Wild Cherry Orchard work it HARDER make it BETTER

All welcome! If you help me finish this and have a LPP thread of your own, I will return the favour.

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>WORK IT MAKE IT DO IT MAKES US</i></b></font>
<i>This</i> was why Marsh didn't leave the falls.

Due to an odd sense of obligation - to who? himself? - Marsh had decided to explore further than he had since 'settling' near the waterfalls. Tedium wasn't something he normally had to battle, since Marsh always had a duty, a pack to serve, orders or commitments to fulfill. It was unsettling to have no responsibilities beyond his own survival; it felt like a half-existence, and it didn't satisfy.

Having yet to travel north - or south or east, in fact - of his temporary den, he decided to amend that. His decision was made by the wind; it blew from the north this morning. The land would come to his nose before he came to the land; he would be alert and safe and, best of all, informed. He was growing attached to this region; it felt good to be more confident with moving through it. Who knows what he would find; a better food source, a more defendable, secure area for a loner's den. Maybe some leadership, a reason to exist?

We can only hope.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Yellowed teeth bared, the wolf growled, the sound low and deep in his chest. Every muscle was tensed, his ears back, his tail high, his nerves like fire. He still had one foot in the water, forgotten, left there in the shallow bit of river he had been quenching his thirst with. It had been as innocent as that. Having naturally sought out the river as an easy landmark, he had been pleased to hear the gentle water movements, his own actions encouraged by it. He had thought it a good sign, a sign he could stop and rest. He had let his senses dull for just a moment, and it had cost him.</font>

He hadn't realised that the squat cherry trees he had been strolling casually through were the territory of a young, volatile black bear.

The beast hadn't even been fishing; he had been feasting on the cherries on the far side of the river, quite content. The wind had shifted since Marsh had set off, and was now far calmer and less southernly; Marsh no longer got a faceful of what was in front of him. That had been the first thing to go wrong.

The number of mistakes between that point and this, with Marsh desperately trying to present himself as a foe not worth taking on, were utterly lost and probably numerous.

The bear, edgy in his inexperience but great in his enthusiasm, growled back at the smaller wolf across the water, the noise rather more impressive in his larger lungs. He didn't seem to be able to decide what to do; on the one hand, he could make noises until the wolf went away and carry on eating. On the other hand, he could charge over there and rip the things to shreds; though there was much less difference between a wolf of Marsh's stature and a black bear than a wolf and a grizzly bear, the bear still had a distinct advantage. Marsh could not hope to match his power. The best he could do was hope to outrun the bear, but to turn tail would be to encourage a chase. Though his muscles did not burn, they had been eager for a rest, and though Marsh was quite sure of his stamina, he wasn't so confident about his speed. Would the fact that the bear had to rush across the narrow river give him enough of a head start? For now, it was stalemate, but the bear wasn't one for waiting; upping his vocal output to an impressive bellow, he dropped his paws into the river, advancing just the tiniest bit, pushing his advantage, testing his foe.

Marsh was still undecided.

What was a wolf to do?
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>HARDER BETTER FASTER STRONGER</i></b></font></blockquote>

Not far from the Blackberry Fields, one of Alexander's latest haunts (despite his clear hatred of the little purple things), was a cherry orchard. Wild cherries. Alexander couldn't imagine much difference in taste between a berry and a cherry, hell, they even rhymed, but the view was much prettier than that of the blackberry bushes, so it seemed like a nice place to investigate.

It had been rather nice at first. He'd given cherry tasting a try, and while the taste was better than that of the berries, he still didn't like them much. The prey was scarce in this area it seemed, since the trees were higher, though he could smell the occasional rabbit trail. They'd probably ran out to collect any fallen fruits. It didn't matter much. He wasn't hungry to begin with.

He could hear the light running of water not far from where he lay, faux-napping. It was an easy way to relax. However, the easy sound of the river was interrupted by the very loud sound of a bear. Alexander jumped up first in surprise, but it was curiosity that made him sneak forward, and he was glad he did it. What met his pale yellow eyes was a frightening sight. A bear and a wolf in a bit of a face off. Well, not even a bit. It seemed that the bear was already fairly set on going after the wolf.

While Alex was no match on his own for a bear, despite his size, he could perhaps give this other wolf a bit of a fighting chance. Alexander moved into a low run around the bear, till he'd closed the distance just a little bit. "Hey!" He barked, still crouched, and snarled at the black bear, hoping to distract him or make him change his mind. He wasn't sure what the threatened wolf's idea was, but Alexander was just hoping that he'd making it a reality.

Feel free to control our ursine friend if you want to :D

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>MORE THAN HOUR OUR NEVER</i></b></font>
It was thus that the scales were tipped, just slightly, into Marsh's favour. Normally, Marsh was prepared to view a fellow wolf as much of a potential threat as any bear, but the opposite scenario was entirely implausible. A bear would never leap in to save him from another wolf, but it seemed as though a wolf would leap in to save him from a bear.

Truthfully, the definition of 'save' was stretched, but the sudden appearance of the large grey male distracted the bear. A distraction was as good as a life saver. Marsh had to stop his curiosity from taking over - he wanted to find out who this mysterious hero was - because the matter at hand was still very much the matter at hand; the bear was outnumbered, but probably still weighed more than the two canines put together. His mind torn momentarily from the wolf across the water, the bear heaved himself around to face this new threat, appalled at the interruption and potential game breaker. Where had it come from, anyway? Stupid things - his mother had told him that the little creatures liked to work together, that they were <i>sneaky</i>-

Despite the hero's good intentions, and good initial results all it did for Marsh was complicate matters; before, it had only been his life on the line, and he could cope with that. He didn't care about the wellbeing of the other wolf - or, more rightly, he <i>normally</i> wouldn't, but then, he hadn't often seen such displays of kindness and aid without it being asked for.

Would Marsh have provided the same service on his own volition? Probably not. Altruism wasn't good for your survival.

The bear leant forwards on his wide paws, showing his teeth, and bellowed again with far more anger. As of right now, the larger, paler one was more of a threat; the copper one was across the water, and the pathetic creatures probably couldn't even swim. With that in mind, the bear's intentions shifted; he now wanted a piece of white fur in his teeth, bloodstained and defeated. How dare it threaten him? He could squash them with less effort than it took to pick berries. Which only served to remind him of the <i>real</i> reason he should be affronted; <i>they were spoiling his meal time</i>.

You never spoil a bear's meal time.

Crying out again in a very real threat, the bear gave minimal warning before rushing at the large grey wolf, itching to just swat it hard with one of his paws. Marsh saw this and froze for all of two seconds; his instincts told him to run whilst he wasn't the target, but then again, how often did you meet such an intriguing individual who was willing to antagonise a bear for a stranger? If nothing else, Marsh wanted to get a good lungful, see if this boy - no, he wasn't young, he was fully grown - if he fit into any of the jigsaw puzzles Marsh felt springing up around him in this land. Was he a Tainn? Did he have a motive?

Perhaps what drove him was simple dignity; this had been his fight, his mess, and he wouldn't be seen as weak. He couldn't think of himself as weak. Tensing his hindquarters, the wolf leapt into the water, glad for the river's calm and narrow width, and rushed through; he would not be in time to prevent the first attack, but should the hero be able to shrug off the advances of an over-enthusiastic, underskilled bear (and let's face it, anything else would be disappointing) he could at least offer the same kind of distraction in return.

It almost felt like being in a pack again, if in extremely diluted form. That, most of all, propelled Marsh, encouraging the snarls and antagonistic yelps he uttered in an attempt to disorientate the bear further.
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>EVER AFTER WORK IS OVER</i></b></font></blockquote>

As the bear turned suddenly on him, Alexander pondered if he'd really thought this through. He assumed that the threatened male would make a run for it, but he'd hoped that, perhaps, with the distraction he'd attack, catching the bear off guard. Either way, it seemed that Alexander would get the initial brunt, but he certainly wouldn't just let the bear whack him. Sure, it was no adult, but it had massive paws, and Alex could almost feel his leg snapping imagining being hit by the bear.

His ears twisted back in mind agony as the bear, very close to him, released yet another, though more powerful roar. The gray male growled right back, trying to keep his attention off of the whereabouts of the other wolf, and focus more on the imminent threat that was now very quickly coming at him. He managed to move out of the way, but not fast enough to completely avoid the painful claws of the young bear. They slammed awkwardly into his backside, nearly sending him over as he lunged for the bear's side, latching his jaws into its thick shoulder.

He heard now the barking protests of the other male, and leaped away to find a new place to attack. He was pleased to hear that the other wolf had remained behind to assist, though Alexander would have preferred him elsewhere. No reason for them both to get killed. Perhaps that was a bit dramatic though.

The bear had twisted around now, face-to-face with Alexander. There were mild twinges of fear flowing along with the adrenaline, and it took him a bit longer than before to attack, unlike the bear who was probably too young to bother thinking about it. Thankfully the bear was also slower, being larger, and Alexander attempted to swerve around to the side again, biting at the beast's legs. He caught glimpses of the other wolf from beneath the bear, and leaped back for a moment to ensure that the other was still safe, "You okay there?" was his quickly barked question before he returned to his attack.

The bear had reared up again, probably pleased that he could loom even more over the two small wolves, but now that the other had rejoined the battle, it seemed conflicted, roaring in fury and confusion.

Hmm, gonna set this before the thread with Honijo, assuming it continues after my interruption. *doesn't wanna be a thread killer* D:

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>WORK IT MAKE IT DO IT MAKES US</i></b></font>
Marsh was compelled to move <i>faster</i> as he saw the bear lash out, catching the wolf by his hindquarters, probably with enough force to seriously check him. Somehow, for some reason, the other returned the aggression, leaping in with teeth bared; he managed to get some hurt in, and Marsh was left boggled. They were seriously going to attack this thing? Bears weren't to be taken lightly! The most Marsh had ever intended was to attempt intimidation, which was made a lot easier with two wolves. They could harass whilst the bear tried to overwhelm, and in the end, they would frustrate it into submission.

At least, this was Marsh's take on things; he wasn't going to put his face anywhere near those claws or teeth. The insane hero could do what he liked.

One aspect seemed to be working; as Marsh finally got completely clear of the river and bank, coming to quickly circle the bear, he watched the melee taking place between the two predators. They both went in for the attack and the wolf was faster, and for just a moment they made eye contact. In that moment, he was sure he did not know this wolf. Two strangers fighting for survival, partly against their own stupidity - and most of all, Marsh's. He had been the one to initiate the whole mess.

This moment of reflection was interrupted by the barked question and the sudden rearing of the bear. Not wanting to worry about his incompetence with words right now, Marsh gave a sharp bark of confirmation; that would have to be enough. The bear roared, frustrated and feeling outnumbered, and Marsh skipped away from it a little. He tried to bound around towards the white-faced wolf, but just as he turned direction, the bear landed on all fours again, hard, creating a physical barrier. Damn, but bears were really kinda large, even little black ones. Recognising his first irritation, the bear decided to make a swipe at Marsh this time, but the smaller copper wolf had been purposefully keeping his distance and dodged with little problem. Abandoning his intentions of grouping with the grey male, he decided instead to reinforce the bear's disorientation and ran behind the hulking beast, snarling with all the ferocity he could muster. The foolish bear pivoted on the spot, following Marsh, momentarily forgetting the while male.

Marsh wasn't going to risk an assault, but the insane white hero seemed willing to do so - and with the bear's back to him for a few seconds, the hero could probably cause a little more grievance. All they needed to do was prove that a pair of wolves was too much trouble, right?
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>HARDER BETTER FASTER STRONGER</i></b></font></blockquote>

His call received only a bark, which was enough for him, as he could see that the other wolf was okay physically. The bear seemed distracted by the brownish wolf now, but Alexander was in no position yet to make any sort of worthwhile attack. He knew quite well that they'd have no chance killing the bear, which was silly anyway. It was young and stupid, it just needed to be roughed up a bit, that was all. If they could infuriate it enough, maybe it would just leave.

Alexander was faced with his chance when the bear decided that the brownish wolf was its new prey. With the bear's back to him, he lunged at its hindquarters, almost attempting to scrabble onto its back, but with the bear in motion, it was much easier said than done. But he'd gotten a good chomp in, perhaps the bear would see that as enough. The bear turned once more, easily noticing that his butt had been bitten, and turned to the gray wolf with a snarl, but Alexander could tell that the silly beast was giving in.

The bear outstretched a lazy paw, attempting to bat at the wolf, but Alexander thankfully dodged it, and made a false lunge towards the bear's face. "Go." As he recoiled, he barked, ears back in fury, pale yellow eyes attempting to stare the bear down, despite the fact that the bear was larger. And that was enough. He was sure that the bear had no idea what he'd said, but the way he'd said it seemed to do the trick.

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>WORK IT HARDER MAKE IT BETTER</i></b></font>
They were winning.

What had started as a situation with no victory in sight had all been changed by the introduction of this grey male. Marsh could tell that they were winning, he could sense the strain and increased stress in the bear, he could tell that their combined efforts were more than enough to beat this thing. He watched as the grey male attacked again, prompting the bear to twist about again - but this was too much effort, and the bear was quickly realising that it would continue to be too much effort. He couldn't face them both at the same time, and they were starting to hurt. It wasn't fair!

The grey wolf's manner was more than enough to make up for the language barrier, and Marsh could tell that it was working; he moved slowly about, just enough to enter the bear's range of vision, adding to the intimidation and reminding him that there were two of them. The bear hesitated, glancing between them, squaring them up, but then huffed.

One step back signalled defeat. Marsh snapped his jaws, keeping up the aggressive appearance, encouraging the bear to just keep moving. Once more he looked between the two wolves, but finally concluded that it was a lost cause. It wasn't fair, but that was life. Perhaps he would go on to pick - and follow through - his fights a little better in the future. His inexperience had just lessened a little.

Grunting and snorting with displeasure, the bear continued to back off, never giving either wolf an opening for an attack. When he was a safe distance, he broke that off and loped quietly away, still in the area but no longer interested in conflict. Marsh was somewhat stunned.

Twitching his ears, he turned his head to look the grey wolf squarely with one eye. There was only one question. <b>"Why?"</b>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>DO IT FASTER MAKES US STRONGER</i></b></font></blockquote>

Alexander sighed, carefully setting his bruised backside on the grass, before craning his neck over his shoulders to make sure that there wasn't any long lasting damage. It hurt, that much he knew, but the damage seemed to be internal...Well, there wasn't any blood, at least. He hoisted himself up again only to find the pale eyes of the copper wolf on him, and he sat down once more.

Despite the bluntness of the question, he'd sort of been expecting it. Why had he come to the rescue of this unknown wolf? He had no ties to him, wanted nothing from him. So why? "You looked like you needed some help. I couldn't just let you die." Of course, at the same time, it was a rather silly question. Unless one was completely heartless, they wouldn't let one of their own kind get slaughtered by a bear. Alexander would never be able to sleep again if he'd just walked away.