Silvertip Mountain in her arms a lamb
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#1
Random Event 
the cave of glass.
in all of merrick's recent dreams, the boy had been there, dark fur aglow with the strange blue light. a breath come brokenly in the night, it roused the young killer over and over again.
silvertip reared close; as cold rain poured down upon the meager shelter where the vagabonds had made their bed, merrick lifted himself, crept away from @Astara and caiaphas, trotted into the very mouth of the storm.
the cave of glass.
where he had recognized indra's sin and finally acknowledged her wrongdoing. where did she lay now? had the wheeling vulture plucked her to bits all the same, or had his mother gone to ground in peace? 
a morbid smile flickered onto his curled mouth; merrick knew that place was near, hovering like some obelisk of void sensation.
a rough grunt; merrick paused, dripping, upon the threshold.
a pained bellow that echoed again the stones, bounced back against the yearling's ears.
he stole forward, scarcely daring to breathe. a heavy musk choked his nostrils, and instinct lifted high his hackles. 
but merrick did not run, simply remained tense as his single eye blinked rapidly with awe to see the massive hulk of a scarred bear crouching in the gloom.
the animal growled a low grunt of warning, but it tapered into a pant. death rattle in the throat, and it drew the boy closer, closer still.
a wetness on his paw, sudden, lukewarm. merrick did not need to glance down to know what it was, and finally beheld the long ragged length of wood sticking from the bear's side.
a sapling, crushed into one desperate javelin to spear the fleeing bruin, who had dragged itself here and was now breathing the last rainwashed air of this final night.
it pattered down in velvet rhythm, flickering shadows across the heavy parted jaws, the single eye that roved and blinked and finally fixed on nothing, fading too quickly and too slowly for merrick.
death here now, collecting its boon. the boy felt the cold presence and then the sudden emptiness of realization that he was again alone.
merrick drew a shaking sigh, lips suddenly trembling as the air seemed to warm around his very soul, and he heard the stony tone of the bear's voice, vibrating deep inside the tomes of his soul.
"you're here," he marveled aloud, his lone eye flying wide. within me. within this place. a sacred place. "i hear you," merrick whispered, staring toward the cave's hard-arched ceiling. 
he forgot himself there; weaving, weaving, breathing, committing himself to the dictations of the bear that now thrived within his young marrow.
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this was too good and I really want to write this girl <3
Now, finally, after departing the Hollow, Maia was a little turned around.  For some reason the trip there had been smooth, but this time the mountains all seemed kinda the same.  Turns out, she'd accidentally swung north a bit too far.

She was skirting a rocky rise when she heard a bellow, and her fur lifted.  It sounded upset, and it was followed by something else, echoing.  Was that a voice?

It was too faint to tell for sure, and a big part of Maia wanted to nope the heck out of there.  But she was too curious for that, so instead she crept towards the sound and, at length, discovered a hollow cavern entrance.  It was too dark to immediately see in. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the gloom inside, but only the bellow kept her from giving an exploratory hello - she wasn't sure she wanted the attention of whatever made that noise quite yet.
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#3
!!

a pack of coyotes could have roved into the glowing cave, and merrick would not have noticed them. he was riveted to the glassy eyes of the great dead thing, how the spirit appeared to linger as thin smoke near the leathered nostrils of the bleeding brute.
he dipped low his muzzle and tasted of the cooling liquid; its richness quickened the beating of his heart, and the boy marvelled as he drew closer, at the huge square paws and half-exposed fangs of the still bear. i see you, came the whisper merrick knew surely, surely, he did not merely imagine.
the ether called, but you came in its stead.
a glint of young teeth in the darkness.
perhaps i am what comes after, merrick thought fiercely back to the rumble of the bear's voice.
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#4
As her eyes adjusted, Maia took a slow, cautious step in.  The cave was beautiful, but she did not have time to properly admire it.  Her attention was immediately stolen but a strange wolf, standing by what appeared to be a massive bear.

Woah, hey!!! Watch out!!!  She yelled it instinctually.  She also lunges forward, as if to help - it would be a moment before she realized, sheepishly, that the bear was already gone.
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#5
a voice, thundering out. merrick could just taste the ebb and flow of the ursine energy beyond, but stood rooted in the next moment. single lantern eye roved to the girl who had entered the cave, and pushed him back from the carcass in the same motion.
"you witless, stupid creature!" merrick snarled loudly, tones echoing around the cavern. "this is a sacred place. be still."
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#6
Maia was keyed up now, but she realized an instant later that the bear was dead.  This didn't stop her from puffing a little indignantly, though, when the obviously stupid wolf in front of her called her witless.

Oh yeah, I'm stupid for being scared of a bear in a cave.  Weirdo.  Her voice was a little joking, but it was mostly trying to ease the tension from her nerves.  What the heck was he talking about, sacred? It was a cave with a scary dead bear.  She edged a little away, but couldn't really get a read on him yet.
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#7
"not just a bear," merrick snapped back, before drawing a sharp breath and composing himself with the air of a man running his fingers through his hair. "i'm sorry. this place ... it's just special to me," the boy explained, searching for empathy in the girl with his creation of a truly apologetic expression.
who was she, and why had she come? was there still a bounty upon his head? his remaining eye did not rove from the newcomer, but already merrick had seen the jut of crystalled rock behind her, above her: only a handful of steps to break her skull if it came to pass that she was one of the band hunting he and his.
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His snap made her wince, just a little, but she bought it as soon as he turned those apologetic eyes on her.  Maia was forever an optimist when it came to others, and she never guessed he might be sizing her up.  She had no reason to.

It's fine, whatever.  Sorry for intruding?  She looked around, trying to sort out perhaps why it was special to him.  It's pretty.  She finished a little lamely.  Caves weren't really her dealio.

Look, I'm a little lost.  You haven't heard of Firebirds have you? Ugh.  Admitting it was hard, but she gave a sheepish smile.  She'd already mistaken the bear for a threat so at this point embarrassment was flowing.  No use pretending now.
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"no, can't say i have," merrick muttered, still enthralled by the great hulking corpse of the bear. "i'm not really from around here." was it a lie? perhaps, as this cave had drawn him not once but three times.
"are you lost?" merrick asked, at last granting this girl his full attention. she was pretty, he supposed, though it was irrelevant to his own mission.
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I mean, yeah.  That's what I said. She had an egging, "duh" tone when she said it, but beneath her fur she flushed.  She hated asking for help, but sometimes she didn't have a choice.

Unfortunately it seemed that he wouldn't be able to offer any anyway.  Where are you from?  She jumped on the chance to steer away from herself, and something about the way he had said it caught her attention.  It wasn't weird to meet wolves from distant packs, but it was weird to meet wolves who accompanied dead bears in caves. And did you kill it? She gestured towards the corpse. If so, that had to be quite the story.  And when Maia smelled a story, well.... she rooted it out.  Or made one up to fit, whatever worked.
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"we all get lost sometimes," merrick admitted, hoping to soothe the girl's clearly frayed nerves. "i'm not blaming you. don't blame yourself." to her question the boy glanced with open admiration at the still frame of the ursine, rearing up into the darkness until it was almost obscured.
"no. but i watched him die," he whispered reverently, forgetting her first question. "i've never seen anything like that."
it had been like watching a  god fall.
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Oh.  She relaxed more as he spoke, cheering up a bit as he did indeed soothe her worries.  She still felt self conscious about it and a myriad of other things, but she was able to push that little voice to the background where it belonged.  The things he said next were more interesting, and she took a few cautious steps forward to hear and see better.

Yeah, me either. Maia stared at the bear and felt a little twinge in the pit of her stomach.  It's kinda sad, isn't it?  I mean, I know they are mean and all, but it's still sad.  The bear was an impressive beast.  She was reminded of the wolf who taught her to back away, the one with the kind eyes and the voice. She didn't remember his name anymore, just that she'd made him a king in a story once.

I wonder if he had a family somewhere.  Or maybe even followers.  Do bears have packs?  He'd be a king too if they did, right?  He was huge.  And now they'd never know what happened to him.
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#13
he no longer wanted to bandy words about the bear with the girl, for she did not understand the importance of the bear's presence, and he did not wish to explain it. "it is sad," he agreed smoothly all the same, knowing that the flowing of their conversement must not be interrupted. 
"i think they travel alone," merrick murmured thoughtfully, then let his features develop into a slow smile. "don't think i ever got your name," he mused, his single eye focusing with open interest on the girl. "i'm rovii." lying; how creative it could be.
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Well that was boring and hardly a good setup.  Didn't matter if it was probably true.  No, this was the king of the bears they had watched die, and now Merrick was... the aid to the king.  Like his advisor or something. It was his job now to carry news of the king's death, for a new king needs named.  Only the one who can best the others can hold the title Bear King.

She was lost for a moment, and came back around just after he said his name.  Huh?  Oh! Sorry.  I'm Maia.  It's nice to meet you Rovii.  Do you live here?
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"uhh, a bit farther, actually," merrick purled. he pawed away from the beast, wanting to seek the air outside the cave. once emerged into the frigid temperatures, the boy shook out the tousled rust of his ruff. "mmm, better." surreptitiously he pulled his focus away to settle around the firm but pleasant weight of the bear spirit prowling its new residence in his chest.
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Yeah...  Maia let the moment stretch, a little awkward for her though he seemed unbothered.  She hated silence, a fact that was usually apparent pretty quickly.

Anyway.  Moments later she couldn't stand it.  I guess you probably can't help then.  But do you know where Moonspear is at least?  If she could find that she could find home, and if he hadn't heard of Firebirds, maybe he'd at least heard of the massive mountain.
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moonspear. wasn't that where the dead man had tucked his child? merrick mused a long moment. if he told this naive girl where to go, his appearance might be revealed, along with his whereabouts. for that he would not stand; he let his features gather into a thoughtful expression.
"i think it's that way," merrick murmured, gesturing in the direct opposite of the forbidden mountain. "be careful. this won't be the only bear around."
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Yeahhhhh.  Okay.  She peered at him a moment longer, as though trying to figure something out.  It was weird, he seemed nice, but even now she couldn't tell if he liked her or not. Generally speaking Maia was a hell of a people pleaser and she didn't much like that this wolf was so... cool?

Anyway whatever, he wasn't her packmate and probably was one of those wolves who didn't like anyone.  That decided, this meeting could come to a definite close.  Well, thanks.  And good luck with whatever.  She had begun the phrase out of habit, but at the finish realized she didn't know what exactly he'd been doing out here.  With that, she turned to go.
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she was going. merrick smiled, dipped his head in a little gesture of farewell. "thank you. be safe."
with any luck, the girl would wander into an impending blizzard and be lost to the shifting drifts, far from the sprawl of moonspear and its murderous queen.
watching her depart for an interminable moment, merrick turned back to the cave, back to the cold reek of blood and bear-grease. fascinated, touched; he settled against the stiffening arm of the dead bruin and let the remainder of the day slip past in whispers.