Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

Spring was slowly creeping into the world, and the king breathed a sigh of pleasure as he padded through the red rocks. Valhalla had come through the winter with new members – though he wasn’t certain if Torben would be a permanent citizen or move on eventually – and no deaths. Spring brought another year to his and his siblings’ lives in particular, and he’d made note to go on an herb gathering foray with Legacy and Noelle to seek out plants to help with the irritants brought by a woman’s birth season. After all, he had not one, but three sisters, and he preferred to keep his siblings happy and less likely to snap his ears off during a mood swing. Good thing they were all sweet-tempered in nature already. A snuff, a snort, and he was stopped short by a hungry, irritable growl as a gaunt grizzly boar rounded the corner, fresh out of his den from hibernation, and pissy with hunger. The bear was headed south, toward Valhalla and Aerie, and Ardyn settled into a ready stance, watching the bear and preparing to attack. He wasn’t left waiting long before the grizzly spotted him and charged. The king twisted to the side as the bear bore down on him, and slashed with unsheathed claws, slicing the bear down to the bone across the right cheek before he bounded away, circling behind the bear as it barreled to a stop and snarled on its way around to face the flame-touched black wolf with his irritating bells tinkling and beads flashing in the weak early spring sunlight. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Man, the predators were really out in force this spring. Deus assumed it was some side effect of the frequent rainstorms and hurricanes Boreas had been plagued with, but in reality it was more likely to have been just some really odd luck. Fresh off his anaconda kill, he dropped Acacius back home and headed out north, back toward the Emerald Valley to check on the snares he'd set there during his meeting with Corbie. After the sandstorm he'd encountered, he was reluctant to walk down the middle of the desert once more. Instead he hugged the red rocks that towered in the center of the biome, intending to walk them all the way up toward the destination valley. He'd hardly made it half way there when a bellowing roar caught his ear. Another brush of bad luck, a bear had awoken from it's hibernation crankier then all hell, and it was too close to Aerie's lands for Deus to pass by unperturbed. He adjusted his course, his stride elongating as he identified the sound's source and navigated toward it, rounding a corner and bringing to view the angry beast, and the familiar man who had intercepted it first. The bear charged Ardyn and Deus did not hesitate to join the fight, sprinting unseen from the bear's flank and crashing his full force into it's hip as Ardyn swiped at the other side. The bear was slow to recover, perhaps sluggish in waking from dormancy, and Deus drew back to dodge the retaliation of claws. "Speech"

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

He’d not expected help to come hurtling in from left field, but he recognized Asmodeus’ markings – albeit the boy was now a man and matched Ardyn for size judging by the quick glimpses he got – He flashed a quick, sabered grin of greeting before ducking under the bear’s swipe as it tried to slit its attention between the two wolves, slapping first at Asmodeus and then at Ardyn. Ardyn slashed with precision with his claws, gouging the bear’s shoulder and sidestepping as the beast turned to further address him, Asmodeus unwisely put aside in the fog of battle and recent waking and pain. The king glanced up as a feline shape sailed down from above with a mountain lion scream and Sädir straddled the bear’s shoulders with a growl. Lunira hunkered on the ledge above, crystal lavender eyes narrowed in exasperation at the younger cat’s eagerness. Ardyn took advantage of the bear’s shock at being dropped in on by a mountain lion and sank his sabers into the bear’s upper front leg, wrenching his head to employ the serrations along the backs of the deadly canines and ravaging the bear’s flesh before ripping himself free and twisting away to avoid the bear’s fury. He wasn’t so successful as he’d have liked, and felt the paw club into his hind end. The force was bruising, but at least he’d avoided direct contact with the claws. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Ardyn greeted him in the form of a quick grin and Deus nodded his head in acknowledgement, attention still focused upon the beast before them. There would be time for pleasantries later, when the bear was dead and the threat to Aerie and Valhalla had been eliminated. The King fought on, taking the bear's attention off of Asmodeus and delivering further injury to the creature's limbs. A companion had joined them as well, and Deus danced off to the side to reposition so the cat would not be in the line of fire when he struck once more. He waited as Ardyn struck and fell back, drawing the beast forward in retaliation. Deus moved with it, landing a hard bite to the thigh of the bear's rear leg and heaving backwards with all his might. The flesh beneath his teeth gave way and tore, sending a splatter of blood onto Deus' muzzle and above his brow. The bear would be temporarily hobbled by the injury, but Deus was forced to backpedal to relative safety to clear the blood that was beginning to run into his eyes. "Speech"

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

(ooc: hope you don't mind Ardyn doing the killing blows? I think if Asmodeus helps hold the bear down it'll count toward getting his points for the fight) The bear was flagging, getting frustrated by the three on one battle, and as its hind leg buckled under the Abraxas man’s bite, it twisted to sit on its haunches and protect its rear, swiping for the cream painted earthen man before Ardyn slammed into the bear with his armored shoulder, and brought the beast’s attention back to himself. The next swipe he wasn’t so lucky as to avoid, and be felt the bite of claws sinking through his fur into his skin as he twisted away, neck stinging with that ticklish sensation of blood welling and starting to trickle from the set of four scratches. Golden ichor spattered the red stone, and he rolled his eyes with a faint, rueful grin, already hearing the fretful scolding of his sisters as they patched him up later. The bear, heartened by landing a blow, chased after the black flame-coated king, and Ardyn doubled back, leaving an opening if Asmodeus was able to take it, then ducked around to slash his sabers for the bear’s throat. He felt the drag on his canines and dug in, ripping free and dancing several strides away as the bear staggered with a bellow that sent blood spattering the wall. The bear was fatally wounded bleeding freely. The previous wounds it had gained sped the process up and Ardyn kept his distance as the animal weakened, checking over Asmodeus to be sure the blood on the man’s face was from the bear and not his own. The bear collapsed and wheezed, eyes glazing. Ardyn’s own fire and ice gaze flicked around and landed on a solid rock. It was better to end the beast’s suffering, and he didn’t have anything on him to pierce its heart or skull. So the rock he lifted in his nimble, hand-like paws and brought down with a heavy slam on the bear’s head, until he heard the crunch and saw the violent spasms. He stepped back, out of reach and settled on his haunches, regarding Asmodeus with a wry grin as he ran a paw over the wounds on his own neck, checking his pads before flicking the molten gold blood from his digits with a sniff. “You alright, Asmodeus?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The bear had turned to him once more, but Ardyn had succeeded in pulling it's attention away long enough that Deus could wipe free the blood from his eyes. Blinking heavily and squinting through the discomfort, he returned his focus to the task at hand, watching for an opening where he could take advantage. The Valhallan King's fangs pierced it's throat and the bear buckled, and Deus took the opportunity to land another blow of his own, this time aiming for the tender flesh of the bear's distended stomach. Taking assault from both sides, the bear could not help but begin to die. Deus took a step back as it collapsed, wheezing, and watched as Ardyn finished it off with a heavy stone. It was not how he would have made a killing blow, but the beast was dead and that was enough. As Ardyn checked on his own wounds, Deus sat back to rub angrily at the blood that was beginning to encrust upon his ivory fur. "I'm fine. You?" It was mostly pleasantries, his polite upbringing requiring him to pose the question back. Injuries were to be expected from a fight like this one, and had Ardyn taken a mortal wound Deus was sure they would not be having polite conversation. "It's been a long time." "Speech"

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

Once he was certain Amsodeus was alright, he tugged a cloth from his pouch and offered it to the Abraxas man, brow-points bumping up with a smile before he settled back. “I’m alright. Just a small injury. My sisters will be two parts thrilled for the practice and two parts annoyed at me for getting hurt.” He checked his injury again, examining the glowing golden blood before wiping it in the dirt. It’d dry off soon, killing the light. He nodded in agreement at Asmodeus’ remark, studying the man again. “How’ve you been? I ran across Eligos a little while back.” He didn’t push farther unless invited. Instead he rose and pulled a knife from a pouch, shoving and rolling the bear onto its back with a heave. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think