The day is young as Haydée wanders underneath the canopy of grapevine cathedral. Fall has changed the once vibrant greenery into flashes of fiery oranges, vivid reds, and sunny yellows. It is beautiful, breathtaking really, and the young leader does her best to keep her attention on the scenery around her. However, her mind keeps pulling her in, reminding the young woman that, not that long ago, her father had lost his life not too far from here. Then, as its ultimate betrayal, it continually burns the image his mutilated corpse over the leaves above her.

A low, strange, cackling laugh sends her dark thoughts scattering as she pulls to stop and turns her gaze to the area around her for the source of the sound. Hay had been so lost in her thoughts that she had failed to realize a group of spotted hyenas have been trailing after her, obviously thinking she is an easy meal. Anger flares in her chest, at them, at herself, but mostly at the unfairness of the events that had stolen her father from her. Without thinking, she releases a call for help and charges toward the nearest one, ready to kill. It cackles, dancing away from the small wolf while striking out and seeking to grab her scruff.

Now, Haydée did not come unprepared since she associates this place with death and basically all things bad. As the hyena reaches for her, it instead, receives deep bite from the girl’s dagger. It blinks in surprise stumbling backward as blood flows from its face and she holds the antler hilt firmly in her mouth. She swings around to ward off the other two trouble makers but, even with her knife, the girl knows that the odds of fending off 3 large hyenas by herself are slim to none.

Hopefully, someone from the pack will arrive to help her soon. The girl silently vows to herself that Ethne will not lose another wolf here. A deep growl fills the air as the hyenas’ lunge toward her and Haydée does her best to parry and dance away from danger.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Corbin had taken a leave from living with the pack even though he remained a part of it.  Somewhere inside him, he knew the pack would always be his family but a chasm lay in between this fact and the unease in his mind.  Roaming helped a little, staying away from the area where bitter-sweet memories haunted him.  That didn’t mean he was always far away.  Corbin had been visiting the runestones to the south-east, letting the oddities divert his attention as he wondered about the strange structure.  They kind of reminded him of that season with all the strange statues.

Hey, there was an idea.  Maybe he could contact Dad somehow.  He’d managed to contact another dead family member back then after all.  Sure, he’d ended up blind but Corbin would be willing to give up his eyes to see his dad again for a few minutes.  

He’d started walking away, lost in such thoughts when a howl reached his ears.  His sister was in trouble!  Death of those he cared for seemed to be a fear that nibbled at Corbin whenever he didn’t keep his guard up so the call for help rattled the dark wolf.  He was running towards the sound before his mind even gave it conscious thought.  

Not again.  Not again would he find a loved one's body torn before him.  Fear and desperation drove Haydee’s brother faster.  His sister and the hyenas came into sight and a snarl of rage filled his gut.  Corbin didn’t bother slowing down, he barreled straight into the closest hyena.  Oddly, Corbin was quite talented at ramming enemies, he knew just where to hit to take one's breath away.  The hyena’s expression was shocked as it staggered.  Corbin didn’t allow it time to think.  He followed up the charge, biting deeply into the hyena’s neck.  His harsh fast breath came with the pounding of his heart, a snarl with each inhale.

If emotion could kill all the hyenas would be dead at that moment.  Corbin stepped in towards the hyena, pressing his weight to keep the creature off balance.  Unfortunately, blinded with rage and the desire to kill the one who wanted to hurt his sister Corbin wasn’t giving enough attention to the other hyenas.

Another broke away from going after Hay, coming up from behind, snapping at Corbin's upper leg.  Corbin let go of the one hyena as he felt the crack of his bone fracture, smelling his own blood.  The pain wasn’t connecting yet, it was just suddenly harder to use the leg.  Adrenalin and a more important need had his mind on other matters.  
Corbin spun about, getting the hyena to let go and pitting the two of them into a stare-off.  This time Corbin was being more careful, stepping in a circular pattern so only hyenas couldn’t get on different angles of him for an advantage.

"Corbin"

Dorian slowly padded along the creek that made up a large portion of Ethne's border, both doing a bit of a half-hearted patrol and looking for any plants that were still harvestable to add to his stores before the chill of autumn wilted them too much. He did his best to maintain his father's garden, mostly in his honor than out of a real desire to grow herbs there, but being there was often more difficult than it was worth so he still gathered the majority of the herbs he used from the land instead. It didn't seem to matter how much time passed since his murder, it never really seemed to get easier to think about. Still, it didn't stop him from pursuing the healing skills that he began learning from his father and it didn't keep him from carrying the bag that had once belonged to him almost daily. Maybe it would have been easier to go the route that some of his siblings had gone and just escape from as much of the reminders of their late father as he could, but he couldn't give up on his one passion and he couldn't leave Haydée behind to handle it all on her own.

His drifting thoughts were suddenly cut short when his sister's call for help reached his ears and made his head snap up in response, his paws immediately kicking off into a run toward the sound as a surge of adrenaline hit his system. There was hardly a second of consideration before he took off help–barely registering the fact that his sister was in trouble before he took action. It sounded like she was pretty close by and thankfully she was, the sound of the scuffle that was happening reaching him before he actually spotted Haydée and the three hyenas that were surrounding her. Being the healer he was, he immediately scanned his sister for any wounds that he should be concerned about before he did anything else. Of course she knew how to hold her own though so it looked like the hyenas were mostly being held at bay for now. Just as he took a split second to toss down his bag before he jumped into the fight, the sound of pounding paw steps charging toward them made his emerald gaze dart over, spotting the familiar form of Corbin rushing in to join the fight as well.

He was immediately surprised and relieved to see his brother since it had been some time since he had been around the pack, but that thought had to be put to the back of his mind for now. There were more pressing matters to attend to. With Corbin engaging one of the hyenas and the intruding wolf drawing the attention of a second hyena as well, he rushed in himself to see to the third hyena to give Haydée a chance to right herself and help Corbin. He had a bit of the element of surprise on his side since Corbin came in so hot on his approach so he was able to jump in behind the third hyena and grab the laughing animal by its scruff, biting in deep to get a good grip on his opponent before he dug in his back paws for better leverage and began to yank back ward to pull it off of its front paws and throw off its balance. He was able to pull it back and it toppled over with its limbs flailing and scrambling in response. He held on tight to its scruff and pinned it to the ground by the back of its neck, but a well placed flail of one of its paws hit his cheek and scratched over his eye hard enough to make him pull back with a grunt, staggering back a bit and giving the hyena a chance to get back to its paws as well.

"Dorian"

Growls and the cackling laughter of the hyenas fill the air as Haydée works to keep the three of them in front of her, knowing that, if she allows even one to slip around her side, the fight would dramatically skew in favor of the attackers. Blood lazily drips from the razor-sharp edge of her dagger; the beast’s face that it bitten, is now more red than dirty browns and black. But her eyes do not linger on the creature for long and, instead, flits between all three in search of an opening. They slowly advance on the small leader and she stands her ground, growling thickly around the hilt of her dagger.

An opening suddenly appears, in the form of her brother Corbin slamming into one the attacking hyenas. Relief, hope, and a little bit of confusion rapidly cycle through her mind and the girl lunges forward in an attempt to press the advantage. One of the remaining two break away to rush at Corbin and Haydée is forced to retreat as the second one strikes out at her face. Paws dig into the ground as she quickly backpedals, keeping her out of harm’s way just as Dorian appears to clamp onto her attack’s scruff. Wide green eyes look up at him and a sense of melancholy suddenly attempts to invade her mind.

However, it is quickly forgotten as the resounding snap of bones fill the air. Nausea rolls her stomach as she looks to Corbin, noticing the way one of his hind legs no longer seems to be hold his weight well. With a glance over to Dorian, Hay gives a sharp nod before she is charging to where her injured sibling is attempting to hold off the pair of hyenas. Being small has its advantages and she uses her speed to her advantage. Moving toward the closest one, she darts in toward its back legs and swiftly slices through the Achilles tendon on its right hind leg.

Without stopping she rushes away, spinning around and preparing to rush back in. The hyena that had broken her brother’s leg now has a lame right back leg, her blade having torn not just the tendon but the muscles that surrounded the area and the girl cannot stop the smirk that curls her lips around the hilt of her dagger. With a snarl, Haydée charges back into the fray.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Corbin had become someone to save instead of the one doing the saving.  Damn it all!  Haydee had done a good job putting his attacker in its place though.  The hyena that had hurt him was nice but also lame, and considering all the blood it was in even worse shape than Corbin’s leg.  Dorian had also shown up and now it was a much more even match.

Corbin was forced just to use the weight of his two front and right back leg but that was enough for this.  With one leg hitched up a bit he lunged to the injured hyena, clamping his teeth into its rump to draw its attention away from Hay who had injured it.  Corbin didn’t have the strength to hold down for long so he didn’t bother trying.

The hyena turned to face him and the two had a stare-down moment.  Corbin hopped to its rite to bite for a shoulder and it hopped away to the left, biting for his shoulder and Corbin stepped back.  They weren’t fighting very fast, both now being cautious and more strategic.  Corbin knew something the hyena didn’t though.  He knew there was no way his siblings could lose one on one against a hyena.  Their time was limited.

"Corbin"

Dorian's ears twitched at the sound of sickening snap as he righted himself and squared off against the hyena he had taken down, his eyes snapping up to Haydée and glancing briefly over at Corbin. Gods, what a way for his brother to return home. With Haydée's nod confirming that she had Corbin and the two with their brother handled, he refocused on his opponent just in time to see it lunging for him again. With a growl he quickly dodged out of the way, feeling the hyena's teeth just graze his shoulder as he avoided the worst of the attack. He spun back toward the predator, wasting no time to latch his teeth down around the hyena's shoulder, lifting a foreleg to drape it across his opponent's back at the same time. He used the combination of the grip he had from his bite and the weight he pressed down on its back to over power it again, pushing it down into the ground.

Of course the hyena wasn't going to go down without a fight, the spotted predator wriggling fiercely under him and making quite a loud ruckus with all of its yelping, laughing cries. He thought he finally had it dead to rights, but right as he let go of its shoulder to go for somewhere more dire like its throat it managed to land a hard kick right to his lower stomach. The kick knocked the air out of him and sent him stumbling back, coughing a bit while his eyes started to water. Luckily, it seemed like maybe this one hyena at least started to get the message–maybe after it looked over and saw its companion limping around with a lame leg–and it turned to high tail it back into the nearby trees and brush. Dorian thought about going after it for a moment, but he decided it was more trouble than it was worth and instead turned his attention to the two remaining hyenas and as soon as he caught his breath he jumped into the fray to help his siblings finish them off.

"Dorian"

The hyenas laugh, cry, and make an extreme ruckus as the three siblings fight back; their efforts wounding the creatures and even driving one off. Haydée spares a glance to Dorian as she fends off one of the two predators that is harassing Corbin, noting with relief that has managed to send his predator creatures packing. However, she is not given an opportunity to dwell on that victory for long as the hyena she has been holding at bay suddenly lunges in to try and grab ahold of her scruff. Attention snaps back to the stupid beast as it moves, her own muscles shifting as she dodges away.

Luckily, the hyena does not find any part of her as the small woman is able to use her slighter frame and speed to her advantage. Without hesitating, she strikes back, the dagger in her maw slicing through fat and muscle as easily as a hot knife through butter, as it bites deeply into the beast’s neck. Dancing backward, she watches as it pumps its mouth, no sounds leaving it maw but instead, coming out of the new hole where its throat had been. Blood pumps, sending out huge arterial sprays while the air from its throat causes the blood around the windpipe to bubble and froth.

It is a gruesome sight but the hyena is dead before its body realizes it and Haydée turns away as it sags down to the earth to heave its last breath. Darting in toward the limping creature that circles her brother, the young Leader attempts to rush in and distract the beast so that brother can escape. Emerald eyes dart over to Corbin, silently trying to assess the damage in the space of just a few heartbeats as she works to drive of the last of these stupid hyneas.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Just one hyena appeared to be left, and that was the one facing Corbin.  The black and orange kept his one back leg hitched up.  Corbin snarled, made a fake lunge in before hopping back at the hyena.  Hay wanted him to run but Corbin couldn’t do that.  He couldn’t run away from an enemy that would attack his family.

Not able to run didn’t mean he’d continue fighting recklessly.  Now, he wasn’t really fighting but only trying to help keep the hyena distracted.  The more it had to watch the easier it would be for his siblings to kill it.

"Corbin"