Nightingale Palisade ignite your bones

Askan stood hunched, his body coiled and tense. Don't get him wrong, he talked big but really he had absolutely no intentions of having a throw down with a bear. It was huge! He just had to make it seem as though he wanted to, he just had to buy enough time for Lorcan to pull his head out of his ass. The bear- thank the Gods- really did not appreciate being yelled at and instead turned its focus and ire to Askan- who was a little more prepared to withstand the brunt of it. Inching back a little, Askan's throat vibrated with the force of his growl as he risked a quick glance in Lorcan's direction.

Thankfully, Lorcan wasn't as dumb as he seemed. He'd made a break for it, which meant that Askan was now free to do the same. Now, he only just had to- The bear took a thudding step towards him, intent on doing something- Askan didn't want to find out. He did not want to be made into wolf-chow, he was content to live and breathe. Even if he didn't always act like it.

He had been about to run as fast as his stumpy legs would take him, when Lorcan's grating voice snapped up his attention. It was rather difficult for Askan to resist the urge to send him a withering look, but somehow he managed.Really, Askan didn't need to be told twice. He'd done his bit, he was ready to blow this joint.

"Yes yes, I'm coming!" Askan yelled back with twice as much fervour.

With that, Askan whipped around and broke into a sprint. It was in times like this that he resented his little legs, they got him from a to b with no problem but when it really counted, when he really had to move it they just didn't seem enough. 

"Damn it!" Askan hissed as he jerked his body to the left to stop him ramming headfirst into a tree.

Perhaps he could have thought his plan through a little more, or at least come up with an escape route. Running panicked through a snowy woods, with a angry bear charging his ass was really not what he wanted right now. He just wanted to go home.He wanted to nap beneath the trees and listen to Percy prattle on about her day. That sounded nice. But nope, he was in the shit and all because he had a damn conscience.

(This post was last modified: Oct 14, 2016, 08:06 PM by Askan.)

CAN'T YOU RUN ANY FASTER?! ITS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!

Everything went seemingly quiet. The world seemed to dull around him as his golden eyes tunnelled in on Askan. Lorcan could feel his heart thumping in his chest and a subtle ache across the bridge of his nose where a single vein fluttered in distress. Adrenaline was now coursing through his blood. Russet ears perked up when he caught Askan’s first response and he felt his black claw grip down into the earth and his muscles coiling, preparing to spring into action should the male’s words not match his actions.

Thankfully, Askan followed through and began sprinting back towards him, well, as best as his shorter legs would allow him. Lorcan’s lips parted in horror as his golden eyes darted between the retreating figure of Askan and the advancing bear which bulldozed a few metres after him. His muscles tensed, body stooping low as he watched in panic. “ASKAN. WATCH OUT!!” Lorcan barked, anxious that the brute wasn’t aware that the beast was right behind him.

Perhaps he should have warned him about the tree instead. Lorcan grimaced, eyes clenching shut, half expecting to hear an almighty thud. Luckily when his onyx lashes fluttered open, Askan was not crumpled up against a tree and was still running haphazardly towards him. Lorcan wasn’t sure what to do. The grizzly didn’t appear to be slowing down and it was hard to manoeuvre with all these trees in the way. They had to get to open land. “Turn back towards the lowlands!” He shouted, hoping he would understand. “We can lose it out there! RUN!!”—he hoped.

Turning back, Lorcan raced back to the tree where he had dashed his precious bouquet of plants and swiftly gathered them back into his jowls. Then he stood still for a moment, allowing Askan and the bear to catch up, paws braced for movement. The moment Askan’s figure became parallel to his, Lorcan sprinted to run directly beside him so that bear was chasing both of them, then after a few metres, Lorcan curved around to the right and immediately began sprinting back the way he had come – back towards the lowlands.

As he sprinted past the bear who was still advancing on Askan he swerved in close, dangerously close, to catch the bears attention and encourage it to chase after him instead. He knew Askan couldn’t run as fast, Lorcan was more swift and agile. At least if the bear was chasing him, Askan would have slightly more time to escape to the lowlands. That is, if his plan even worked.

 

(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2016, 10:10 AM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Askan had eyes, he didn't need to be told to watch out. That said, he slightly appreciated the sentiment- or at least as much as he could considering there was a snarling, bear thundering after his short arse. He didn't dare look back, but Askan could hear the beasts paws thudding against the snow carpeted ground. Even his own footfalls, which were heavy and tumultuous,were dwarfed in comparison. How the fuck did that bear get so big? Did it eat an elk whole or something? 

"I'm trying here! Stop giving me such a hard time!" Askan snapped back, wasting valuable breath.

Gritting his teeth, Askan pushed on, urging himself, forcing his muscles to work overtime. He needed to go faster than this, he had to unless he wanted to become the bears new chew toy. But no matter how hard he pushed, how much he strained and struggled he just couldn't. It just wasn't happening. All the more, running blindly like this wasn't going to get them anywhere, Askan knew that and surely even Lorcan must have figured that out by now. He could run for a long time, he wasn't worried about getting tired but was the point if-

The bear let out a snarl of frustration, it was clearly tiring of his chase, but instead of giving up it simply ducked its head down and ploughed forward with a sudden and impressive burst of speed. Shit shit shit. Askan's tail automatically tucked between his legs and he swerved to the right, weaving around a tangle of branches. His ears twitched at the sound of Lorcan's voice- he was making a faint, muffled suggestion- and Askan couldn't help but think, yes that was a good idea. Feelings be damned, he was willing to put his ire to the side. If Lorcan wanted to head to the Lowlands then that's where they were going.

With his heart racing in his chest and his breath loud in his ears, Askan raced towards Lorcan, who thankfully had paused to give him time to catch up. If he had time to, the Yukon wolf would have likely felt bitter about the sheer difference in their speed. Lorcan was sleek and swift, and Askan was.... Not. But there was no time for such pettiness, they had to get a move on. Together.

Running side by side, Asksan couldn't help but grunt out in alarm when Lorcan suddenly disappeared from the corner of his eye. He wanted to skid to a stop, to see where the hell the Whitestoner had gone, but his body wouldn't let him. Instinct had taken over, there was a threat on his tail and there was no way that he was going to stop and take a moment to look back. 

"Lorcan? Come on!" Askan called, not slowing his pace as he dashed in the general direction of his home, the Lowlands. "I'm not leaving without your sorry ass!"

(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2016, 04:06 PM by Askan.)

@Craw join whenever you want

Lorcan watched in frustration as Askan legged it as fast as he possibly could from the enraged bear. He just wasn’t fast enough. Through half-clenched eyes Lorcan grimaced as the grizzly seemed to be gradually catching up…inch by inch, its enormous body closing the gap between it and the swarthy wolf. It was obvious that Askan was struggling to get away without speed on his side, but that didn’t stop the brute from snapping back to retort. Lorcan sorted, sending a hot cloud of air out from his nostrils as he rolled his eyes.

He had no way of knowing if Askan would carry out his plan, but there was no time for confirmation. As Lorcan swerved around to race in the opposite direction, he hoped that Askan would take the opportunity to escape. As he ran back past the bear, snaking in closer to draw its attention away from the lowland wolf, the bear behaved as he had expected: Slowing down just enough to jerk its colossal head around to snap its jaws in his direction, dark brown eyes glaring at him as he sprinted away without a scratch.

Glancing back behind him, he quickly search for the bear, hoping that it would now be chasing after him instead of Askan. However, to his horror it had turned its attention back onto the slower moving lowlander who was now also making a break for the lowlands. At least something was going to plan…sort of. With Askan’s retreating figure still in the corner of his eye, Lorcan too raced out towards the lowlands. It was then he heard the male call out to him. “I'M HERE!!” He barked back, as he ran parallel to the male a fair distance away. “Don’t stop!!” He snarled, golden eyes darting back to the grizzly.

Finally he broke away from the cover of the trees and out onto the edges of the snow-covered lowlands. He continued running, trying to get as much distance away from the trees without tiring himself out completely. Then, slamming his paws to a slippery halt, he tossed the bouquet of herbs to one side and raced across Askan and the bear. Keeping a safe distance Lorcan circled around to the back-end of the bear and lunged for its rump, sharp teeth nipping at its big hairy ass. Leaping back just as the bear twisted around, he moved again, once again racing around to nip it from behind.

Black lips curled back as he flashed his fangs at the beast and snarled. He could keep this up for hours if need be. With any luck the grizzly would be bored long before then.

(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2016, 06:39 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

The absence had not been missed. Craw wondered if he had grown a little too complacent in his belief that his subordinates broke the mold of unreliable and flaky wolves he had known so many of in the past, and if he had had to pick one to go absent, it wouldn't have been @Lorcan. @Greer and @Celandine were the only two who could be forgiven for any prolonged absences, as it suited their tasking, but Lorcan? He had asked @Morganna if she had sent the aspiring healer off on some extended trip for weeds or pink flowers or whatever, but alas... Had Craw misjudged him? Combined with the disappointment, though, was an undeniable and genuine concern; what if the man had gotten himself in trouble and that was the reason for his absence?

His scouts never reported any sign of the medic. But perhaps it was too soon to close that door. There was still time for a suitable explanation to smooth it over, he was not prepared to condemn the man yet.

The air billowed out in white puffs in front of his face, his jaws barely parted as he panted, each breath a soft cloud in front of his face. It had felt good to push himself, to so spontaneously move into that sprint after enjoying the simple sight of his pawprints and wanting to see how long he could make his strides. It had been a silly thing, a childish game, but he felt warmer and more alive, and when he looked back at the distance he had run through the delicate layer of snow with his monadnock in the distance - yes, he had enjoyed it very much.

Snorting at himself, Craw shook his head and pointed himself back south, and had begun to settle into another comfortable pace when a moving shape in the distance caught his attention. At first he took no more mind of it than any passing interest, glancing over at it almost lazily, but then he just as quickly identified two more shapes. And, even from this distance, the largest of them was highly distinctive, and the skin on the back of his neck prickled.

There were clearly two other wolves already dealing with it (or being dealt with themselves, more like) so he did consider leaving them to it, because what idiots messed with a grizzly? They deserved every broken bone they got. But something kept his eye focused, and as the unhappy trio made their way further into the lowlands and out of the trees, Craw couldn't help but feel like...

Oh for fuck sake. Ears pulling back and lips curling in immediate anger and frustration, the spider pushed forward, intending on meeting the quarrelers head-on, and once within earshot of his packmate and the once-starving fool barked harshly to announce himself - not that he expected the grizzly to care, it was already riled up, it would take a whole pack to intimidate it into stepping down. Like hell was he going to summon all of Whitestone to save a potential deserter, let alone fucking @Askan, of all wolves.

As usual, he would just have to fix it himself. Swerving off before barrelling head-on into the angry bear and his playthings, Craw strafed them to come on the opposite side to his idiotic subordinate, firmly planting himself as another distraction for the grizzly to have to deal with. They had slow wits and tiny minds but those flaws were compensated with absolutely huge claws, and Craw was not prepared to underestimate them. Were these fools even worth it?

(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2016, 08:55 PM by Craw.)

Craw <3 Also, lemme know if this response it okay with y'all

Well that was something at least. By no means did Askan hold any affection for Locan, but he wouldn't go as far to want him dead either. If anything, he felt a aloof sort of apathy for the Whitestoner. He could continue doing whatever the hell he wanted, as long as it didn't involve him. That frame of mind didn't and couldn't really apply to this situation, as it seemed as though they were just taking turns in baiting the bear on the others behalf. Honestly, Askan thought he'd done a better job of it, considering how distracting he had been, but he supposed beggars could not be choosers. Especially when said beggar was running away with his tail tucked between his legs, like a coward. Pathetic.

Still, Askan would rather be an alive coward than a dead hero. Sure, he'd been willing to put his life on the line for Percy and the others (maybe not Icicle though) but now that he had time to sort of think about it, he decided that the same could not be said for Lorcan. Earlier had been a fluke, a lapse in judgement. Next time, if there ever was one, he certainly wouldn't put his neck on the line like this. That's what he told himself anyway.

That line of thought was effectively yanked away from him by the sudden- and unwanted- appearance of another wolf, one that Askan really did not want to see right now. Hurtling to a stop, Askan whipped his head around just in time to see Craw- that self-conceited, arrogant bossy fuck- plant himself in front of the raging beast.

The hell was he doing there? And why- Askan shook his head, now wasn't the time to start pondering on the whys, whats and ifs. If Craw decided he wanted to wrestle the bear, well he wished the bear a well deserved victory. Lorcan on the other hand... Askan began to move again, trotting at a brisk enough speed to actually make it worth while, but slow enough that he could see what was going on every time he glanced over his shoulder, his sides heaving with his previous efforts. He was a little tired, but it wasn't nearly enough to deter him from continuing putting distance between himself, the bear and Craw.

He'd have to tell the Old man about this. He hadn't done anything wrong this time, but he had still had a run in with the neighbours. Something Drestig still intended to scold him about, he just hadn't gotten around to it yet. No doubt he'd turn it into some sort of life lesson, Askan couldn't contain a weary sigh.

From his position- not so far away- Askan saw the bear skid to a stop, as best as a hulking beast of that size could. Snow and soggy leaves were sent flying as the bear tossed its colossal head left and right trying to keep both of the wolves in its line of sight.  It seemed as though Craw was just as skilled in the art of distraction was Askan was, something the Yukon wolf felt rather bitter about. Then again it couldn't exactly be blamed, Craw was a rather big- again to Askan's disdain. 

"Come on, tear him in half." Askan muttered to himself as he sped up a little, as though he was worried Craw would actually hear his scathing words.

Lunging forwards, Lorcan leapt up to nip the bear on the rump for a fifth time. It seemed to be working, or so he had convinced himself, as the grizzly once again swerved around to try and bite and swipe its gigantic claws at him. Again it missed, with the agouti male managing to swiftly sidestep out of the way.

Askan seemed to be taking a back seat now, much to Lorcan’s annoyance. The guy could at least help. Or perhaps the brute enjoyed watching Lorcan narrowly avoid serious injury again and again. His top lip curled in agitation at the thought as he instinctively moved around to circle the livid bear, biding his time before he could strike at it again.

That time never came, however, as his seemingly pissed off superior charged into the assault. Lorcan took a step back, wide eyed in disbelief as Craw took on the beast. Lorcan certainly didn’t want to know what it felt like to be the bear. Feeling encouraged, Lorcan continued to circle the beast, swiping at it and biting at its rear whenever it turned away from him to focus on Craw.

With him and Craw attacking it from two directions and Askan skulking around in the background, the bear was surrounded. All they had to do was make it leave. Slowly Lorcan swerved around so that he stood parallel to Craw, both facing the bear from the opposite direction to the surrounding forest. A snarl tugged at the agouti male’s face as he took three deliberate steps forwards, snapping his jaws in the air, hoping to encourage to bear to retreat back into the woods where it had come from.

The sooner this was over, the sooner Lorcan could return with his herbs back to the pack along with Craw…who he prayed wouldn’t be too angry with him about his absence, once he explained the whole story.

(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2016, 09:40 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

His involvement had the intended effect of adding distraction for the bear, but Craw was not planning on helping to fight it. He had no idea how the two fools had managed to get an adult grizzly so pissed off in the first place, but there was plenty of time to call them out on it later - right now he had a situation to deal with. And as Askan disappeared from his periphery (and the guy was a waste of space so who even cared) so Lorcan seemed spurred on by the arrival of his superior - and Craw quickly learned why the bear was so aggressive.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he hissed, eyes flashing past the bear to Lorcan as the smaller wolf pushed towards the far mightier foe, jaws snapping, as though he could take it on by himself. Or maybe he thought that he and Craw combined could - maybe he'd never tried to fight a full-grown grizzly male before. But ignorance was hardly an excuse. "Back the fuck off." The bear rumbled and though it stepped back initially, rose to its hind legs and gave an impressive display at the puny wolf so intent on trying to force it into retreating, clearly declaring that it would not be so easily intimidated. Clearly it had chased them this far, was there really much difference between two little wolves and three little wolves? It was obvious that nothing Craw had previously said about power had stuck - or maybe Lorcan had interpreted it a little too eagerly, and now thought that he could take on anything if he displayed enough gusto.

The weak gave way to the strong. It was not a loss of pride to admit that two wolves could not take on an adult male grizzly bear near the end of his getting-ready-for-winter bulking period.

To show that he wasn't just full of shit, Craw took steps back in contrast to Lorcan's steps forward, though maintained his bared teeth and defensive stance. It wasn't that he was inviting the bear to finish them off - just to accept that it had won. Bears didn't eat wolves. Unless the pair of them had done something so egregious to make it want to finish them out of spite or justice or pure rage, then showing a little (and obviously late) respect should be enough -

and if not, then the bear could have them and they deserved what they got.

(This post was last modified: Oct 17, 2016, 05:43 PM by Craw.)

Askan really, truly, did not want to agree with that grey bastard, but even he had to agree that it was time to back down. The two of them weren't going to take it down, or scare it into submission, so backing down was the only way they were going to get out of that mess.  Really, Lorcan should have just followed in Askan's footsteps. He was making it pretty obvious that he had no intentions of fighting anymore, the bear didn't even seem to care that he was loitering around. It was too busy paying attention to the other two.

The bear, despite the big fuss it had kicked up prior, seemed to read Craw's message loud and clear. No one had anything to gain by keeping up this feud, the bear simply wanted to forage in peace and would likely be content to leave the wolves alone if they paid it the same respect. It had been startled earlier, but this confrontation was quickly becoming a waste of its time and energy. Even from his position Askan could see that the bear was quickly loosing interest, its eyes were still sharp and alert, but it thumped down to four paws and huffed out a puff of warm air. It spared a glance at the other wolf, Lorcan had wisely stopped trying to provoke it, before it began to stomp away with its pride intact. Unlike Lorcan and Askan, who had to be saved by Craw all of wolves.

Askan couldn't help but sigh in relief. At least now he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally luring a bear to the pack lands, that'd be an awful mess to try and clear up. Especially considering their small numbers. Now that it was all said and done, Askan wanted out. He didn't want to linger and hang out with his neighbours, but he didn't want to make it seem as though he was scared of him. Because he wasn't, he wasn't scared of no one, and especially not that bossy entitled son of a-

Wait though, did Lorcan and Craw know each other? The look Craw was giving him, scathing and cold, certainly suggested that he did. Did that mean that Craw was the alpha of the Whitestone pack? Askan didn't like Lorcan, but really did he deserve that asshole to be his alpha? That had to be a fate worse than death. The thought of it was enough to make Askan want to hurl. 

Whatever. Askan had no reason to stay, he'd done his part and was ready to leave. Dragging his gaze away from the others, Askan turned to leave, to head home.

Askan wants to leave , but feel free to make him stay if need be.

craw, watch yo promanity :<

The dimwit with a deathwish listened, at least, and fell back almost immediately. Just as quickly, the dynamic of the confrontation changed; now that the wolves had finally relented (and that it took Craw joining in to get them to surrender was something special) the bear was satisfied. Why they had been clashing in the first place was a complete and baffling mystery, but all it took was showing a little respect. Had Craw been passing by with @Isuni and @Wraith at his side - and indeed any number of the others - then it might have been a different matter. But he hadn't lived this long by not knowing how to pick his battles.

As the bear huffed and wandered back to the forest, Craw initially relaxed, but then a wave of sheer frustrated anger set all his fur on end once more, and if anything his aggression rose notches higher than when he had been staring down an adult grizzly bear. Rounding on @Lorcan with tail high and teeth bared, he saw that the man was in decent health (and, considering, that was a damn miracle) but in that moment he didn't really care about anything except the hot poker of outrage firmly lodged up his ass.

"Where the fuck have you been," he snarled, voice growing louder with every word, "what the fuck were you doing with @Askan, and why the fuck were you trying to fight a fucking prime grizzly?!"