Whitefish River Here We Go Again, I hear the Sound of pain

for @Hieronymous and @Orlaith

With every moment of silence, the threat of danger lingered. It lurked, always coming to knock at the door in the night. A moment when they were always resting and least expecting trouble, a moment when they had put down their defenses and grown vulnerable. It was one reason the Count had kept her walls up constantly for most of her life, though as she grew older, it became harder to keep that mask on permanently. It was ever so evident now, especially over the past two years. No one could live like that, a break would always be needed at some point, the key was timing it just right to avoid the crumbling downfall of an inflicted break.

Now was no different, since spring life became easy and while Ira was still wary of the lurking threats, summer went by easily. Now fall was drawing to a close and with it the harsh bitter bite of winter. It was about a week ago that Kaistleoki had sheltered a lone wolf, one that was attacked and chased by a bear by the side of their knight commander, Orlaith. Both had been injured in the incident, though thankfully it seemed as if both would make a full recovery thanks to Speedy. Healed scars did not mean that the root of the problem had been dealt with though.

Ira had sought out her Constable to discuss the matter. With winter coming soon, an angry bear would not be stopped if it grew desperate enough for food before it burrowed away to hibernate away from the cold. They had to ensure its death, or that it was chased far from their claim, not just for their food, but for the children that grew here at the river. A few plans had been thrown back and forth, but they would need the help of other wolves, not just her and Hiero, so the pair sought out the knight who had seen it first hand. Orlaith would know best of all what they were up against as well as where about they could find it.

The knight had been resting for most of the week, or at least she was supposed to, but Orlaith was hard to tie down, much like herself and Hieronymous. Today her scent lingered towards the borders. What Speedy would think of her jumping back into action so soon, she could only guess, but the pain must not be too bad if she was walking the lengths of their claim. Trailing the scent, the council duo would eventually catch sight of Orlaith as Ira chuffed to gain the knight commander's attention.

As per usual when summoned by Ira, Hieronymous followed and listened without complaint. Honestly, he probably would follow her until his own feet fell right off. Even then he probably would crawl. It didn't matter if she had the same feelings he felt for her, he couldn't ignore his own love for the roan woman and instead respected her wishes and nothing more. So he followed despite the threat of a bear. The bear attacked and was a danger to the pack, he would gladly put himself between it and Kaistleoki. Better him than Ira, she had children to raise.

Thankfully Orlaith would be joining them. The more the merrier as far as he was concerned.

He stood silently by for now, dipping his head in greeting to the other large woman in the trio - letting Ira take the respective lead on this as she should. He knew the least about this after all. The knight was only along for the ride to do his duty.

As much as she thought to go unnoticed, it seem others realized Orlaith did not sit around and wait. Occasionally did she stop to talk to either Riley or Saraneth, but otherwise she would travel to the borders, patrolling rather poorly with the small limp she carried. As it has been time, it was better, and to the point it was barely noticeable.

Though she still felt pain, especially her arm ached every once in a while. The lightning was a faraway memory, rather, she didn't remember it all. But the commander felt it's pain, once in a while did it act up, and so she grown rather numb to certain injuries.

Ah, but today, she was caught!

By two wolves!

Play it casual, "Good morning, gorgeous day amiright?" All with the most awkward, and uncomfortable laugh she could give.

Orlaith was quick to turn at their presence, a rush greeting given as she let out an awkward chuckle to which Ira could only cast a glance to the man beside her. It's overcast. It was clear to the Count that the knight commander knew she had been caught, but that mattered little to Ira. As long as she was not worsening her injuries, there really was no room for complaints. If Orlaith wanted to grind her teeth and fight off a wave of pain, that would be her choice as it affected no one else.

I'll skip the hounding and leave that to Speedy next time she checks on your injuries. We did not seek you out to berate you. Quite the opposite actually, I came to hear more about this bear now that wounds are not a pressing matter. Mind if we walk and talk? Ira would never complain about the grunt work. She'd much rather be moving while talking instead of idling around. With threats nearby, it was good to keep a strong border, even if a bear wouldn't think twice before crossing their scent markers.

Ah, so the puzzle pieces were slowly being put into place. A shit-eating grin found its way quickly to the Constable's face as he eyed Orlaith in a smug grimace. 

At least he wasn't the only one who seemed to ignore Speedy's demands for rest when injured, it was fun to be on the outside looking in for once. He tried to keep his little jest from Ira's sight, staying behind her just enough to try... but if he was caught, Hiero probably wouldn't have changed his grin anyway. 

Once the bear was brought up again, the knight straightened up again. Listening carefully and waiting for what the plan was, or at least, an invitation to do more than just listen.

Perhaps of relief for a moment, but the thought of Ira going to tell Speedy later, also dreaded her mind. Then there was the Hiero, who held a rather smug look toward her so. Orlaith had to take a rather deep breathe to refrain from socking him in the face.

"Yeah, sure," as long as the Knight wasn't be forced down, she was up for the patrol. Alongside did she fall with the two higher ranks, but didn't show much importance to that. Rather continued with a high head and strong body language, as the usual Orlaith would do.

"I will admit, the bear was kinda... Off." In a way it was hard to explain, she couldn't find proper words to explain so. There wasn't anything physically wrong, "it continued chasing us for days. It randomly attacked Saraneth, who only resting at the area." She so explained. It but a female blackbear, and had a crazed look. There was a moment of fear that traced to back of her mind, causing a hesitation to move forward for a split second, before shaking her head out of it and continuing on the patrol.

Fortunately, Ira missed the Constable's teasing look, though it seemed the other had not. A deep breath was sucked in as Orlaith agreed to continue. Luckily there were no further complaints as the knight fell in line beside the two council members, the trio quickly moving at a steady pace as they grazed the edges of their territory. Without missing a beat, Orlaith moved to the topic of the bear, though Ira couldn't help but raise a brow as she glanced to the equally large woman, Off? You think it may be sick then? It was strange for a creature like a bear to continue a chase so far from where they had initially encountered it.

The only reason a bear would attack a wolf resting out of the blue would be for territorial reasons, or perhaps hunger, but if it was territory, why chase so far, and hunger well... another meal would be easier at that point. It was safe to cross children off the list too or the bear would not wander so far. A sick bear would be in some ways better, but all the more dangerous. Its defenses would already be weak, but whatever plagued its mind could be detrimental to any of their members.

The mood felt light, he rather liked it if he could say so himself. Despite the heavy topic at hand of hunting down a bear, at least he was having a good time for now with the teasing and being in good company. A few good laughs in would be nice before injuries were spread around, before the possible death of another creature - preferably the one that wasn't a part of their family. But that light mood didn't linger for long.

As the topic continued, the Constable's face fell. Brows stern as they roamed from Ira and then eventually fell on Orlaith as his question was more so directed to her in the end after all. Did you see any symptoms of an illness? He didn't like that thought... His eyes wandered from Orlaith and briefly found Ira. Could it be contagious? He couldn't help but think back to the rabies case they had earlier this year... the last thing they needed was another one with a more dangerous foe than a yearling searching for her mother. His question was more so a signal to Ira on how he felt on the matter of a sick bear. Hopefully, she caught his hint.

"I dont know," Orlaith could only shake her head. The thought of rabies momentarily drifted, but she refrained from throwing out. She didn't see but frothing from the mouth like a normal one would produce, and it seemed so diligent to chase them so, one with rabies was never mentally sound enough to be on a specific track, "it looks normal."

"It didn't bite us if it's contagious, I got thrown around, and Saraneth got nipped a bit by its claws." The two were smart enough to realize something was off by the bear. They were only thrown around a few times before agreeing it was best to escape, but they never would've known that the black bear continued chasing. Both were bruised heavily so.

"There no indication it lived at the hollow- it's a stray from somewhere." When you arrive at an area, bears mark at times if they make a home. They also held such a deep musk, that upon being in one area for so long, the scent to wolves would not be brushed aside. However Orlaith didn't smell it clearly, only when it was in sight, did she freeze so.

"It didn't seem hungry, just angry."

The glance thrown her way did not go unnoticed, nor did Ira forget the scare they had back in spring. A rabies infested bear was the last thing she wanted to deal with, though fortunately, Orlaith seemed to swear off that as an option. That still left a surplus of questions though. How could it appear healthy, though act out of character for its species? The Count's own brows furrowed as she brushed up against a tree before turning her attention back to the knight commander.

I've never heard of a bear with a desire for vengeance. It makes no sense for it to be wandering about without a claim, it too should be preparing for winter. Perhaps more so than themselves. Wolves walked the snow-covered terrain as the harsh months came, but bears and prey often burrowed or hid away until conditions were kinder. Maybe Speedy is aware of another kind of sickness. Sick or not though, it must be dealt with one way or another.

This time her gaze turned to her Constable. They would need to pick their line of defense soon, perhaps scout out where the bear might have wandered off to since it lost Orlaith and Saraneth's trail. There have been no signs of it since you returned, Orlaith. Do you know where about it lost its chase?

No bites were a good sign - but again, that didn't mean it didn't rule anything out either. Nothing about this seemed okay, it rubbed him all the wrong ways. Just because the thing didn't foam at the mouth, didn't mean it wasn't rabies... that was something he knew for certain. Let's keep the no bitting streak going then eh? Not wanting to be the Debby Downer, he made sure to voice the demand regardless. Just to be on the safe side. That didn't mean he made promises himself, just that he hoped the ladies would take more precautions at least.

He'd be damned if anything happened to either of them should the encounter turned sour. Ira had children to raise and Orlatih, well, she had been through enough. His eyes lingered on Orlaith this time, waiting for instructions on where they could go to find this creature, their monster... she knew of his lack of sense of smell, so already she must know he couldn't lead the charge... for now. Not until he saw it at least.

We need to come up with a plan should we find it, the best way to take it down with as little injuries on our end.

"I don't remember much besides staying clear from Kaistleoki. It chased us for some time, we were deep in the south, and by the time we realized it we lost it, I immedietly came back." It all seemed surreal for the commander, because they were chased for not just a day, but for nearly a whole week. Anytime there was rest, the bear seemed to come from behind and roar as their poor, weak joints continued the run.

She made sure to stay clear from KO, that part was absolute. However it just but a haze to where exactly where the female blackbear was lost. The last memory served was an immediate arrow to the creek, "I can only assume it's still down there."

There was an escape sighed as she followed the Count on brushing up by the border, rolling an eye at the Constable, "honestly? It's pretty relentless. Though it's only a blackbear- a few good warriors should defend so." However at the time of the attack, it was just herself and a woman, who didn't seem much of a warrior.

tags are for reference/maybe a thread or behind the scenes later

Unfortunately there was not much of a lead to go off of to track the bear, but they at least had a direction...south. @Eshe mentioned her brother had been separated somewhere to the south, hopefully, he too did not run into such a relentless creature, but maybe that would work in their favor. If she too had come from the south then they could work out where the bear wasn't given she never mentioned running into something so dangerous before losing her kin.

Hiero seemed to stay stubborn on the fact that they should avoid the bear's jaws, something she couldn't exactly complain about, but there was no easy promise to that. At the very least, it was a black bear they were dealing with, one of the smaller types. With four wolves they could easily overwhelm it and at the very least chase it off if the job was not finished. Ira, Hiero, @Aliana, and Orlaith should she heal in time, four large wolves that could rival its size. Perhaps we send Woodward then. Get a feel for the territories to the south and plan an attack from there. We have enough Knights to dispose of the creature and a Newcomer that had just come from the south. She may be able to point us in more of a direction than mindless guessing.

It might not be a flawless plan, but until they knew more about where this bear was or what caused it to be so vicious, there was not much that could be said. Ira sighed marking another tree as she glanced to Hieronymous for his approval. They would still have to discuss the matter with @Speedy , and see what her thoughts were on the bear's behaviour, but at least they had more of a direction now.

A side-eyed glance was offered at Orlaith's backtalk on the matter of planning ahead. Honestly, he was less than impressed by this. There were factors in as to why he survived this long in his condition, plan ahead, have an idea on what to do should things turn sour - that didn't mean he didn't charge forward regardless, especially when someone else's life was on the line... but when it was his own, and the opportunity to plan was there, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm not about to risk our top three warriors when we have the time to plan ahead. Thinking on how disappointed Speedy would be if the three of them had to be nursed back to health.

At least Ira was already thinking ahead, scouting, gathering information and preparing in some way was better than the barely anything they had so far. He also thought of speaking with Speedy in regards to the possible illness the bear may have - that seemed like the logical next step in this endeavor. She even thought of planning an attack from the sound of it afterward. Ira always had a good head on her shoulders, he expected nothing less from the Count.

I'll keep my eyes and ears open on any information regarding the bear until we are ready to move. See what I can scavenge on the matter.

Someone can write him out to close the thread or you guys can assume he left after Ira and Orlaith did! I have nothing left to add <3

"We have allies, surely they'd want it gone as well." Orlaith brushed off Hiero's worries as her plan was simply 'jump and kill' with numerous numbers. While they had four, strong and large wolves, they could always request to the outside allies for but a few more. She knew they were out there, albeit was a bit out of the politics and unsure who in particular they were allied with- but surely they had some, right?

With a final mark alongside the large tree, she turned to the two with but a grin, "when I heal i'll go too. Coz', I know the bear, right?" Orlaith doubted they could stop her anyway, or would. She had the best idea what the bear acted like, and what it appeared to be. So laughing any objections they may have, she waved them off with her tail.

Might as well grab some dinner.

Hiero wasn't fond of just rushing in, nor was she, though the knight's solution be to call upon allies. True, other packs may be willing to lend a hand, but they were, for the most part far and further away from the bear than they were Kaistleoki. All except for the Empire, though last she heard they were having inner struggles. Truly she needed to send someone that way to check in and see how Reiko was fairing, but that was an issue for later.

If you plan to go, then you should focus on resting, yes? Like the Constable, Ira shot a look to Orlaith, though she seemed to be tearing away already, perhaps to avoid any further backlash. Ira sighed seeing that this conversation appeared to be over for the time being. They had their tasks set now, all they had to do was follow up where needed and send some eyes to the south. With Orlaith off to find her own meal, Ira and Hiero would break away to finalize the next steps.