Bearclaw Valley dancing with the devil

"i hate you back," merrick laughed, beaming down at evien a moment longer before backing away to let the newest member of ursus rise. "done," he grunted, feeling the sting of it now. but the pain was good, was deep, radiating through him in a low wave of satisfaction.
the bloodstained wolves of ursus. 
and if merrick had his way, it would not be their own gore which splattered them in the time to come. 
he waited, affable, open, ready to be touched and play the part of biddable patient, as if their scuffle had never been and all there remained was the delectable tension between them, trioed when he thought of sunflower boy and what he would think.
there would be more insanity. he only hoped evien would rise to every challenge as he had done this one.