Bearclaw Valley bear with me

What had started as brawl was swiftly becoming a hellish, twisted nightmare of blood and shadow, and Ico's heart began to thump with something more than fear that Ursus wolves would be hurt. What Ico was seeing wasn't just hurt, it was torment — and it couldn't be stopped! They wouldn't stop!

Insanely, Ico was already penning the tale of this battle in his head. Ears filled with a cacophony of hate; growls that rippled the river, the tearing of flesh like leaves being shredded, the pulling of fur from its roots, screams echoing as if from the very foundations of the earth.

Suddenly — another! From his perch on the hill, Ico blinked surprisedly at an additional (fifth? sixth? hundredth?) wolf on the scene... but in physicality this one was far more akin to Ico than the brawling warriors. Despite that, he showed astonishing bravery as he threw himself onto the battlefield, shouting final words of warning to the trespasser. Ico's gaze dashed from the new wolf to Santiago, hoping beyond hope he would do as he was bid.

merrick wanted to kill.
ico shouted, and then evien. the coywolf turned the blaze of his eye upon the latter, then looked to bleeding fields. knifing his plume through the air in a command to stop, merrick darted for the brute himself, swinging sharp hip against jawline in an effort to knock him away from astara.
until his fierce blackbird was freed, there would be no quarter, but the medic could not be injured. he kept himself between they and the struggle, snarls rippling through the air.
the stranger had only himself to blame, and it was a lesson merrick knew would not soon be forgotten.

Roll here: https://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=40396&pid=425945#pid425945
He’s obviously going to let go of Astara tho lol, gotta escape!

His teeth still sink into the she-devil’s neck below him, dirt and debris from the forest floor blow up at the wild thrashing. The screams and growls are something of nightmares and that’s exactly what this is; a nightmare turned painfully real. 

His ivory eyes twitch to the new figure that appears, a wolf of soft browns and chocolates. He’s yelling and Santi can hardly hear him through the commotion. The males eyes are on Santi’s as he chews on the female’s neck in an attempt to grind his teeth down harder, to do more damage to this devil in his grasp. His lip is curled and wrinkled as he continues to feel the pain of the female still gnawing on his paw. Not good. He thinks vaguely. He going to take the small males advice, Santi knows he’ll die if he sticks around any longer.

His eyes flick towards the golden male to his right, he’s distracted. Then all of a sudden a horribly hard force knocks him on the head. Eyes landing on the male raven he growls through the mouthful of fur he has. Hell yes did it hurt, the male almost knocks him unconscious with the way he throws his body at him. It’s not enough to have him relax his jaws though and he clenches harder and gives one last feral shake of his body moving the female along the dirt a couple inches at the force of it. The hardest shake since he’s taken a hold of her possibly. Then once he feels her grip on him loosen just in the slightest he retracts his teeth from the female below him and rips his severely injured paw from her fiery grasp, possibly injuring himself more in the act.

Blood flies everywhere. His muzzle wet with the crimson of this devils neck, it drips from his maw and is splattered across his chest. Eyes flicking down to the she-wolf, he sees the black fur covered in blood as well. Her fur messy and wet. His hind leg stains his white fur with the deepest of reds. His face bleeds more, mixing with Astara’s as it runs down his face. Then of course his maimed paw, his life force pours from it and he’s mildly concerning to him. He doesn’t have time to access the situation, he has to go.

In that same second his back is turned to them and he’s running as fast as he’s able to with three paws, which is a surprisingly moderate pace. His front left paw, the one that got chewed on, is tucked under him and his hind leg sets his mind on fire as he puts weight on it, but it must be done.

Face still snarled up, he gazes back to the battleground. The sheer amount of blood is astounding. Santi is sure most of it is his. He continues running, ears turned back to listen if they come for him. He won’t be coming back, unless it’s to take revenge.

adrenaline kept the scourge in the fight, though her attention now was turned totally on the blackened cur within her mouth. she had no intention of releasing him -- this would be his gravesite and end, if astara had her way.

she grit through the screaming pain as santiago shook her, suddenly aware of stippling blood as it coursed down her back, warm and thick -- with a guttural lunge astara threw herself at santiago as he turned in one last bid to harm him, but he had moved clear from striking distance, and was now putting generous space between them.

astara did not heed evien, or even merrick, as she chased after the beast -- a hellish howl was loosened into the sky as she gave chase, intent on killing the interloper or at the very least, chasing him well beyond their empire.

astara out, after santiago! <3

// phone post

Evien was not at all accustomed to this type of fighting. It was wild and chaotic, vicious and bloody. He couldn't ever remember his parents getting into fights like this - their family had been so civilized.

At least he knew his services were needed here.

He was surprised that Fields stopped immediately, and warmth filled his chest in spite of the fighting. Evien looked over just in time to see Merrick throw himself at the massive wolf. It was a good attack, knocking the man backward but not dislodging him from the black female.

Finally, finally, the stranger let go of the girl and turned to run off on three legs. Evien made a mental note to seek him out later, just before Astara sprinted after him as though she wasn't pouring blood.

"Fuck," he hissed, wrinkling his muzzle in frustration. Green eyes flicked toward Merrick. "Could you bring her to me when you get the chance? And yourself." They were close, if he recalled correctly. Maybe he could corral her.

His attention turned to the smaller wolf - white and cute - and he scanned him over. He wasn't part of the main fight, from what he could tell, and though Evien wanted to get to know his pack mates, now was not the time. He was all business. "If you're hurt, you can come with me. If not, don't distract me." If there was anything Evien hated, it was distractions while he was working.

"You," he continued, turning to Fields, "are coming with me."

Taylor out!

With the stranger gone (half-dead, he reckons) they will soon end up as files in the drawers of Evien's office. His file would read—

Fields, Taylor: Trauma to outer ear, possible inner ear damage, bruised, generally troubled, chronically self-destructive, insomniac.

All in all, a pretty shit state to be in.
He watches Astara chase the stranger like some street racing participant gone rogue, and he wants to join her, wants to get the job done. He grinds his heels into the dirt and grits his teeth. Who walked into a bear den and didn't expect a world of pain?
What's worrying him is that he still can't hear a thing from the torn ear. It's possible that Santiago had bitten deeper than he'd realised. Another wave of nausea rolls over him. He's just able to understand Evien, too tired to respond, limping after the doctor after a prefunctory nod to Ico and Merrick.

Such was Ico's awareness of his own negligible value, he knew in his heart of hearts that it would've been better for Ursus if he hadn't sounded the alarm, walked into the jaws of death, abandoned by a murderous Santiago, and then that would've been that. No injuries, no time and blood wasted, and no crippling of a pack on the brink of official formation. Just one dead newcomer and one trespasser who walked free.

But that was not how the story had unfolded, and it was no use looking back with regret. They were in a new present now, and the river from which Ico had drunk not half an hour ago was now stained with red.

Santiago fled, finally forced into humility, Astara seeing him on his way with a blood-curdling howl. The brave young man who was evidently a healer led the aftermath, and when his green eyes turned to Ico, Ico looked back hopefully — would he finally be allowed to make himself useful? Could he help?

"Don't distract me."

Ico's heart sank, but he obeyed the order in silence. All he could do was sit bowed upon the hillock, mind mapping a short, brutal story that would serve as an equivalent to a head skewered on a stick. Invaders beware.

merrick out <3 great work team go us

finally the brute was driven off, and his corvid queen streaked after him, a proud panther with gimlet purple eyes. he was proud of her, not worried in the least for her safety. @Astara was and always had been a paragon of psychopathic beauty. woe to those who struggled with her.
he therefore had no care for the potential of his blood unfurling into tiny lives within her womb. the thought had never once occurred to merrick. 
cloaked in a gaiety that did not befit the situation, he swung a smiling muzzle to @Evien. the bearwolf nodded. a warmer glance to disconsolate @Ico, and then a slow lingering look upon @Taylor, full of curiosity rather than concern. the man was injured, but he had taken the wound in service of ursus. how now would the spirit reward him?
merrick watched them go, and then turned, laughing beneath his breath as he slid into a quick wolf-trot to eat up the ground beneath he and astara. she would go until she tasted blood or succumbed. he must arrive before the latter, though he would take no hesitance at another, fateful encounter with the maimed stranger.

Evien out <3

The healer sighed softly - the white boy he'd addressed before seemed to droop at his words, and that wasn't what he intended. Evien made the decision there to seek the other small wolf out later, to try and make things right with him. If he could manage that.

Merrick seemed pleased, however, but that wasn't surprising. The black-furred boy seemed a fan of carnage, Evien realized. He offered up a small smile of his own before turning and following Fields just as Merrick followed the girl, intent on leading him to a place where he could treat that ear of his. It wasn't looking good, and it was important to get it fixed up hastily.