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OOC: Oh my goodness... I honestly didn't know.. xD Makita's eyes glanced to the white she - wolf, the whites of her eyes clearly visible as fear surged through her. The bears claws had dug deep into her skin and thick, scarlet red liquid flowed out, staining the snow. She had never been so happy so see the she - wolf. Makita's eyes watched the bear for a minute. He threw himself into the air and then down on Makita. The she - wolf was thrown onto her back, exposing her stomach. A shrill scream escaped Makita's throat, though she wasn't backing down. As the bear's muzzle came closer to her stomach, she bit into his nose as hard as she could. Of course, it probably didn't hurt him, but it distracted him. "Help!" she yowled, throwing her paws around wildly. The situation was crazy. Why Makita was trapped under a bear was beyond her knowledge. Strength was in the Kokki family, but Makita couldn't think about fighting the bear right now. Escaping was her biggest thing. The bear threw his head down to grab her up with his paws, his claws sinking into Makita's side. She let ouy a yowl of pain and tossed her jaws wildly at the bear, occasionally wrapping her jaws around parts of his body. The bear had her in a hard hold, and Makita could feel his claws inside her. She pushed at his stomach as hard as she could, kicking and snarling - trying to hide her fear.

They were kidding, right?

All the guilt in the world sat squarely on his shoulders as he was forced to listen to her lonely, fading words. His ears flattened as he set himself against going back, seeing no real need to do so. She had made her stance obvious, and though he was somewhat mistaken, Kinis didn't believe that she'd have any more need of his presence than the older, more capable female's. He was better off just leaving them both well alone.

The second howl, however, brought him skidding to a halt, eyes wide with shock and fear. She... he must have misheard that! Was she serious, or just demanding attention?

Ears high, whole body on alert, Kinis turned on his heel and stared sightlessly in the direction he had just come. This time, he could hear it clearly, the sound of a bear, and he was just speechless. What the hell was a bear doing traipsing about at this time of year?! How had it managed to sneak up on them?! Just - what? Despite his instincts telling him to run, he was almost egged on by his sheer disbelief that this could possibly be happening. Promising to keep a wide berth of the magical bear, he began a steady lope back to his last meal site. He had no idea what he intended to do upon arrival.

Lo an behold, it was true. He could hear the snarls and yelps and thumps after he could smell proof in the air, and it was with wide eyes that he all but crept back onto the scene, staring as the white wolf heroically tried to defend the younger from attack. It was futile, surely? The bear looked to have gotten the yearling in his claws, and that would spell nothing but the end! Kinis eyed the teeth and nails on that thing, shuddering at the mere notion of the muscles and strength that went along with it. He was sure that the beast could have been more powerful than this had he emerged on a more likely date, but he still outmatched a wolf.

Questions questions questions raced through his mind, and he stored the more desperate, bewildering ones for a later date, for now forced to let them overwhelm them. Why would the older wolf do this? How come the younger wasn't dead? Did altruism really exist, then? Wasn't she thinking of this other wolf under her care? What if they both died? Why was this bear even here? Why was it bothering to attack? It surely had nothing to gain.

It all felt like a bad joke, and Kinis stood there, dumbstruck, every sensible bone in his body demanding that he flee again and leave the brave fools to their fate.

OOC: XDD! Poor Makita.. not gonna walk away from this if that keeps up... ;)

When the lumbering beast kept its attention on the younger wolf, Vlarindara moved, her long legs carrying her towards the animal and vaulting her towards its neck. Powerful jaws were open to snap at the things neck and throat, while working to keep her body from getting in range of the jaws or claws of the thing. Seeing as the claws were currently burried in the canines body.. his jaws were really the only danger, and she was behind though by attacking at its neck. She had a thought go through her head.. of how familiar this was... and how odd to be on the opposite end of the run in with the bear.. but she wouldn't change it.. That just wasn't in her nature.. like it hadn't been in Bordens to leave the gaunt, skinny white female to her death at the jaws of the bear attacking her.

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OOC: Yea, I kinda forgot about that.. And she's being attacked by Swift River wolves. She's not gunna be able to make the darn journey with Borden to the mountains! xD Makita pushed against the bear again, and she came loose - except that his claws were drawn across her side and to her stomach. She hit the ground hard, her limp body bouncing up and landing again before settling. Blood gushed from her sides and stomach, staining the snow with puddles of blood. The pain Makita was feeling was unbearable. Her eyes were wide, the whites showing, as she began to breathe heavily. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the figure of the wolf who wasn't much younger than her. She let her eyes close. He was probably traumatized, and Makita wondered why he hadn't left yet. Maybe he was more loyal than she thought. Makita glanced up at the bear, who was narrowing it's evil eyes to strike at her again. She spotted the white she - wolf behind the bear. "Be - Be c-careful!" Makita called as loud as she could. She may not have liked the she - wolf before, but right now she was saving her life. She had to feel at least a little admiration for the she - wolf's guts. Makita wanted so desperately to get up and fight, help the she - wolf. That was just what she was going to do, she told herself. She pushed one side of her off the ground with one paw, and then tried to push herself off the ground with the other. She felt weak, like one of her ribs was broken. There were slashes all across her body, the deepest wounds being in her shoulder - where you could easily see the bone - and through her side and her belly - where she believed the bear had broken one of her ribs. It didn't stop Makita. She took a paw step forward, being careful not to fall. Another pawstep, and another. And then, then she collapsed. But, not she was at the feet of the bear and she bit into his foot, tearing as hard as she could. "GO! she shouted to the she wolf, hoping desperately that she bear wouldn't grab her up again.

It was a joke, no doubt about that. Kinis' eyes all but popped out of his head as he watched the improbable battle unfold, the wolves acting as though they had a chance... For a moment, the boy actually felt bad for not joining in. Watching the older female jump in so selflessly made him look awful by comparison, but then he had to look at the facts. What purpose would he serve in this conflict save as a distraction - or worse, a meatshield? And it wasn't like he'd be a shield for long. The bear would break him in one swipe, and it would be bye bye Kinis. Nothing was to be gained.

In the face of his own doom, Kinis took one fearful step back. The inclination to just run was growing exponentially. If they had been a short distance from his family's lands, he may have considered a howl for help, though reconsidered even that notion. Why should he endanger his sibling's lives? This wolf had fed him... but she clearly had a death wish. That or a hero complex.

Another step back took him further away, but, on the off chance the opportunity would arise to help without risking his own life, Kinis still resisted fleeing.

OOC: Always meeting the Lyall boys over bears.. I swear. :)

The shouts of 'GO!' left Vlarindara torn, even as she circled the beast when Makita bit its paw. In her feeble state, it would feel more like a beesting than anything - at least she felt so. The arrival of the large male went unnoticed as the white female charged in at the bears hind end and snapped her jaws at his ankles and tendons. If she could just snap through ONE of the tendons on the back legs of this beast, it would be hamstrung and effectively hobbled against them. The female had kept up the vicious snarling and growls, doing her best to seem as imposing to the beast as possible. She remembered her own tousle wiht a bear - she'd been weaker then.. easy prey in its eyes.. but another wolf had jumped in and distracted it.. saved her. How could she go when this pup screamed at her to? How could she leave her to certain death?

The injuries she could see on the small female were almost certainly going to kill her.. but there was a slim chance she might survive it.. that slim chance was what kept Vlarindara there, continuing to attempt to waylay the beast, get a chance to bring the girl out of it. The answering snarl of another wolf caused her heart to stop a mere moment before she returned to snapping and snarling at the bears hind legs and heels.

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OOC: She's so not dying. Just for the record. Makita groaned as the blood spilt onto the snow, staining it scarlet red. I'm certainly going to die. she thought bitterly to herself as she hobbled over and fell at the bear's feet. She was prepared for death, she had been prepared for it within the first week she'd been swept away from her home. Of course, with how far she'd gotten - how close she was to finding her family and how long she had tried... it was so hard to think of that going to waste as she let the mighty beast kill her. Nimbus clouds hung overhead, filled with snow that fell quietly. At least it will be a peaceful death.. at a bloody site. she thought to herself, yet again. Her brain was not being positive, but could anyone blame her? She had spent her whole life trying to save her family, and now she was just going to die? Her dark golden eyes glanced over to the other wolf, the pup that hadn't yet fleed. She felt a smile try and tug at her lips for a moment, as he hadn't ran yet - but then she let her head fall, as he was just going to watch her die. In that moment, she heard a clear, hard voice shout through the crisp air - at the pup. "Run for it! the voice pierced the air. Makita's eyes glanced up at him, as her body no longer had the strength needed to move. Her life was coming to a close, unless she got help immediately. Maybe the wolf would help them get rid of the beast - and that's what he did. The wolf bared his teeth, snarling and yowling and snapping his teeth in front of the bear. He was obviously trying to scare it. The bear, with the white she - wolf at his feet and the other one at his front, threw his head up to let out a ferocious roar, and then threw himself back on all fours and took a few steps away, hesitantly giving up. The prey in winter was scarce, but not scarce enough to kill yourself for it. Makita glanced up at the wolf thankfully, as he had just helped to - possibly - save her life, and the lives of the she - wolf and the pup. Makita's eyes then flickered up to the she - wolf. "T-than-nk y-you. she murmured, though it probably came out very, very quiet and hard to understand. Makita's life was slowly fading, and it was a horrible death to go through. She also made an attempt to nod her head at the male who had also helped scare the bear away. She was grateful to the both of them. She let her head fall still, and her body go limp with a numb feeling - except that the pain was still surging through her body.

Then another wolf joined in the fray, finally tipping the balance. The bear's attack had been foolish anyway, but Kinis was relieved when it gave up. The two older wolves looked all right... but the younger one, she didn't look so great. Kinis' ears flattened at the sight, though he knew he could do nothing to help her.

Believing that the two adults would be able to take care of her, if she was even saveable, Kinis chose this time to make his exit. He felt like he had been nothing but a black hole in this entire situation, eating food that was caught for him but offering nothing in return. He just had nothing to give. Without a word, he turned about again and made his second departure, this time stopping for nothing.