickly grabbed what he could of the liver before pulling himself back out. He dropped it on the earth, panting and spraying blood from his nostrils as the liver was a highly vascularized organ, and bled heavily when lacerated. ”Speech”

While the other boy ... performed whatever ritual he appeared to be indulging himself in, Aresenn carefully began working the skin loose from the bear's shoulder to side. It was difficult to start- the bear's flesh was really tough. But that's why he thought it would make great protection for future fights. Once he got a good part of it separated, the Praetor boy repositioned himself so he could pull a large chunk of the hide loose all at once. Once he was satisfied with the single sheet of flesh he had harvested, he pulled it away from the carcass and took it to the water. He waded out a good way with it, repetitively dunking it until the entire hide was submerged. It didn’t take long before it was completely saturated, which was when he left it to float- standing close to avoid allowing it to be carried away by the current.

After a few minutes, he returned to the bank with the scrap of would-be leather and laid it out flat- which was much easier to do now that it was entirely soaked from its time spent beneath the water. Taking a brief moment, and couple of steps back to admire it, he was quick to set to work. Using his claws, he’d rake away the layer on top where the fur was rooted. Pulling back pawfuls of brown fur with each swipe. It didn’t have to be perfect- the rest would fall out in time. But this preparation step would hopefully eliminate the rotting scent as it dried in the sun.

Without hesitation, Sephiran started to ravenously devour the liver he had harvested. He usually ate this organ first, because his father had taught him that it held many nutritional properties, and could even help treat ailments. Plus, the longer it sat, the faster it decomposed, given the rich enzymes that would start to secrete from the pancreas. Of course, the boy didn’t understand the biomechanics behind these processes. All he knew was it was best to eat the liver while it was fresh and full of blood. And so he did. Once it was gone, he turned to look at his acquaintance, who was working on his own project. Licking his lips, Sephiran lifted his head to get a better look. He was pulling the hide away from the muscle, which seemed to be a daunting task to do alone. But, with some determination he finally ripped off a decent piece of flesh. He watched with a narrowed gaze as the other boy dragged the hide to the river and proceeded to dunk it multiple times. Perhaps he was washing the blood off, or trying to rid it of the filth of the bear. Either way, Sepiran was thoroughly intrigued. Grabbing a couple of feet of small intestine, he flung it over his shoulders to hang from his neck before striding towards the riverbank. Using the strand as a chew toy of sorts, he started to gnaw on the piece of flesh before grumbling, “Why are you doing that?” It was a question that almost sounded accusatory, as if the boy were trying to slide some secret possession out from under Sephiran’s nose without him knowing. ”Speech”

It wasn't long after he had began scratching the hair away from the hide that the other boy came over to observe. When he was asked a question as to why he was doing what he was doing, Aresenn paused a moment and cast a look from his peripheral before continuing. "I don't want it to rot," The Praetor boy began to explain. Once he was satisfied with the condition of the hide, he glance towards the other boy in full this time to finish his address. "I'm going to preserve it and use it for armor around my legs." He had seen his sister and Calico Jack had similar bracers, and he decided he would have his own set. What better than from a bear he had helped kill?

Looking at the large piece of skin, he thought a moment. "There is plenty here if you want to make some too." He said, in more of a careless tone. If the other boy wanted his own set of bracers, there was plenty of material to make several sets. But he also wasn't going to waste his time trying to convince him either.

And when the boy mentioned something about armor, Sephiran became even more intrigued. His head slightly cocked to the side, curiosity spreading across his usually uninterested features. His father had mentioned something about armor a time or two, and that it was something his great-grandfather had taught him about. But they never wore or crafted it during their time together. Perhaps these types of things were more common here. In fact, now that he thought about it, that girl’s father had something similar on him. Armor wasn’t something Sephiran had considered until now. But, it seemed to be necessary here, if this boy was so concerned with making it for himself. So when he stated there was enough to make more, Sephiran didn’t hesitate to come closer. He stopped when he was at the base of the pelt, watching as the boy clawed away at the hair. For a while he just watched, wanting to see how much of this task he could get the stranger to complete before he pitched in. “What now?” He inquired while placing a paw on the hide to help scratch away at the last bits of remaining fur. He would have much rather forced the boy to make the armor for him. But for now, he figured learning this skill would be useful. ”Speech”

It seemed that he had captivated the other boy's interest, as he didn't need much more prompting ... not that he was going to get it from Aresenn if that's what he wanted. "Tear it into strips, a little bit wider than your arm." Aresenn began, demonstrating himself by giving the hide a rough measurement. It was much easier to tear now that the skin was saturated. It was more malleable and softer to form. Once he had torn two strips for himself, he passed the rest of the hide to the other boy.   He didn't wait before continuing on himself. "Put holes for your toes in one end, and fray the other end into tassels so you can secure it in place." It wasn't going to be anything fancy. Just leather wraps up his forelimbs. But it would certainly play an important role when his next fight came along.

Aresenn followed through with what he had explained- punching his claws through one end of the strip- working the holes until he could fit his toes through them .. and then a little bigger for the additional room- a detail he remembered that was worth mentioning. "Make everything bigger than you think it needs to be. When the leather dries, it will shrink."

Satisfied with his grip, he moved to the other end of the wrapping- splitting it in half and rolling each flap into a cord of sorts. They appeared to be slightly longer than necessary, but it would make them easier to secure when the time came. Once he completed his first bracer, he glanced over to the boy and his progress.  "My name is Aresenn, by the way." He said casually, introducing himself in his same careless manner.

For the first couple steps, Sephiran stood back and watched as the boy explained everything. He was the type to learn by watching first, and then completing the task himself. It was quite surprising that the boy was able to demonstrate and explain everything so effortlessly. It almost seemed like he had made this type of armor a dozen times, even if the work was far from perfect. Once he had almost finished the first bracer, Sephiran went to work on his own project. He copied every move with ease, and only found making the holes for his toes to be challenging. He made sure it fit loose, given that it would shrink, and he wasn’t done growing yet either. Once he had completed each step, he grabbed the makeshift armor and tossed it toward the other boy. He wasn’t looking for praise or approval. He was simply showing him that he was capable of doing it. And as the boy started on the second bracer, Sephiran followed. He had just torn away another strip of the hide when an introduction was made. Aresenn. No surname, which he found odd, given that he flaunted his Saxe surname at every opportunity. For a while he didn’t respond, only offered a single flick of an ear in response. He really wasn’t interested in knowing who this boy was. He just wanted him to answer his questions, and stay out of his way. “Who taught you this?” He mused as he punctured the hide with his claws to make the holes for his toes. ”Speech”

When the other boy tossed him the bracer strap he had made, he offered a steady nod of approval."You'll have to wait until it dries out- it could take a couple of days. It'll be stiff in the beginning, but the more you wear them, the more comfortable they'll get." Aresenn assured, tossing the bracer back to finish up his second one.

He didn't acknowledge the fact that the other boy stayed silent after his introduction. It didn't matter to him if he wanted to stay nameless. Instead, he asked a different question- one he was happy to answer. "My dad." Aresenn started, while he finished cording the end of his second bracer. "Usually we just take what we want from other wolves- raiding packs and the like." The 'we' was meant loosely, as Aresenn was still too young to go on a raid with the adults, but that was about to end very soon knowing full well his and his siblings' yearling part was quickly approaching. "However, he said this is a skill everyone who's going to end up in a fight should have, and know how to make." He finished promptly as he leaned back to admire his bracers. He would have to be gentle with them as he carried them back to the beach to not stretch them out. But in a few days, he would have some nice pieces of armor.

While they went to work on the second bracers, Aresenn answered his question, after providing more information about the drying process. He made a mental note to set them somewhere safe, a place where they couldn’t be scavenged and would spend most of the day in the sunlight. He wanted them to dry out as quickly as possible, as he was curious about how useful they would be. He finished his second bracer a few minutes after the other boy. Leaning back to admire his work, the two must have looked like kids in a candy shop to unknowing eyes. At the mention of a father, Apollyon’s image flashed inside of his mind. He wondered how things were back home, and how different his life would be, if he accepted the throne from his father instead of seeking out new territory. At the mention of raiding and taking what they wanted, a gleam of excitement and interest swept across his gaze, lips peeling back into a delighted smirk. “Raiding?” He stood up, striding closer to the boy to invade his personal space. “Do you kill them too?” His smirk grew wider, eyes lighting up with child-like wonder. “Fuck their women?” His tail swept slowly from side to side. “Enslave their pups?” He was almost laughing at this point. “I used to do that with my dad too.” The last bit he usually would have kept to himself. Not because he felt ashamed, or that the acts themselves were wrong. But because he preferred to stay illusive when it came to his upbringing. But given his enthusiasm for the subject, he couldn’t help himself. He was an impulsive creature, after all. ”Speech”

When he mentioned the Pirate raids, there was no denying the other boy's enthusiasm. It brought a devil-may-care grin to his features as he slowly began to nod. "Sometimes," Aresenn answered vaguely, in an almost noncommittal way. He wasn't going to lie to make his pack sound different than what it was, but he was certainly going to emphasize his favorite parts. "My dad has taken many slaves before- but some of the other Pirates are softer." He answered with a scowl. "They hold us back... my dad is the Most Unholy Sin, after all." It was kind of his job in the pack to be the bad guy- to be the demon on the Pirate King’s shoulder.  And while they weren't exactly close, he did respect his father.

Blinking those thoughts away, he began to nod a little more enthusiastically. "But yes, kidnapping, ransoming, stealing, fighting, maiming, enslaving. All of it. It just depends on the day, what we wake up and want to do." Aresenn assured as he stood up to stretch his legs. He silently winced at the sudden throb in his hips- it was going to be a long walk home.

As the boy went on to explain more about his lifestyle and father, Sephiran became more intrigued. It was odd to have found another wolf who lived in a world so similar to his own. Of course, there were some differences. For instance, Aresenn kept referring to Pirates, which he assumed was the name of their pack, if they resided in one. Which made the information even more interesting to the Saxe boy. What exactly did it mean to be a Pirate? And why had he never heard of this before? “Where is this place?” He wanted to know where this collection of wolves was, primarily for two reasons. One, if he ever wanted to look for this boy he would know where to find him. And two,  if he ever wanted to seek allies with similar principles, he knew where to go. While he waited for the response, he noticed the wince from the boy as he stretched. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, and the day was waning into dusk, Sephiran had started to become tired as well. Not to mention his front limb was overly sore and demanding attention. He needed to collect some herbs before finding a place to sleep, as he had no intentions of sticking with Aresenn. All he wanted from him was information, which he readily provided. With a huff, Sephiran turned to scan the nearby foliage, looking for those little white flowers again (chamomile), along with a yellow flower more specific to muscle pain (dandelion). There was a cluster of both nearby, which wasn’t surprising given how common they were. He signaled for the boy to follow him with a nod of his head, and motioned toward the flowers. “Eat those.” Was the only command he gave before taking a mouthful for himself. The herbs mixed with the liver from the bear would surely aid with the pain in his limb… or so he believed. Once his belly was full, he collected his braces before attempting to vanish into the forest. But before he was out of eyesight, he stopped and called out one last time. “Call me Sephiran- Sephiran Saxe.” Was all he said before he disappeared. -exit- ”Speech”