Ankyra Sound she speaks with a voice that sets men trembling

it's the first time eske notices an actual difference in the borders of the pack that had settled on drakru's doorstep. their border that touches drakru's is fading with neglect. she is immediately suspicious of it — she's never been one for blind optimism — and walks the scent lines for a while to determine that it was not just a small area that had gone stale. the fading scent was consistent and at a certain point when she feels comfortable with assuming that the last leg of the perimeter is also faded wanlida stops. the gears in her mind turn as she squints at the yawning territory of the sound that stretches before her. the only conclusion she can draw is that they have abandoned their claim. why else would a pack neglect what was likely their most important stretch of border? she can fathom no other reason but that does not mean that eske is not weary.

she doesn't trust it to be true — at least not without a thorough investigation — and steps towards the borders, crossing from drageda's borders into the thin no-man's land between. she wants to investigate. to affirm for herself that it is not a trick, nor a clever maneuver to get them to lower their guards. she hesitates. she is more than capable of taking care of herself but she feels the insistent ( if not annoying ) nag to call someone to accompany her. if he were still alive she'd have summoned arlo and then thought of étoille but in the end does not call for him. instead, she lifts her muzzle and sends up an extremely vague, discreet call for @Thuringwethil.

it had taken no time for shardik's dominion to be established over the sound. a day, if even, and no soul stirred his beach that he did not first warrant there. his presence was enough to send the dogs of the grotto quickly decamping; for what slobbering hound would stand down in the face of a deranged bear-god and live to tell the tale?

his round ears twitched in ample displeasure to have heard the call that defiled his claim. dumb dogs, that would soon find the world-ending jaws of oblivion clapped shut around them.

languid, yet deceptively swift-paced, the goliath directed his attention to the ill-fated creature that had called attention upon herself. perhaps a straggler left behind. perhaps a loner come to find no welcome here. it didn't matter to shardik, who set his sights upon her. his loose jowls swept back, revealing a wicked assembly of bloodwhetted teeth. a low, earth-rumbling growl escaped his throat and his black porcine gaze fixed hungrily on the small body of the wolf that had tread into his realm unbidden.

A lot of her day is spent with Blixen around her. Learning what it takes to be cheka while she still has purpose as shilkru, for if there are others she will be their lead. She is close in age to Eske when she earned her place and she doubts it’ll be too long before her daughter has properly earned her keep. And so, when the low call is made, @Blixen is with her mid-discussion but it is enough to put a halt to their work. Brows knit together and she exchanges a look with her daughter before spinning on her heels and trotting quickly through the redwoods and out the other side.

The message of the call is unclear, but concerning, and eventually she breaks into a run when she realizes they are head south toward the sound. Whether or not the shilkru has followed behind, the woman breaks away from the tree-line into the clearing, locking eyes on Eske immediately before they’re darted off in the background, a lumbering grizzly headed toward wanlida. Thuringwethil surges forward and barks, hoping Eske knows what’s heading right for her and to alert her of her presence. Between two of them and the large predator, they don’t stand a chance, and pulling the other wolf away is a priority.

In the process, her nose goes up and she releases an urgent call back toward Drageda, hoping to reach ears nearby for help should they not put enough distance between them.

barrels in

Branwen was not far when the call was made. She had taken to familiarizing herself with the pack's territory and the surrounding land, finding herself drifting just past the borders when she heard Heda. The urgency in the call was apparent, compelling the girl to take off at a sprint in search of the source. She picked up the scent trail quickly and followed it past the stretch of trees to a clearing. And— oh, shit.
Of course the bear caught her attention first. In what world would the bear not catch her attention first? She slowed for a couple beats, hesitating; her gaze flicked to Heda, then to the unfamiliar target of the creature's advances. Branwen swallowed hard and pressed further forward, hackles lifting as she directed a few of her own growling barks at the bear though she kept a sane distance for now. She assumed distraction was the first priority— if the hulking figure reached the unknown packmate, her fate would be sealed. There was just no fighting something of that size— not on your own, not once it had hold of you. She hoped for more of the pack, then; numbers would scare the beast away, surely.

Armor was still knew to this land, but had found it easier than most to settle in. With Rose's help he had been making a slow, a very slow, recovery. He was no where near better, the lip still evident of the fact. However his instinct toward Heda was aboslute. So when he call rang out he travelled as fast as he could. Which he admitted wasn't very fast, his only saving grace was his closeness to the border. He had been curious of the pack that had made it's home alongside Drageda, and couldn't quite understand why Heda had allowed it in the first place. But she must have had her reasons.

He was most surprised to find the grizzle bear. He hadn't encountered one before, and was glad for that fact. This beast was dangerous, for all of them. They would need more than four to drive this thing off, he was huge! He looked to Heda for direction, as he got closer. Armor's own bark came forth, spittle flying from his jaws. Alerting his packmates to his prescence and perhaps startling the creature.

eske's howl steals her focus, following quick at nomi's heels toward the sound. adrenaline rises through her before she even knows what they're running for, a low swooping joy in her belly at something to do that isn't mope about her ex. 

and then she sees the beast. blixen has never seen a bear in the flesh -- it is so, so much larger than she could have imagined. but she does not feel afraid -- she feels excited. a growl starts in her throat, fur spiked out as she flanks nomi, watching the lumbering creature making it's way toward eske. her other packmates arriving are barely noticed if at all -- she wants to fight, antsy as she waits for a cue to launch forward, all youthful arrogance and exuberance.

To the first howl, an indeterminate note from Eske, he had paused mid-step to listen then soothed suspicion down well enough to begin to carry on with his patrol once done. It sounded like it didn't concern him yet, but he would intend to keep the littler details in mind. Since it came from the direction of the Sound, he could make a few good guesses, and he wanted to know if that was something he should be worried about or not soon.

The Drakru guardian knows he's already on edge, and already anticipating something when his tireless patrols turned up nothing of note here with them--it has been quiet despite all that loomed, and his mate's litter is due any day now; he knows the way it can go, and now would just be the perfect time for something to go awry. For months now he's had his beliefs that their neighbors were going to be the next issue, and maybe... if not quite in the way he had once anticipated.

The second, that of Heda's voice hitting the winds with a more precise message about, came soon after and from the same direction that there was no overlooking it this time. Already on edge (largely thanks to Portia's litter due any day now), he doesn't hesitate to go find out more and be there for his pack's defense--however that may entail. He wasted no time, and with a quick turn of foot, he took off past their outskirts until he found where the ursine menace approached wanlida.

His hackles were up at the mere sight of the bear and by the time he got there, the commander had already called to Eske and others had come too as reinforcements. The wocha did not immediately join the sides of the others--not when he approached the scene from a different angle anyway, but his sights were trained on the bear--ready.

eske had expected the sweep of the abandoned territory to be rather routine, if not a cautious one. as steps upon the earth like low rumbles of thunder are picked up by wanlida she feels the hairs at the back of her neck rise and bristle with unbridled unease. as the lumbering shape appears and lets loose a ominous growl as it fixates it's eyes upon her eske realizes that the departure of the unwanted neighbors is no trick. the hair along her spine stands straight and as she, in turn, stares at the bear in return. it could kill her in an instant with a single swipe of one of those giant paws ...if she isn't careful. she is a warring nation of emotions though: worry because she had called heda right to the newest unwanted neighbor's nest and torn irrevocably between fight or flight. she is too close to drageda to turn around, though. she cannot risk luring it into dragoncrest cliffs.

quickly her mind assesses her options: she would not win against the behemoth beast in a fight ...at least not on her own. she was small and quicker and it might be able to keep her alive long enough to give it a few sustainable injuries. so long as she kept out of the reach of teeth and claws. she's running out of time: it draws near and she who is the daughter of the fiercest shield-maiden accepts the odds that are not in her favor. she is a warrior. she is wanlida. the bringer of death; and she will protect drageda to her dying breath.

she takes a breath, ready to call and warn heda away, her muscles tense and ready to dodge out of the bear's path. the commander appears with a call for others but eske pays little mind. wanlida's lips curl back to expose her own teeth. you do not scare me her posture says as others join the brewing battle. and it would either be a battle or the bear would accept that it was outnumbered and retreat back into the depths of it's home.

the brown-grey dog was the first to earn shardik's full attention. an attention that called death as its' warrant. his grim jowls pulled up to reveal grim teeth; grim executioner; endless flames permanently extinguished by the clutch of his snout. lives swallowed in a single clap.

then, dogs everywhere. small roaches trickling from dark crevices. a black one, a red one - shardik watched their arrivals with indefatigable bemusement. there was no such thing as a male grizzily bear outnumbered, and this the beast knew with certainty. proud and stupid dogs. short-lived. small. beasts of no purpose save shardik's ruthless amusement. he would enjoy devising their ends, playing the needle in their unraveling. with lips purled at the challenge shardik advanced, blood-hunger in his unsettling gaze.  in a smooth movement he rose to his full height whilst his powerful forearms dragged his flank, a monolith among ants; true bedlam in towering mortal form.

a roar shuddered the corridors of his throat as he stood upright, spittle flying in lengthy gobs from his cavernous maw by the sheer force of the bellow. shardik's black eyes trained on the first to defy him - a dog that would soon taste ruination at the ends of his long claws.

his roar was the last warning the beast gave to leave before he lumbered towards her -- the powerful sweep of both forearms given in successive scythes designed to dissever whatever wolf approached him. each sweep a bludgeoning arc, claws reaching to ream sinew from hide and release the sweet tumult of unstemmed blood for any dog still standing around after his war-drum bellow.

shardik had the advantage of having an enormous range in which to strike down any approacher -- he could kill easily with the swipe of a single paw without ever jeopardizing his body. the wolves had very little recourse outside of close combat and would have to forfeit their safety if they wished to land any blow to his pelt. he knew this, and would fight accordingly - never exposing hock, never leaving an opening in which they could approach without clawed rebuke. any creature that attempted to charge his form would be effortlessly smacked down like a moth between two hard and unyielding hands.

they could run, and the beast would enjoy the chase -- but if the small band of dogs attempted to chase him from the realm he had taken, they would find their tether to life abruptly severed; an extinction event exacted at the calamitous hands of a godless bear.

Roll for first injury on a d20 die: 14 (click). Minimal damage; scrapes, bruises, etc.

Thuringwethil does not realize all who has shown up until she sees Dio out the corner of her eye. Her focus is primarily the distance between the bear and Eske but she spares one look to her left, then right, and noticing those that have followed. Drageda has always been strong but she’d be loathe to admit they weren’t in prime shape. Two wolves she barely knows escorts her on either side and she can only hope Trigeda has done their service in preparation.

A bear alone is terrifying, but against numbers he’ll tire easy if they stay out of reach and confuse them. Creatures that are not terribly smart, relying on brute force, gets them short distances but between six other predators playing their cards right, they can make it easily enough.

Thuringwethil barks for Eske’s attention a second time for her to fall back and reassess. The bear’s attention on the wanlida can fall to their advantage. She turns to Dio and points with her nose behind the bear, and then to the other two. “War em daun!” she shouts, thankful all that have arrived know enough of their tongue. “Du nou git raun!” she tacks on with a growl as reinforcement. After that, she leaves the decisions up to the other wolves on who does what so long as they spread out, terrorizing the creature from all angles.

rolled a 20; no injury
also please don't even read this 2am garbage post thx

More of the pack joined them; not a massive amount, but enough to ease her apprehension slightly. Still, they faced a bear— and Branwen was undeniably terrified. She was nonetheless quick to react to Heda's words and gestures. There was no room for hesitation.
Branwen darted around the bear, barking a few times; she kept a distance between herself and the creature, but as she rounded towards the rear end she dared draw a bit nearer. She had no hopes of making contact with it; rather, she risked closing some of the distance in hopes of goading the creature into turning around. Distraction, right? And surely if she kept a reasonable distance (for a bear fight, of course) she could avoid injury. She hoped.

roll 1d20: 6; ouch

His ears twitched at Heda's instructions, and gave a nod more for his own comprehension than for any confirmation. Wear it down. Easier said than done, he thought briefly, as he takes a spot on right of the giant creature. He made sure to try and keep space between himself and his packmates, making it more difficult for the bear to focus on any one of them. 

He barked at the creature trying to distract it and confuse it with the noise. His concentration proved to be his downfall as he wandered a little to close to the bear, within in dangerous range of the massive apendages. In combination with his persistent leg injury, Armor would have major difficulty trying to retreat and miss any advances the bear might make.

rolled a 2, ouch!!! anything but actual death is fine s'il vous plait 
edit: lol its been brought to my attention i rolled a 1d6 instead of a 1d20 BUT i want to honor blixen being fucked up!! fuck up my girl !

brash as blix feels, she barely waits for nomi's go before launching herself towards the beast, her young body hot and ready for action. she's reckless, she's always been reckless -- but this is no spar with nomi and she will find no forgiveness here. like armor, she lets herself get too close, a tiny red blip against the dark and deadly figure, aiming to get her teeth into one meaty ankle without regard for personal safety.

rolled a 10 out of 20. a moderate wound or few but not direly so + bruises/scrapes/etc. i'm flexible short of death/major bad though.

It takes but a heartbeat. The wocha sees what they have, sees who is raring to go, and when the bear stands poised to hold its ground, unfaltering before their mere presence, they are a force not lacking fury--but their foe is a massive one, as put on full display as it rises to heights he's not used to looking up to.

He had run for its back, aiming then for potential blindspots if he could ever have any hope of them when others were not already upon them. Their numbers granted them several angles, but he couldn't say if this would be enough yet. They had a lot to do still, and while in motion around the bear, he joining in on the trying to distract with barks, snaps, and other commotion that would surely irritate and distract from the other attacking wolves. It became a flurry of motion and bodies, claws and teeth--so fast, and so soon after the beginning too. His hackles stood tall and he at least had the experience to know enough to look twice.. even if this meant seeing his comrades falter. 

Sounding a vicious snarl of his own and he lunged in close.. closer than he wanted to be precisely when he saw the streak of red fur, but his hide was not leaving here unscathed and he would not let Blixen charge in all alone. He mirrored her move on the opposite leg, hoping that if anything, the brunt of any answering retaliation may not all find her--but backing his snaps, he knew to dodge away too if the circumstances did not align for him out of self preservation; last thing he wanted was this behemoth to get a good true grip on him.

rolled a 13; damage: minimal (scrapes/bruises, etc)

eske is caught in a moment that feels as if it is slow motion: staring down the bear that charges towards her with malicious intent and the wolves that, at heda's command bear arms to protect her. there is no time to feel guilt over it — that would come later. she fidgets, taunt muscles twitching with the desire to meet her mighty adversary like the warrior woman she is: with a banshee scream and unbridled aggression. yet, when heda barks at her again to fall back, to reevaluate the situation and her attack ( one that would not get her killed ) eske obeys her commander. as her pack-mates go forth to meet the bear and hopefully draw it's attention from her — even if it is only temporarily; that is fine, she thinks, that is all she needs — she moves, keeping the bear in sight all the while. she hopes that it will be distracted by her compatriots to give her enough time reassesses and formulate an attack, something a little bit better than attack head on ( which she understands would be suicide ) but she is ready to dodge should the diversion not work as intended.

there is a lot to respond to, so if i missed anything, let me know = here are the rolls click. after chatting on disco, confirmed we are rolling for our own damages.   

the behemoth lumbered towards eske at a collected and controlled canter, his hocks reaching underneath his body so that at the right moment he could drag his momentum forward in a thunderous swipe; a movement aimed to send their small bodies catapulting away like struck gnats. the grey dog is the closest to him, yet as she snapped and bit at his flank his swipe towards her only barely made contact.

not enough to kill, not enough to dismember -- entirely useless and unsatisfying; 0/10, would demand refund for the followin reasons: not bloody enough.

enraged by the lack of a satisfying pop, and denied the vindication of viewing a head tailspin wildly away from its body, the beast slowed and focused his ire elsewhere - the black she-wolf that had moments before barked in a tongue he neither recognized nor cared to understand. he drew back his arm and once more cleaved the air with his scything claws; yet her teeth found and scraped his forearm as he attempted to slapshot her out of his vicinity like an unwanted puck. another unfulfilling strike; shardik would need to work on his technique once this fiasco was wrapped up and over. she had bitten him, and he had countered by way of smacking her clean from his personal space.

that was his tipping point; his first bare miss had been an injury, but this was plain insult -- he bellowed a rough and raw roar that shook the trees and sent birds gracelessly fleeing.

his attention caught on branwen, a small figure skirting his peripherals enough that he momentarily focused on her -- yet her dartings seemed as if feints, and he did not risk exposing his sides to lunge at her taunting. all the same she lunged towards him and bit down hard on his arm as he withdrew it. as he reeled from the pain, armor dodged into contact, drawing blood from his hips in a quick move that was only barely countered by another scythe upward of shardik's long claws - another slap meant to send the dog packing. blixen appeared to have the same intentions; as she darted towards him and bit his shoulders, he lunged with a smack in her direction, this time trying to catch her as her flame-licked form retreated. that hit was satisfying - a sinister smile unfurled across his massive maw as he watched her careen away from the force of his blow.

yet his gloating was shortlived as a blonde streak caught him offguard -- the brief form of dio on the opposite side had caught him in the full extension of his blow towards blixen; the dog managed a thick bite to his flank that drew both pain and blood. enraged by such trespass shardik whirled upon the male, claws raking outward like brutal harrows intending to smack down the creature for his chutzpah. his own damage to the dog would be little, but hopefully enough to ward off future blows.

with so many dogs alongside him, shardik could easily outmuscle them so long as he played intelligently; backing up to a positively massive breach of sequoia trunk so that his back was no longer vulnerable, shardik hunkered down and set to ruthlessly batting off any wolf that came his way.

you know those  levers at the end of a pinball machine that you furiously smack in the direction of that ever looming ball? think that, but with ten razor claws and very angry teeth: that was shardik presently, swiping discordantly in any direction that the dogs came. they could continue to drive at him like an endless line of a colony drawn to its demise, and shardik would continue to flick them from his space in the manner a man wearily flicks an ant from the pristine and cleanly tiled red face of a picnic blanket.

Roll: 11 Moderate-ish injury. Big scrape/concussion, anything like that! If I misunderstood the attack on Thur, just lemme know.

Eske does not get back in time to stray away from the bear’s hit and she barks a second time, this time directly at the beast. Her attempts at distraction garner Eske a good enough escape and not-so-deathly blow of his paws but her own feet don’t pedal fast enough to move out of reach as he comes for her one fell swoop. The slap of his paw is met with resistance as she latches on to the inside of his arm, clamping down with all she has while he shakes her free. Her grip on muscle is torn away when she finally hits the ground, shaken loose as some minute pest to the creature.

The ground doesn’t soften the blow and Thuringwethil is quick to her feet, ignoring whatever injuries she’s acquired in the process, and turns just as the bear sends Blixen flying. Her own surprised yelp escapes her throat and she rips a snarl from her jaws, disregarding the initial plan and from a wide angle, throwing herself foolishly back into the fray.

carrying over her bad roll -- she'll be out cold from here on out, please skip her! :^) edit: HEJKH WOOPS SORRY I FORGOT THE POSTING ORDER well she's skippable anyway so, lol

too much is happening for her to be aware of any of it, singularly focused on the taste of fur and flesh in her mouth. her triumph does not last for long. there is movement she does not pay enough attention to and then she is caught in the beast's mighty blow, feeling claws like daggers impale her and then she is flying, flying, not even enough time to process the abrupt change in her fortune before she's slammed against the earth some distance away, the forceful blow landing her against a sandy outcrop, her world snapping to black.

rolled a 9; not super severe but i'm cool w most anything otherwise

Her initial luck only boosted her confidence somewhat; though Branwen managed to avoid the bear's swiping claws, her packmates were not as lucky. Even the brief feeling of victory in the form of flesh and fur between her teeth hardly touched the cold sinking feeling in her chest. She wondered, morbidly, if there would be casualties.
Then Blixen went flying, and horrified guilt flashed through her, as if her thoughts had willed it into being. Heda's advance on the bear, combined with that moment of guilt, spurred Branwen's own. She dared another lunge nearer in hopes of making contact again; this time, her focus was spread partially over her packmates' positions and movements, concern gnawing at her in the worst possible moments.

Together they rallied against the threat to their nearby territory, driving in to make their strikes and the bear in turn doles out its hits in turn to answer. Great swings of its claws and muscle push them back, send them flying--it's quick into a blur as one thing goes into the next. In a single second, they are on offense, the next swatted away, then back again. From his position, he cannot say for certain how all their wolves fare; it's his singular goal to rend on mind until he does find purchase with his teeth.

It lasted hardly an instant, though he intended to spend it with a true grip. Satisfaction rushed, he drove and twisted--or aimed to, but the price to pay comes as the bear sends claws his way. They rake across him, curving off the arc of his shoulder and with the momentum packed, he let go and did all he could to minimize the hit--and get out of there. Blixen had already been flung aside like he was nothing, so he isn't intending to see what else it could do.. if he could help it.

Pain bloomed hot and stinging across his shoulder onto his back, and still watching the bear with a savage growl bubbling anew, he steadily circled closer. Adrenaline coursed, dulling the pain so long as he kept in motion, but this wouldn't be a sustainable approach.

The wocha looked upon the fray with narrowing eyes. Seeing the commander make her next move just ahead motivated him further, and pushed the ache back even more. A few paces behind, he veered in for his own return, although he was less forward this time--and did not immediately dive straight in to the worst of it. Somewhere, he hoped he could open better opportunities for others too. As he circled closer, he snapped for whatever piece of bear he could reach, and aimed to feint away until any chances for better posed themselves. His next strikes would need to be well-aimed.

rolled 12

Blood leaked from the bear as his teeth sank into the ferocious creatures hip, he was glad to have contributed in some fashion. His excitement was perturbed by a large paw aimed for him in retaliation for the bite. The large sweeping arm struck true, hitting Armor in the shoulder and drawing blood as the beasts claws racked his frame. Letting out a painfilled yelp, Armor was knocked back. 

Shacking his head to try and dispell the dizziness that had overcome him, he saw the great Heda take charge once more as Blixen was knocked away. Barking at the bear to try and distract he approached with more caution. Blood dripped down his shoulder and his cheek, and he found his lame leg almost impossible to stand on. He joined the circle once more dispite his injuries, his warrior heart pushing him to carry on.

rolled 13

rolled a 8. moderate wound/damage but nothing fatal, please! :-)

eske is fortunate. the bear lumbers towards her and as it's massive paw takes it's swipe it's claws scrape the surface of her muzzle causing her to recoil back quickly, but it is nothing that she cannot brush off. in lieu of the adrenaline that rushes through her blood stream the wanlida barely feels it. in return, though, her attack outright misses and the bear moves onto the other drakru as they deal and suffer their own attacks. their diversion gives her time to think. with the lumbering beast temporarily distracted eske surges forth with the intention to attempt an attack at an exposed area.

ok - hope i got everything, rolls are here (i rolled before posting/reading): click - ping me if i missed anything!

 as forged from hell as the slavering bear was, he could not maintain his horrific onslaught forever. with senses dulled by a furious kind of adrenaline, the lumbering beast took damage and doled it out in equally furious measure.

a dog darted to him, and he watched as she was flung aside with a sickening kind of triumph. another dog came, another pain - he reared back as thuringwethil (14) flanked him and her teeth found loose folds along his shoulder but did not maintain hold -- he brought back a paw to snuffle the very life out from her black skull - a thunderous, sweeping blow with claws aimed to simply obliterate.

yet it is not the dark leader that the beast set his true sights on. he knew enough of wolves to know they were tenaciously protective of their felled wolves - with one out, they would either pull back to save her, or hope the bear would gather his good wits and leave. the bear had no good wits. the bear had every intention of killing all of them that day.

he landed after his assault to thuringwethil and another dog (branwen - 18) darted towards him; she was too slow and if she made any contact, he hardly noticed at all. he snarled and flung his head towards her, a fury of massive fangs and loose saliva - jaws aimed to clasp whatever they could and fling the dog clear out of the copse.

next to come was dio (5), who sailed in with fangs bared in the exact manner shardik often impersonated. the dog's teeth did not miss; with a shriek of pain shardik found his paw was suddenly connected to a mouthful of sharp teeth that sunk deep. he half-reared upward and flung his afflicted hand in a wild arc, to both rid it of its assailant and unbalance the cur beneath him. he was tiring, and that dull sensation had turned to outright mania -- with a swipe of his unafflicted hand he attempted to strike dio down with the very same blow that had knocked his red packmate down.

limping, snarling, and full of unusually vile humor, shardik turned his doleful eyes on the last two wolves - armor (19) had closed the gap and lunged for him, yet in the beast's movements had managed to miss. the last, and the very first dog shardik had set his hateful eyes upon, had come for him whilst his attention had been distracted. bloodied and feeling evermore the sense of despair, the bear swung another scything attack in her direction just as her teeth snagged his tattered forearm.

a belligerent bellow sounded from deep in the forge of the bear's throat - and with purpose to his limping movement he made motion to turn and pounce on the felled she-wolf -- unless the dogs hastily flanked to their comrade and pulled her from reach, or departed. he wished to take everything from them; hope, joy, life -- but he knew in his present state should they turn he would be in no condition to chase them beyond the borders of his grim halls.

They were met with no mercy, and showed none in return. One after another, one swing after the next, the bear fought them off. Drageda persisted, bloodied and determined, with him among them. When claws sailed through the air within his reach, his teeth dug through fur, met flesh, and his grip rang true. His focus pinholed and he only had himself and the bear in these fleeting seconds. But for all his force, the bear outmatched him with such remarkable ease. One swing of its arm and he felt his own weight going with it. He was forced to let go, although he hoped not without damage to the details of its paw. He didn't care how, or what, but all he wanted was for the wretched ursine to be gone--a thought that magnified tenfold as the other paw met him, lurching him back in a way few forces did.

Hooked and raked on his flank, he  was knocked aside, weightless, to finish in a harsh thud that he had to remind himself to breath after. In that instance, he lost track of the rest of it all--how the other attacks went, who else would suffer. Some rush of adrenaline mixed with fur, and bear fur in his bloodied teeth, rolled him upright quick after his initial discarding but pain came hotly to life with every single motion that followed. He had no time for worry now, and instead, when their foe loosed a sickening warcry, his blood iced. The wocha was sure he could not reach anything, nor anyone, in time, although hauled himself to his feet. Once up, he was still catching his breath.. and ignoring his hurts was proving more difficult.

His eyes set upon the ugly scene, he searched his reserves for hope of a new charge, or the right opportunity to retreat.

Apologies for: I did not realize it was my turn, for how long it took me to notice, and how bad this post is. And given this thread's age and how much has happened since, maybe we should wrap it up?

She garners a good bite before he knocks her lose, stumbling on the ground and landing in a heap. Breath partially escapes her but she wheezes and staggers back to her feet a few seconds later. The chaos around her swerves over her head as the bear rampages onward but finally settling on the fallen one: her daughter. She beckons to Armor and Branwen (if able) to distract the bear and barks toward Dio as he gathers himself and Eske as she does the same before running off toward the knocked out girl.

Her running is stunted as she struggles to keep her balance, dizzy from the swipe to the ground a moment ago but she does her best to get there before him and take her by the scruff. Frightfully, her eyes turn upward, uncertain what she’ll see as everyone moves about.