Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn worked her way north through Auster, arriving at the Wildberry Grove as late morning was rolling into noon. Winter had embraced the southern continent but this close to the equator it looked more like autumn than winter. Trees grew abundantly here, crowned in golden leaves with a russet adorned tree here and there. The short grasses that grew below were a mix of greens, golds and browns and here and there grew berry bushes, some still showing their bright red berries, gleaming like gems.

The sky was pale, a soft mix between gray and blue but the sun was still brightly shining, shafts of light streaking through the leaves and striking the ground below. It was a wonderful little territory. She couldn't help but wonder if there were some wolf apples about.

Svala's travels brought her farther south than she'd intended to go. She was going to stop at the prairie but curiosity drove her further when she'd seen the land bridge. She decided to cross and just take a peak at one of the territories in the southern continent. Where she found herself was at the edge of a lovely forest. She took a moment to peek at the weather. There was a bit of a cloudy haze but it wasn't too bad. The sun was still shining and breaking through the clouds here and there. She entered the forest, pausing to scratch into the bark of a nearby birch tree to mark her way. At the moment the forest didn't seem too dense but she'd been in those that grew thicker and more confusing the farther one ventured into them. She didn't want to risk growing complacent and winding up lost.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

As she continued walking past the ring of maple trees she came into the true grove, a small, sunny meadow tucked away in the middle of the forest. In between the taller grasses here grew a number of fruit-bearing shrubs. Jynn slowed her pace, wary of the chance of running into raspberry bushes. She didn't want to get snagged and cut up on the thorns. However, as she ventured further in she started to recognize some of the plants. Elderberries… blueberries… strawberries… and a berry that Tahmores told her was a "cloudberry". She had tried those before but she rather liked the taste of elderberries. Their brilliant tang was enjoyable in small doses. Reaching out her long neck she nabbed a small bunch of the berries and chewed away happily.

Svala continued on her path until she came to the edge of a meadow. She quickly scratched a mark into one of the maple trees that stood as a guard on the edge of the meadow. The air was cooler here than she thought it would be but it was still warm for a continent that was being embraced by winter. She examined the dark berries growing from a tall shrub when she noticed a strange looking woman eating the fruit from another, similar, bush. She looked like a giant fox that had been stretched out. Clearing her throat she stepped out from behind the shrub. "Hello there, I'm Svala, a healer. Are you out exploring to?" Maybe the woman was a local and had more knowledge about this area that she'd be willing to share and if not it was still just nice to have a little extra company.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn turned and smiled at the little woman that joined her. "Hi, I'm Jynn. Yep! I'm just wandering, taking in the territories and getting a good walk in."

Birds were singing throughout the grove, no doubt taking advantage of the berries. She wondered if some of them were responsible for bringing such a wide variety of fruit-bearing shrubs to this place. Her large ears swiveled at the sound of rodents scampering about the place. Mmmm… maybe she should have some meat with her fruit. She started to stalk after the sound of mice when she heard something larger moving in the forest. Oh no… She twisted her head to see a large brown bear partaking of the berries.

She and the bear locked eyes and it immediately got to its feet and started heading toward her with a loud snarl. "Svala, hide!" Jynn frizzed up, trying to look as big as possible. She knew the other woman wasn't a fighter and she didn't want to worry about the smaller wolf getting in harms way. Though she really wished she had another fighter with her. The most she could hope to do would be to lure the bear away to give Svala time to escape and then seek to out run it and get away herself.

Svala was pleased to run into someone else who was exploring. So many wolves these days were busy going from one task to another and it seemed only a few were interested in taking in the world around them. A squirrel scurried up a nearby tree, leaping from one branch to another as Svala padded over to the tree it had run up in order to scratch in another marker with her claws. As lovely as the meadow was she planned to cut across it and work her way back toward the land bridge and into Boreas. The wind picked up a bit and she hoped it would clear some of the clouds from the sky and allow the sun to shine through at its brightest. She was getting ready to make a comment on the weather to Jynn when she noticed the woman staring at something intently, her giant ears fixed forward.

Svala looked and felt her blood run cold. It was a bear! It looked up at them and charged. Jynn yelled at her to run and she instinctively dove through the trees, seeking shelter amongst an elderberry bush.

Life was full of choices. Chimera had to make a choice now. The two-toned boy had seen the pair of wolves and had originally decided to ignore them. When the low, growing call of a bear ripped through the natural sounds of the day, he stopped. What was in this for him? Maybe a bit of healing if he decided to ask. Really though, he just wanted to tear into something. Release his frustration. With thr decision having been made, the boy altered his course.

Though not fully grown, Chimera was taller than most. His form was lean and muscular. Long legs carried him easily to the bear as it charged the two wolves. He came in from behind, sinking his teeth into one brown hel and thrashing his head back and forth. He was rewarded with the taste of blood. As the bear groaned and turned, Chi released the beast, his pelt bristled and his teeth showing. They circled.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn snarled, a roar-bark erupting from her lips. The bear paused for a moment then continued, clearly not concerned at all. At that moment a young wolf looking no older than a yearling attacked the bear from behind. It roared and arced around to try and claw the wolf that had attacked it. Jynn leapt for the bear, her long arms wrapped around it's neck as her fangs dug into the side of the bears face, her top fangs shredding it's left ear as she thrashed. From her position it was difficult for the bear to reach her with its fangs and she was back far enough she was hard to reach with the claws. However, the bear was pure muscle and it shook itself violently like a dog casting off water. Jynn couldn't hold on and she was tossed off the bear, hitting the ground with a thud, right next to a raspberry bush that snagged and pulled at her coat.

Chi took up right where the strange dog creature left off. She had been biting its face and when she released her hold, the black and white boy was there. He sank his fangs into the beasts face, holding on with thicker forelegs. Chi thrashed his head back and forth, releasing pent up frustration and rage. As he shredded the bears cheek and forehead, he imagined that the ripping flesh belonged to Venom. She would get hers eventually, but for now this would do.

Just as the bear has done with the other wolf, it bellowed, shook, and flung Chimera away. The young wolf rolled, his body thumping on the ground loudly. The bear rushed him, but he quickly found his way to his paws, though he was a bit dizzy from all the spinning.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn flailed and scrambled as she pulled herself out of the raspberry bush, wincing in pain from the scratches that gleamed brightly up and down her legs. The young wolf attacked the bear's face, violently shredding through the flesh. Jynn didn't waste a moment wondering at the boy's violent tendencies. After all, they were fighting for their lives. She loped toward the bear then took a flying leap, landing across its back. Her long arms wrapped around its neck, hind legs digging into the bear's sides as her fangs seized what was left of the shredded ear. Thrashing her head she ripped the remainder of the ear off of the bear's head. It roared and ran with no seeming intent, just twisting and thrashing until she fell off once more. Wincing she got to her feet and eyed the bear, waiting to see if it would run off or attack again.

Having been flung, Chimera needed a minute to reorient himself. Thankfully the woman stopped the bears charge by attacking its head again. She ripped the ear clean from its skull and Chimera cracked a grin. The maim made the big bear pause as though it just now realized that it was outmatched. It began to run off and seemed surprised that it was doing so for it kept looking back towards the wolves.

The boy followed the bear, jaws open wide as it bit into the beasts rump. The bear tucked its nubby tail and wailed before throwing its weight into its paws and putting on the speed. Chi slowed his pace, mismatched eyes watching the bears flight. There was blood coating his face and he probably looked a fright but he didn't care. The fight had been rather cathartic