The Heartwood Exploration (M)

Beric was beginning to get stressed. Internally, he was fighting a war with himself between his pride and the safety of himself and Ypres. His snap had not made contact, but he hoped it made his point. He would not underestimate his opponent, who was obviously confident in his abilities. He had to assume he was of the same, or better, ability than Beric himself. And, if he really was, and just as prideful, this match could easily end up being fatal. Beric was just about to lunge for him again in warning, when Ypres' yell reached him. His head turned to make sure she was alright. In the next moment, he felt a blow to his side.

He had made a mistake in taking his attention off the male he was fighting with and turning it to Ypres. Beric stumbled sideways toward Ypres, bringing them side by side now. He growled as he stood up to his full height, Alright! That's enough! He looked to Ypres before turning back to the other males. We'll go. It was not to be contested by his former pack mate, of that he would make sure. He would not leave without her. He motioned for her to go ahead of him, away from the males, to head North, away from their pack lands, and this area. Not moving until she was ahead of him, he bared his teeth at his opponents, silently warning them to let them pass without further conflict.

I'm not trying to powerplay Ypres when I say "It was not to be contested by his former pack mate, of that he would make sure." Beric will just refuse to leave if she doesn't leave with him, and he will argue until he gets his way. However, if you don't like that sentence, I'll change it. ^_^