Caves of the past was a relatively new addition to the pack. Which meant a lot of its caves were largely unexplored. It was new and shiny, which readily appealed to the pup. Especially now that they had permission to explore the other lands of the Armada. He was happy to leave the Col behind him.

He stepped through this new labyrinth, with its towering corridors and caverns. Only some areas were lit, demonstrating what had been explored. He turned down a dark corner, and heard the sudden sounds of something big moving around. He heard it take it a breath, sniffing the air. Curiously, rather than fear gripped the young boy.

The fire prince followed close behind Citadel, his obsidian eyes flickering in the dim light as they caught light beyond the normal spectrum while venturing deeper into the caves. Each step echoed, the air heavy with the scent of earth and damp stone. The thrill of the unknown tugged at his senses, stirring something deep within. His ears perked up as they ventured into a darker corner, Citadel's posture alert.

The sound of movement stopped Balrog in his tracks. His brother stood still, listening intently, but Balrog's pulse quickened with excitement rather than caution. His paws shifted, and he lowered his head slightly, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

"Something's here," he whispered, his voice barely audible but filled with intrigue. "We should see what it is, and make sure it is not a threat to the Armada."

Balrog's tail swayed with eagerness as he prepared a step forward, his curiosity driving him forward rather than fear.

"Balrog"

It seemed both the boys were restless. As excitement filled him, he glanced over at Balrog and saw a similar emotion on his golden brother's face. He grinned at the other boy, a grin which only grew wider as the other spoke. Ha! Yes, that sounded like an excellent idea.


“I'm going in!” He yelled, discarding caution and subtly in favour of dashing forward. The creature moved, rearing up to its full height. Which went up, and up  and up. Ooops. It was a giant, and furred with big teeth and paws built like Citadels. Only… bigger.


Cit skidded to a halt in front of the grizzly bear. Realising in that moment that he needed a better plan than ‘charge in’ it was just too big for a frontal assault from the puppy.

Balrog's heart raced as Citadel charged forward, the thrill of the unknown building in his chest. He couldn't help but grin back, catching the glint of excitement in his brother's eyes. But that excitement quickly shifted to awe as the creature emerged from the shadows - towering, furred, and massive.

Balrog froze for a moment, his obsidian eyes locking on to the bear as it reared to its full height. It was unlike anything he'd imagined. His paws shifted, steadying himself as Citadel skidded to a halt in front of the beast.

Balrog's mind worked quickly, eyes daring from the bear's massive claws to Citadel, who now faced the reality of his impulsive charge in.

"We should fall back," Balrog growled, stepping forward cautiously. "We must find a weak spot." His body tensed, ready to react if the bear moved, but his mind was already spinning with ideas to protect his brother.

"Balrog"

Cit gave his brother only the briefest glance and a flick of his ear. He didn’t take orders well, and Balrog’s only spurred him to move, to take even bigger risks. He dove suddenly to the side with a snarl, aiming to rake a claw down the side of the bear's hind leg. The bear, which had been confused at the sudden arrival of two pups, took offence to this motion. It roared, opening its mouth with a mixture of deep sound and spittle.

It lumbered, slow and heavy in its movements as it turned to swipe at the puppy that had dared to attack it. Here, in the place that it called home.


"Citadel Fatalis"

Balrog’s frustration bubbled as Citadel ignored his warning and charged in recklessly. His brother’s wild spirit was admirable at times, but this was not one of those moments. Watching as Citadel took a swipe at the bear's leg, Balrog’s stomach twisted, knowing the consequences could be disastrous.

“Citadel!” he growled through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing as the bear roared in fury, turning its massive body toward his brother. Balrog’s pulse raced, anger mixing with fear. "You can’t just-" He cut himself off, feeling the intensity of the moment.

With the bear’s focus now on Citadel, Balrog's frustration gave way to action. He darted to the side, searching for a way to draw the bear's attention away. His brother’s recklessness had put them in danger, and now Balrog had to think fast to get them out. He gave a few snaps to the bear to try and get attention away from Cit.

“You’re going to get us both killed!" he snapped, tension heavy in his voice.

The bear’s roar echoed through the cavern, but instead of pressing its attack, it hesitated, eyes narrowing on the two pups. Balrog watched as the massive creature seemed to reconsider, its slow, heavy movements shifting. For a moment, it felt like time slowed, the bear sniffing the air, then letting out a low growl.

With a lumbering motion, the bear turned, its enormous body moving deeper into the dark caverns. The ground shook slightly under its weight as it retreated, clearly deciding the pups weren’t worth the trouble.

Balrog let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, his body still tense from the encounter. His obsidian eyes flicked to Citadel, his frustration clear. "We should tell dad it is here. We're lucky it didn't want anything to do with us."

"Balrog"

Call it a mother’s sixth sense, call it anxiety, Ignita got an itch in her stomach to count heads. One, two, three…. She glanced up at the Falcons high above them. Her possum had been happily trotting along behind Iska and sometimes Selene. Galileo, her eyes in the sky, dipped and soared over the new caves they had just officially acquired. He was dipping and waving frantically. Not good.

She hadn’t had time to explore those caves, and perhaps her small bear son’s kin resided in those caves. She had a bad feeling.

Without saying anything she trotted from the Col towards the new caves, tracking her son’s scents. A panic ripped through her and she didn’t even know why yet as she found their tracks lead right inside.

Her nose to the ground she quickly followed. But the tracks would soon no longer be necessary as she heard the sounds of a bear and her children’s voices! Her lip curled and spurred herself into action. She rounded a corner just as she saw the bear swipe at Citadel!

She leaped with a snarl at the leg! Latching her teeth on the limb of the bear before it could pull its arm back. She thrashed with her head against the beast and with one of her back legs she swept Citadel and Balrog aside, giving them an opportunity to escape.

The bear was distracted by her ferocious attack on its arm! It made to bite her face but she dropped back down and went for its side, teeth latching into the skin and her forelimbs pushing while she attempted to tear at the flesh of the bear.

At his brother's sharp voice, Citadel spared a moment to grin at the other wolf. Danger was fun and Balrog needed to lighten up a little. “Then leave if you're a baby!” Cit called out, dancing out of the bear's giant swing. It was heavy and slow, even compared to Citadel! He didn't realise yet it wasn't really trying very hard.


Suddenly, a new form was there. Diving in and attacking the bear. With a flash of shock, he realised it was his mother. she tried to push him aside, but this was his fight! And the pup, who was less than a season old, was sick of being treated like a baby!


With a snarl he dove forward, scurrying under his mothers belly in order to smash his crystal-nubbed forehead against the bears leg.

Balrog's frustration was at an all-time high, his brother's taunts only fueling his anger. "I'm not a baby!" he snapped back, gritting his teeth as Citadel danced recklessly around the bear. Balrog could see the danger that Citadel was too blind to recognize until their mother suddenly appeared, launching into the fray with a fierce snarl.

Ignita's arrival gave Balrog a moment of relief, but it was quickly swallowed by anxiety as Citadel, stubborn and determined, charged back in beneath her. His eyes widened in shock, "Citadel, no!" he barked, his voiced laced with fear, anger, and concern.

This wasn't a game anymore. The danger was real, and seeing their mother in battle only solidified that. Balrog hesitated for a heartbeat, caught between wanting to help and knowing he could make things worse. He moved to the side, searching for an opening. He couldn't let his brother or his mother face this bear alone, but charging in blindly wouldn't help either.

Balrog's obsidian gaze narrowed in the darkness, taking in the ultraviolet light that he could while watching the chaos unfold. His mind raced, quickly analyzing this situation based off what he could see. Citadel's reckless charge, Ignita's fierce attack - none of it was coordinated, and the bear, though distracted, still had the upper hand with its sheer size. Balrog took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

He noticed the bear's slow, lumbering movements and realized it was struggling to fend off multiple attackers. Its legs were vulnerable, and with Ignita holding its attention, there was an opportunity to strike where it wouldn’t expect.

Balrog darted around to the bear’s other side, staying low to the ground, his muscles tense but controlled. Timing was everything. As the bear turned to bite at Ignita again, he lunged, aiming directly for the bear’s exposed hind leg. His teeth latched onto the back of its knee, where the muscles were thinner and more sensitive.

He bit down hard, twisting his head with as much force as he could muster. The bear let out a roar of pain, momentarily stumbling under the weight of its attackers. Balrog quickly released, backing away before it could turn on him. Once it did, he noticed that same bleeding ankle was now in front of his brother. He barked at the bear, angering it further, hoping his brother would focus on that weak spot.

"Balrog"

The bear had been more annoyed before but now it was enraged for sure. Furiously Ignita launched at its throat to keep its attention focused on her, but she had neither the training nor the stamina to truly fight such a fearsome beast on her own with only her toddler children to assist.

The bear screamed in pain and her voice echoed it in mirrored tandem against its furred ruff. Blood brushed over her tongue. Her own or the bear's she didn't know as she felt its claws rake down her thigh. She twisted her hold against the bear's throat to do some real damage but her hold slipped and she fell to the ground, her scratched leg crumpled beneath her. With a snarl, she lunged at the bear's face just as it was about to swipe at Citadel. She caught it's massive paw and wrenched it as hard as she could skittering across the cave floor to twist its attention back at her. Her precious baby boys were ferociously attempting to hurt it as well. She pulled the bear's paw and stood over Balrog. Ignoring the pain in her leg as much as she could. The bear groaned and finally wrenched its paw up arcing it over the small cavern and flinging her across the room to crash her bodily against the cavern wall knocking the wind from her lungs. She gasped and coughed -stunned, unable to gather her thoughts enough to stand again though she drove herself to try.

"Speech"

Citadel spared a moment to turn and snarl at his brother. He would not be held back! If Balrog wanted to be a coward, that was on him. But Citadel would never turn his back to a fight! He was too young and foolish to truly comprehend danger, and even the angry appearance of his mother didn’t let that knowledge settle in.

He felt his crystal’s encased head hit his target, the mutation on his brow absorbing much of the blow. Now that he was up close to its leg, he tore at it with his heavy bear paws, claws extended to maximise damage.

While he was busy doing that, he missed much of the damage the bear did to their mother. It wasn’t until the bear drove her into the wall, that actual fear began to creep in for the first time. Fear for his mother. He let out a fierce, angry shout and dove at the bear's belly. He didn’t care about his own vulnerabilities. He was too mad to be strategic, all he could think of was spilling its blood.

The bear moved a paw to swipe at him, and would likely have ended the young pup’s life, and then perhaps have finished off his mother. Before either could happen, a snow leopard shot through the cavern and landed on the bear. About a year of age, with horns on his brow, and the scent of Bast on his coat. His great grandfather's loyal companion. His teeth encased the bears neck and dug in deep

"Citadel"