Mojito had a million and five things on his mind. He'd decided to at least do the one thing totally in his control, which was to get his stores built up before the chill of winter killed anything useful. That's what drew him out of Valta lands, something he hadn't done since that night with Nao... He honestly still didn't feel secure even in Valta, even with Asla taking over for a time. He knew logically that she'd always fight in his corner but he'd felt Az's fangs in his face the last time he'd thought he'd known something for sure. He was practically driven by sheer determination to make himself so useful he'd never have to worry about where he was going again. Maybe that was also why he was out here. Mojito picked through the nook, kicking up pink petals as he walked, the trees shedding their canopy in preparation for winter. Maybe being close to Valta lands had lulled him into being too complacent because by all rights he should have noticed the lumbering mass that loomed at the base of the mountain the forest had sprouted from. He should have noticed it was strange to see a Grizzly bear this close to pack lands. He should have seen the hungry look in it's eyes, no doubt desperate for a few meals before it went into hibernation, desperate enough to try it's luck. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, didn't. Mojito didn't see the bear until it was bearing down on him, charging at him from between several of the trees, and the pounding of massive paws made him lift his gaze to stare dumbfounded at the thing, brain trying to process. Of all the days to leave Hoa behind... Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

Bears seemed to be the bane of her existence as of late. The still-healing wounds on her left side were the leftovers of her last encounter where she'd saved the Armada child. The scent of ursine musk was thick in the air as the lioness stalked along. A bear was a formidable foe, but Taiga was their match. Not just any lioness, but a cave lioness. The remnants of another land. The only one of her kind. She'd fallen into a strange position in these lands. Whereas she had once been a bloodthirsty hunter, Taiga had now taken on the role of protector. She had a herd, for gods sake. She would play the protector role today as well.

Taiga's path crossed that of the bear and she stopped to look ahead, ruby eyes fixed upon the obvious trail. A shift of the wind brought another scent to her; that of a wolf. With a sigh, the feline altered her course and made a beeline in the direction of the bear.

By the time she arrived, the bear already had its sights on a very small wolf. Er... canine? The floppy ears threw Taiga off for a moment, but she didn't have time to consider them further. The giant bear began to move forward, a low growl pouring from it. Powerful hind legs tensed and Taiga shot forward, her black, grey and white form rocketing through the air. She landed hard on the back end of the bear, curved killing claws sinking into its flesh while jaws simultaneously locked around its spine. The bear roared and tried to spin, but Taiga was a heavy thing and was more difficult than it had planned. The lioness locked eyes with the wolf for a moment and looked away, trying to tell him to flee.


"Taiga"

All that was missing was a tiger and they'd have a whole menagerie, his brain had been chugging through the thoughts it needed to get him to goddamn move and it was stopped by the appearance of the lioness as she started rushing down in his direction as well. Welp he couldn't say it had been a good one but it had been a life of sorts. But the massive feline launched herself at the bear, stopping it as it tried to attack it's attacker. He stared a moment longer, but as he caught her silent sign his mind seemed to finally click into gear. He was moving before he could even really think about it, his entire body language shifting. His wounds from Azure had only started to fade now, hidden under his white fur but they spoke of his experience. Sure maybe he wasn't the best fighter but he damn well knew what he was doing. With the bear twisting itself to try and swat at the lioness with it's massive paws it's focus was no longer on the small wolf-dog, which was to his advantage. He quickly pivoted himself so he was facing the bear's side, lowered his head and with a burst of movement towards the ursine target rammed his horns into the thing's leg. It didn't break the skin, but it didn't need to. He just needed to get the bear to divide it's attention so he could take quick shots at it. The man danced back from the bear as it swung it's massive head towards him, roaring angrily. Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

Rather than flee, the wolfdog ran towards the fray, delivering bites here and there. The bites kept the bear distracted enough so that the big cat could climb her way up ursine's spine. Massive, curved claws stayed hooked in the flesh of the bear, drawing blood every time Taiga moved forward. Killing teeth ripped holes in the brown pelt and soon the white of the lioness' face and chest was stained red.

The little canine continued harrying the bear, but soon the pain of the claws and teeth brought all of its attention back to Taiga. The bear suddenly dropped, rolling into its side in an attempt to trap the cat beneath it. A grunt left the black and white cat and her teeth lost their grip, but her claws did not. Together the two titans thrashed on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand.

"Taiga"

Mojito felt more like a nuisance than a real threat to the bear, which irritated him. The lion threw herself onto the back of the bear and he darted forward to try and nip at the bear's limbs, give her as much time as he could. Which admittedly wasn't much. The bear reared back, slamming down on the lion and Mojito spotted his chance, it's underbelly now exposed. While the two much bigger predators thrashed on the ground Mojito lined himself up, and rammed his horns into the exposed stomach with all his might, pushing this time, digging them in. Even if they didn't break skin still he knew well enough this would hurt. He twisted his head from side to side and then pushed it upwards to scrape along the bear as he pulled his head back for a mere second. Then he was diving in again but this time with gnashing teeth, he tasted blood, felt flesh against his tongue. He growled and tried to tear. He was too focused though, a massive paw smacking him across his head and knocking him away, the bear had swatted at him and the thrashing had helped to throw him off of it. Mojito groaned, panting and slowly lifting back to his paws, hoping that at least the bear would decide this wasn't worth it and would flee. He couldn't take another brain rattling again so soon. Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

The little wolf taking a hefty hit was all that it took to push the lioness into overdrive. Climbing the bear, Taiga sank her teeth into the side of its neck and clamped down tight. Claws dug deep on all four paws, holding her in place. The bear struggled, but the big cat was squeezing down on its windpipe so hard that it wasn't getting enough oxygen. She just needed to hold on a while longer.

The bear wobbled and eventually fell. Taiga was careful to not get pinned or lose her grip. Minutes passed and the beast stilled. The cat released her hold and stepped back, taking a few deep breaths and stretching her sore jaw before turning to the little wolf. "Are you alright?" Concern etched the feline's ruby gaze as she looked him over for obvious signs of damage.

"Taiga"