If there was anything that Enya was good at, it was talking about herself, which she did both profusely and thoroughly over the days she spent alongside Caedwyn. She told him of the wolves of the Kingdom before: her servants, her slaves, the clerics and the cooks and the court and the commoners. She shared with him how her Kingdom had been organized, how information was shared, how they used birds to send messages and how they utilized horses and what she began to understand and know of livestock. She yammered on to him about how it was peculiar, speaking to animals that knew they were meant for slaughter. You had the occasional creature who abstained from the general doings of society, but most were proud to serve the Kingdom how they could - be it with performing jobs or providing food for others. It wasn't like the animals were abused or neglected during their raising. They knew a life of luxury and peace in the Kingdom, something they often did not receive out in the wilds. She explained and tried to emphasize the size of the farm fields, and the castle its self made up of it's tall and old stacked bricks. How the castle was impossibly big, and somehow kept meticulously clean by the servants and slaves. She had been told that it had been thousands of years old, which she believed. It had taken Vrolga months to raise a simple wooden-spiked wall around their territory. To raise a castle and walls of stone - even with elemental wielders - seemed impossible. And yet, she had stood inside one, and knew deep down that Caedwyn would never truly be able to understand what doing so felt like as much as he might try.
When she wasn't going on and on about the Kingdom (and it should be noted that she made effort to avoid discussing the King who had ruled it), she spoke about her time in Vrolga and her time in the new world that had formed after the Akrasia had happened. She told Caedwyn of her brother, of how her mother had died due to her birth, and of how her father had gone mad with grief afterwards, nearly killing the three of them and successfully killing her own Aunt with his grief. She tied the strings together for Caedwyn, pointing out that when she had left her father was just before she had first encountered him. She filled him in on her life and her experiences because she wanted him to know her as more than Enya - leader of Vrolga who had almost sentenced him to his death. She wanted him to understand that she was just a wolf, a small creature existing in this world that they both found their selves in. She was nothing special (though she might act like she believes otherwise), and in the grand scheme of things, they were but blips on the radars.
"I've never truly overcome my desire for alcohol." she said thoughtfully to Caedwyn as they walked together, scouting out a place in the north to mark as a home. It had been her request, and he had kindly obliged. She used to hate the cold, used to curse it with her entire might. Now, however, after speaking with her mother's spirit, Enya craved it. "Every day, no, every few hours I ponder how I might make my own alcohol out here in this new world. Unfortunately, I never had the mind to learn how to do such a thing. I didn't expect to be whisked away to a different world where alcohol just... didn't exist" She put emphasis on the words with a curled lip, clearly upset that it was a true statement. "Maybe it's a good thing. I can't over indulge myself if I can't find any drink to begin with. Oh, but Caed, I do miss it so." The words were said with longing as she lifted her muzzle to look up, dreaming of the sweet flavors, of the bitter hot spice as it burned down her throat, of the way it made her head swim and of the way that it made her pains go away. "What's your favorite flavor of poison?" The idle chatter was carried on with Caedwyn as they walked together, putting distance between their selves and the lake and headed up through the tree line and towards the mountains.
In the days following their newfound relationship, Caedwyn had made a careful effort to stay near Enya's side. His exploration of the continent could wait until later. For now he wanted nothing more than to remain in Enya's company. And company she provided - with her conversation. He couldn't remember Enya ever talking so much. The stories came freely from her and he tried his best to soak them in. He wanted to know more about her past and to actually know her. Of course, Caedwyn sometimes got lost in the multitude of tales she began sharing. Hopefully he wouldn't get the details mixed up later on! He was intrigued of her stories of the 'Kingdom' she'd been in before. It seemed quite large and she spoke of large stone structures full of servants, and he tried his best to imagine such things. He remembered when Vrolga had put up a wall while he was away in Athadia, and Athadia in turn had built their own wall. It was rather amusing how one thing led to the next and he wondered what sort of history might have led to the building of a structure as large as Enya described.
She told him of her past and how she had ended up finding him and eventually going to Vrolga. On the other paw, Caedwyn didn't really have such exciting tales of his childhood nor such extreme heartache as it seemed she had suffered. His own parents had largely ignored him for most of his childhood and by the time he was a teen they had passed away from a sleeping sickness. He shared small details with Enya of his upbringing, telling her of his siblings who had either ventured away from the pack or passed away. He'd never been too close with any of them so it hadn't been too dreadful when they vanished from his life entirely. Of course he had a few rivals, including Andromache - but he keenly chose not to bring that up to Enya now.
When Enya began to discuss alcohol, Caedwyn's ears pricked with interest. She fancied herself a brewer then? He wondered and a little chuckle came out as he listened. He of course knew nothing about brewing and was at the mercy of finding alcohol. It was rather strange that he hadn't found anything yet, now that he though of it. Where would be the best place to find a brewery? A winery? Something? He was almost lost in thought when she asked what his favorite drink was. "Oh, I uh... hadn't thought too much about it." He laughed a little guiltily. "Hmmm. There was this one drink... a mead of some sort. I had it at a party back in Athadia. Hell, I don't think I remember half the night but it sure was good." He tried to think over what happened that night. It was probably a blessing that he couldn't remember, given that night had involved getting into shenanigans with Rin and some questionable conversation about poop.
"What do you know about making alcohol? I'll admit I don't know a damned thing about how the stuff is made," he inquired, trotting along the rocky trail through the trees as they traversed their way up the mountains. "Have you made it before? I mean, if you know how... surely we could find the ingredients so you could have some. " He turned to her, slowing his pace. "If the Queen wants a drink, by Tsillah she should have one."
Just as Enya shared her past with Caedwyn, he equally returned the favor, telling her all about his siblings who had wandered off, about his family, about his parents passing when he was a youth. It saddened her to hear how he had lost most of his family in one way or another. It made her curious to know if she had ever encountered one of his siblings unknowingly. Gods, she hoped she hadn't slept with any of them - which seemed like a likely possibility knowing her own history in such a department. Wouldn't that be awkward.
She asked him generally speaking what they looked like, their names, and if he missed them at all. Tsillah knew she missed her own brother like mad. She didn't even know if he was alive, and she didn't dare try to scry him, afraid to learn the truth. Emotionally she was a fragile creature at this point in her life, so she guarded herself where she could. It was what had kept her from pressing things further with Caedwyn earlier on. That and a foggy mind gracefully cleared by Tsillah herself, enabling her to see the right path to follow, enabling her to see and understand Tsillah's true desires for her.
She would have to remember to do a ritual for Tsillah here soon. She could incorporate some of the techniques she learned from the days in her Kingdom to the ritual. Perhaps Caedwyn would want to assist her? She would have to remember to ask him.
"Oh, I uh... hadn't thought too much about it." he answered, bringing her mind back to the topic at paw. Enya threw back her head with a gasp, then bubbled up into happy laughter at such a bold statement. She laughed along with him, but quickly silenced and recomposed herself with a smile as he continued on, speaking of some mead that the Athadians had given to him. "If you thought the Athadians made good booze, you should have tried the spiced rum of the Casfurans. Between that and their tequilas, my god. I wonder how long I was blacked out for during my discovery of tequila. I recall someone saying eight days..." It had been a long time, having won a fighting tournament in their open fighting pits against an opponent she really shouldn't have been able to beat. It was a good thing that she had thought to pay a strange wolf the day before to conveniently drop a sharp shell beneath his paws, slicing one wide open. It had forced him to fight one side and gave her an advantage she used to win and thus, opened tabs at the bars and paid for her stay in one of the local's residences to be left undisturbed. "Casfura always was a non-stop party." she reminisced, and thought out loud, "We should have something just as distasteful here. A place to run off to. A place with fight pits, and of course if we can manage it, a place with lots of booze - for bargain of course!"
When he turned the topic towards whether or not she knew how to make booze, Enya smiled and rolled her eyes. Hadn't he been listening to her? "I just said that I never had the mind for it." She reached forwards towards him with her muzzle and bumped him on the shoulder playfully. "I did try once to make something. I used cactus fruit to make... I guess you could call it wine? Not a lot of options out in the desert unfortunately. Maybe I could try it again. Any suggestions on what I should try using?" She truly was a complete novice. Her first attempt had tasted horrible, almost enough to make one vomit, and though it had managed to get her drunk, she had spent the second half of the day wrenching her stomach of it's contents. She did not wanna make that same mistake again.
He then boldly declared that if Enya wanted a drink, it would happen, and she laughed softly not at him, but with him at such a proposition. "Speaking of Tsillah, I believe the harvest moon will be arriving within the next few cycles. I've been thinking that perhaps..." Her confident tone abruptly drifted off as the idea that this could very well be taken as her asking him out on a date struck her. She suddenly felt silly. Here she was turning bashful after her and Caedwyn had spent several days together. Perhaps because it was something she wanted to do in the future with him. It was openly declaring that she expected their relationship to last that long.
Enya cleared her throat and continued on, trying to push the sudden bashful feeling away. "I was thinking that I'd like to do something for Tsillah, hold a proper ritual for her. I have a lot to thank her for and it's been far too long since I've properly honored her. The gods of the Kingdom were many and celebrated in several different ways. It was hard keeping track with who ruled this and that and how each should be honored, but a few of them stuck. I think they stuck because they were descendants of our great Goddess" Her teal eyes flicked from Caedwyn, whom she had turned to look towards when she had started speaking to him, to the sky that was blocked largely by the mountain that towered up above them. "I think Tsillah would appreciate the additions of her children into Her ritual. What do you think?" Her eyes shifted back towards Caedwyn, "Perhaps you would like to help me with it? I'm sure Tsillah would feel honored to see you at such an event." There, she had done it. She had casually asked him out for a date that was further in the future than she dared hope to achieve.
"If you thought the Athadians made good booze, you should have tried the spiced rum of the Casfurans." Oh somehow he had completely forgotten about he Casfuran parties. He had been to Casfura a few times. Once or twice while he was living as a spy in Athadia, which each time seemed to have turned out eventful. In fact, him going to Casfura had led him to murdering one of the Athadians after they discovered his subterfuge. He wondered now if that had been the true turning point for all the events that had followed. If he hadn't gone to Casfura for their festival, he wouldn't have met with Ixora; and not meeting with Ixora would have meant he wasn't discovered; no discover, no murder... Or course, it was hard to determine at this point. He wondered if he still would have been tempted to kidnap that pup if he'd found her again out in the snow. Hell, after all this time he hadn't really thought about that pup. He couldn't really even recall her name at this point - only that she'd been one of Wisteria's children. But the parties. The Casfurans sure did know how to throw a raging party. He'd even fought in some of their duels and spent some drunken nights on the beach.
Listening to Enya talk so adoringly about their parties brought some of it back. Yes, he'd been to Casfura. That was also where he'd escorted Rosita. And now after these years his memory had recalled some of the details of that night. He wondered quietly if he should disclose that information to Enya. It seemed weird to just blurt out and start talking about someone you'd slept with, but he also felt like not saying anything was somehow hiding it from her. It wasn't like Enya was over here detailing all her past lovers to him though.
"Spiced rum," he sighed, nodding approvingly. "I take back what I said about the Athadian mead... I can't believe I forgot about the Casfurans!" He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief at himself. "You're not the only one who's been to Casfura. I've partaken in a few of their parties. The sea-dogs certainly know how to brew a good ale... and how to drink. I'm not sure who got drunker: me or them." He grinned, thinking about the wild dancing and debauchery they'd had on the beach. "I think most of the night was forgotten after how drunk I got." Well that was the truth. Fuck all, he didn't even remember sleeping with Rosita that night until years later. He cleared his throat, and took a few quick steps, hoping Enya wouldn't ask too many questions and turned to make a few curious faces as she was telling him about her cactus-brewing adventures.
And Enya had started speaking of a different topic thankfully. A Harvest festival would be upon them in the coming months. "What did you have in mind? Hopefully not celebrating with cactus-juice," he teased, giving her a little wink before pausing his walk to converse with her. From where he stood, they weren't too high in the mountains and to his left was a large bluff that overlooked the valley below. He could see the lake shining in the sun and flocks of water-fowl were swimming on the surface. It was a good view, he admitted. Hopefully they would find a location near here for their den. "I have not properly honored Tsillah in awhile," he said with a more serious tone as he continued to look over the valley. "We should definitely make an offering to her. Perhaps a fresh kill and some bones? But what else should we do?" He wasn't sure what sort of offering would be worthy of thanking a goddess for all she had provided. Tsillah had brought their paths together again. Without her, he wouldn't be looking forward to a future with Enya.
Caedwyn seemed to miss her brief anxiety of her asking him to celebrate their Goddess together with her. She let out a soft sigh in relief, having nodded along and added in proper responses to his own mentioning's of enjoying Casfura's plunder when appropriate. It made her wonder if they had passed by one another in their drunken stupors. Had she seen him? Had she hid from him, or he from her?
"No no, definitely not cactus juice. I won't make that same mistake again." she retorted, shifting her head and shoulders as she continued onwards, finding a path along the base of the lower mountain hills that seemed well traveled. The lake hung in the distance and the forest had thinned out some here, where rocks started to take over the terrain from various land-slides and standard weathering. Her nose dipped down low quickly, her tongue searching for scents. A sharp musty odor struck her. Her head came up and she resumed the pathway, motioning for Caedwyn to stay close. "Those are a must." Enya confirmed at Caedwyn's ideas. It was the bare-minimum she dared to give their Goddess. "These trees have sap here, these pines. I've learned that it burns well if you can manage to light it. Those of the Kingdom, they used to make candles out of it. It was customary to make a circle out of the candles to help focus the point on the tribute. Often times they painted their bodies, stones in the area, and brought tribute to an alter - bones as you said. We could make a flesh offering as well," She glanced sideways at Caedwyn, wondering if he would get her meaning, "Underneath the stars and underneath Her gaze. It's said to bring good luck and fortune." Her gaze returned to the pathway ahead. "Those are just some ideas, anyways. We have time, we could make it something worth her attention I think." At least, Enya was prepared to put a good amount of effort into her Goddess, to renew her faith once more.
Up ahead, the pathway twisted and between some large flowering bushes was a cave entrance. Enya paused as she saw the mouth come into view, turning briefly to look at Caedwyn, then hunkered herself down to watch and observe. Her nose quivered as her tongue scented the air, finding the musky odor much more potent now than before. It hadn't been hard to follow at all. When Enya spoke next, it was in a whisper. "Bear, I think." She didn't often like picking fights with bears. They were scary powerful. However, the cave location was ideal - more than ideal - and she wanted it. "You game?" her teal eyes stared not at Caedwyn, but at the entrance of the cave. They seemed to almost glow with eagerness, her tongue now running along her muzzle to lick away the saliva from her excitement. Their last hunt with large game had not gone as planned. This one, however, she had no fear of the same situation happening again.
They traversed along the path as they searched for a place to make their own. The ground here had been worn down by the passing of animals and it made the travel easy. No sharp stones or thorny branches. Caedwyn had been so used to hiding his den away from others in secret that this location seemed so very different to him. That was if he had a den at all. Travelling around on his own before, he'd often made his home in small abandoned burrows or nestled between the roots of large trees. One time he had even found a place under a bush to sleep for a few nights. But now he wasn't alone. He didn't have to hide his hoard away from prying eyes and having a place a bit more travelled could be a good thing, he decided. It meant that many animals were near that they could hunt. And the view was rather nice, he admitted. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the lake in the distance below them and the green branches of trees that reached upwards toward the sky. The location was right, but now they had to actually find somewhere for their den. He wondered if they would dig something out of the earth. The ground here was somewhat rocky for that. Or perhaps a small crevasse between the rocks of the mountainside?
As he thought of these things, he could see Enya sniffing around and he smiled at her response regarding the cactus-juice. Part of him wondered curiously what it would taste like but he wasn't sure he was brave enough to consume that concoction. He lifted his nose to the air, taking in a quick scent. He was right about his earlier observation: many animals had been here. Some new scents. Some old. The scents melted together, making it unclear what had been here and when. But nothing seemed too striking to concern him and he quickly picked up his pace to follow Enya. She seemed to be in agreement with his suggestion of offerings. He listened while she told him of how those of her past had honored their gods: candles, and altars, and painted stones. It all sounded so very formal and Caedwyn was excited at the idea of making a grand sacrifice to their goddess. He almost missed when Enya mentioned another offering they could give the goddess. His eyes darted over to her as a devlish grin crept to his face. "Underneath the stars and underneath Her gaze. It's said to bring good luck and fortune." She was looking ahead and Caedwyn wasn't sure if she had seen the excited look on his face. "Those are just some ideas, anyways. We have time, we could make it something worth her attention I think."
His tail wagged a bit behind him thinking about it. He hadn't really realized it, but part of him had wondered if she'd want to partake in his companionship any time soon, especially after what had happened before. He only hoped this time he wouldn't embarrass himself again. No. He knew he wouldn't. He had already come-to-terms with the memories that had surprised him before, and they'd bared their hearts to each other. It only seemed natural that giving their bodies would follow. It would be a special offering indeed, he decided. His pace quickened and he moved closer to her, matching his speed with hers as they moved. His mouth turned slightly toward her as he spoke confidently in a low tone. "I should like to see that offering as well. We shall put all other offerings to shame... under the moonlight, where your scales can shine like gems beneath her eyes." He made no attempt to hide his meaning. His lips curling up into a pleased smile. "The festival is not for many weeks," he added. "Perhaps... we should practice in the meantime? Unless -" His voice cut off as a scent caught his attention.
"Bear, I think." Enya's voice whispered and his attention moved up ahead. The thoughts that had pervaded his mind were pushed aside by the urgency of the situation, his smile dropping. But Enya's voice didn't seem fearful. In fact, from his perspective she seemed rather pleased. His eyes moved from her, to the path in front of them. A cave opening waited ahead. The entrance was not small to make it difficult to get inside and yet not too large as to allow too much rain or cold air within. Yes. This looked like a good choice. The only problem was that it appeared to be inhabited already. "You game?"
He smirked and let out a little huff of amusement. "I thought you'd never ask," he teased, his lowering to match her whisper. "We'll need a nice rug for the floor." His eyes darted from the cave to her, giving a little wink to her (thought he wasn't sure if she would see it or if her attention was still on the cave). "Perhaps one of us should lure it out and the other can surprise it when it comes out? We should get it out here in the open though, where it's easier to maneuver." The bear had yet to emerge and Caedwyn definitely wanted to get a plan down before they just went blindly into the cave.
So, Caedwyn had caught her meaning, and seemed eager to appease their Goddess. Underneath the red and cream markings on her face, she blushed a warm color. The compliment that followed, the mention of practice before the harvest season, it had her feeling a warm tingle in her heart. Instead of responding with words, she only smiled and glanced sideways at him in return. She shrugged her shoulder and turned her head away in a playful motion that said ... maybe. It would have to be discussed once they claimed their home. Perhaps practiced, even.
Caedwyn made a suggestion on how to combat the bear and Enya smirked, thinking for a moment. It was probably smarter to draw the bear out, and yet she wanted so badly to fight it within the confines of the cave. She was quick and agile. She could snake around the bear, use the walls to get behind it, and grab it's back, ripping into it's neck and shoulders. Such a feat would be much harder if it was out in the open. Caedwyn, however, was larger than her. She wasn't sure how agile he was in confined spaces, or really even what his fighting technique was like. Brute force, if she remembered correctly. He had used his size and weight against her when the two had fought, and even against Buck he had leapt onto his back to use his weight against her familiar. If that was the case, it would make sense to draw the bear out into the field.
"Ok, this one is on me, then. I hope you're ready for the performance of a lifetime." she confirmed at last as her jaws clicked together, snapping with excitement and the thrill of a hunt. She then lifted her head and tail proudly over her back, a grin spread across her muzzle as she barred her teeth, and waltz out from the spot within the bushes to make her path across the entrance of the cave obvious. "Oh Bearrrrr" Enya snarled loudly, her voice singsong as she lingered on the word 'bear', "Come out come out and playyyy!" The singsong in her voice remained through her snarl, not that the bear would be able to understand what she was saying.
Enya paused before the entrance to the cave, teal eyes peering within to try and spot movement. Her tongue flicked rapidly with excitement, click, click, click, click, and her face twisted from a grin into a look of disgust. "Ugh, you really do reek. I'm going to have to really put work in this fixer-upper once I make it mine." To add further emphasis, Enya lifted up a paw to her nose and rubbed at it, as if trying to rid the stink from her nostrils and tongue. "I suppose your pelt will need a good washing all the same, if I'm to make a rug out of it." Then, to just add insult to injury, Enya's tail lifted yet higher. Her face squinted, her breath held, and she turned her body so her ass was facing the cave. There she grunted and out came the loudest, longest, squeakiest fart she could muster. As it ended, Enya inhaled with a long, deep, exaggerated inhale to complete the show, "Ah, already making improvements."
Enya: 8/8
Dodge: Prepares to leap out of the way in case the creature within (assumed bear) charges/attacks her
Success: She springs out of harm's way
Failure: She is susceptible to damage should the creature attack
The performance of a lifetime? Caedwyn's brow wrinkled in confusion as he looked to her. What exactly was she getting at? Her jaws snapped shut with a clack of her teeth before Caedwyn noticed the grin that had come to her face. He remained crouched, utterly confused and watched as she ambled out in front of the cave. "Oh Bearrrrr" Her sing-song voice taunted. "What are you..." he whisper-shouted at her from the bushes, though he wasn't sure she could hear him. "Come out come out and playyyy!" He watched for a moment, lifting up his head to see her more clearly. Her antics continued, as she started in talking about how smelly the bear was and putting her paw up to cover her nose. At that point, Caedwyn couldn't hardly believe what she was doing. It was absolutely fucking hilarious. He blinked a few times, wondering if he was imagining this or if it was actually happening.
A tickling laugher bubbled up from his gut, coming out as a snicker through his teeth as he tried to choke the sound back down. What a performance indeed! He coughed, cleared his throat and quickly tried to stifle the laughter back down, but Enya was determined to get the better of him. When she turned her back to the cave and a squealing fart came out, he was finished. His mouth blew out a quick, noisy laugh before he caught himself. Had she really just done that?! He supposed that was one way to get the beasts attention! He used his paw to quickly cover his own mouth, silencing himself and ducking back down in the bushes - as he'd realized his head was poking out quite far. Suddenly his heart was beating quickly.
Had the bear heard her taunts? Her fart? His laughter? His body froze as he waited, eyes focused on the cave. But the seconds started to pass one after the other and nothing seemed to be happening. The tension of the moment was too much as he waited, legs coiled beneath him, ready to pounce out and surprise the bear. But still, nothing happened. His ears flicked forward and slowly he raised his head up. "Do you see anything?" He whispered at her again, this time his voice more inquisitive and devoid of laughter. The silence made him uneasy. Was the bear not here? Taking a heavy breath of air, Caedwyn rose and cautiously approached Enya from the bushes. His nose wiggled, taking in the scent. His face twitched a bit before his nose wrinkled with an unpleasant expression. Fart. That's right. Enya had just farted, contaminating any clear scent of the bear's trail, and through his investigation (and thoughtlessness) he had just taken in a big whiff of it. He let out a pained sigh of frustration but said nothing, moving past Enya a bit closer to the cave.
On each side, large boulders leaned against the hill, and a large cedar grew just to the right, its branches shading the area. "It can't have gone far," he said, still looking into the darkness of the cave. "Finder's keepers?" He mused in a joking voice, glancing back at Enya as he shifted his weight, side-stepping a bit closer to the boulder at the entrance. His eyes remained on Enya and he gave a little shrug. If she was going to show off her performing skills, he was going to do so right along with her.
Without pausing or saying anything else, he simply lifted his leg and began to piss on the boulder. His eyes remained locked on Enya, a smug expression on his face as the wind blew up over the mountain hills and through his fur. The breeze brought the scent of the valley and the sound of rushing wind. He didn't even notice the sound of tree needles dropping. At least, he didn't for a moment until he felt something drop on his back. A small dried branch and some cedar needles. Had the wind blown some of the twigs down or? His eyes glanced upward when he felt the branch drop on him. His ears heard a cracking branch.
Up in the tree, the large, black bear had simply been relaxing, taking in the view, and doing bear-things when the quiet of the afternoon was broken. What was all this yapping exactly? Large dark eyes peered downward to see two canids approach on the path up toward his cave. First one of them was barking and prancing around in front of the cave. Eyes watched with anxious curiosity at the event. Is this what wolves were normally like? Yet despite the curiosity, the bear remained still. That was instinctual. Though they were close to his den, he had learned over the years that most trespassers would quickly move along without his interference. But these two were lingering and the female wolf seemed to be leaving some sort of scent marking in front of the cave as she pranced around. Was this some sort of threat display?
The bear shifted uncomfortably, long claws clinging to the trunk of the tree. They hadn't seemed to notice him yet. But wait, the other wolf was now approaching as well. This was his territory. His cave. These wolves were a threat. He could hear them barking and growling (to his bear ears their voices sounded this way). They were standing so close to the tree. Surely they must have already noticed him.
That was it. That was definitely what was happening. They had cornered him up the tree and were barking to their pack mates, summoning the rest of their evil hoard to come attack him. He had ran into wolves before. They were never friendly in his experience. He had to do something and do it quickly before the rest of them arrived. Maybe if he could dispatch one of these ones, the rest would get frightened and think twice before attacking? Quickly building up courage that turned into aggressive rage, the bear slid down the tree branch. The brown one was right below him. If he moved quickly, he could get a swipe on him first.
The bear came down the tree with surprising speed, sending twigs and branches flying, just as a strong wind came rushing across the face of the mountain. As he neared the bottom, he released the trunk and landed with a heavy plop onto the dirt below, practically on top of the brown wolf. The gold-eyed wolf was looking at him with wide, sinister eyes. He had to attack now. Now was his opportunity. Letting out an angry roar, the bear rose up and swiped a heavy claw out in front of him, slashing at anything he could.
