Bearclaw Valley a

merrick had welcomed him to stay, and so he would. jaylen largely kept himself away from the wolves, in the shadowed groves and among rocky ledges- fearful of the way he would be treated. sure, he was a bear with massive clawed paws and fearsome jaws- but he also wasn't very smart, nor one for violence. 

today, his curiosity got the better of him. he was lured by the scent of wolfmilk- intriguing, telling of some new life... and soon enough he found a den, which he eyed curiously from several yards off, wondering if children might emerge.

A child eventually did emerge, a blot of ink dripping from the shadow of the doorway out onto the light spring grass. By now, his appearances on the lawn were frequent, even though he remained a reluctant, reticent adventurer at best. The way his eyes ping-ponged between new sights and the sonar-esque rotations of his ears when presented with new sounds suggested he was no less curious nor intelligent than the average cub, but when it came to new experiences, he was often five or ten steps behind his bolder sister, cautious to a fault.

So when the little boy flopped into the grass and began rolling clumsily around to scratch an itch on his hide, only to spot a gigantic brown blob from his upside-down vantage point, it was extraordinarily uncharacteristic that he rolled onto his belly and craned his neck for a better look rather than freezing on the spot, as he might've with another wolf. Something about the colossal bear watching him was less intimidating, less threatening, even though any sane pup (or parent) would've soiled themselves.

So much so that he whacked his tail several times against the grass and lowered his head, denim blues alight with something akin to mischief.

the little wolf cub that came from the den was inky in color... was it merrick's? well, it must be- the man had said that all the wolves here were his. but jaylen hoped it might be his blood- seeing his wolf friend as a father would be an amusing thing, and the bear wondered who might be his lovely bride. 

jaylen still had not realized that merrick was no family man. 

the cub rolled on the ground, pulling the bear's mouth into a toothy grin at the sight, and then it was gazing at him with wide blue eyes. wagging tail- even a bear knew what that meant. hi, wolf cub, jaylen cooed, shaking the earth as he strode somewhat closer on heavy paws, though still maintaining some distance.

The bear's lips pulled into an unusual grin, and Aventus mirrored it with a rare one of his own. He marvelled at the droopy lips, the huge yellow incisors, the size of Jaylen's eyes in comparison to the size of his enormous nose, and the wee round ears adorning the top of his head. He looked nothing like ma or pa or Avicus.

These alien qualities might explain why Aventus felt strangely at ease with the behemoth, despite being shy around his own kind. Jaylen lumbered closer and Aventus felt the ground rumble under his belly, but he wasn't hungry, so it couldn't have been that. He cast a look down toward his own narrow chest, failing to put two and two together to realize that Jaylen was simply so enormous compared to him that the bear shook the very ground. Jaylen distracted him then, rumbling something that sounded rather like the sounds Merrick made, but more gravelly and ponderous, because he was a bear and not a wolf.

Arf, was all Aventus could say back, because he didn't know how to speak yet, but any sort of verbal response to a stranger was passing strange for him. He reached his black toes out in a stretch before lurching to his paws, swaying clumsily, and then toddling in the bear's direction, utterly unaware of the danger that a bear could present. Jaylen's aura was simply too calm to alarm him any, and like any perceptive babe, Aventus could almost sense that about the ursine.

stirred into wakefulness by a strange reverbration, astara cast her gaze about the den and did a headcount. one -- but no two; she shifted from barely cognizant to bolting awake in a milisecond, her ears pulling back as an arf (her son? perhaps?) clapped through the den wall.

astara did not expect a bear when she clambered from the den; her astute gaze traveled from beast to son, finding it alarming she had heard him at all -- was he hurt, was this bear bothering him? her hackles lifted protectively as she scuttled from denmouth to babe, her gaze never once leaving the bear.

merrick owed his life and his fealty to a spirit bear that whispered strange things to him -- astara had no such loyalty.

arf arf! jaylen imitated in a chuckle, loving smile making his face glow. the little child came closer on toddling feet, and jaylen imagined he was merrick, watching his child's first footsteps. what a lovely thing it would be to be a family head! the bear did not know that merrick lacked his enthusiasm.

the beast looked up then, distracted from the child when its mother emerged and came to his side, spine bristling with fear or perhaps anger. a gentle sigh from his nose- why were some wolves like this? the bear collapsed heavily to his haunches, sitting with torso upright (see avatar). did he still look threatening to her? are you one eyed wolf's family? jaylen called softly to the scary woman, willing himself to have courage; to try and show her that he was no harm. bearpaws were made for pats on the head, not violence.

The bear imitated him, which made Aventus' face break out in a little smile—the very first smile he'd ever directed at someone other than his mother and his sister. If left to his own devices, the Bearberry would find his way to Jaylen's humongous paw, but fate—specifically in the form of a mother hen—saw fit to disrupt his plans.

Astara's shadow fell over the child and his demeanour changed in an instant. His dam didn't inspire the same fearful reverence in him that his sire did, but for all the freedom she granted and all the boldness she inspired in her tiny son, she was nevertheless commander of his life. He heeded her without question when the mischief was over, and her stance suggested now was not the time for it. The earth shuddered under his sensitive feet when Jaylen reclined upon his bottom, prompting the pup to tilt his head, inquisitive.

He wouldn't advance past the protective cage of his mother's limbs, but he tipped himself back onto his hindquarters as well, attempting to straighten his torso the way the bear did, only to overbalance and topple sideways against his mother's ankle.

there was a tumble as the monolith collapsed, the ground shaking.

astara withstood the reverberations whilst her throat constricted. fucking bears -- why was it merrick worshiped them, when this one had the collective intelligence of a rock?

if she were a bear, she'd smack wolves so hard their skulls would dislodge from their spine and go splintering into the rocks behind them.

if she were a bear, merrick would know the true fear of worship.

she remained still, her ears flopping to the side as she suddenly felt avicus' form roll between her ankles. glancing down upon him, astara realized he had fell; her gaze narrowed -- had this bear done anything to her son? suspicion riddled her thoughts, and had she the capability, she might have answered the brute's query. being that she had never spoken a word, astara's communicative glare would have to do: why are you so close to my child, beast?

Sorry to skip, thought I'd go ahead and close this up per the notice in Jaylen's signature and because it's getting outdated!

Maybe it was Astara's withering stare or maybe it was simply Jaylen's nature to defer to others. Either way, the bear came no closer. Aventus struggled to right himself, finding his mother's indigo gaze while he was halfway through rolling back onto his belly. He froze for an instant, merely staring at her, before tilting his head to find Jaylen again.

The bear hadn't moved. With a nearly inaudible huff, Aventus splayed out his forelegs and bid his colossal companion closer with an owlish blink. Even that wasn't enough to cause Jay to stir, not with Astara staring him down with a hellhound's fearsome aspect. Aventus grew tired of the standoff in short order and rose, making his way back to the den and sliding inside to nap with only one backward glance at the bear.