Open thread, just more fitting as a one-shot haha//
Tldr: Mer takes a patrol to uproot a bear couple and recognizes the male from her childhood. Uprooting him turns to a battle and in a bit of a bloodhaze, she slays the bear and is now being hit by the shock of it ///

Honestly, it didn't surprise her that she'd spotted bears on the border of Tanglewood. After a quick seamless report to Aesior, the lioness had departed with a few others on her tail as she led the patrol to the border. The sight had been a bit of a surprise, to see grizzlies in their swamp, but she supposed that all kinds of animals had been shaken and chased away from home by the storm. What she couldn't allow though, was the chance of the bears getting a hold of Tanglers and causing more casualties.

Tail up high, she slipped through greenery that felt as if it was closing in, a sudden memory of her youth flashing back to her. She had been but a cub then, her mother tending her newborn siblings and out on a patrol with her father when they'd come across a bear. He'd been quick to challenge the beast, demanding it leave with the ring of his sword drawing from scabbard echoing in her ears. The battle itself was fierce and over quickly with two injured parties. Her father had earned a few new scars as had the ursuline creature, it's leering face stark in her dreams.

Shaking her head, she grit her teeth and pushed on amid the questions of some who followed her. "Alright. These bears don't seem to be conscious like us. We will try to draw them out and if they don't go, then we will have to do battle.", she spoke softly to her group, flicking her tail left and right to signal them to move out and surround the area she stopped near to, the reek of bear strong in the air. Even with a diminished sense of smell, she could tell they were there.

Licking her lips, she stepped forward and pushed into the area the bears were trying to bed down in. Immediately met by a snarl from the big male, her eyes glancing over the smaller female, taking in the enemy. Inhaling, she stepped closer, head lowered and ears tucked back, growling softly at the bears that responded to her threat. She swore she could recognize the scars on the big male's face, the bear from her childhood sliding into his place, though much younger. The snarl that erupted out of her lungs was louder than she meant, the bear dropping into an aggressive state. Cursing to herself, she stalked closer, diving in at the bear's heavy paws, claws out to dig into the beast's massive paws that were much bigger than hers as she roared, "Come on!", hearing her groupmates emerge.

Darting away from a heavy swing, she paused to see if the male was following her as two of her groupmates, a wolf and a hyena, fell in on his hips and harried at his back legs, trying to get a grip on them. Snapping her own jaws, she dove back, jumping at the bear's face and scratching at his nose as he swiped at the two harrying his back legs. Confident she had his attention, she dropped to the ground and tore off  towards the bushes, hearing his furious roar as he took off after her, the wolf knocked aside from a mighty swipe of his forepaws, the hyena going to the wolf's side.

Hearing  the bear crashing through the foliage behind her, Merlin led the charge, confident that the majority of her group could chase off the she-bear. Snarling as she felt claws cut through the hairs on her tail tip, whirling around and swiping at the bear's face with a furious hiss. Okay, maybe she was a little too aggressive but she knew that the big male wasn't going to leave without some blood spilt. What she wasn't prepared for was the return swing that split the fur and skin of her temple, leaving a new wound on her forehead close to what could be considered the eyebrow. Scrambling back from the disorienting blow, her eyes fixed on scars below the bears mouth and throat. Odd-colored eyes narrowing, the lioness spun on her paws, landing and immediately lunging back at the bear, the force of her attack catching the brute off guard as she fought for grip, teeth clutching to his throat as she growled, feeling him rear up and take a few steps back as she hung on for dear life. Digging her claws in, she held on, feeling half-possessed by the sudden need to end this creature.

Soon, she snarled in victory as he roared and tried to get her off by shaking, closing her eyes and readjusting her grip on the hard skin. Bear hide was hard enough to cut with a blade, let alone tooth and claw. Dropping back, she let him recover his balance, the fury in his eyes reminding her once again of her childhood and the look her father wore when the bear had tried to attack her as a cub. Remembering the feeling of Amalthia at her side, the lioness twisted her head to grasp the hilt of her sword and draw it from the strapping at her side, turning it against the bear. What happened next could only be described as a blood-thirst, passing in a haze she couldn't begin to decipher. By the time it passed, she was left breathing hard and the bear slain on the jungle floor. Dropping her sword as she trembled, her body immediately screaming at her for the fight that she wasn't ready for physically, injuries barely recognizing in her mind as she sat down hard, fear coursing her veins as adrenaline kept her going, huffing and puffing as she dropped her head to the ground, forehead pressing into the mucky dirt and leftover water, feeling as if she was barely connected to her body.