[ IMMORTALS / O, JOINING? ]

[AUGUST]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth; max-width: 55%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 10pt;"]Run, run, run.

Heart racing, eyes w i d e n e d , muscles rippling — the young wolf rapidly weaved through the woodland, darting from left-to-right as to try and confuse and outrun his opponent: Mr. Bear.

Mr. Bear was a grumpy bear, indeed. He had first had an accidental encounter with him a month or so ago, when the newly-appointed Ray of Sunhaven had become trapped in a ditch. It hadn't been his fault; he had shifted into a foreign body, a clumsy colt, and had slid down the muddy ravine. Apparently Mr. Bear thought August to be a snack ( and it was almost made so ) before he was saved by his clanmates. He had not seen him again, thankfully — not until now.

A gutteral roar rang out from behind him and he quickened his pace, neklace dangling around his neck with each movement. He ducked behind a tree and held perfectly still as to disguise himself, lungs heaving and panting for intake of oxygen. Darkly-lined lips parted, and August totally froze as he heard the steps growing closer and closer to his location. All of a sudden, the bear poked his large cranium around the corner and aimed a swipe for him.

August gasped sharply and rolled out of the way just in time. He broke into a run and made for a hollow log that was nestled into the undergrowth. The wolf shuffled his way into the tight space until he was out of harm's way from either side... unless Mr. Bear clawed his way through the top. The bear lumbered towards the log and chuffed before sniffing and scraping at the bark.

He was in trouble now, wasn't he?

[arcy]

Link had met a few feral bears before. He'd rode one, once. And ... killed a few. Not without wounds, of course. Bears were lots bigger than him. But Link was faster, and they didn't exactly match the blights in terms of strength. Except when said blight was a bear, of course.
A bear enroaching on this place was a little different than running into a bear in the forest, though. The canine had just been wandering again, committing every nook and cranny of the territory to memory. And then ... roars. At first, Link tenses, eyes wide, ears pricked. Roars were never good -- they remind him of a lot. Not good things, obviously. ... Obviously, though, Link had to find the source. Why was there a beast, why was it so upset?
He's quiet on his paws, and ... finds a bear next to a hollow log. There was something in there, wasn't it? Based on its motions. Was it a someone? The scent of bear was much stronger, of course, but if he sifts through it, there's ... a wolf, huh. Guess he shouldn't leave them hanging, huh? So, with little hesitation, the small canine shifts his stance and charges in. Its back is turned on him, hasn't noticed him, but its head turns just slightly as it hears his pawsteps. Link lets out a strangely guttural sound -- a snarl, almost. There's a sword in his teeth, there in a flash of blue. Old Link, the one everyone but Link himself knew, knew how to handle a sword properly. This Link ... didn't, but it was enough to get by on barely-remembered memories. He turns his head, slides the sword along the bear's side as he skids. The bear, of course, roars in pain and whirls on him. Which is all well and fine with Link, staring down the beast that is .. what, three times his size? It's a rather concerning sight, really. Link's grip on the sword tightens. No shield, can't parry -- doesn't work as well with non-guardians, anyways, though. He breathes. It's been a while since he fought something, even if it wasn't a monster. The bear is charging at him, mouth wide. Link seems to shrink a little. In preparation, in fear, it depended on how you decided to read it -- up until he launched himself under, of course, head tilted to catch the bear's belly as he goes. He doesn't cut deep enough to hit organs, of course -- but it's blood nonetheless, and Link rolls to a halt just behind the bear, spots of blood on his back. Fighting bears was ... inconvenient, he's decided. Especially around people -- Link did some absolute bullshit to win fights on his own, but sometimes he scared people when he really let loose, so he tried not to. ... It didn't help Link was so small. And just had a sword. Being able to crush things with his teeth would be nice.
//i dont know how bears work and im bad at fighting cries forgive me

➵ NOW I BEAR LITTLE RESEMBLANCE
TO THE KING I ONCE WAS

[Grimm]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 420px; line-height:120%; font-family: arial; font-size: 8.5pt; text-align: justify; margin-bottom:5px"]Base state, actions working within the confinements of instinct and the whims of the body. Distinct was the lack of organised thought, within some ways an ancestry to those who walked this earth and bore a mind had expanded, worked beyond such limitations until they proved themself sapient. Strange was this mixture, the meeting of the two states for rare was bond formed, nought but food those who walked with others and found their tongues conforming to the shape of words, taking within knowledge they might never had accumulated otherwise.

It was this that made such a situation plausible, what drew the ursidae forth, one of but a few able to withstand the chill about a landscape buried in the fine powder of snow, hunger within its stomach churning until the young lupine seemed a suitable meal.

Crunch beneath the wandering step of small paws, ivory melding within that around them, swallowed within the powder pressed beneath the slight weight bore upon the thin limbs. Heavy the press of wool about him, hidden within a figure seemingly more skeletal then that of a being of life, heavy the darkness gathering in the curve of lids, part of jaws within a yawn showing further the exhaustion touching sluggish thoughts and actions. Better may it have been to linger, confine himself to the halls of concrete, echoing the voices of others speaking of the life contained, bustle of it apparent though weary had all grown within the raise of the new year.

Youth is not one known for their smart ideas, ignorant in their want to continue on, push through what otherwise may offer a barrier to those older and found themself working with experience. Sound arose within air grown still, breath caught within throat, constricting around it until he seemed almost to choke, sputtering as a cough took him. Useless was he within many ways, sickness contained in his chest arising within a wheeze about the edges of each breath, runny the nose he rubbed at with the back of a paw, and watery had grown his eyes, the want simply to fall into a deep sleep and allow the world to fade growing more enticing. Yet on he continued, felt the pull of muscle beneath skin worn until it felt but paper stretched over his bones, the seam of scar pulling taunt.

Keyne ached, felt the heat of pain and sickness join within a cacophony that tore at his chest. “What...” Disbelief coloured the single word, perched upon lips drawn down into the curl of a faint frown, unsure the gaze moving across the scene. Above it all the ursidae towered, beast of a size none present may match nor come close to, its attempts to break the bark of the discarded log broken as its attention shifted. Brief was his own turn, gaze following the path of the canine as he moved within a frenzy, the weight of a weapon unsuited to such a being a glimmering jewel, flash of light catching upon its blade before crimson marred its surface.

Smaller then August was he and thus there was little effort placed in wriggling into the log, searching within for the one the bear had sought. “Come on, we need to get out of here,” whispering into the log Keyne reached out a paw, dwarfed no matter the age of the one before him for larger then the stature he bore was the wolf, pup or no, moving to gently touch his shoulder. With hopes this got his attention he began to backtrack, hoping Link still had the bear's attention or that another was on their way to assist with it focused on getting the wolf out of the log and at a distance they may be viewed as too much work to go after.