I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha resisted the urge to giggle as she settled upon a large willow branch. Below she could hear the disgruntled grumbles of a grizzly bear who she'd managed to steal a fish from. She swiftly started dining on it, knowing at any moment the bear was going to follow the scent of the fish right up into the tree and then she'd be in trouble. Still, served the bear right for being so negligent with his catch. Besides, after all the bears she'd battled lately she felt like she was owed a little something. The bear stopped below her tree and looked up into it, sniffing, its eyes searching through the viney leaves for a little feline thief.

He knew Bast was following along somewhere behind him. The big cat was also hot at his heels whenever he left the Armada. He could just about swear Sirius’s creatures had a second sense for when one of the pups intended to scamper. He ignored the big cat, even if he often loved to tussle with her, or warm his toes in her belly. He wanted the chance to explore without feeling like he was always under watch. He raced along the undergrowth with no fear in his heart. His father ruled the world, or so it felt like, and he didn’t think anything would hurt them, no matter what his did said. He was paying no mind to where he was going, until he was almost right under the disgruntled bear. He gave out a shriek of surprise, at seeing something so mighty and unexpected in his path. "Speech"

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari was headed east for a little vacation. He wanted to view the fall colors and rest on some of the beaches. At some point he'd gotten himself turned around and lost inside a vast forest of willow trees. It was kind of neat but not where he was wanting to go. Which way was north? Did the sun rise in the east or the west? After all his wandering how had he still not figured out how to tell directions?

A sudden shriek caught his attention. Without thinking he raced toward the cry, wondering if someone was in trouble and just as he rounded a particularly large willow he screeched to a halt. There was a huge bear staring down at a winged pup! He could ponder whether he was dreaming later, Dómari leapt forward, fangs wide as he bit down hard on the bear's rear end.

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha frizzed up and hissed at the bear as it stood on its hind legs for a moment to get a better look. It moved back to all fours, cocking its head as it tried to calculate whether or not the thinner branches of the willow tree would support it enough to get its fish back.

Natha crouched over the fish protectively, sneaking bites here and there while she could. As she did she saw the strangest thing she'd ever seen. She gasped. It was a little wolf pup who nearly ran into the bear. But he had wings! Claws she could understand, fangs to but she had never heard of or seen a wolf with wings until now.

The shriek caught the bears attention and it turned to look down at the strange creature. Whatever it was looked edible to the bear and it was in easier reach than its stolen fish which was already half devoured by the cat anyway. The bear lunged but before it could bite the pup Dómari's fangs latched onto its butt. The bear roared in painful indignation as it swirled around to get at the wolf.

Natha saw her chance and sprang down onto the bears back, claws sinking in as deeply as her fangs.

Mortis scrambled backwards, but honestly probably would have been bear meat if it wasn’t for the distraction that had it growling in annoyance and whirling. It gave Mortis time to scramble back to his feet and assess the situation. It looked like not one, but two creatures had come to his aid! Before he could really dwell on the wonder of that, he would find himself wondering what the cat-thing was. It looked like Bast, but also not and.. Oh yeah, there was a bear in front of him! The inexperienced pup flared out his wings and tried to make himself look big and menacing as he dove in and tried to bite at the bears bit clawed feet. His own feline-like claws would scrap against its flesh in the manner of a dog digging a hole. “Leave my friends alone!” he growled, deciding in that moment that cat-thing and bear-bum-biter where his friends. "Speech"

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

The bear reacted suddenly and violently at being bitten in the butt and it whirled around. Dómari swiftly let go and stumbled back, just avoiding the bear's jaws as it tried to latch onto his face. There had apparently been a cat in the tree and it leapt down and landed on the bears back causing the bear to rear up, arms flailing as it tried to reach around behind itself to remove the feline. An ally? He'd take it!

The pup cried out and charged for the bears feet. Oh no, oh no, oh no! Dómari had to make sure the little guy wasn't squished. Dómari moved to attack the same leg as the pup, aiming higher so as not to interfere. This way if the bear came down Dómari would bear the brunt of well… the bear.

The bear did fall down, but it fell down backwards for as it tried to kick of Dómari and the pup it lost its balance and went crashing to the ground.

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha cackled as the bear reached around trying to get her. She was just small enough crouched on the bears back that he couldn't reach her and as he reared up she held tight, her hook-like claws latching her firm into the bear's flesh. She heard the pup cry out and chuckled. "Yea, you tell him!" Should she be encouraging pups to fight bears? Probably not, but boy was it funny. The larger wolf joined in and things took an unexpected turn.

The bear fell backwards and Natha let out a shriek as she leapt off the bears back, just avoiding getting squished. "Hey watch it!" She raced over to stand next to the wolves as the bear stumbled back to its feet. It stood for a moment watching them, debating if they were really worth the trouble. Natha frizzed up and bounded forward sideways in the manner of cats. Maybe if they all frizzed up and put on a show like they were going to attack the bear would get the hint and leave.

Mortis Fatalis

He felt the presence of the wolf above him, and knew the older guy was helping him. Despite the situation, and the big scary bear, he couldn’t help but flush with pride and excitement. He was taking on a bear he was every bit as cool and brave as his father!

He felt the bear shift, and tried to attack them, and his eyes flicked up to Domari, to take his cue from the more experienced wolf. He didn't need to be uncertain, the bear tumbled down as it shifted its weight.

“For club cat!” he yowled, giving the not-Bast a cheeky grin as her words encouraged him. After the bear fell, the cat would join them. The pup was probably a touch shorter then the cat at this stage of his life, and shorter than the old warrior. The winged boy stood between his two comrades, pulled his wings out to their full length, tilting them towards the bear as he leaped up on his back legs, front paws flailing in the air as he tried to make himself look big and fierce.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari snarled as violently as he could, gnashing his teeth as he stood tall, fur on end. He didn't want to continue the fight but if the bear insisted then Dómari was going to do everything he could to bring the foolish creature down.

The bear stumbled up, shifting its weight across its three unwounded legs while the other one dragged limply. It eyed the three animals for a moment and then began to take a few awkward steps back before finally turning and fleeing. Dómari breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close! Is everyone ok?"

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha grinned, delighted at the boys words. "That's right! You mess with club cat you're gonna get your butt scratched!" Wait… that wasn't quite come out right. It didn't matter though for the bear was soon retreating. Natha let her spine wind back down to its usual position as her fur settled down along her back. She turned to the older wolf and nodded. "Fresh as a daisy. How about you squirt?" She grinned at the pup, eyes drifting to the unusual wings that adorned his back. She'd seen saber fangs and claws on several wolves now but the wings were certainly a new feature. She was starting to wonder if the radiation from the hoomans was starting to do things to the animals that lived here.

As he watched, the bear gave up, turned around, and lumbered away awkwardly on its damaged feet. Mortis cried out in happiness, punching the air awkwardly with a paw. He did a little twirl, almost poking out the eye of at least one his companion as his wings spun with him.

Once he settled, he looked to Domari with an easy grin. ‘I’m fine, that bear was no match for us!” he said. He was definitely going to get an inflated sense of himself over this. He would be able to tell his littermates about the time he scared off a bear it as pretty wicked. What he didn’t seem to understand, was the danger he had put himself in.

He turned to the cat then, who seemed to have more enthusiasm, just like he did. “I almost fell on him, and then you launched at him from the trees, that was wicked! I didn’t see you come in, but you were awesome too” he said, peeking back to the older wolf. “I’m Mortis by the way”

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Both the cat and the boy seemed to be well and for that Dómari was relieved. He didn't have any healing knowledge and wasn't sure what he'd do if someone was injured other than to scramble around like mad and try to find someone to help. He smiled down at Mortis. What a sweet boy! It almost made him wonder about having kids of his own. Almost. Darker memories and doubts tugged at his mind. He'd let his body take off without his mind when he'd met that woman. For all he knew he had kids. Kids he wasn't there for. He was a deadbeat and knew better than to pull such a stunt again.

Pushing the memories aside he dipped his head in more formal greeting toward Mortis. "It's good to meet you Mortis. I'm Dómari Xanilov. Do you live nearby?"

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha grinned and chuckled. "Thank you! You were pretty incredible yourself. Very brave to take on a creature like a hundred times your size." She stretched and listened as the wolves introduced themselves. "I'm Natha. Just Natha." She supposed she technically had a last name but it wasn't one she really acknowledged and now that she was out on her own it was mostly irrelevant.

"Anyway, I best get back to my travels. You two take care." She'd need to start making her way back north to finish the winter preparations for her den. The last thing she needed was to be caught by a storm unawares and in the north nasty storms could definitely hit in the later half of autumn.

-exit?-