The skeletal man had not been having a good day. His fur was rigid and spiked along his spine as he traipsed about in the frigid glacial air. Steam rose from his nose in a few short puffs and he paused in his trek, glancing back to where his tail used to be and was now nothing more than a bloody stump. The fur that remained there was coated in the thick crimson, and though he had tried his best to keep from moving it around, it had managed to reopen several times in his trek back towards the taiga. His only thought had been to find somewhere cold to keep it from flowing; the loss was not massive, but it was enough to make the coywolf’s head spin and his breathing ragged. Gluska was mad that he had not succeeded in pulling the pearly woman back to his cavern in the dragon territory.
 
Scuttling his way into the glacial land, the creature found himself upon some frigid, icy water. He peered curiously at it, knowing well that it would not help to soothe the aches that occurred where his tail had been. He could almost still feel it there – as if the dark brute had not managed to rip it away and it merely dangled in place. Gritting his teeth, the coywolf turned himself and lowered his rear into the ice, hissing at the pain that filled his back end. His eyes shot toward the sky and he parted his jaws to cry out once more, only this time he heard a different noise. Bear.
 
Pulling his rear out of the water and shaking himself, the skeletal figure drew his ears forward atop his crown and peered with citrine eyes in the direction the sound had originated. Curiosity had always been a weakness of his. With a quiet resolve, the man darted in the direction of the noise and thought that he might have happened across a young bear, weak from starvation. Instead, he caught sight of a pale figure – just as beautiful as the one on the beach – and the rearing form of the massive predator. His eyes shot wide and he stared between the bear and the wolf. The female was sure to be swiped by the larger animal if she was not careful. The animal that rose over her did not look as though it would negotiate.
 
Darting form his hiding spot, the coywolf male leapt through the air and latched his fangs on whatever he could grip. Once his eyes adjusted to where he was, he noted that he had gripped firmly to the paw of the bear and in a moment of surprise, the beast cried out angrily, shaking his body like a ragdoll.

The beautiful pale woman was not entirely correct in her assumption of Glu being a brave soul. He was crazed and something of a lunatic; the bear had offered him an opportunity to explain how he had lost his tail. Should he admit that he had attempted to steal away a stunning child so that he could dissect her, he was certain to have faced some sort of immeasurable punishment from the stern Heda. He had been careful, though, and his pelt had stunk of sea brine and weeds from the ocean’s water. Were it not for the great big shadow that had come and ripped the tassel from his rear, he would have been successful in his attempt, and the Heda would have had to be pleased.
 
Needless to say, the day was full of regrets. As the coywolf remained latched onto the bear’s paw, he could feel his head grow light and dizzy from the toss and turn it was giving him. His claws dug into the arm of the beast, and Glu whipped his head to and fro in an attempt to peel flesh away from the massive creature. The bear was not pleased by this, and just as he was close to chomping down with his yellowed fangs, the pale wolf from below had darted up and latched onto its gullet.
 
Glu peered at her with a surprised expression – all the while still clinging desperately to the large predator’s arm. They would not be successful in killing it, but if they could startle it enough, it might very well disappear into the frozen tundra.
 
Loosening his grip on the arm, the coywolf was flung some several feet away and had landed with a sickening thud on his side. A yelp erupted from his mouth, but Gluskap pushed himself upwards and peered back at the brute. Eyes swimming, the cadaverous creature darted back into the fray. This time, he found his mark on a very tender place beneath the bear’s belly that would prove especially difficult to reach. He only hoped that the she-wolf would be able to remain tight in her hold.