the world went quiet. 

there was a moment, the briefest glimmer of denial in which her eddying bliss refused to believe it truly had heard that call, those words....bear...attack. in fact she went as far as to let trembling jaws part whilst widened eyes sought leta's, fruitlessly praying that she'd meet some sort of bemused warmth that proved that she'd surely imagined it as a breathy "was that...wha..." and then it passed, the mere seconds that cocooned her in sluggish denial left her in the dust and a terrible cold seeped into her chest, clutching with a tightness that made eyes water with the pain as she turned from the girl. 

there was a bear in the glen. 

she could think only of one thing as paws spurred to action and tore her in the direction of the call, west, west, west, please be okay oh my god west. if leta said anything she wouldn't hear, didn't even notice if the earthen girl followed- all she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears as bitter nausea stained her tongue. it had followed them; death. no, had it followed her? her family had died, then she'd joined easthollow and a predator had slain some of its members, ursus had arrived and then clay and then greyback...all since she joined. she'd been so foolish, so naive to think it'd ever stop because now she was here and...bear.

she didn't even notice the tears streaming down her face as she almost crashed right into the two males; could only loose a barely contained sob when she seen west alongisde osiris..alive he was alive.

"you're okay" she gasped, body trembling with the terror that she'd come across his mangled corpse, but he was here. he was okay. she felt like she was going to puke, jaw clenching in an effort to gather herself. he was okay but osiris's pack was in danger, now was not the time to let relief soothe the adrenaline hissing frantically within her system and eyes were dark as she could only hiss "i'm sorry" still so convinced that this was her fault, trapped in the mindset that death had left a mark on her and would forever trail her with mocking fervour.

Yakwahe was not pleased at being forced to leave the place of carnage. The wolves had been terrible playthings, though he felt some satisfaction at breaking the skinny one like a toothpick.

The monster rumbled forward, his paws pounding into the ground as an eagle pursued him overhead. The trees could not hide his bulk. Down his face and neck, blood streamed in little ribbons. Both of his back legs had been bitten, gravity forcing the wounds to stay open. His thick hide kept him going, for despite fighting off many wolves, he had escaped their harassment.

Rage pushed him onward rather than fear, for though he knew that he was outnumbered even with  their dead and dying, he would find other opportunities. One by one he would destroy them all. One by one they would die, until the earth was cleansed of their filth, a pure start for the cubs he would sire in the coming spring.

In the path of Yakwahe were four more, but he did not bother trying to evade them. Furiously he charged and roared, branches snapping under his heavy figure as he went straight for the ones in front. The monster had no time or care to even register their purpose. He was nothing but a terrifying mass coming from the forest like a blood-stained battering ram, teeth and claws swiping and biting wildly in a frenzy.

The eagle flew down to the scene already in play, having coasted along the trail of the bear on the suggestion of the mountain queen. There were others in the way of the rampaging monstrosity. His magneficient mottled form would have been a true sight to behold had the terrifying animal not been the key focus of the day.

Though the feathered creature had feasted upon the eyes of the shadow pack of the mountain just minutes before, he swooped down to fly a mere foot over the bear's head. His talons did not outstretch, however, as he passed over it and onto the branch of a tree.

The eagle settled in to watch with vague apathy.

she met his gaze, chest constricting oh so painfully at the graze of that familiar viridescence; startlingly calm against the midst of panic flurrying with such potency within her own trembling vessel. but she clung to his energy, let it wash over her and soothe the thrash of her heart at least a bit- because he was okay, they were okay. and there surely was that moment where the dove too fell victim to that same faux belief that caught ahold of west, that now that they'd found each other they were okay- that together, surely they would always prevail. she even went as far as to crack a knowing smile at the way in which leta's tumble into osiris ended up resembling what seemed very like an embrace of sorts; the faintest hints of mirth guttering in her mismatched look at the shared embrassment as they pulled away.

it seemed so natural, even if her senses hissed at what her heart tried to ignore. the quiet. they could've been the only living creatures left, not a hint of bird chatter, the scuffling of tiny critters or even the sounds of wolves fighting....it was so horribly silent.

and then, the surreal glass globe they lingered momentarily within shattered with the most terrifying, unearthly roar polaris had ever heard as a true monster crashed through the glen..right towards them; not a moment's hesitation...certain in its horrifying power. her mind started whirring, frantically attempting to rifle through memories and skills for something- anything that could protect it from such a behemoth. it made ursus' cruel leaders look like pups in comparison.

it was upon them in seconds, the stink of blood- both its own and what was unmistakably canine filling her nostrils and bringing bile up in the back of her throat as it collided with osiris and then west. had she brought something this terrible upon the glen? could this be the final card the world dealt her?

an enraged, primal screech tore itself from her throat as fear gave way to blinding, hot rage. they'd survive this, together, a last 'fuck you' to the universe and its shitty games and then...then it'd leave them alone, she was certain. 

the girl lunged, pearly fangs bared at the ready as she launched herself at its hind paws; desperately hoping that the mere threat of its balance being affected would make it less likely to use those terrible fore paws with those blood slick claws on west or osiris as they attacked. and praying that her nimble body would hold true and get her out of the way in time when it would become necessary.

The bear could feel his claws smash against something furry. He could feel his teeth settling into flesh, and the moment they did, he pulled ferociously and ripped at the animal.

But the wolf fought back. All of them did, biting and snarling and poking their sad little dog teeth into him. He felt one on his shoulder, tugging toward the rip that one of the ones before had brought. Another was at his stomach. Another toward a back leg. It made him angry. Yakwahe’s gauge for violence intensified, filling with every little poke and prod and tear.

His body felt hot as blood seeped from the open wounds. The monster swiped and spun around, switching targets to the darker of the females who sought escape. He charged forward and toward her, rearing up on his hind legs, hoping desperately to dislodge the wolves from his hide. It was this nature of theirs, this ability to gather in numbers which he found particularly disgusting. Enraged and hurting, he slammed his paws onto the ground in a show of force, trying with all his might to terrify them into submission.

He could feel himself watched from above. A large glob of clotting blood slopped off the side of his face, splashing onto the ground like a morbid water balloon.

The play continued as the bear angrily swiped and chomped and spun. For his part, the eagle sat on his pine perch, grabbing it idolly with his foot, clamping it shut, then open, then shut, then open. He preened his beautiful feathers, removing some of the dirt that had accrued during his tailing of the monster.

At last, he did his duty, launching himself from the tree and swooping low again over the mess of attacking wolves and bear. He called shrilly, noisily. Yet again, though, his talons remained relaxed. The eagle went past them to another, better tree. Adjusting himself, he ruffled his feathers and looked on.

the shriek cut through the panting, snarling , guttural groaning-- like a knife through butter. polaris faltered, blinking through the haze of a mind running purely off of adrenaline and enraged, primal, instinct until eyes widened in horror upon spotting the small figure of leta under the might of the beast itself. yet before the pale girl could make a move, west was there by his sister's side and she forced herself to ignore the terrified lurch of her heart begging her body to slink over and assist him; that meek sliver of rationality ever chiding and reminding her that she was much more help here. here where she could attack and distract so that they could get the hell out of there and so with a grit of bloodied teeth; the dove flung herself back at the stinking colossus with as loud a cry as she could muster. 

but this was no mindless beast they grappled with, it was a predator with skills and instincts as finely honed as their own and she could only let out a hiss as paws skidded along the sickeningly painted snow when it spotted its opportunity and snatched it, storming right towards the disgruntled earthen girl. a breathless curse, gaze frantically sweeping for the familiar figure of her mate only to be met by the panicked gutter of his own stare likely doing the same. a small swallow of relief as she forced herself to tear away and charge after the bear and the pursuing osiris; cursing her stupid weak vessel and the way in which her chest already burned with each agitated inhale. these months spent lingering within the borders of easthollow...she wasn't as fit as she used to be. 

but there was certainly no time for regrets; not with osiris literally flinging himself at the monster's murderous face. she sprung at its shoulder then, seeking purchase on a wound that already sneered down at her from a past attack- whirring mind unable to help but wonder with dread about what might have happened to the last wolf to sink its teeth into this very spot- trying not to think too hard about the claws that were attached to the end of this very limb. 

for a second her eyes slid skywards as she tugged and panted; coaxed by the itch of seeing something out of their corner. and there- the largest bird she'd ever seen, somehow appearing both regal and so very menacing. her heart seemed to drop at the sight of it as she let eyes return to scene once more and continued her assault, all the while unable to shake the idea that the arrival of a bird, a creature usually associated with agile daintiness and melodies; but sharpened, cruel and dangerous, was some terrible sort of omen.

Screaming, pulling, biting, storming about him. Yakwahe the monster was flustered and confused, blood letting down from each part of him stronger than before. He could feel his strength waning, could feel exhaustion begin to set in. It was resilience that held these stupid beasts strong. The will to protect their own stinking kin was strong, and thus far the bear could not shake them, not even with the pounding of his mangled limbs and paws into the earth, a prayer to the All Mother to drain the life from every last canine on this good and once green place.

The agouti one threw itself at his bleeding face as he charged, no doubt to protect the screaming she-wolf at his feet struggling to get away. He felt white pain across his eye and heard something tear. Rather than writhing in pain, the bear reared again, pulling the wolf who had taken his eye with him, biting with a strange, infuriated focus. He nailed his teeth down into the wolf’s skin, and the moment he made contact, threw him like a ragdoll away from him.

His great paws came crashing onto the unprotected she-wolf, blood from an empty eye socket draining onto her snuffed out figure as she was pulled from beneath him.

Yakwahe could feel teeth sink into his haunch once more. He roared at the pain, stumbling for a moment as the white one targeted the open wound on his shoulder. He wavered, but with two of them down, he turned swiftly to face his two attackers, stepping forward in a bold terrifying display of mangled goliath.

He knew the agouti one was not dead, and looked over at him on the snow. Yakwahe charged again, hoping to destroy the one who claimed the land as his own.

Things were going south for the wolves, who had appeared moments earlier to have an advantage over the injured bear. The eagle's sharp eyes remained trained on the scene, though he did not interfere with the course of nature as it stood. The mountain queen was attending to the dead, but there was reason that others would need to know that the bear had remained, that the other warrior had not found it yet, and that the son of the queen was in danger.

The eagle pushed off from his pine branch, extending his beautiful wings and letting the updraft carry his bulk high over them.

Here, he circled like a vulture, coasting on the wind morbidly. He could hear a raven nearby calling to its murder, alerting them and other animals to the dead and the dying. The eagle was a signal for all in and around the Glen: the bear was still here.

 

 a blink, a fucking blink is the time it took for thing's to go from bad to cataclysmic.

it was insane, time seeming to slow to some sluggish strain as she was letting go and sliding to the frigid earth, spitting blood as jaws parted to loose a scream at osiris's figure being thrown as if he were but a discarded piece of prey. and that was all it took, in that infinitesimal space of time, shift of attention; leta was killed. 

the bear, bloody death incarnated, did not spare even a breath to pause even as it's eye sailed through the air with the glen's sentry's body, the two landing in a terrifying heap that did not stir. polaris did not so much as have time to swivel her neck before that sickening crunch tauntingly tickled her inner ear and by the time eyes finally met their destination-- they were met by the unseeing gaze of the bright girl she'd been giggling with about love and their futures less than an hour ago. 

she began shaking, uncontrollable tremors catching ahold of her body as agony exploded from the tightening of her chest. no, no NO! it couldn't be- it--

the bear turned, a true nightmare as it bellowed and she did not know which part was worse; the bloody socket seeping that bright liquid or the eye burning with such rage and hatred. 

she found herself taking a half step back, they were going to die here. this monster was going to kill them all. her throat burned, nausea hitting hard as she panted harder; her wayward mind careening in the midst of panic and denial- unable to grasp, to react. 

until she seen west, her west; still alive-- she was still alive and osiris....she wouldn't believe he was dead. as if thinking the same thing, the bear began to turn and finally polaris snapped from the daze. shock giving way to the familiar comfort of desperate rage; adrenaline quick to supply the emotion as if it were fuel. they were going to tear this bastard apart. 

she kicked from the ground as hard as she could, teeth pressing so hard together with the effort as she sprinted harder than she ever had-- she had to make it to osiris first, she would there was no other option. her throat continued to heave, body begging to release the bile it had gathered but she swallowed down; denying it the time puking would require. 

a sob hitched from her as she tumbled into the body, noting the shallow rise and fall of his chest before spinning to face the killer with a screamed; "YOU'RE GONNA DIE" teeth baring and haunches tightening as she made to spring at that approaching face; snapping jaws seeking that remaining eye all the while trying to ignore the fear squeezing her heart, the blood of her kind staining its jagged teeth- she could do this she could do this.

Through the open wounds, blood infused with the adrenline of fury and sheer hatred drained. Slowly the bear began to lose his lucidity, slowly he felt himself fading, but he would not give up, not while the self-proclaimed king of this place still breathed.

The All Mother had allowed these beasts to roam freely upon her for far too long. They were greedy, messy, numerous fleas upon her soft skin, picking away at each resource with no understanding for its purity. They bred like rodents. Their calls were loud and wrought havoc on the wind. The children of Yakwahe would have no dogs on their land. His wives would roam without their pestering, gnawing, biting.

And so when the white she-wolf called out to him in her language, he stopped in his tracks and rose up. He towered over her pathetically fine figure. She would break as easily as the other. Death becomes you, the words like a foul, ugly, demonic grumble falling from lips broken with the rips from her kin. As she launched herself, he raised a huge paw to strike her down like the little doe that she was.

As she moved, the other male pushed her from him, screaming at her just as Yakwahe's claws met his side. The bear lunged toward him as he simultaneously went for the chest. The monster felt teeth in his thick skin, and made use of his own jaws and free paw to grasp at any part of the wolf he could manage. He wanted to rip him away, to break him, to rip the stupid flag of a tail from his body. Die. He willed of it, though he felt the blood from a new wound.

One more day we'll spend together
Let your eyes look up upon me for the better

For a moment it felt like he had succeeded, that something had gone right. This was his duty after all, to protect his loved ones. Time after time again he had tried so hard only to see death punt his efforts like a mere toy. Well, maybe it was fitting that now he could properly spit in death's face. He felt as his fangs pierced through, the liquid slowly rolling free from his hold leaving some form of sick and satisfied smirk on his maw. Like he feared though, this position had left himself fairly vulnerable and his own bite was met by a stronger one that ran hot through his chest and shoulder like a spear.

Oh, I know I'm worse for weather
But, my love, I won't give up

Despite the pain he held on, pulling and yanking as he tried to drive his own fangs deeper. It was a race to death at this point, a race he knew he likely wouldn't win, but if he was going to die here like this he would go down fighting. If he had to die today then he would make sure this fucker came with him, even if it meant dragging him down into the earth himself.

Spend my days cursing my soul
Wishing I could paint my scars and make me whole

Part of him always thought it would be Ursus to steal his life. Admittedly, it was one of the reasons he wanted to run originally, to live, even if it meant he would never see his home again. It was Polaris who convinced him to stay, she said it would be selfish of him. The thought almost made him laugh, for hadn't things just come full circle? A bear who terrorized those he loved, as he was grabbed and ripped free of his hold. The selfish desire to be the one to die, for him to be the end-all. West stumbled, a guttural groan as he coughed blood, whos at this point he was unsure. He hadn't even felt his legs go numb as he collapsed into the white.

It wasn't his fault.

It was a quiet thought, but one he had finally accepted. Ursus would have come for them either way, even if he did play a part in it, it wasn't his fault. Just like now. He had given his all, hadn't he? He would give it his all, up until the very end. This bear was but a misfortune just like every other damn bear, but no one could be blamed for its rampage. No one put it here, and he had done all he could so those that lived here could live another day. And he wasn't done. This wasn't finished, not yet. He needed to get up, he needed to fight.

Oh, I know I could be better
But, my love, I won't give up