[ tired but i wanted to get this up! + tl;dr august shifted suddenly into a new adolescent horse body and he's stuck in a muddy ravine. also a hungry bear has come along and wants to Cronch him ]

Had it been a blessing or a curse for August to be allowed out into the territory? Both, in a sense. On one hand, he could stick his nose into places he had never seen before, gather new scents, explore unknown parts of Sunhaven. He felt like he possessed so much freedom now, freedom that he hadn't had as a ray. However, on the other hand, there were many dangers to behold. Traps, rogues, natural hazards? They were all very real and even present at the very moment. Just as August had been on a jog along the muddy bank of a ravine, his legs had elongated and stiffened. He had let out a shrill neigh and tumbled down the slope before sliding into the slush below, the mud caking his legs and pelt. What in the world had happened?

August winced, his bones aching and his head throbbing from the sudden fall. He raised his cranium and looked over at his legs, only to see that his gray paws had been replaced with hooves! He gasped and stood to his fours, only to stumble forward and wobble under the new [sub]weight[/sub] of his torso. What had happened? Why was he now a... a...

His thoughts had been interrupted by that of a throaty roar. August spun around, chest heaving in utter fear as he was faced down by a massive, hulking bear with saliva-slicked jaws. It snarled again and advanced towards him, and August let out another neigh and tried to dig his hooves into the muddy slope ( but to no avail ). He began to slip back down and he squealed, [glow=black,1,400]"Help—"[/glow] August crashed back down onto the floor right beside the bear and ducked out of the way just in time to be spared its long claws. He barrelled to the side and made a run for it, nearly tripping over himself every time he extended his lanky legs.

At times, Bucky considers himself to be quite lucky he wasn't 'blessed' with the ability of shapeshifting. Despite it being such a common ability, the whole idea of it weirded him out. He didn't want his bones to shift, or to turn into some animal that just isn't him. The Helion knew he would panic if his body suddenly shifted, as he wouldn't know how to change back! He can only hope that he doesn't have the ability, shivers run down his spine just at the thought he might have an underdeveloped power of shapeshifting. The maine coon was heading out in the territory, when his ears pricked up at a neigh echoing through the territory. Woah, there's a horse? Sounds more like a foal to him!

Just as he began to head in the direction of the noise, a furious, menacing roar caused his ears to run flat. That was a bear, no doubt about it! And it sounded pissed, was it going after the foal? Bucky can try to fight the bear off, even if it kills him in the process! The maine coon began to run, tracing the noise all the way to the ravine.

When he came skidding to a stop, a familiar scent invaded his nostrils. August! Where's August, there's a bear he shouldn't be near here- and then it hit him. August's the foal! He thought to himself, taking Clarence's attempts to distract the bear to his advantage. Not another thought running through his mind, he carefully, but quickly, went down to the bottom of the muddy ravine. "Come on, I'll get you out of here," The former assassin said to the Hearthkeeper, before he attempted to nudge August towards the slippery slope, where he'd attempt to pull to the top. It'll probably be difficult, but it's better than staying down here with a hungry, feral bear.

Everything was a b l u r. He was certain that he would meet his fate right then, being entrapped by the hungering jaws of a feral bear. August clenched his jaw and ducked his head as he braced himself for impact, but it never came. He opened his eyes wide to see a familiar jaguar launching himself onto the back of the bear. It was Clarence! A part of August worried for Clarence, even though he was much bigger and stronger, but he didn't know whether to make a run for it or not.

Another voice interrupted his thoughts and he whipped his brown gaze over to see the Helion trying to help him out. [glow=black,1,400]"Bucky..!"[/glow] The foal whinnied and gave one last glance at Clarence. He shook his head and dug his hooves into the muddy slope, and channeled his energy into climbing up the way. His shoulders trembled, his skinny legs wobbling under the immense [sub]pressure,[/sub] but he had made it more than halfway up the hill.

He collapsed on the top, quickly panting and clinging to breath. August scrambled to all fours and stared down at Clarence, who was still down there with the bear. [glow=black,1,400]"Clarence! Come on!"[/glow] He urged, not wanting the older member to get hurt.