His sister had been promoted. A new alpha was in place. And while he couldn't help but feel proud of his sister for her accomplishments in the past raids, he also couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Where she had succeeded, he had failed. And of course, he felt like his pride and ego were bruised. It wasn't her fault...she was a great fighter. He had to give her that. She was intelligent and crafty, and clearly deserved the promotion she got. He just wished he could be right up there with her...but wasn't sure how to prove himself. Feeling a little discouraged, he decided to revisit an old haunt in the North. The place he knew his father once led a pack for a short time before abandoning it...just like he had abandoned them...he supposed it was a trend. And he didn't quite understand it. Did loyalty mean nothing to some?
It was a question he often asked himself...
He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought as he climbed the path towards the waterfall as he sought to find solace in the cave that he knew hid behind it. The same place he had lost to Theta...he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at that thought. How the hell could he have lost to her? Maybe that really did say something about his fighting ability...and he felt even more discouraged now. Feeling more upset than he did before coming here, he pressed on until the deafening sound of the waterfall nearly drowned out his thoughts. The mist of the water did little to cool his temper, though physically, he could already feel the chill settling in. It was likely going to be a cold winter, but...that's how it always was in the North in his experience.
He found the cave, and while he was practically focused on his own paws as he walked, he nearly missed the fact he wasn't alone. A low grunt of annoyance made him lift his head, and he realized the cave was being occupied by a young brown bear. The bear turned to look at him as it half rose on its hind paws, scenting the air for the intruder. Tyto stood there, surprised, and unsure of what to do. Did he back out? Would the bear let him sit here for a bit? The answer came in a heartbeat when the bear began to stomp the ground and threateningly shook its head at him. Tyto's ears fell back, his own fur bristling as he held his ground. He had come here to be alone, and he'd be damned if he let some bratty bear chase him back down. While he realized this was likely a very dangerous idea considering the bear was likely trying to find a place to stow away for the winter, the young Praetor just wasn't in the mood to be nice.
Tyto turned to face the bear, deciding then and there that he could take it out on him instead. With a snarl, he made his challenge known, and it was all the grumpy bear really needed to start. The brown bear angrily charged at him, it's clumsy large paws stomping the ground as it ran at him. Tyto dodged to the left, nipping at the bear's foreleg as he passed, barely missing a clumsy swipe from the bear's other paw. Turning around, he charged back in to bite at its hell, but just as his teeth closed in around its ankle, the creature whipped around and smacked him hard in the ribs, causing him to release his grip as he was practically flung further into the cave.
Feeling bruised and winded, he laid there for a few heartbeats as he tried to catch his breath. The young bear bellowed at him, clearly angry at being attacked. Tyto managed to pull himself to his feet, though not quick enough as the young brown bear charged him and smacked him again with an open paw, sending him rolling to the side in a daze. Shit! What the fuck! There was no way in Hell he was going to let this bear kick his ass too...
He stood again, and as the bear made to attack him again, Tyto snarled as he leaped up, jaws wide open as he sought to clamp them down over the bear's muzzle. He held on as tightly as he could as the bear began to back up. Tyto, however, held on as hard as he could and even began to shake his head, causing the young bear to bellow in pain and shake him off. As another paw came at him, he released and let the bear fall back, the claws of the bear narrowly missing his face but they did manage to score shallow cuts across his chest. He prepared for another assault, but it seemed the young bear had decided this place wasn't worth fighting for. Tyto chalked it up to the bear either being young and inexperienced or perhaps it didn't feel like fighting a wolf. Whatever the case, he had made the bears face bleed more than he thought, and he watched as it left a bloody trail behind as it deserted the cave.
Panting from the effort of the encounter, he sat heavily as the adrenaline slowly faded away. In hindsight, he knew that hadn't been one of his best ideas...and he was glad it had been a young bear and not a full-grown adult, else he probably would have gotten more fucked up. Or worse. But...at least he could say he fought a bear on his own and won...and he supposed he did manage to secure the cave for himself. At least for the day. Would his sister think he was foolish for doing that? Maybe. He wasn't sure. As much as he always thought about her, he seldom spent any time with her...
Sliding his body to the ground, he winced as the cuts on his chest began to sting and his ribs began to hurt when he breathed. Although the bear was young, he had to admit it was still strong. He wasn't sure if the bear had cracked a rib or not, or maybe it was just the bruising coming to the surface...whatever the case, he figured he ought to see a healer at some point but...for now...he just wanted to be alone...
"Speak"
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Juggernaut
