Thunder Bowl the taste of blood is bitter

Askan ripped and tore at his ankle with all he had. By no means did he think he was going to take the beast down on his own, it wasn't the plan after all. But if anyone could mangle a bear's ankle to make it unsteady on it's feet then it would be Askan. For what he lacked in size he made up for in sheer determination. This bear was going to fall today and it would be by his paw. And Wraith's he supposed.

Not that he'd ever mention that if he ever got around to retelling this tale.

It was hard to pay attention, let alone focus on what Wraith was doing, but from his position he could see that the Whitestone wolf was playing his part. Wouldn't it be total bullshit if he'd agreed to help out but instead ran like his arse was on fire? Sure, Askan had done so himself before but that had been different. He felt no affection for Lorcan and if he wanted to get shredded by a bear, then it had been his choice.

Wraith, on the other hand, shoved against the grizzly with all his might. Askan didn't need to be told twice, he wasn't going to join the bear in the pit. No, he wanted to stand by the edge and watch it tumble into oblivion.

Relinquishing his hold, Askan scrambled to the side just in time to see the great beast wobble. It stumbled back, roaring in alarm as searched for purchase but found nothing but empty air. It thudded down onto it's front paws, as it clawed at the dirt, trying to heave itself back up onto it's feet. But of course, that wouldn't do.

Askan grinned and licked the blood off of his lips. He'd missed this, the challenge, the feeling of conquest. He liked being a Guardian plenty but things were so quiet these days, so dull.

Glancing over at his temporary partner, Askan wondered what they should do. The bear was holding on for dear life, but he didn't really want to get near that mouth of his.

"What now?"

Wraith's lips curled into a frustrated snarl. Rather than the bear tumbling back into the pit as he'd intended, the bastard clambered stubbornly on to life by its front paws. Deep furrows were gouged into the ground, raked by the beast's long claws. He hoped that if they waited long enough, it would lose its balance and give in, but the bear knew if it fell, it was done for. So it continued to claw and bellowed at them in fury for the predicament they had placed it in.

Askan's question rankled, if only because it pointed out Wraith's original plan had failed. He shook himself and clicked his teeth together irritably. Just waiting for it to fall wasn't an option. What if the extra time allowed it to find purchase along the sheer cliff with its hind paws? What if it shoved itself back up and now it was wiser to their intentions? They had to do something.

Wraith tried to imagine himself in that position. He wouldn't let go for all he was worth. So what would encourage him...?

Redirected pain. An instinct. Attack somewhere vital.

The eyes. But how to attack the eyes without risking themselves...?

A stiff wind kicked up dust and brought with it a flash of inspiration. Wraith spun quickly on a forepaw until his tail faced the bear and then kicked up dirt and dust and stones at the animal's face. Initially, the bear simply turned its face away from the sudden onslaught, but a rock must have hit just right. The bear roared out its pain and anger and lost its grip as its paws moved to wipe the debris from its eyes and ease the pain there. It realized its mistake too late and its paws scrambled at the edges of the cliff as it fell down.

It didn't rise again once it hit bottom.

Wraith turned to Askan and offered one harsh laugh that collapsed into a fit of coughing. Bastard had knocked him harder than he wanted to admit. With his breath caught again, the alpha panted and flickered his gaze back up at Askan. "We make a team in a pinch, don't we?"

Wow. Well okay. Askan hadn't seen that coming, at all. But who was he to complain? Especially after he stepped a little closer to the edge to watch-with great satisfaction- as the bear went tumbling down to it's demise. Dirt to the eyes, what a way to go. Well, technically it had fallen to it's death but Askan had little interest in thinking about it too much. The beast was dead and they both had played their parts well, as intended.

Turning to Wraith, Askan rose a questioning brow as he struggled through a series of wracking coughs. He seemed well enough over all, but Askan wouldn't recommend wrestling another bear any time soon. Not if he wanted to keep breathing that is.

"Mmm, you're not so bad. I guess."It was a half hearted compliment but it was the best Wraith was going to get. For now.

Maybe Whitestone had changed for the better. Out with the old and in with the new. They hadn't been causing any trouble for them, if anything it seemed as though they just wanted to play nice with everyone. Which was...good. Really good, in the grand scheme of things. But it was hard for Askan to let go of his past grudges. He used to hate them so, the way they acted as though they were so much better because they got there first. There used to be so many of them, like maggots, but from what he could tell their pack was smaller, much smaller than before. Less of a threat.

"Think you'll be all right walking back to your stone, old man?" He was smiling a little, a smidge of humour gleaming in his bright yellow eyes.

Adrenaline was a hell of a thing to come down from; its absence left Wraith trembling with exertion. The half-assed compliment felt as good as a full one to Wraith and he inclined his head with a wry grin. "From what I've heard of you, that's as close as a declaration of friendship I suppose I can expect to get. Thank you for your help. Wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

The black brute looked down to their fallen foe with satisfaction. Packs could always unite against a common enemy no matter their qualms. It was nice to know there was no exception in Askan's case. "I'll be alright. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," he said with the same timbre of humor given in return. "Go on. Your pack's pups are safe from this beast as is mine. May we meet again. Under different circumstances."

"Give my regards to Drestig and Jessie, Askan. I'll send mine from you to Piety." With a slow flicking wag of his tail, Wraith began the long walk back home. Hopefully by the time he got there, the ache wouldn't be so pronounced and he wouldn't have to answer to his mate's ire for getting himself injured.