[Icewatch Barracks] Home. [Open]

[Belgar]

The smell of human adrenaline crept into Belgar’s sensitive nose, but he vainly assumed that it belonged to one of the vantha spectators they passed, and he took no notice. Alas, there was no mistaking the cry of foolish fun that preceded a roar of frustration. The elder bear turned and slid with his momentum, tossing up snow as he changed direction and growled a disapproving reply to Graln’s careless vengeance.

He dove between his fellow kelvic and the ground to prevent the imprudent man from being crushed beneath his unwilling mount. Belgar’s back collided with Graln’s side, head rearing to push him back to his feet. If the bear’s initial reaction had not tossed Darren from his back, this second impact would have done the trick.

As the snow settled, Belgar stood between the two, his great back heaving breath and his claws gripping the ground in preparation for any attempts. He roared a single angry syllable at Darren and then turned to Graln. “Careful!” He yelled in the language only he would recognize. “What if you had hurt him?”

While Belgar held little pity for this particular vantha’s pride or actions, he was still a kelvic. He still knew that, above all else, he and the rest of the Icewatch bears were born to serve the residents of Avanthal and were never to harm them, no matter the circumstances. He did not turn back to face Darren and instead glared at Graln until the tension settled. Should the human chose to run, Belgar would make sure there was no bear to stop him. If he persisted, however...

[Darren]

The bear's reaction initial reaction was worth the danger that Darren placed himself in. A aggresive happiness took over him as Darren as he realized he took the bear by complete surprise, somewhat pleased with his successful attempt at bear jumping. Laughing manically to fit the mood of the bear that he thought was panic, he tried to grip his way to the top of Graln to try to get a decent place to dig in his heels. However that was where it when things took a turn for the worst as Graln roared a fierce note, much to Darren's surprise. Suddenly the bear shifted it's weight to the opposite side right as Darren was about to hook his leg over the top of the bear. Using his leg to stand on the approaching snow he was was barely able to find some footing as he was launched off the rolling bear. But Darren found that it wasn't snow that he found footing on but instead it was actually Belgar! Stomping awkwardly on the bear's back he soon felt the motion beneath him as he lost what little footing he had atop Belgar. He hung awkwardly trying to grab at the air for support before he fell face first on the snow next to them. A few moments passed as he shook himself free to look back at the two bears. An angry growl from the lead bear, that was to be expected. Darren merely shrugged at the beartalk looking not in the least bit embarassed as he watched the two face each other. He laughed softly as he laid back in the snow before propping himself up. "Now that was something" he said aloud, "normally you bears would just try to shrug me off until I grudgingly let go. But that was a rush!" Darren stared into at the bear he just mounted engraving it's distincitve feature for the better part of a minute before he continued. "Anyways if you didn't know, my name is Darren. Who are you?" he demanded with a smile.

[Graln]

Graln got back to his feet slowly. Belgar might have been a bear as well, but somehow at that very moment the younger animal had doubts whether or not to take his warnings seriously at all. He roared fiercely, swinging through the air as the breath left his lungs: “What if I had killed him, silly cub, I should at least bite his arms off! How dare he tug at my fur, stupid humans; have they no shame?!” he paused looking past Belgar and at Darren. “If not for Morwen I would kill you both!” he roared proudly, even though he knew he would never really kill Belgar; but did Belgar know that? The puny human acted cheerfully, almost as if he was ecstatic from the near death experience. It got Graln wondering, was the human seriously so brave or just retarded? Looking back at the old bear, he roared again: “Move away, no bear blood needs to be spilled today!” he roared at Belgar as he swung his huge paw only an inch in front of the bear’s face. He did not expect the old guy to budge, so he got curious if he was still the weaker one. Roaring fiercely without any meaning in mind, Graln would swing for Belgar’s shoulder should the bear remain standing still. “He is not your bondmate and he isn’t Morwen for sure, so why do you deny my revenge?” he would roar regardless of the outcome of the hit. “They are lesser than us, these humans. How low have you fallen if you can’t even see past that anymore?!” he was beyond angry, he was furious.

[Belgar]

Five beads of blood erupted from his shoulder, where five claws had punctured the skin. Belgar remained unflinching, his stance shifted a few inches from the force of the impact. It was a clumsy hit, full of rage and therefore lacking precision. The wounds would heal. Graln continued to pace, and yell, and blaspheme. Sad stoicism lingered in his fellow's black eyes.

Belgar had ignored the Vantha’s mocking cheerfulness, the brief tug on his fur long forgotten. He deserved many words, but for now he would receive none. He waited for Graln to finish his tirade before he took his turn.

“You are a child.” He said, with disappointment on his tongue. The word was more than a mere reprimand. He used the ursine term for a human infant; to be called a cub would have inferred an innate wisdom of the world and one’s place in it. No: in that moment, Belgar accused Graln of foolish recklessness and puerility. He compared him to the humans which he seemed to so loathe. “You have been gifted with the intelligence of men. You forsake our goddess when you disregard her people. This boy may be a fool, but we are the servants of the Icewatch guard. We live to serve this city. If you do not, then you are no better than the beasts of the wild, and you should leave us to live among them.”

Only then did he turn to look at Darren. If he so wished, Graln might have been able to take advantage of his distraction to take hold of the human. Nonetheless Belgar growled ominously at him, trying to make him withdraw from the area while he could, fearing the worst. The elder bear was confident in his abilities, but the younger was faster and fueled by dangerous wrath. It was very possible that he would fail to protect Darren if he insisted on remaining.

[Darren]

Darren listened in to the bear's "conversation", which to him was just a series of long.... repititions of a bears grunts and growls. A bit perplexed at the mass amount of movement the bears provided while they had their back and forth, it indicated alot of emotion from at least one of them. The one I jumped is probably all scared by that sudden surprise I gave him Darren reasoned while he took a step towards the bear that seemed to be mediating for him. "Hey it's alright I got this" he said with a smile to the older bear. He resisted the temptation to pat the bear's head, trying to pass of the action as him just running his hand through his hair. His sense of cheerfullness was taken away by the younger bear's actions. Swiping at his bear breathern leaving small beads of blood to form on the bear's white coat. "Whoa!" he cried out, his face showing some of the annoyanced he had for the action. He let the older bear scold the one who struck out at him. Or at least that's what Darren thought the other bear did, if there was ever a way for a bear to exhibit he was scolding Belgar did a top notch job at doing so. Darren then turned to the raging bear with a less then appreciative look on his face. "No! Bad bear! You do not hurt your friends!" he chided as he looked back at Belgar who turned to face him. He was met with a low growl that caused Darren to take a step back. Oh he must be disliking me for starting the fight in the first place he reasoned as he gave a apologenic look at the elder. "I suppose you want me to apologize" he said sheepishly as he turned to the less then happy Graln. "Hey guy! Erm bear. Hmm... manbear? Hehe. Anyways Fluffy, I'm really sorry for startling you there" he said to Graln with a sheepish look. "Alright then. I need both of you to calm down now. No need to harbor such aggression, no reason for it" he explained, he had a deadpan stare as he looked down on Graln. "I truly hope you are alright dear bear" he added as turned to Belgar. He then turned took a look at Belgar's wound, a small grunt mixed with a smile on his face. "Oh my... you really can do a number with them claws can't you Fluffy? Meet me after at Whitevine hold and I can probably help you out with that, Brother bear" he said giving a hearty pat on Belgar's injury. Pain was a given in Taldera, how one takes it is what mattered and how Belgar impressed Darren for the most part. "Hah! I can tell your a tough one! Alright, are we okay here?" he asked as he looked at Fluffy for confirmation. His hand instinctual went to his belt as he awaited Graln's response. oocDarren didn't know your guys name. So he just gave you nicknames for now. Belgar is Brother Bear and Graln is Fluffy.

[Graln]

OOCSorry it took a while. While Belgar spoke, Graln listened and if only for a moment he felt like apologizing. But then, Darren happened. The stupid human, started to apologize in a tone that only agitated the bear, still he was more than willing to listen to the pathetic use of language until the man made another mistake. No bear in their right mind would stand for something as foolish as this. Quickly running past Belgar, he ran for Darren. And should none of them move significantly, he would pin Darren to the ground, possibly causing some bruises on his back. If Darren threw one of the knives, Graln would aim his jaw at the neck, but if he didn’t throw it in time; the bear would want to bite off his hands. “Not kill, just hands, those filthy hands!” Graln roared as saliva dripped from his gums. “Foolish humans; don’t touch me!”

[Belgar]

His nose spat a thin white cloud at Darren as he huffed wearily at the Vantha’s unrelenting exuberance. Though it might have seemed like a breath of annoyance, really the bear found himself glad to see such a light heart greet the cold circumstances. While it was true that his patronization of the great beasts was wholly inappropriate, and that the responsibility for a rift in their friendship was entirely his, he could not be blamed for his ignorance. Still, there was an insult in that frivolity which any good Avanthalian should have recognized.

The small pain that came to his shoulder at the man’s abrasive touch pulled Belgar’s eyes closed for only an instant, but it was time enough. He felt the wake of air that parted in Graln’s haste and heard him cry out furiously. He could not stop him from pinning Darren to the ground, but neither did he stand by. He pummeled the other bear’s flank with his good side, and if that did not distract him, he opened his giant maw and moved his teeth to the thick fat around his neck. With those teeth he grabbed hold of his kin’s prey, not to crush him, but to toss him as far as possible from danger. Uncertain and unconcerned with whether he had broken the skin of either creature, he spoke again in active protection. “Control yourself, Graln! Find you honor, like the warrior you are.”

He hated to say it, because he did not believe it, but small corners of exasperation diverted him briefly from his own principles. “He is not worth your anger.”

But he could not depend only on that tactic, which was failing as badly as his attempt at communication with Darren. His only other option was to shift again. His black eyes stared at Graln as he began to glow, and a light the color of pale sky rendered him human, naked and small. “Do not speak,” he said to the Vantha in his native tongue. It was not a command, but a suggestion for his own good.

Standing between them as before, he no longer served as a defensive wall. Belgar now appealed to his fellow Kelvic’s sense of reason and integrity, instead of resorting to the old animalistic displays of power. “If you want his hands, you will have to take mine first. You will have to hurt me, who is half human like you, who has made mistakes in my youth and earned the mercy of those I offended.”

[Darren]

Darren's knife shot out underhand as he saw Fluffy bound towards him. This was a different situation then he was used to with Icewatch. Normally he'd put up a bit of resistance but would ultimately quit while he was ahead. Now with the bear going in with full intent to hurt him a wave of emotions cover came him: surprise, confusion, fear... and most of all anger. What right does this beast have to harm him? A city guard? Pfft, this rabid beast was anything but. And you only do one thing with rabid animals... The irony and hostility in the situation finally flushing over Darren as the bear made it's final stride towards him. His face winced slightly at his sudden anger as he send out his boot in the bear's general direction. The face. It was the only place that was easily pinpoint, and to be exact Fluffy's nose. Raising his foot to nearly chest level head level, he aimed a downfall stomp at the approaching bear's face. His warped, cruel face. In any case Darren couldn't hope to stop a rampaging bear as he was thrust back into the snow. He laid down eerily still for a moment as his breathe was choked from Graln's charge. Finally he spasmed forward and sat upright as he watched Brother Bear give another speech to Graln. "The heck is wrong with you, Fluffy..." he muttered as he stood back up. He was throughly pissed at the bear's aggression and wasn't going to suffer from it any longer. He glanced back at Brother Bear as he shifted. A dismissive grunt at the suggestion, but one Darren heeded nonetheless. If his talk wasn't going to work Darren didn't have any more words to say, he had to get ready. His eyes glazed over as he glared at the other bear. Victim of shenanigans or not, Graln was in the wrong with his reaction. He already took it too far for anyone to not be effected. Hands huh? If he wants my hands I'll give it to him and more. More then some dumb bear can handlehe thought snidely as he raised his hands to face level before turning them into fists. Normally he would use his fists to solve situations but never solely to hurt others. This case was different, if solving the problem through fighting happen good. But the first thing on his mind was to hurt the bear, hurt him hard. His arms went limp to his sides as he watched Fluffy. Gathering a dangerous amount of djed around his system, it raged around his pathways haphazardly as he awaited Fluffy's response.

[Graln]

OOCSorry it took so long to post something so short! Graln hated humans even more after the incident with Darren, but he would never hurt another polar bear significantly unless forced to. Looking a bit disappointed, he shook his head in disapproval at Belgar. How could the bear side with humans? Still if he wasn’t with Graln, was he really against him? Finally, the younger bear gave in to stupid emotions and shifted into prey. As soon as his human figure shifted from the lights, he could feel cold coming from everywhere. Stupid human bodies, couldn’t even keep themselves warm without help. “Honor? You have no right to claim such a word, you who has no pride!” Graln growled a bit longer before coming to the realization that the lesser body won’t hold out long in the chilly weather. Finally he turned towards the two. “I will be seeing more of you soon Belgar, be careful not to step in my way then. As for you… human… you shall be hurt, extremely hurt, for even looking at me the wrong way ever again”. “You really are siding with the human…” Graln repeated one last time as he shifted back to a polar bear. Gods, he was hungry after all the shifting, luckily he ate just before the ruckus, but now he was hungry again. Public nudity was not his scene really, not anymore at least, so he rushed back for the barracks to pick up his clothes, something to eat, and possibly some sleep.

[Belgar]

“I side with Avanthal.” Belgar replied. His pale face was flushed in his failed attempt to hide the resentment he felt at Graln’s insult to his honor. Though he had many other sentiments, he did not know how to turn them into words. His mouth was a frustrated line as he watched the other bear trod off with unfulfilled rage running hot in his veins.

He sighed. In the subsequent inhale, he smelled something on the air. It was similar to the faint odor of a Kelvic’s shifting, but not quite the same. Belgar glanced down at the source of it, Darren’s hands, but saw nothing of consequence. He could not recognize it as another form of djed. With a shiver, he turned to acknowledge the human, then glanced over his shoulder at the indiscernible distance. “I must apologize for my fellow guard’s behavior. I’m sure you know how you offended him, but Graln has no excuse. Are you hurt?” Perhaps it was an ironic question, considering the thin lines of blood that ran down his arm. If Belgar noticed his own pain, he did not put it before a Vantha’s.

“The Barracks are closest to tend to wounds, or at least become warm again.” His eyes were drawn to the hall atop the hill, where the other bear was just escaping through the giant doors. “But I think it is best that you avoid it, for now. The Whitevine Hold is not far. I will... take you there, if you like.” He knew it was unwise to shift again, after the toll taken in such an incident, but so was in unhealthy to tread any distance without any clothes. Until he heard a response, his forlorn gaze would remain on his new home. These events did nothing to quell his apprehensions about the place, but where else did he have to go?