Fool's Gold Chasm chills

Open to anyone in Fool's Gold Chasm (except puppies)! Set on the borders, midmorning, 5/31/2021.
The bison is infected with bovine malignant catarrhal fever - it is not contagious to canines.
Mature to graphic descriptions of illness and injury.
RE: Riven, you have inadvertently angered a bull bison. He has taken offense to your close proximity and is charging.

Riven had taken Adelard's words to heart and occasionally took quick strolls down the border to refresh the markings. The methods for doing so were quite weird, and he still felt a little awkward, but he figured he was getting the hang of it. It wasn't as though he was some big brute, and he doubted he could scare anyone off, even if he tried. But still, he wanted to help, and it was nice to get out and stretch his legs, unworried about the mothers and their pups as they began wandering from their dens.

It was peaceful, now that there were no more estranged sisters barging into the territory and causing a scene. Riven basked in the quiet, appreciating the serene morning as he made his way around the border. It was supposed to be a quick stroll before noon, taking care to make it known that the borders were marked and defended, but it seemed that the day had other plans.

There was a familiar huffing sound, accompanied by heavy footfalls in the undergrowth. Back home, in the plains, there had been a large population of bison - Riv had always avoided them, for obvious reasons, but occasionally the hunters would be able to bring a young one down. He had not known them to wander so deeply into a forest, but that didn't seem to bother this one too much. A lone bull, large and stocky, but also definitively wrong in nature.

Mucus dripped from its nose and mouth, head hung low and eyes a milky blue. Riven had gotten much closer to the bull than he'd realized, and he took a quick few steps back, cringing as a branch cracked beneath his foot. Immediately, the bull's head turned toward him, eyes wide and unseeing, and with a deep bellow, it charged.

Riven scrambled to turn and run, but the bull was just a hair faster. He supposed he was lucky; the head connected pretty evenly with his side, but it didn't mean the collision didn't hurt. The healer didn't really know how far he flew, but he did connect with a tree at some point, and he felt his head bounce off the bark and the air was driven from his lungs. Adrenaline was an excellent painkiller, though, and the little wolf immediately darted beneath a bush to his left, plastering his body to the ground and watching the gigantic animal from beneath. He was fighting to remain quiet and catch his breath simultaneously, which was nigh on impossible with the pain in his side and head.

The bison swung its head around blindly, letting out distressed grunts and bellows, and later Riven might feel bad for the poor creature. It staggered, but didn't fall, and Riven pressed his ears to his aching skull. Something wet dripped down his left temple, and he didn't have to look to know that he was most likely bleeding.

All he could do was wait it out; eventually, it would lose interest and have to leave... right?

(This post was last modified: May 31, 2021, 06:46 AM by Riven.)

She hated leaving the cubs for any length of time, but it wouldn't do to starve to death. So off to the caches she went, almost missing the bison's stink as she crossed over it's path. Silvery brows furrowed as she considered her options. Perhaps it was unwise to follow the trail, but Saga wouldn't be able to relax until she confirmed that the creature had seen it's way outside of their territory. Even a single bovine was a danger to the cubs, regardless of whether they were still den-bound or not.

As the musk grew stronger, so too did the scent of blood. Panic flared in her stomach, blossoming out with each shallow breath. When her green eyes finally came upon the scene, Riven was already out of sight, but his scent was strong. Gods, why was he here?

Saga watched the bull thrash about, unable to lift her paws to do... well, anything. She was afraid to call out, lest she garner the beast's attention, but Riven was here somewhere. Shit.

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun

Woya likewise did not intend to stumble upon any of this. When the scent of blood became clear, however, she knew it could not be avoided. Whatever was happening could not happen here, in her brother's territory, with his children toddling about. With little thought to her own well being she took off like a shot, following the trails. It horrified her to catch Saga's scent as well; was she the one hurt?!

All she could think of were those tiny faces, how upset they would be if their mother didn't come home.

When she arrived on scene, Woya gave herself little time to think and assess; what she did know was the danger. It needed to be gone. She took a deep breath, prepared herself for what was to come, and then burst forward. With loud snarling and yammering barks she lunged at the bison, wanting to steal all of it's attention and ire. The next moment, as it thrashingly reacted, she sprinted away as fast as her legs would carry her, hopefully leading it North, away from the pack.

She was fast, she could do this. Unless the stupid thing didn't want to play along, or she tripped, or...

(This post was last modified: Jun 24, 2021, 12:38 AM by Woya.)