[size=9pt]It's a pretty evening. The sun is setting on the horizon, blinding, and everything is washed in gold. There's birds in the trees, and there's a soft breeze to ease the summer heat. It feels like a Disney movie, like Moon is Rapunzel. Not because he's blonde and pretty, though those are valid guess, but because, well-- He's up really fucking high.

His claws are embedded in the branch. The wood is splintering against his paws, and one of them is already cut, so it fucking hurts. He's up near the middle of a tree, a massive one, and he's holding on for dear life like someone who actually wants to live to see another day. It's a funny sight-- someone would probably laugh if they saw him like this. 'Till they spot the enormous, murderous black bear below, that is. She's on her hind legs, maw opened and sucking in breaths of Moon's scent, eager. The more she does it the less hope Moon has, because she's literally drooling and he knows there's only so long he has left before she snaps the trunk in half and he becomes Lion Sashimi.

What's up with him and the Ascendant's feral animals? It's as if they'd spotted him on the border and come to the mutual agreement that he was an asshole who deserved to get fucked with. Which, he sort of was, but not enough to become some Momma Bear's evening snack. Besides, it's not as if he'd provoked her. There was a baby bear in a clearing, right, and all he'd done is asked him if he really could ride a tricycle or was that just Human propaganda?

It'd ended up with him here, after a while of chasing. By now, Moon was kind of drained, and he was losing his will to fight fate. So he stares back, and says, "What's up.", voice flat. He figures he should at least get to know the last creature he'll ever set eyes on. "Do you talk? English? French? Hell, Spanish?" She's not replying. Just sort of staring, like a cat waiting to scoop its paw into the fish tank. "You know, Disney got you guys all fucking wrong. You ever seen Big Bear? You furry fuckers are meant to, like, sing and adopt orphans and stuff. If Walt saw this shit you'd be put down."

[size=9pt]He spots Versailles through the trees, first, and he simultaneously glares at her, because he heard that, and wills her to just turn tail and run. But he assumes she can hold her own-- she has that vibe about her-- so he doesn't hesitate in calling her way. "I'm dumb, V, not deaf." He calls, resting his heavy cranium on one massive paw as he stares her down. The bear, however, seem pretty deaf, because she doesn't even spare a glance the feline's way. He's both glad and disappointed-- that she-cat could do with some ass whooping.

It's all fun and games until Imperia appears. Really, this whole time, he's been praying that she was busy. Off somewhere picking flowers or blinking her doll eyes at some joiner. But he'd forgotten the Gods hate him, and so she's here, and she's doing some dumb shit. "Peri," he says, whining like a dog guilty dog, and he's not sure where the nickname comes from but he probably picked it up off someone in the clan. "Her kid was cute, okay? How was I supposed to know she's on some bear menopause shit?"

This is the part where the dumb shit happens. The she-wolf, in all her gentle, lovely glory, steps out in front of the bear and calls it. Who raised this kid? "Hey-- fuck, no, don't do that!" The bear turns Imperia's way, and Moon's scaling the trunk of the tree before he realizes what he's doing. He slams himself into her side so hard he feels his own ribs cave in. The bear, however, has about eight layers of post pregnancy fat -- sorry, fluff -- on her stomach and she's about as bothered as a stoned sloth. Gradually, so slow Moon's almost embarrassed he'd ran from her in the first place, she turns and places one heavy paw on his chest.

And it's like that that the lion finds himself lying on his back, breathing in bear breath because his heart in going a thousand miles an hour and he's gonna die, he's gonna die-- but then she's gone. He's got his eyes closed and by the time he opens them, she's waddling off with her cub. In her mouth, an acorn with a smiley face painted on it. She hands it back to her cub and the thing is ecstatic. They disappear into the trees, but not before Moon spots a piece of his own fur stuck on the acorn. That's when he realizes it; the kids toy had been stuck in his fucking mane.

He turns to the three fully capable femmes who are a few feet away, ears flat on his head and and gaze knowing, and for the first time in a long time, Moon is silent.