[Wind Reach] Off for the long hunt (Closed)

[Renol]

As they continued on, Renol looked around for a moment as he heard the sound of the tree crashing. It was pretty close by and that made him curious. In woods like these it wasn’t uncommon for an old tree to fall, but not usually in conditions like these. Usually it was with high winds, heavy snowfalls, or torrential rain. Trees didn’t fall because of a drizzling rain. And that caused a hint of curiosity to creep up in his mind. But he continued on, not wanting to take the time to investigate the source. They needed to get the bore back to the camp to salt it and get it ready for travel when the eagles got back once more.

But as they closed on the camp, Renol saw the fallen tree, his face twisting to a look of disgust as he saw that it had broken some of their things when it landed. And their gear had all been spilled across the grounds, scattered everywhere for them to pick up. Everything was a mess. Camp would need to be taken down and rest before the night was over. That was for sure. Otherwise there would be a massive tree in the way of everything. Renol sighed and shook his head slowly as he continued on for a moment. At least it hadn’t broken any of the tents or saddles. That would have been the worst situation, leaving them without shelter or a way to ride the eagles home. So at least luck had held up for them again. He was wondering just how long their luck would hold out on this trip. Everything was going so well right now. He was glad that this was only a minor hick-up in the whole situation.

Or so he had thought for the moment. But that was before he noticed the titanic mound of brown fur that was slowly rummaging through their spilled gear, having already eaten all their food. Renol’s eyes widened slowly as he came to a halt. The trunk of the tree slipped from his shoulder, falling to the ground with the pig that was tied to it. For a second, his mind couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Was that a bear or a furry mountain? He couldn’t really tell for a second. But as it continued to root through their belongings, he could tell by the sound of its sniffs and grunts that it was, indeed, a bear. Renol was speechless as he watched it, his hands slowly working to pull the bow off of his shoulder. He didn’t even realize it. His body was working on autopilot for a moment as his brain sorted things out. It was a bear, yes. It was as big as a small house, yes. It had seen them? No… not yet at least. That gave them an edge in trying to get away from it. Renol slowly motioned to Kovac to start backing up. But something caught his attention from the corner of his eyes, causing him to tear his gaze away from the monolithic mass of fur and muscle.

The twins were heading up to the camp from their hunt as well, and from the packs they carried, he was sure they had had a good hunt. Renol just prayed that they would see the monster animal at the camp before it saw them. But as he felt the wind blowing against the side of his face, he knew their luck had just run out… The two twins were upwind of the bear, bringing the scent of their fresh kill straight to the killers nose. And everything had been going so well. This is where it all came tumbling down on their heads as the bear caught the scent of the meal that the twins represented right now. Renol’s heart sank in his chest. He was going to be the one responsible for the death of the entire party of hunters. His piss poor timing had brought them there right when the biggest bear in the whole region decided to go out for a snack. And it would be the death of them all. He mentally cursed himself for a second, realizing he was starting to think like his bird. He’d be damned if he was going to go down without a fight. And he’d be double damned if he would let that bear charge the two women without trying to do something to stop it.

As the bear charged forward, Renol did as well, pulling his bow off his shoulder as he shouted over his shoulder to Kovac,” Get ready to take a shot. I’ll try to get it heading this way. You’ll probably only get one chance as it’s attacking me!” Renol bolted off after the bear, turning his voice to it as he let out a tremendous battle cry, doing everything he could to get the beasts attention. He pulled an arrow and sent it flying without much of an aim, just working to get the bear to turn its anger toward its attacker. He knew the bear wouldn’t be afraid of humans. But he knew it would get pissed if someone attempted to hurt it. He just wanted to make sure that anger was directed at him. As he ran he shouted to the women,” Get to the tents! They’ll shield you from the bear! RUN! As he shouted, he knocked another arrow, taking a second to aim at the bear’s head this time before losing the arrow from the bow. Maybe a good tap on the head would get it to look his way. All he needed was for it to turn towards him. That was the first step. After that, he’d have to think of the next step. Maybe, just maybe, if he could get it to stand up on its hind feet, Kovac could get a shot off at its heart. But how did you get a mountain to stand up? Especially when that mountain was driven by a raging, ravenous hunger and didn’t care what he killed to sate it.

[Sairque]

Ahead of the twins a good thirty yards were the tents, off to their right was a rock outcropping. Coming up on their left was the trunk of the tree, coming around the trunk was the provoked brown bear. The boys, thought currently unknown, were on the other side of the tree.

Renol's shout to Kovac was indistinguishable from the acute pounding of Sairque's heart when the great maw of the charging bear finally caught her attention. Adrenaline kicked in, senses sharpened, and ensuring the safety of the trembling woman next to her dominated her mind.

"Drop 'em!" Saique's order, cracking through the electrified air, coincided with the nimble woman reaching across and jerking the meat bundle off the other woman's shoulder. "Tents! Run!" She barked fiercely. Whether or not Addy had managed to fully follow the first order, the flight leader was already shoving the healer toward the tents while divesting herself of her own load. Had they not been so heavy, she would have thrown the meat straight to the bear, knowing that the tantalizing scent would have at least drawn some curiosity and bought more time to ensure the safety of Aidara. Perhaps he would still run near enough to them to investigate.

Sairque was faster than her twin, but she kept herself between the bear and the healer, the sound of the bear's paws a deep thumping that sent vibrations through the ground toward the two with every lope. It drowned out the pitter patter of the women's flying feet. An object whizzed through the air, she only caught the motion through the corner of her eye but redoubled her efforts to get the woman safely inside the tent, it would stop misguided arrows, as well.

"Get to the tents! They’ll shield you from the bear! RUN!" Renol screamed, coming through the tree. She didn't look at him, the safety the tents offered Aidara was large in her eyes. But the tunnel vision receded, Kovac's face sharp in her mind's eye. She had three responsibilities, one was Aidara, always and above all else was the healer, next was Kovac, the Avoran citizen, last was Renol, a fellow Endal. His responsibilities were Kovac & Aidara, then Sairque. The tents loomed...all three of them. Three of them. Three for Aidara, Kovac, Renol, and Sairque, four people.

"No! You! Tents! Now!" She countermanded authoritively across the distance between him. She didn't know what he was doing exactly, but if it didn't involve getting out of the bear's way, he shouldn't be doing it.

"Kovac!" the commanding Endal called, beckoning. "Tents Kovac!" She couldn't see him from where she was running, but vaguely aware of the position of Renol, she assumed he was hidden somewhere in the dense foliage of the fallen tree if not already wrapped securely in a tent. The whoofing of the bear, the pounding of his feet, and the thundering of her heart were pushed away in search of the timbre unique to the Avoran hunter. She hoped for an answer stemming from one of their temporary lodgings, she could drop Aidara off with him and head off to help Renol to safety.

If there was no answer from the archer, Addy would be fairly flung through the opening of a tent, the closest one, half collapsed from a branch snapping off in the maple's fall and taking out one whole side of supports. "Roll!" her voice snarled from the outside, already kicking and jerking out the other poles so Aidara could envelop herself in the shielding material and reduce the chances of the bear finding its way through the folds. In that case someone else would have to double up.

Getting stuck waiting out a bear to finish gulping down hundreds of pounds of raw meat wasn't exactly a party, but this wasn't a petching moose, or a couple of wolves. This was a bear, and this was a bear that had found a cache of food right before winter and then had four two-leggeds stomp up and threaten it. This wasn't a bear meandering through huckleberry bushes, or fishing for salmon. This was a bear that had smelt out, in one spot, all the calories it would need to ingest before it went into torpor for the winter. They just needed to get out of it's way and let it do it's thing.

[Aidara]

Still counting her steps with the entirety of her concentration focused on the bulbous, bouncing packs of meat, Addy was dangerously unaware of the....situation that she and her sister, as well as the boys, just stumbled into. Also unaware that her sister had stopped dead in her tracks, the healer plodded forward until the monstrous roar sent fear shivering down her spine. At almost the same instant, Sai ordered her to "Drop 'em!", something she didn't have to be told twice. Their kill was flung to the ground, though one of her straps twisted around her arm, threatening to pull her with it. Sai swiped at Addy's shoulder and easily freed the small woman of the burden. "Tents Run!" Was the next brisk command, at which Addy hesitated. "But, Sairque! NO!" Her voice kept a rather even pitch for the actual amount of panic she was experiencing. Run? Away from the danger and leave her sister....run? For a moment, her Inarta pride kicked in coupled with the desire to throw herself in the face of danger, or in this case a giant slobbering bear, for her twin. The healer always thought of herself as quick witted, and she proved herself as this when she realized that by hanging around and attempting to protect the flight leader, she would be putting her sister in greater danger. By the way that Sai had instantly flung her body in front of her sister, Addy knew that her presence would be Sai's weakness. She could do this without Addy...But would Addy have been able to protect them all without Sai? With luck, they wouldn't have to find out. Addy could see the tents as the twins skirted the bear. All she could hear was the thundering of her blood in her veins. Adrenaline made her knees weak, and the campsite swam before her eyes. At her sisters second instance to run, she did. Booted feet thundered against the dirt, miraculously missing the stones and roots that lay in her path just waiting to trip her. It was the glance over her shoulder, to double check her sisters safety and the position of the boys and the bear that was Addy's undoing. It was a foolish mistake, for she knew Sai was alive and unhurt. She would have felt it the millisecond that her sister was mauled, if she was mauled. The toe of her boot caught under a root and down she went, hard. She felt her head strike against a rock, stars bursting before her eyes. A sharp gasp of pain pushed all the remaining air from her lungs. Paralyzed from lack of oxygen and momentarily blinded by pain, Addy lay gasping in the dirt. As soon as she felt her body regain control of it's muscles, however, she was struggling to her feet. Blood coursed down the left side of her face, blinding that eye in a horrid stain of red. Unable to see anything going on in the camp anymore, she also missed Sai kick out the support poles of the tent. Her boot once again caught as she ran, this time on one of the metal poles. Down she tumbled, rolling across the tent canvas. Her small hands scrabbled at the fabric as she went, attempting to pull it over herself and failing. Dizzy from her head wound, and weak from a now rather substantial loss of blood, the healer didn't have the time or the concentration to be able to sit and heal herself. It took all her strength to get back up for a second time, and crawl under the collapsed tent. Safe, for this brief moment.

[Kovac]

Kovac sighed in disgust as he looked over Renol's shoulder at the fallen tree and scattered supplies. "Great, what a mess." He mumbled. They had already worked hard hunting and lugging the boar back to camp, and on top of having to prepare the meat, they also had to clean all that up. Suddenly Renol dropped his end of the thick pole, the end thudding into the ground sending a painful vibration up its length and into Kovac's shoulder. "What the...." he began to retort, but his words froze on his tongue as he saw the strange movement in amid the fallen tree. When the massive bear moved into view, the Avora too let his end of the pole slip from his grasp and to the ground. Never had he seen a bear of this size, a gargantuan beast that caused his jaw to drop as he stared at its hulking mass. Renol instinctively reaced for his bow, Kovac realizing how , looking at the bear, the arrows in his quiver seemed like little sticks. Renol motioned him back, and Kovac took a few steps back. Yes, that was wise. Let it have its fill to eventually wander back into the woods. But things were not to be so simple. Kovac heard Adaira's voice, and turned his gaze to see what Renol had already seen. The men witnessed the unfolding of a catastophe. The women, laden with raw meat, were heading right for the huge carnivore. Kovac's stomach tightened, the bared skin of his torso grew cold and clammy. The girls did not see the creature yet. But it saw them. With horror Kovac and Renol watched the huge block head lift towards the girls, and with an earth-shaking roar the beast launched into a lumbering charge towards Aidara and Siarque. Both men burst into movement, the long-legged Renol leaping ahead, bow at the ready, Kovac charging after, pulling his bow off his shoulder and setting an arrow to the string as they raced towards the bear. The archer followed the rider's plan, Renol was going distract the bear to buy the girls some time. Adrenaline flushed through Kovac's body, and he moved and acted instinctively. His eyes darted to the long-maned man, understanding what his yelled words meant. He was drawing the bear to himself, he expected to be attacked, and expected Kovac to kill it. Renol had already began to roar loudly and loose an arrow at the monster. The Avora changed course to position himself for a better shot and to avoid accidentally hitting one of the others. It took him behind the tree where he lost sight of the girls. He heard Renol order them into the tents. Yes, the special shelters should afford protection against the bear, with any luck. Then Kovac heard the loud commanding voice of the flight leader calling to him. She had ordered him to the tents. Kovac was no hero, nor was he a very competent follower. Instinct had carried him with Renol towards the bear, something that convinced him he did not want to witness the flesh stripped from Aidara and Sairque's bones. But he was also very keen on his own survival. Fight or flight? His decision was made as he caught Aidara running on the other side of the tree towards the tents. She had stumbled, and he saw her go down, striking her head soundly on a rock, she was not getting up. With a glance towards Renol, Kovac made a difficult decision. He knew if he went to help Aidara, he would be leaving the brave rider to fend for himself. Kovac propelled himself towards the fallen girl. He was not as fast as Renol, but his legs were powerful and they drove him foward, leaping over branches and scarmbling over the large trunk of the tree. The archer could see Aidara struggle to her feet, surely stunned, and a crimson ooze begining to run down the side of her face. Sairque moved ahead of her sister, knocking down the nearest tent for Addy to use. The wounded girl stumbled onto it as Kovac charged up to her, helping to shove her legs into the tent. He looked over at Sairque, his typical sardonic countenance now somber and intent. He gave her a quick nod, a promise that he would protect her sister. "Get him in a tent!" He yelled at the flight leader. He did not know if she had realized Renol's plan, but the archer hoped Sairque could get Renol to get in a tent as well. Then Kovac scrambled into the collapsed tent with Aidara. It was dark inside and Kovac instinctively wrapped his arms protectively around Aidara as he lay next to her. His hand found the gash on her head, the warm wet slickness of blood leading him there. He pressed his hand against the wound to staunch the flow of blood. Then, he rolled over once, wrapping the tent around them and ensuring the hole they entered through was twisted shut. Kovac hated not being able to see what was going on, and prayed to no god in particular that the Endal's did not play heroes and had sought refuge in the other tents. He laid still, trying to hear what was going on, now keenly aware of the woman that he held closely against him. It was a situation that, under other circumstance, he would find most favorable. But his motivation now had been to protect Addy. Not that he did not find some enjoyment in the embrace, or even a lot. He whispered in her ear. "Are you alright?"

[Dreamcatcher]

Map : Thanks go to Sairque for the wonderful art work! It’s up on my fridge now, and remains me to think about this thread daily! Bear kept moving faster and faster at the twins. Powerful muscles rippled under a thick winter coat of fat and fur as the bear put another foot in front of the other. He saw his prey running losing heavy chunks of itself, he knew its prey was hurt now, and after he was done killing it, he could always go back to its wounded flesh to eat it. The bear was now within 20 feet of the girls, as he saw Aidara fall. Thoughts of delicious bloody flesh from a wounded animal began to fill its brain and he started to move even faster. White foam began to start at the edges of its mouth, as the breath began breathing heavily through thick saliva. Firing arrows without taking time to aim at a moving target going after friends, was a dangerous idea. For the bear was always adjusting its course to track the girls, and Renol realized that as he loosed that the twins had stopped for a moment, yet in a sick moment their luck held out as the arrow pasted Sairque by a half a foot and drove itself into the ground. Renol’s first arrow flew well wide of its mark, and Sairque felt air from a feather shaft fly close by her as she stopped for a moment to make sure her sister was still moving. To Sairque it was an irony, here she was being chased by the largest grizzly she had ever heard of, and her fellow Endal almost killed her. In a way, it made sense, if Sairque had died the grizzly was likely to eat her while letting her sister go. Yet Sairque had no more time to think about it as she once again was moving with her sister. Now real blood from Aidara was mixing in with the elk blood upon her clothes. Both sisters could almost feel the woofing breath of the bear. It sound was wet and heavy; the faint smell of copper and pine came from it. Then a horrible growl of pain ushered from the huge maw that was tracking of them, and they felt dirt and grass pelt them as the bear skidded to a stop. Having taken the time to aim, Renol had squarely hit the bear in the back flank, making it stop in its tracks. Normally, the arrow should have penetrated the hide down to its feathers with as much pull that Renol had behind it. However, there it stood barely a hands breathe deep, probably no more than an inch or two into the thick foot of leg meat. The bear began to search for the creature that had hurt it, thinking now it was dealing with a pack of wolves and that multiple creatures had entered the fight. Indeed, the bear was right as it saw Kovac running towards the twins and another creature behind it where the pain had come. The bear had fought wolves before, and knew that the trick was to kill the first aggressor. A pack of wolves were a horrible thing and often they would bite or attack from different sides, but if the bear focused on the strongest animal and killed it, then the other wolves would often break afterwards. So this time, the bear charged as fast as it cloud, the pain in its rump flaring up its anger and whipping it into a frenzy. Renol could see that he had stolen the attention away from the twins and Kovac, but now he had a 1600 pound bear running him down and it would not be distracted from its prey. Kovac tumbled with Aidara as they began wrapping themselves into the tent. The heavy wool tent began folding about them, lumps of gear folding in the tent made of a lumpy bedding. Finally the two of them rolled to a stop and Kovac had no idea if they were wrapped enough to protect them, but it was dark and the sounds from outside were muffled. Aidara felt the blood slowly began to stop, she felt dizzy and very uncomfortable, as the dizziness began to wear off, she realized that Kovac was very close. Perhaps it was the head injury, perhaps it was Sairque using their bond to make Aidara extremely lusty for Kovac, or perhaps it was the dagger hilt digging into her thigh, but Aidara was sure this wasn’t the time or the place for any such thoughts but the muscular man beside her. Sairque looked over at the tent that held her sister and Kovac. Though it had been wrapped it hadn’t done so evenly with two people. For one of the lumps looked very thinly wrapped while the other was double bound. Who it was, she couldn’t tell, but she guess that as the person had a coin flip’s chance of making it through this alive. Renol, now began to realized that no arrow could penetrate to the heart of the beast. Perhaps a point blank shot would puncture a lung, but there would be no instant death of this mightly animal. For that he would need a spear… there were stories of Inarta that had been lost in the Unforgiven making hardened wood spears against bear attacks. If the Inarta was brave, or stupid, enough they would thrust the end of the spear into a rocky outcropping and as the bear reared onto hind legs centered the spear upon their heart. The bears own weight would provide enough force to puncture its rib cage and heart as it came back down. Sairque realized the same thing as Renol, a spear was needed, and they needed it now. The pole from one of the tents slowly rolled touching Sairque’s foot. Renol had a couple of choices; he could run and maybe find a tree to climb up before the bear reached him. Or the other choice was to pull his sword and as the bear ate him try to cut its throat. However, it was apparent that the campsite was out of the question, for the bear would kill him way before that. Perhaps there was another slim chance… if his imagination could come up with another one.

[Renol]

OOC :

See, I thought the camp layout was something more like this:

Or something like that. That is why I was originally confused on how Sai and Addy would have been able to get past the bear to the tents without someone distracting the bear, which is why Renol did what he did. And with the fact that a fully grown grizzly can run at just over 30 mph in a dead sprint, I figured it would be impossible to get to cover over the distance that would have to be covered without the bear catching up first. *sighs* see what I get for thinking….

Renol saw the two women flee from the charging bear, leaving the packs of meat on the ground to try to distract the bear long enough to give them an extra edge. Renol had, apparently misjudged the situation. From where he had been standing, it had looked like the two women wouldn’t be able to make it to camp before the bear go them. So that was when Renol had charged forward with reckless abandon. To buy them some time. And as he had charged forward he heard Sai issuing counter commands to his, or at least commands to him, seeing as he was doing something everyone would consider stupid and suicide. But his own wellbeing wasn’t his concern at the moment. He was the one who had taken charge of this hunting trip. He was the one who had brought them all out here. So if anyone was going to get hurt or killed out here, it was him. At least then he could ensure that the others were safe, which was his most important goal right now. And by the time that he had heard her orders, it was already too late. There was not enough room between him and the bear for him to make the distance to the tents.

Renol had stopped his advance, though. As he saw that the women would make it to the tents, he stopped, trying to figure out his best options. It was then that he saw Addy trip and fall, cracking her head on the ground. Before he could even attempt to move towards her, Kovac was already running towards her. Which was the best thing right now. Kovac could get her to safety and get himself into safety at the same time. That was what mattered. Hopefully that nasty woulnd that had been the source of all the blood running down the side of her face could get treated before it caused the bear to investigate the tent after it was done dealing with the hunter who had stuck it with an arrow. Sai was in another tent, secure from the threat that loomed in front of him. And that meant they were all accounted for. And with the time that he could buy them, they would be able to wrap themselves up properly and wait out the bear, should it kill him. And ass he saw the bear turn towards him and start it’s charge, the words of his father ran through his mind with crystal clarity “Childhoods over the moment you know you’re gonna die.” Only now did he really understand how right he was.

He was out here all on his own, now. But that was what he ad been going for in the first place. Even though that wasn’t a good situation. Yes, a spear would have been a gift from the gods at the moment. But he was reminded of another old saying: Wish in one hand and defecate in another, and see which one fills up faster. So he was stuck with his choice. He had watched his first arrow miss the bear completely, almost hitting Sai as she had run straight through his line of fire. He knew he was never going to live that down, if he lived through this. But that would be an argument he’d have to anticipate later, if he stil had a chest after this engagement. There were trees close, but even if climbed one, there was no telling if the bear would take it down like it had the other tree. This thing was a behemoth, and could uproot a tree without much struggle it seemed. So that was a foolish approach. So there was one thing left to do at this point. Renol knew of the stories of the hunters that had used the spears against massive bears such as these. But he had also heard stories of hunters who had survived situations like this with only a bow, or at least one story. That gave him a little bit of knowledge that he might be able to use. If the bear roared while running towards him, he could put an arrow down its throat and sever the spine. He knew of at least one person who was still alive how had done such an act before. And he had a little bit of time to line up a shot. Even if he missed, there was the slight chance he’d take out one of the animals eyes and perhaps cause it to flee, or at least cripple it a little further before it got to him. And if it got close enough to take him down, he would just have to rely on his sword to slice the monster throat as it attempted to eat him. And then change his pants afterwards…

Renol quickly took up his best shooting stance and drew two arrows once more in his typical manner. He knocked and arrow and drew it back as the bear charged holding the string back tight as far as he could draw it. He waited, narrowing his eyes slightly and taking aim for as long as he could as the animal came towards him He shouted another battle cry in defiance of the animal, tempting it to open its mouth into another bellowing roar like it had before. He knew that there wasn’t going to be enough time left in his existence for his arm to get tired holding the bowstring back. That was a good thing. He knew it wouldn’t affect his shot. His eyes focused on the target. And with a bear as large as this one was, it’s open mouth was a bigger target then any of the rabbits he had shot at before. So he knew he had a good chance, aspecially when it was running straight towards him. When the bear roared, it’s head would stay still as it ran instead of bouncing along with its wide gate. So he just had to get it to roar. And when it did, he loosed his arrow from the bow, watching it fly through the air toward its target, silently whispering a prayer to all the gods at once as he immediately knocked his next arrow, drawing and firing it down the exact same flight path.

OOCI wanted to leave that attack open for Dreamcatcher for him to place the shots to see what happens. With something like this going on, I don’t want to ‘autohit’ or anything like that.

[Sairque]

The Proposed Plan :

In the moment that Aidara had tripped and her head had bounced so high off that rock, someone else might have taken the time to wish that they had been killed by the arrow to give the healer more time to recover and stumble to safety. Sairque, however, was hell bent on those tents and beyond the first ironic thought that she would die a clean death at the hands of her companion, didn't consider being shot again. The healer was pulled up by her drawers and the collar of her coat until she got her feet under her again and could stumble forward, a low sound coming from deep in Sairque's throat as though she were growling back at the hungry bear. Behind the scrambling women, the bear's great lungs streamed humid air at them, enveloping them in a puff of copper and pine, which thanks to heightened senses, the flight leader could smell clearly. It was just one more factor on which to gauge the ever-shortening distance between Aidara and the stomach that would digest her.

You're okay, Addy. Almost there. We're gonna make it," the flight leader panted relatively tenderly, knowing the gentle healer was probably scared beyond belief and feeling hopeless, but Sairque needed her to keep moving. The breathe was the precursor and the howl that shortly followed after was mistaken for a cry of victory until they were showered with earth; Sairque, not having the attention to consider their good luck, redoubled her efforts to usher the healer toward the tents.

Kovac met them there, the quick-witted Avora aiding Sai in getting the wounded woman into the tent before diving in himself with one last order for her. Sai, busy breaking down the tent, glanced up meeting his hard gaze with her own determined one and responded with a curt nod. With them both safely inside, starting to envelope themselves in the sturdy material, the flight leader, vaguely aware that the bear had turned away, could finally get a clearer idea of what the it had turned to do. It had turned to have itself a healthy, lean snack of Renol. The arrow bouncing in its leg was dwarfed by the sheer size of the animal and Sairque missed it's presence. Sai gave one last look at the tent, doing all she could do by hoping that the thin material held strong over Kovac. It had to be Kovac, otherwise she would endanger Renol further by getting one of the other tents and dragging it over the two to add another layer of protection.

With her bow long gone, with her daggers and knives mere playthings, with the quiver still carrying useless arrows on her back, Sai didn't think twice before grabbing up the tent pole that had rolled to a stop at her feet. Renol was staring the bear down, preparing to shoot as the behemoth ate up the distance between them. There was no way for her to get to Renol before the bear did, but there was a way for them to come to each other and slow the bear down. Both of them could meet on the far side of the fallen tree. Renol would have to run up to where he had first been hiding, and Sai would have to skirt the foliage, but that would leave the bear having to either swing low and follow Renol or try to go over the massive trunk, both of which would give the athletic Endals enough time to exchange weapons and present a unified front. This would only be possible if she caught his eye and he understood her motions toward the tree and the bear was still relatively far away from him. And if they were quick enough, or the bear did something great like try to leap over the trunk of the tree, which was suspended in the air by the rootwad and the branches, they might even be able to set their 'spears' to impale the beast on his way down...which would probably squish but hopefully not kill them. Of course, that could also give the bear a long enough run around to let the Endals scramble for their tents, too.

If the other Endal was dead set on his plan, the flight leader dipped to grab a second pole as she ran forward. The sturdy hefts in hand, the weight of them familiar from countless camping trips, Sai didn't let them impede her dead sprint toward the brave Endal. It wasn't a spear, the pole in her right hand, but it had a balance point that would need to be used to throw the shaft efficiently. It was just like a big arrow and when thrown by hand, if the arrow wasn't to tumble end over end, it had to be thrown so that the force was balanced. She just couldn't see a way to make it into a position to help Renol. He was standing stalwart, refusing to try for a tactical advantage or a way to buy more time to work together, she watched him hold the arrow back, waiting for something. Even as she tried to help, she knew there was little she could do at the current standing.

Letting out a challenging roar of her own and steps adjusting, Sai dropped one pole and threw that hand forward to aim, it swept back as she brought the other shaft forward to hurl it toward the grizzly, taking into account for movement. Already bent almost double from the force of her throw, little forward momentum was lost as she snagged the remaining spear from the ground and carried on toward the two males. At this distance, she wasn't sure who the projectile would hit, but if it flew true toward the bear she hoped that it would distract it long enough for Renol to find a better position after firing the two arrows. Maybe even swing around to pick up the tent pole where it would bounce off until sitting still. Of course, she also hoped that he had had the time to glance her way and see what she was doing, in case the impromptu spear missed horribly and headed in his direction. But really, her first plan was preferable. It didn't involve possibly hitting her companion and helping him die.

[Aidara]

Completely blind. The canvas that wrapped tighter the more times they rolled, twisting around her ankles to an almost uncomfortable degree, blocking off all of the senses except sound. Mostly, just being able to hear what was going on made everything that much worse. A snap of a twig sounded like a roar, the pattering of a rock down the embankment was an avalanche, the rolling of the two Avora was almost deafening to the healer. The enclosed burrito of a space was all the smaller as the Addy and Kovac started to deplete the fresh oxygen supply. The air became very hot, and once they stopped rolling, very still and heavy. Although the wound on her face had slowed, and then stopped, the woman's head still reeled and rolled. The ground rocked beneath her, though she knew neither of them were moving. Darkness edged fuzzy fingers at her consciousness, threatening to steal her away into the dark world of complete and utter silence. It was a few shaky breaths before Addy realized exactly what was going on. Holding onto her consciousness had taking all of her concentration and she had momentarily forgotten where she was, who she was wrapped up with. It was a struggle to free it, but one of her hands finally worked loose from where they were pinned at her sides. She felt her face, fingers drawing away sticky and bright with blood. So much blood. No wonder she was unstable. Panic welled like bile in her throat, and she began to thrash around, desperate now to be free of the constricting canvas that surrounded her. The bear was not a current threat in the healers mind. The claustrophobia was the threat, and she was determined to escape. Her breath came in a pant, and soon her chest was heaving with the exhersion. Startled by how fast her strength left her, Addy stopped moving... She remembered falling, the smack of her head on the stone and the press of the fabric of her shirt against her throat as her sister hauled her bodily upwards and shoved her towards the tent. She had dove inside, and blacked out almost immediately, only hearing "You're okay Addy, almost there..." before the darkness took her. She was unaware of the fact that Kovac had flung himself in after her, wrapping his arms and legs around her tightly as they rolled to shield the small woman. With a start, the realization and the sensation of the Avora's arms still wrapped tightly around her finally sunk in to the womans poor, battered, befuddled, blood-deprived head. Blood did creep up into her cheeks, though there was no way for the man to see it. Mental inventory spelled out for her just how intimate their current position was. And that made it all the worse....wait.... "Kovac, please tell me that is your dagger?" Her voice was a rasp, and barely above a whisper. It was only a few seconds after she clipped off the last word with a purse of her lips that the bear let loose a monstrous roar. Addy jumped again, having completely forgotten about their new big, shaggy, deadly camping...partner. Very, very well aware that she had nothing to defend herself with, the little redheaded woman pressed herself back against Kovac, her eyes wide, seeing nothing but darkness. "Sai....Renol....They're not in a tent, are they?" She didn't even have to wait for his affirmation. She knew. She could feel the rushing thrill, fear, desperation, determination and meticulous calculation that positively surged along her connection to Sai. Maybe she wasn't so blind after all. Addy focused on these feelings, wishing more than ever before that she could see through Sai's eyes, to see what was happening. Yes, she could feel her sisters reactions to what was happening...but what good did that do? She could also hear the terrible roar and panting of the bear, the cracking crunch as the beast ran, or ripped into Renols lean form? She had no way to know. She did know that the other Endal was no where near. She couldn't hear his tread, his voice or the twang of his arrows. Had he already fallen? Addy felt a sob rise up in her throat, barely contained, for a man she didn't know for sure was dead or not. "Whats going on...?!" It was a quiet demand, as if she thought the hunter had some way of knowing what she didn't. She didn't know her sisters plan, but she did know that Sai would try and play hero. Against a damn bear. Addy wanted to shout and scream and rip her way free to prevent her twin from acting restlessly. "Kovac..." She shuddered, and bit down on her lip as she fought to contain another sob, as her watched her sister and the other Endal get ripped to shreds in her mind.

[Kovac]

The two Avora had settled after several rolls. Kovac and managed to stop them in a position where most of Aidara was covered by his body, still wrapped protectively around her. His hand remained against the wound in her head, providing compression as the flow of blood slowed. His hand was slick and warm with her blood, and it had trickled down his arm. The hunter took a moment to get his bearings. He could hear the rustle and the deep throaty noises of the bear, but the thick tenting and Aidara's anxious breathing made it difficult to discern what the Endal's were doing, or where they were. The tent was stifling close, growing hot with both of them breathing heavily. Kovac felt Adaira shift, her hand struggling to feel her injury, then she panicked. He understood her fear, but they could not afford to attract the attention of the giant bear. His arms and legs tightened around her. "Be still!" He whispered sharply, "It will see us!" The girl ceased her thrashing and Kovac lightened his hold on her. "Kovac, please tell me that is your dagger?" His face twisted in an unseen scowl at her curious question. "What? Oh." It would have been a tempting pick up line had it been delivered anywhere but right there. The archer worked his hand down to his hip to shift the hilt of his long knife out of her ribs. The half-breed tried not to dwell on what Sairque and Renol were doing. He could not help them now if he wanted to. Adaira kept asking questions, the panic rising again in her voice. It was her sister, he realized, but he was trying to hear what was going on, whether he could tell if the riders had made it to a tent, or were facing off with the beast. He did not want the woman to break down and lose it in the maddening situation. He tried to summon what might pass as a calming timbre to his voice. "Addy, They know the tents are protection, I am sure they would try to get in them. Besides, I don't think even that bear can stand up against those two hard ass Endal! He is probably cowing to their arrogance like a Drudge.!" Kovac tried to whisper encouragement Aidara, as poor attempt as it was. He himself longed to get free of the restraining cocoon, helpless, blind and almost deaf to all that went on, waiting at any moment for a huge paw so come smashing down upon him. The archer felt the girl settle against him, knowing it was fear that compelled her. He could sense it, even if he could not see her frightened face. His arms tightened around her again, this time not in the hard restraint he had employed before, but what would pass with the sardonic Avora as a comforting embrace. "Now be still, you know Sairque wants you safe." He then lay still, holding the girl in a manner and situation that had not been included in the several he had imagined since he met her.

[Dreamcatcher]

The bear charged, seeing its prey stand still in terror and trapped against the tree. The bear understood that the other members of its pack were surrounding it and were ready to start nipping him. The bear’s mouth opened slightly as he continued to run towards Renol, and Renol began to understand why he had only heard of one story about killing a bear with an arrow. The shot was extremely complex; he needed to have an upward angle on the bear’s mouth, while making sure not to hit the bear’s skull. Renol also needed a clear view of the throat, which while it was charging was neigh impossible. Renols’ roar was almost pathetic compared to the bears, and the bear simply snorted as an answer to the challenge. As Renol concentrated he felt his heartbeat in his ears, fear was ramping up all of his reflexes, and deciding an eye shot was better than nothing, he took it. Quickly he pulled back the bow, aiming his next shot, and then released it. The two arrows soared through the air. The first one hit the bears face a half an inch below the eye, scoring a long bloody cut as it went along it’s head. It was the pain that made the bear roar, screaming hurt and rage at Renol as the bear was fast approaching. Renol’s second shot was closing the distance and looked as if it might have a chance of success. As the arrow continued, the fletching told Renol that it was on target for the bear’s mouth. Then the bear stumbled for one moment and the arrow pierced through its tongue and jaw. The bear snapped his jaws closed and the arrow broke in two, as the bear continued on it charge. From Sairque vantage point, she saw something even more horrifying. The giant bear was charging Renol, its huge feet smashing food into the ground. Sairque knew if she didn’t act quickly the bear would kill Renol. So she threw the spear with all her might as a flight leader and Endal. The shot was thirty yards to the bear and Sairque saw that the tent pole arch down towards the bear. She had succeeded in a controlled throw to hit the bear that much she was sure of. Sairque looked up and saw Renol release his arrow. She saw the shot barely miss the bear’s eye, and knew that if it hadn’t been life or death Renol’s shooting would have been impressive. As the bear roared and Renol took his second shot, it was at the same time the tent pole turned spear hit the bear. It penetrated hands deep in the bear’s rib cage before it lost its power. The bear stumbled from the pain while the tent pole fell limply out of its hide. Sairque saw that at the time the pole hit the bear, Renol had loosed his second arrow puncturing the bear’s lower jaw, and the bear closed its jaw breaking the haft of the arrow in half. At this time the bear had finally reached within ten yards of Renol, and he dropped his bow trying to get his swords. As Renol cleared the blade in his right hand from its stealth, the bear raked down it’s huge paw across Renol’s thighs. Pain echoed throughout Renol’s mind as the claws tore ragged gashes across the tops of his thighs. Sairque saw the bloody trail arch across Renol and realized that if the bear had struck two inches higher, the thing that defined Renol as a man would become less certain. In reflex Renol hacked at the bears arm driving his pain and injury towards the bear as his legs buckled from the shock. The bear countered by back handing Renol, as well as, turning towards Sairque. Renol felt the blow badly bruise his right arm as his sword bit deep into the bears arm. The blow picked him up into the air sending him towards Sairque’s location. As he soared through the air he looked down at his bloody thighs. Yellow fat puffed out as Renol saw his muscles and tendons underneath, Renol had been lucky that the bear hadn’t severed any muscles, but he knew if he moved the flesh would only become more torn. His thighs were also very exposed as blood began pooling out of the sides of them, if he didn’t find a healer to close the wounds he would die in half a bell. The bear turned towards Sairque, he seemed to be limping from the damage that had been done to it. However, the bear grabbed Renol’s sword with its mouth and pulled it free from its front right limb. As the bear dropped the sword, so did Renol’s body drop onto a limb of a tree bruising his ribs. Renol could see the bear ten yards away, as he painfully took breaths. Yet, as he looked up at the bear, the creature stood still looking at Sairque waiting for the packs next move. Whatever happened to Renol, he knew that he had damaged the bear and it now feared men. Sairque saw that Renol laid twenty yards away bleeding and battered. The bear was apparently done with him, and was waiting to see what happened next. It’s breathing was labored and the bloody wounds showed that is was still able to fight but didn’t want to. If Sairque choose to attack the bear by herself it was likely she would end up like Renol. To Aidara, in the tent, she felt the bond open up. Sairque’s emotion overlaid Aidara’s instead of overwhelming them. Usually when Aidara felt Saique it was like a punch of emotion, raw and overbearing. Instead now it was like a soft blanket, that fed more information to her. To Aidara’s mind, she could identify where Sairque was and generally what was happening outside. For instance she knew that Renol was trying to attack the bear instead of running and that her sister didn’t like his chances. She also knew that something happened to Renol that made Sairque pause trying to make a decision. Overall, Aidara felt like she was wearing Sairque like a second skin. It was much more subtle to her and as the feeling settled over her she knew that she had found a way to play with Sairque emotions the same way she had done with her. As Kovac moved the dagger hilt, his hand brushed passed a thick stick that had rolled up in the tent. Kovac began to bring back his hand, when for a moment, he felt the stick move. A memory floated back to Kovac from childhood; he was sitting next to Val while the old man told tales of far off lands. One night after Val had told a story, Kovac had asked for a tale that involved hunting, in which Val nodded and gave Kovac the tale of the Long Hunt. Often in the fall hunters were given visions of the Long Hunt across the lands. He described how all the hunters of the land would come together in the vision and celebrate the hunt of a pure white stag. The stag was supposed to represent the bounty of nature and the purity of the hunt. For those that received the vision, they were rumored to attract all manner of creatures to them, so that they may feed families and friends. However the vision spoke of a blessing and a curse to hunters. Kovac began to realize that Val had been right, for he felt the stick come to life and start to move down towards his feet. The snake had been looking for a warm dry place to survive the winter, and when it had found the warm ground of the campsite it had made it’s way to Sairque’s and Aidara’s tent. All it had been doing was seeking a safe dry place against the rain and coming winter. Instead it had experienced a traumatic event being rolled around and tramped on. Slowly it had come back to life, after the stun and shock it had taken, prepared to fight anything that moved it slowly began to slither its way out of the tent to find somewhere else to go.