Fallen Tree Cove Sleeping Giant

Combined RE's!
Fallen Tree Cove, it seems a black bear has decided to find a place to hibernate within your territory.
Neha, you encounter a bear that's woken from hibernation prematurely.
Late morning. Partly cloudy. 16*F/-9*C

A sense of normalcy was starting to settle back into Fallen Tree Cove. To everyone's relief, @Aleister had returned, safe and sound. But frankly, Neha was a little mad at him. He could have at least told somebody, anybody, where he was going and how long he'd be gone! While quite the little adventurer herself, Neha was not so brash as to just run off in the middle of the night, without a word. No...she strived to be a good girl. To grow up with respect in her parents eyes. She always made sure to tell either her mom or dad that she was heading out, be it for a few hours, or several days, and that she would be back. Besides, as great as the outside world was, there was no place like home.

That afternoon, she and Erine were not out and exploring more uncharted territory. They had decided to stay home and just have fun. While keeping a close eye on their middle brother, of course. The first and last born of the Vuesain pups had always been the closest, like two peas in a pod. And as they grew older, slowly transforming into miniature adults, that bond only seemed to strengthen. The nearly inseparable duo were currently engaging in a rough and tumble game of chasing and wrestling. As they crept closer and closer to adulthood, they would need to develop the skills required to defend themselves, should they find themselves facing a fight. Neha's cream and tawny-red frame flew after her brother, tongue hanging to the side. "You aren't getting away so easily this time Erine!" She hollered playfully. She was hellbent on getting him back for what he had just did to her. The proof of which, was right there streaked across her back. Her normally well kept fur was now disheveled, riddled in a thin layer of mud, courtesy of one of @Cernan's heavy body squashes. Jeeze, he was starting to weigh a ton!

The two blurred brown and tan shapes weaved through the forest, skirting around the northern shore of the lake, exchanging playful laughs and mock growls. They were far from tired. But their game was about to be interrupted. Neha, too caught up in the thrill of the moment, and in catching her brother, took a turn a little too sharply, and went skidding off to the side. She tumbled ungraciously, head over tail, only to land with a mighty thump against something rather solid. And large...and furry. Groaning, she shook her head to gather her bearings, and stood up, looking at the unidentified object mysteriously. Then slowly as realization sunk in, her warm brown eyes widened in alarm. It was bear! Not a terribly huge one such as a Grizzly, but a rather large black bear nonetheless. And it was awake, and rather irritated that this scrawny little pest of a wolf had collided with it. Stumbling back, tripping once, she narrowly avoided a swipe of razor claws. "E-Erine! Help! G-get this thing away from me!" She shrank back as the lumbering form of the bear charged closer. Awoken early from it's winters nap, the bear was still sluggish. A miraculous stroke of good luck for the Lake Princess.

OOC: @Neha - I'm good with you posting again if you want to to call the pack. 

Oh, he was in trouble now. The Vuesain's youngest grinned ear to ear as Neha's challenge rang out through the pine trees, and his clunky paws picked up their pace. A laugh burst from between his parted jaws as the pair scrambled over the snowy ground. She was faster than him, for sure, but if he got a head start the boy usually had at least a minute or two until she was on top of him, and he would have to fight the silver girl off once more. However, in that arena he was easily superior. Once she was caught, Neha was little match for his bulk, and nothing proved it better than the smattering of wet dirt on the girl's back. 

Looking over his shoulder, the tawny child discovered that she was gaining on him again, and took evasive action. His chubby frame lurched back into the treeline, and ducked around a cluster of thick-trunked pines. He stumbled a little, but was streaking through the woods in no time at all. Interestingly enough though, a dull set of thuds from behind him indicated that Neha had had much more trouble with the turn than prince had. An ear flicked back, and then the rest of his head as the youth's feet skittered to a stop. He'd meant to slow her down, not make her fall. Parted, grinning jaws maintained their smile as his golden eyes searched the trees for where she'd gone. When the girl did not appear immediately, he decided to double back; sides rapidly heaving from the sprint. 

As the boy trotted and then loped back into the treeline, his heart began to race. A large black shape moved before him, quickly followed by his sister's frightened shriek. His smile vanished. Cernan rushed forward, his eyes wide with horror. The whole scene came into view – the bear stumbling lazily, but angrily, after Neha and her desperate defensive posturing. He'd only a second to react, and the usually timid boy wasn't going to hide today. Wraith and Nathaniel's advice came to mind, and the Vuesain Prince squared his shoulders. Something screamed him onward, and without really thinking he ran, barking sharply at the threat from within a snarling mouth. It was not going to have his sister! "HEY!" Cernan yelled, skidding his forelegs to a harsh stop the second its beady eyes turned to focus on him instead. All of a sudden his bravery was gone, and his limbs felt weak. 

It grumbled some sort of irritated noise, and shuffled its front paws slightly toward him. An agitated, and probably grumpy half-roar left the creature's parted jaws. The moment provided a much needed opportunity, and the boy's head snapped toward Neha. "Call mom and dad!" He shrieked, just in time for the monster to decide that it had given him enough forewarning. If the cub wasn't going to move, the bear was going to make it. The bear started charging again, rushing him at speed. "CALL MOM AND DAD!" His throat was raw from the ear-shattering scream. The Prince turned tail, streaking away from the predator in the opposite direction. He was a panicked, stumbling child though, and the only thing keeping him from already being eaten was the bear's grogginess. He would not be lucky for long. Horrified yelps beseeched anyone, anyone in the vicinity to help. He felt for sure that if this thing caught him, he was going to die. 

OOC Comments: Hope its ok to throw her in here before y'all called everyone :)
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The morning began peacefully as dark ebony paws trotted along the borders. Copying and practicing the skills that @Kajika had taught her the obsidian yearling was out patrolling the borders. She wanted more than anything to show @Vespertio and @Namid that they had made the right choice by allowing her to join their ranks. Things couldn’t be going better, the lost Vuesain boy had made his return, winter was turning into spring, and she was settling nicely into her new home. Her morning bliss was instantly torn away when a blood curdling scream echoed through the trees. Instantly stopping, midnight audits and head flicked towards the origin of the scream. It sounded like Cernan and before the yearling had time to completely process the scream she was flying through the forest. Her protective instincts instantly kicked in causing her legs to move under her faster than they had since the wild fire.
 
Quickly coming upon a horrifying scene she saw a black bear chasing after Cernan and Neha opposite of the bear. Silver eyes did a quick look over of the lake princess to make sure she wasn’t injured. “Call for the pack” she told Neha quickly before taking off after the bear. She needed to redirect its attention away from the creamy pup, and the best distraction was herself. She could run far longer than the lake prince allowing her to keep the angry black fury’s attention on her.
 
Without thinking about the consequences Moonshadow began to bite at the bears back legs before getting close enough to snap at its forelegs. It forgets about the boy and turns its rage on the yearling. Standing on its back two legs the bear swings its large paws at the girl. Unable to move fast enough the ebony girl is caught by the bear’s claws and thrown, luckily a un-melted snow drift cushioned her fall.

(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2016, 06:34 AM by Moonshadow.)

 @Vespertio @Aleister @Kajika @Nathaniel your presence is requested!

Something wasn’t right in the time that everything should have been wonderful. A time when new beginnings were emerging, new beginnings in nature and in her. Her scent had yet to change and she didn’t want to get her hopes up too much, but sometimes you just…knew. It was an exciting prospect, but with that feeling she had woken up in the morning to apprehension. The sky was grey and murky, the temperature cold, and even with the vague rays of light that penetrated the atmosphere it was just plain eerie.

She’d gone down to the lake to perhaps do a little ice fishing. Though the temperatures were warming up, they were still well below freezing and because of such the lake was still covered in frozen waters. Standing closer to the shore, she peered quietly through the hole she had punctured waiting for any sort of movement. Her muscles ached from the crouching posture she held, but she was steady in her resolve. Any sort of movement from her could cause whatever fish that might be lurking underneath to scatter, efficiently ruining her chance of a meal. After what felt like an eternity, a brief flash of scales alerted her to her target and just as she was about to make the lung to capture it, her fur stood on end.

A roar echoed through the barren trees of the cove, sending birds fluttering into the air. Her head shot up, auds ramming to the front of her skull and nose twitching at the sound. What the hell was a bear doing awake, and what was it doing in her territory? It couldn’t be good. She turned and moved across the ice as quickly as she could, experience keeping her from falling flat on her butt. As soon as her paws hit the ground, she was moving. It seemed that she was doing a lot of moving lately, a lot of running toward important situations though this one was not to be a joyous one as the return of her son had been. As she came closer to where the roar had come from, she went ahead and tilted her head back calling for everyone to join her. Bears were no laughing matter, as they could easily kill a fully grown wolf with a well-placed hit to the head, neck, or chest. She wasn’t going to take any chances.

Arriving fully on the scene, she was met with total chaos. Bodies were running everywhere, and she was horrified to see that the focus seemed to be on her children. Mismatched gaze took in the slumped form of the dark yearling, her hear clenching and mismatched gaze going wide before she was set into motion again toward the huge animal that was going after her son, his cries only fueling her own fury. Plans flew through her mind a mile a minute as she thought of the proper was to dispose of the creature. Black Bears were the smallest of the bear group, but even at that they were still a bear. The wisest decision would be for them to simply kill it, which even though it was dangerous it was more manageable because of its smaller stature. Harsh barks emitted from her throat, dominant and commanding, a challenge to the animal. She surged forward to cut off its route to her son, lips pulled back into a threatening snarl. Its beady eyes settled on her, glinting angrily and she growled back.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, but there was no going back and no settling. The most she could do at that point was keep it focused on her and in the area until the others arrived. Then they could tag team it and take it down. But..as much as she didn’t want to admit it she might need the help of her youth. Cernan was the second biggest of them all and Neha was swift and agile like her. They couldn’t keep them in a bubble forever, and if they kept getting into these situations like they had been then they needed to know what to do and how to get out of them. “Neha, Cernan, I need you to help distract it until the others get here. Push it, shove it, nip it, but stay out of the way of its claws.” she ordered. The animal made a move toward her, and she charged it, ducking and skidding past its swiping paws but successfully keeping it from going anywhere. This was going to be a long fight.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Long before the beckoning howl of distress from Namid had rung out on the air Vespertio could feel something was very wrong that day, body tense and pulsating with an inextinguishable angst the moment his molten gold irises embraced the first rays of morning light. Like a subconscious intuition his entire embodiment was honed in on the looming danger that could possibly threaten his home, but what this mystery something was he hadn't a single clue and he doubted the cloudy sky would provide any answers. It was all a waiting game at this point and the lake inhabiting patriarch hated to wait, it grated away at his nerves.

A double-edged sword pierced the tawny wolf's heart when rounded audits caught the sound of his lover's howl, relief at ending this waiting game soon replaced with the strike of fear that it may have come at the cost of his family's safety. No time was to be wasted as creamy limbs lunged at full throttle toward the location the call had resonated from, dodging and leaping over the various obstacles that dared to prevent him from reaching the epicenter of utter chaos. Swiping a salmon painted tongue across leathery lips jaws remained parted as Vesper panted with each stride from the exertion of energy used, a side effect of the extra weight put on during the colder months.

In no time his agouti silhouette entered the scene, a prompt survey of the situation revealing all he needed to know and the father was not thrilled about his findings. A black bear; why on earth it was awake so early he didn't know, was causing havoc in his territory and worst of all towards his children and pack mates. The skin upon his muzzle swiftly wrinkled profusely as rough barks of his own lofted alongside those of his wife; someone he wasn't too keen on getting into the fray too much now that there was a high possibility she was baring the next Vuesain litter, completely missing her commands for the children to distract the bear as his bulky frame refused to stand idly by while this bear ran a muck. Zipping past Moonshadow all the patriarch's muscle and weight surged forward with intent on charging the groggy beast. It was to be stopped at all cost.

The morning had seemed like any other to Kajika, he’d made his usual trip down to the lake and had his drink as well as caught a fish for breakfast. He did notice it had seemed a little quitter than usual but he hadn’t really thought much of it. During his patrol however everything seemed to make more sense as the roar of a bear rang through the trees of his packs land. He thought it was much too early for the bears to be awake and then there was the question of what was it even doing in Fallen Tree Cove but those questions were moved to the back of his head as he heard Namid’s barks in the distance.

Kajika’s stomach turned at that, something wasn’t right and he needed to be there to help in whatever way he could. Not wasting another moment, he flew through the trees in the direction the barks and growls were coming from. The closer he got the louder the sounds became until he was coming to a skidding stop at the scene of his pack mates trying to fight off the bear that he had heard earlier. The sight of Moonshadow spread in a snow bank tugged at him but there wasn’t time to stop and check he had to help with the bear. He didn’t hesitate and instead dove in biting at one of the bears back legs. He hoped to help unbalance it so that they could deal with it in whatever way his alpha’s saw fit.

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2016, 04:26 AM by Kajika.)

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

Nathaniel's easy pace transitioned into a blur of sprinting near immediately upon the delivery of Namid's call to arms within his ears. It mattered not what awaited him, in fact the would-be knight gave it no thought. If his veins weren't flooded with concern for these strangers he called pack mates, he might've been given reason to pause and wonder when exactly that started to become normal. Acts of valiantry, selflessly placing himself in harm's way, loyalty at all--none of it was him, he was still convinced of that. Skulduggery was still his preferred cup of tea and yet here he was, racing to the front lines once more. Maybe he really was becoming something better.

By the time he arrived upon the scene, the beast was being engaged by of his packmates while a barely familiar, dark-coated girl lay within the snow a minimal distance away. His ears flicked forward to catch the tail-end of Namid's commands, and when he realized that it was the children she was speaking to, his gut twisted and knotted. Nathaniel was forced to pinch his tongue between his fangs so as not to call out to them and beg them to keep their distance instead. They weren't truly children anymore, yet the need to protect them as such was still dominant within him.

This emotion demanded that he stay as close to them as possible, ensuring that if the bear got too close to striking them, he would be there to stop it. Yet he could not ignore the young subordinate that appeared to be injured. His gait skidded to a halt beside her, thick-ruffed neck craning downward so that his leathery nose might peruse her side and search for an open wounds. He nudged her ribs, and asked "Are you alright?"

Be alright, get up fast, his mind begged, his paws itching to take him closer to the heat of the battle.

 

To her great relief, Cernan was quick to act in trying to distract the bear, even though a pup like him would be no match for it. Scrambling back, as far out as harms way as possible, Neha was about to belt out an frantic cry for help. Luck would have it though, that there was no such need. The arrival of a dark yearling she didn't recognize signaled the impending arrival of the pack. Moonshadow was brave in distracting the bear, but paid a price in getting too close by being tossed into a snow bank. With a horrified yelp, the Lake Princess was frozen in place, for once, unsure what to do.

All the racket that she, Cernan, Moonshadow and the bear combined, had been plenty enough noise to draw the whole pack charging onto the scene without any further prompting. Another flood of relief washed over the pale, multi hued girl as her mother arrived. It was short lived, replaced with a mixed feeling of shock and dread at what she and her brother were ordered to do. Unlike the incident involving the boar at the lake, this time, they had to help. They had to get close, to try and sink their own fangs into the bears hide. Earthy brown eyes went wide, ears nearly invisible against her skull. But what if she or Cernan suffered the same fate, or worse as Moonshadow?! A nervous glance around found her father, Nathaniel and Kajika springing into action. The adults were here...they wouldn't let anything happen to them.

Swallowing her fears, Neha paid close attention to how everyone else moved, dancing in and out of attack range from the bear. Just like they had done when they faced the boar. She remembered the essentials; stay away from the front end, avoid the claws and teeth. Attack from behind. Her eyes narrowed as a burning glint arose in their depths. She widened her stance, stiffening her body. Then her agile little frame shot in like a bullet, teeth openly displayed. She zeroed in on the fatty rump of the mammoth animal, a high pitched war shriek bellowing from her throat. She bit down swiftly, deeply on it's haunch, positioned right next to Kajika. If anything went wrong, at least he was right there by her side. Remembering her mothers instructions, the Princess leapt back seconds later. She was inexperienced, and could not afford to get too close for too long. Disgustedly, she spat a mouthful of dark hair from her jaws before preparing to attack again. 

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

Run, run, run. His mind wasn't even coherent enough to form the words, but the fear was real. He didn't stop, didn't notice what was happening until he heard the impacts; soft thuds buried behind his heartbeat and panic. Cernan's head turned, and at last his skittering paws came to a stop. The bear was looking at something else; having turned its back on the prince entirely. At first his blood ran cold, hearing her yelp and thinking perhaps that it was Neha who it had attacked, but she was still back there; still standing. Instead his wide golden eyes snagged on the crumpled form of the older girl; @Moonshadow. 

His chest tightened suffocatingly. It was turning back, looking for him now that the older wolf was down. His jaws hung open in shock and exertion; and the boy nearly bolted once more. Before he could even turn around the silvery form of his mother came rushing onto the scene with a commanding howl; challenging the creature directly and succeeding in drawing its ire. That did little to comfort him, though. It hesitated, and in that fleeting moment her words slammed full force into the pup's ears. They were to help? The young boy only watched, his head practically spinning as the monster lunged. He skittered back, eyes fixating on the Alphess and finding instant reassurance that she was still unharmed.

He couldn't breathe. His sides heaved but there was not enough oxygen in the world. Everything collapsed in on itself. Pa burst from somewhere back in the woods; hurling himself forward recklessly. Kajika quickly followed, joining in on the assault without a single word. The lake child simply gaped at the whole scene; his legs splayed in fright. When at last the gladiator appeared, Cernan was surprised to see him doting on the yearling first. His attention flickered between the combatants and the other three, finally fixating with horror on the approaching form of his sister. She was really going to do it, wasn't she? Of course. He saw her stance and body stiffen, and a whine escaped his throat. No no... He didn't want any of them to be involved in this, to get hurt or worse! 

But then, there wasn't much else that could be done about it, was there? This thing had invaded their home, and it would eat their food if they didn't stop it. Cernan knew all of that, but still his feet were motionless. When she charged his heart sank. The boy rocked forward, aching to grab her and pull her back out of there; to scream any sort of sense into the girl and run away. She attacked; lashing out just like any of the other adults. The raucous battle continued on, now with his sibling's voice added to the mix as she lunged in and out – each time pulling more and more at his paralysis. Every time he flinched; swearing that once more he would see her nearly killed by some beast of the wild.

A growl built in his throat before he really knew it was happening. Frustration, anger, an urge to protect her from all of this chaos – some combination of it all was making his muscles ache. Again the prince suffered under the weight of his fear; weak and stupid for every passing moment he did not help them. It felt disgusting. Neha was in there. The rumbling of Cernan's throat grew; forcing back his lips in a rarely seen snarl. His neck tingled with the bristling of his tawny fur. He could not just stand here. He would not just stand here. The youngest Vuesain broke from his bonds; golden eyes latching intensely onto this threat to their family. The hefty boy lurched into a lope; hurling all of his weight forward and parting his jaws in anticipation. His low growl was muffled beneath the flesh of the animal's flank; a grip maintained for only a second before the tormented creature whirled on him.    

Teeth caught onto his own shoulder and the pup squeaked; backpedaling just quick enough to free himself and get the hell out of its range. It hurt, but it was much less than it would have been without the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The actual wound was only a couple small punctures, likely similar to the one he'd inflicted on the bear, and soon there would be bruising as well. The prince grimaced and shook out his pelt; feeling it burn more and more now that he was out of harm's way. His brows furrowed and a whisper of moisture formed in his eyes. Cernan snapped at its legs the second the thing was dumb enough to face the other way. The boy wasn't so keen on actually biting it again after that; but he sure was upset.     

(This post was last modified: Apr 05, 2016, 02:32 PM by Cernan.)