Patrols. He'd begun taking on more responsibility, begun patrolling on his own. Hazel said something about him being capable and competent enough or whatever, so here Dread was. Doing the thing. She'd set him up on what she considered an easy, quiet route. Maybe there would be predators, but no other wolves to contend with. He was alright with that. Dread was happy to contribute, to step up, to begin to pull his own weight within the pack. Hazel's instructions had been very clear-- follow the marked path, trust his senses, be observant and diligent in his work. Call for backup at the first sign of trouble bigger than like, a coyote or whatever. The day was comfortably warm, the mid-morning sun filtering through the trees.

Trouble. Dread found trouble in the shape of a bear. A big bear. A large male, from the looks of it. He'd come over the Armada's borders, likely looking for something to eat. The boy tipped his head back to call for backup and draw the predator's attention. As the bear swung its head and targeted him, Dread could feel the rush of adrenaline in his system. Tucking his head low, he rushed it. Moving in to grab at the bear's shoulder, it was game on.

"Dread Fatalis"

Pyrie was still a little undecided about staying here in the Armada, but she had lingered for the summer season and hadn’t made up her mind to leave yet. Having Bronze so close was one reason she stayed, having family by her side again tempted her more than anything. The young woman was comfortable here in the northern reaches, and she couldn’t deny the place was beginning to feel like home.

Still, she was a little on the stand offish side. Pyr had never been a very social creature and she hadn’t started changing that habit now. However, when a call rang out at the border she was closest to the small she wolf didn’t hesitate to answer. The smell of bear hit her long before the sight of it and the yearling did.

She wasn’t so quick that she had seen the boy rush in to battle, but she did watch as the two became gripped in mortal combat. Despite her size, Pyrite had never backed down from a challenge like this. She flanked the bear, which the boy would have trouble driving back on his own, and aimed to bite the beasts’ back leg and shaking, hoping to do enough damage to distract it for a moment so Dread could reposition himself and avoid the counter attack.

He wasn’t alone for long. Dread was grateful for that much, especially as the bear swiped at him with massive paws. Man, for something that was so round and adorable, they certainly packed a punch. A wallop, if you will. The yearling could feel a claw catch his flesh, but for now there was too much adrenaline in his system. He wasn’t phased, at least for now. No, for now he would continue on at the bear, putting in as much work as he could to keep the attention on him and hopefully drive the bear back… or kill it. Really it would go either way.

He’s not alone for long. One of the newer members of the pack, a girl that looked an awful lot like Bronze. Dread hadn’t dug into specifics, hadn’t asked— none of his business. That didn’t matter. What mattered instead was that she was here to assist, and he was grateful for it. She managed to distract enough on the creature’s flank that he could take a moment to regain his footing, regain control over himself. The yearling steadied himself, and as the bear tried to round on the much-smaller girl, he launched at the exposed side of its neck. The tank of a creature was in pain now, and Dread was proud of himself. They had to keep going, but at least he felt like he was making progress now.

The Destruction woman wasn’t near in time to save the boy from some pain. The bear had already struck, though Pyr couldn’t tell how bad it might be as she focused on herself and the task at hand. This predator was dangerous, and didn’t realize how dangerous it was for him to make his appearance within the Armada’s lands. The two wolves that appeared before him were tenacious and willing to give their all to drive him back, and willing to take its life. However with only two of them Pyrite doubted the latter of those conclusions.

Just as she had planned with her attack, her teeth sinking into thick bear hide before she released, knowing retaliation was coming even before it moved. Pyr wanted to give the boy enough time to recover, and as the bear rounded she knew that she did when the bear hollered in pain. Pyr’s fox-like size helped her to avoid the raging creature with deft paws.

The two wolves working together was enough to divert the animal’s attention, and it was unable to keep up with the both of them. If you chased two rabbits, you would catch none, so long as they divided and conquered they would be fine. Again as Dread went for its neck the retaliation was predictable, and again Pyrite took her chance to bite. This time going for its huge hulking shoulder.

They work well together, actually. Dread is hulking, a massive creature, though he was only a yearling. He snarls, rages at the bear, feeling his inhibitions get farther and farther from him. Hackles up, making himself look as large as possible. Divide and conquer, split the bear's attention, and do their best to confuse and rebuke it. They could do this. They had this under control, at least as far as Dread was concerned. Still, the boy winced as the bear struck out at Pyrite. She was small, and thankfully hard to catch but it was high risk, high reward. His heart pounded in his chest. He is a sentinel, a guardian. She couldn't get hurt in this, he wouldn't allow it.

They could drive the bear off. They could drive him back. With gnashing teeth and a snarl in his chest, the yearling continued his assault. Relentless. He had to be relentless. Forcing his chest and shoulder into the predator, he grabbed what he could in terms of flesh, in terms of skin and fur. Dread was nothing if not brave, couldn't fault him for trying. It was unlikely they could take the thing out, but they could at least force him off. Force the bear out, never to return to the Armada again. That, and he'd keep the girl giving him a hand safe. He'd keep them all safe.

Dread would save them all.
"Dread Fatalis"

Fighting came naturally to the small she wolf, but she had been engaged in battle since she was born. Life was a fight that you had to take on, else you’d end up dust. Pyrite had to assume the boy was the same, he held that fighter’s spirit and the two of them worked well together against the invading beast.

Pyr’s attention had to be focused on the bear, this was a literal life and death situation. One she would have avoided if she was on her own in the wild northern lands. There was no reward to chasing off a bear when you held no land of your own, but here the pack was worth protecting. Their resources and their young were worth fighting for. Something Pyrite hadn’t ever really felt before.

So working together, dodging dangerous blows and returning their own when they could, the strange pair began to back the bear out of the territory. The creature had thought itself the biggest baddest thing in the woods, but was swiftly corrected as its blood began to stain its thick dark fur, and retreat became a much easier option. With a few more convincing bites, the bear did turn tail. He wouldn’t be back, Pyrite was certain of that,