Bearclaw Valley And all the good you've done / Will soon get swept away.

Ganon is just outside of Ursus territory, but I'd figure I'd post here for visibility. Feel free to beat up this mess of a boy :P

He had often wondered how much of his quest was formed in genuine concern for his wellbeing, and how much had been an attempt to get rid of him once and for all. He didn't blame anyone for the latter. He was a bastard in more ways than one. 

He had to replace the rabbitskin; wolves lacked the know-how (and the opposable thumbs) to properly treat animal skins, so the one that he had been sent off with had long since torn. He had muttered the blessings and placed the proper herbs within it, made it good as new, but that didn't erase his resentment for the thing.

The stone. The blasted stone. How long had this thing vexed him? First a wraith at his heels, and now penance? He wanted to just chuck it into a river and never look back, but something told him that he would be found out. So he continued to carry his burden.

Bearclaw Valley. He vaguely knew of the place. It had been the home of one pack or another for as long as he could recall. This time was no different, with a fresh claim wafted over its stony walls. He approached its entrance, standing as close to the invisible wall as he dared. Perhaps here would turn up some information for him. He dropped the rabbitskin 'bag' and let out a low howl.

astara didn't recognize the howl, but she sure as shit recognized the scent that wafted over bearclaw's perimeters. she froze mid-stride, her eyes drawing dangerously to the entrance.

in a hyaenid-skulk, astara arrived in no time with her vehement melonii gaze transfixed on ganondorf.

you.

a gibbering excitement crawled through her blood as she beheld the fiery form of her longest enemey. she had never forgotten the bastard that had stolen her stone; how many days had she trailed after him in a fury -- how many weeks had she and merrick paced up and down the strand, at last forced to give up?

her gums pulled back in a snarl and her tail arced -- but astara did not lunge for ganondorf. no -- she lunged for the rabbitskin, purely on instinctual tit-for-tat -- totally unaware that inside the furs, the stone's many tongues whispered in malevolent frenzy.

he was searching through the newer land for the wolfcubs, bearcubs. here he found the raven's trail, and there he decided to follow where it dropped off, searching after its pleasantries for the woman at the end of it. 
a howl inspired his ear, and merrick drew toward the rustrock path that led into the valley.
he was delighted to find that the blackbird's track narrowed to match his own. a familiar reek now, one that merrick recalled from his time along the sea. a flash of obsidian; he knew it to be her, and so merrick lunged forward, following her flank and teeth to snap toward the side of the redboy's neck, delighted to be hunting again with his beloved, ecstatic to meet another wolf come from the past.

Ok wow.

He wasn't actually expecting to find not only the wraith, but her summoned creature in one sitting, but here he was.

He was not, however, surprised by their reactions. It was as if that great gap of time between him stealing the stone and him returning it had never existed, and they had found him on the beach. Ganon took a step back, his grip loosening from the rabbitskin as the wraith lashed out to grab it, allowing her to take it from him. 

The fresh scent of milk wafted off of the wraith, and peaking through the darkness of her stomach fur, he could see two rows of pink nubs. Children? Ganon was surprised. His mouth opened to speak, but in came another flurry of dark fur, this marred by pink but in a haphazard, random way. The demon. He looked even more demonic now, his face all torn to shreds. 

The warlock snarled, turning to counter the demon's attack as best he could, feeling the sting of teeth grip the thick fur of his neck. I brought back the fucking stone! He catches the smell of many more on the demon's fur, adults, not pups. Ganon panicked. If they had a pack behind them, then his chances of returning would be slim to none. It's in there, he gestured to the bundle in the wraith's maw.

joined by the shadow of her mate, astara's stride lengthened.

where merrick lunged for fiery flank, astara lunged for the hide -- and once it was in her jaws she pirouetted away with a resounding snarl, spinning once more so she was facing both ganondorf and merrick.

with a terrific heave of her head she swung the skin back and forth with the intention to mutilate it -- to render it into tatters. it was then the stone was flung out on a whirling arc some twenty feet high. astara tracked its bascule first with disinterest, and then widening horror -- as she realized the identity of the object.

she dropped the skin without pausing, and lunged after the stone which rolled away in the tall grass.

two things — first the interloping man did not fight, only shouted loudly. teeth whistled next to his half-bit ear, catching one ragged edge and provoking a line of blood. but he did not care.
astara did not continue with the lash of her own teeth; merrick set his footing and would have dragged the thief forward to get a better look at his throat, had not he seen the inky flash of his lover's ravenglossed fur, the glimmer of something thrown high and higher still.
when his rook lunged away, merrick released the foolish red thing, pinning him beneath the glower of one eye. merrick was not done; his blood was heated with the potential of more death today, and he circled slowly to the left, intending to keep the man here until it was clear his corvid meant to be done with the robber.

She seemed intent on destroying what she thought was his, which, fair, but Ganon thought that he had said enough to warn her about the identity of the rabbitskin's contents. He gaped at her as the stone went arcing through the air, glinting in the sun. I FUCKING TOLD YOU! Doru-borto issaros! he yelled after her retreating form. He wanted to stare after her, to see her face when she returned with her prize in hand maw, but common sense kept his eyes on the one-eyed demon, uncertain where things would go next. Did the creature even understand what was going on? Or was he blindly following his mate's lead?

the stone tumbled through grass, with a dark blur of black quick upon it.

astara emerged from the brush with a victorious crow of triumph, muzzle high and gaze limned with boastful contempt -- expecting at any minute, the red marauder would come for his treasure.

only, he was held at bay by merrick; her dark, beautiful, violent merrick who encircled him like a shark...

astara kept her jaws tight, her muzzle higher.

were her teeth not occupied by the high value trinket, she might have found his flesh. she might have pulled skin from his skull, raked teeth down his ribcage, shook him again and again until his orange body was red with a far more ominous color -- so bent was astara's hate for this man that had wronged her.

she halted, eyes dark and on merrick with malevolent excitement.

he did not need ears, nor a mind-reader's intuition for the command which sprung from her eyes:

kill him.

merrick was intolerant of the tone offered to his blackbird; creamrust hackles flared to life along his narrow shoulders. her return only intensified his thrumming rein. merrick shifted his glance to and fro. she held her prize within lovely jaws; he held his own ready to strike.
needing no further bidding, the coywolf whirled immediately upon the redfurred man, sending the entirety of his scarred sinewy strength behind his attack as teeth flashed for shoulder, neck, throat, ear, any part of their enemy that might be scythed.

fading with a super loose ending since ganondorf is inactive -- but lmk if youd like me to revive or adjust! <3

with the stone held tightly between her jaws, astara's voice split the dry air. a crowing of victory in its totality.

she swept after merrick, lusting for the clash of teeth against hide.

ganondorf would feel nothing but teeth hounding him then from the valley, and though astara and merrick never came close enough to to fell him, he was driven deep from wapun territory until their chests burned and their sides heaved in exhaustion.