Get The Fire Hot

A cold front was working its way south from the northern regions of Boreas. The blast of cold air was unlikely to last but all the same it pushed Jynn to the drier and warmer regions of the west. It was a miserable journey through barren lands and as such she was grateful to arrive at the dancefloor. It no longer had the rich green hues it had during the festival but that was fine. There was still a stream that cut through the land and she quickly moved toward it to get a drink. Around her the grasses swayed in the breeze, golden and beautiful. She bent her long neck to take a quick drink of crisp, cool water and quench a thirst that felt like it could've gone on forever. She licked the water that was dripping off her chin and focused on the hunt ahead.

With her thirst satisfied she went sniffing about for prey. There weren't many animals that she could take solo and being a maned wolf meant her thinner and lighter build would gift her speed but not a lot of muscle to wrestle something to the ground. So rabbits it was. At least that was the initial plan. She'd keep an eye out to see if anything else showed up but for now she would focus on rabbits. Jynn soon heard the sound of rustling and movement and as she bent her head to pick up the scent she caught the scent of something else instead, deer blood. It seemed that either someone else had made a kill or else there was an injured and weakened animal. This could be the break she was waiting for.

Jynn followed the scent, moving swiftly through the tall grasses until she arrived at the source of the smell. She found a black bear hunched over a deer carcass, its head disappearing inside the animal's belly. Jynn felt her stomach rumble and decided to see if she could steal some meat. Black bears tended to be more docile than grizzly bears so she felt emboldened to try and steal a chunk of meat. She crept slowly forward, ears forward and alert to changes in the bears movement. There was a wound at the back of the neck where some crows had opened the flesh and she quickly moved in. Ripping off a chunk of meat, Jynn wolfed it down. She licked blood off her lips then moved in for a second bite. As she did she heard the bear move as it lifted its head. It spied the wolf and roared violently. The bear leapt over the carcass and Jynn took off just narrowly avoiding the claws. The bear stood protectively over the kill as she circled back, searching for an opening. It looked like the bear had eaten a good chunk of the deer. How much more did it want? She couldn't be sure. Bears definitely ate more when prepping for hibernation. It was possible there was no way the creature was going to share.

Suddenly, the bear charged again and Jynn was forced to dive out of the way. The beast's claws just barely missed her as her head twisted in, biting viciously at the bear's right knee. She dealt damage to flesh and tendons before sprinting off again. The bear took off after her, a noticeable limp in its hind leg but it soon slowed, not looking to get too far from the kill. As the bear slowed then Jynn spun around and dove for the kill, her long legs eating up the distance. The bear gave chase as she ripped a piece of meat off the deer's belly and ate it on the run. The bear was starting to gain on her. It's head lunged forward to bite at her hind legs. She swiftly drew them up close to her front, just missing getting caught.

Jynn bolted forward then twisted around and charged back toward the bear. When it looked like they might collide she slipped off to the side and once again assaulted the bear's injured leg this time doing significant damage and forcing the bear to move with a distinct limp. She turned and faced the bear, both predators panting. They eyed each other in a stand off that was broken when the bear looked back at the kill and then to Jynn. It seemed to be weighing whether it was worth continuing or not. It had sustained damage and was burning a lot of energy in trying to drive the wolf from the kill. Eventually the bear decided that it had had enough and the remaining meat was not worth the hassle. The bear moved on while Jynn moved toward the kill and started filling her empty belly. She ate swiftly, seeking to get as much eaten as she could before another predator moved in.