Icy winds swept past the brute, ruffling his coarse pelt and nipping at his nose and face. In front of him was the mountain, a behemoth of cruel granite and ice-ridden ledges. To his right, the calm waters that surrounded the mountain. Above him, the grey skies filled with gathering storm-clouds signalling a potential thunder-storm. Beneath him, the freshly fallen snow and silvers of ice that had formed. And all around, the mist that hung in the air, a persevering force of nature to blind and deceive the foolish. It was a frozen paradise, Tye mused to himself. Tye faltered in his movements, tail swaying slightly behind him as he cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure that his fellow pack-mate and comrade was still behind him. It was an eerie silence that choked the air. The mist only aided it. Once or twice Tye had heard a splash and looked over only to see what looked like an enormous snake the size of a log slithering in and out of view. That was impossible. He had never seen a snake that big before and there were no scales, only skin like that of an eel. Gaze lingering for a moment as if hoping the water would ripple again, he glanced back at the mountain as he caught the scent of freshly killed prey and damp fur. There was their target, the bear. Tye leaped onto the bottom slope of the mountain, paws shuffling through the snow-covered granite. The cave was only a few metres upwards. If luck was on their side the bear would be so deep in hibernation it wouldn't hear them or smell them.

Otherwise, well Tye had seen wolves who had their insides handed to them on a silver platter. Such pleasant times those had been. He made his way up the slope, as silently as he could which for him resembled a ghost. He made barely any noise as well, keeping his foot-falls quiet and steady and tail lifted so it didn't trail the snow. He padded forwards making his way up the slope to the bear's cave. As he neared it he could glimpse the pile of kills along with fruit here and there. Four twitching fluff-balls of brown were nestled in various places around and on top the bear. The cubs. Tye watched them, assessing the danger level as medium. The cubs they could out-run so the only problem was not waking the bear up.

Tye turned his head slightly as he heard Cliche gasp, eyes flicking over to her form to check if she had injured herself somehow. Seeing she was unharmed, he turned back to the slumbering beast scanning the stock-pile more carefully. A lot of fresh berries, pine nuts that scattered the cave floor, a half-eaten elk, a young buck with its throat torn out, the carcasses of a dozen birds such as ravens and carrion that were whole and two red foxes, their bodies twisted and necks bent at awkward angles. And near its back paw, a dead doe with part of its back leg dangling by a stretched ligament that was threatening to break. All the blood had either poured out on the kill or all of it had spilled out from the wound on the journey back to the den. Since there was no other wounds, the neck or chest for instance, it would've had to die from blood loss though he pitied the lone predator who had to leave it at the appearance of Sleeping Bear Beauty. Dear old mother bear was not to be challenged after all. Well, unless she was subdued or tired or both which was what he was counting on for this challenge to be successful. It may have seemed like a mad wolf's game but he wasn't foolish enough to gamble a wolf's life if there was no chance of survival. From Cliche's speech and what he had seen from hunting the other prey she was capable provided she didn't panic. His tail flicked once, heart leaping into his throat in surprise when her voice rang through his ear like a siren. It was a short moment, half a minute before Tye's heart settled back down into his chest and he answered with a wry look, "No I'll happily watch on while it tries to maul you to death."

It was a jest of course. He still followed behind her on careful, quiet steps as she slunk forwards stealthily, ears leaning forwards and gaze shifting back and forth from Cliche to the bear and its sleeping cubs. She was being almost too cautious but that was okay for now. As long as the bear wasn't waking up. He almost smiled as she extended her neck as far as it could possibly go finding the sight a mixture of comic cuteness and slightly awkward. It may have been her determination combined with her eagerness, expressed in her movements. They were perfect for the situation but he had never found anyone who would make such a thing look so innocent and pure. Confidence belied her every movement, a quiet kind of confidence which he guessed was born out of being tasked with learning the ways of a healer and warrior. Separate skills but the aforementioned quality was required to face the differing hardships of both. It was admirable and for a fleeting moment he wondered if he had found someone who truly was similar to him with the qualities of a healer and warrior, the former more than the latter. It was an uncommon path though, one that Tye could relate to. Perhaps in time she would show him some tricks of the trade so to speak, jolt back some recipes or tricks he'd forgotten. A sudden movement caught his eye. One of the cubs had wriggled loose from its mother's hold and was ambling towards them. Tye's eyes flicking to the mother as it growled at her to back away. "Drag it out or the cubs are going to wake it up," Tye whispered, taking a few steps back so that the cub would hopefully stop making so much noise and to give Cliche space while keeping an eye on the family of omnivores inside. Tye lowered his head as the bear began to shift, annoyed. The fur on the back of his neck and sides began to rise, bristling slightly. They were much, much faster than the bear. By the time it woke up they would already be vaulting down the sides of the cliff and torpedoing across the earth at break-neck speed. All Cliche had to do was run...

Tye's eyes widened slightly as the sound of bone breaking shattered the air. The barks of the cubs grew louder. The other cubs, roused, started to snort and whine. Luckily Cliche was already running. The awake cub was already ambling after her on unsteady, clumsy legs. He closed the gap between them in two quick strides, taking part of her kill in his jaws and helped haul it towards the entrance. "Great idea picking a kill that was hard to carry by yourself," Tye said in a muffled voice. The awake cub swiped at Tye's leg, its barks reverberating around the cave walls in a cacophony. Tye moved his leg swiftly, avoiding and lashed out with his foreleg knocking the bear cub over and sending it rolling across the floor into one of its siblings. They were already at the mouth of the cave. Cliche's words galvanized him. He ripped off a portion the kill she'd taken, making the load significantly lighter and at her nudge he began to run, turning once he was outside to look for her. She was right behind him, not even a fur's length away from him. A roar split the air, filling the surroundings. Dear old Mother Bear had woken up. Tye started to bark at it. They were sharp, threatening noises which he wanted to draw the attention from the bear to him. The bark tapered into dangerous growls as the bear's hulking form emerged. His hackles raised, fur rising. His ears folded and so did his lips to reveal gleaming ivory fangs. Fear would've been a reasonable reaction but Tye felt a thrill of excitement, a shot of adrenaline that coursed through his veins like liquid silver. Cliche was safe for the moment and that was all that mattered. The mission? Imminent threat approaching which was expected. No injuries. Out of reach of the enemy? Check. They were looking good so far.

Tye continued to bark, tail lifting into the air as the bear let out another roar, this one filled with rage. As Cliche dragged her prize behind him he moved forwards a little intending to shield her from the bear with his body. It shifted, irritated and took a wild swipe at his face with a tree trunk-sized leg. Ducking underneath it Tye raced forwards and latched his jaws around the bear's other leg with a snarl, fangs sinking into flesh and muscle. Mama Bear's roar of pain rattled his bones, deafening all other noise. Cliche had made her move by then and he was glad for it. He shook the bear's leg, using his whole body to tug it backwards to throw it off balance. A massive paw hurtled towards him. Tye yelped as the bear's claws raked his side, letting go and skidded across the ice-ridden slope. He got up slowly, wincing. The claws had cut deep. Pain throbbed through his now bruised rib. Crimson red trickled from the three marks. He didn't let up and barked again, showing blood-stained teeth. It came closer, blood-lust in its black eyes. Blood trickled down its leg pooling onto the ground. Tye dodged another swing, feeling its claws skim his ears. He bolted further away snapping at the bear's legs as he did to make it follow him. A burst of pain shot through his side. It was to be expected. He pivoted, close to the edge of the ledge and cast a brief glance for Cliche as she signaled for him to run. She was ready. The bear had reared up onto its hind legs giving Tye a narrow opening to move around it to get back to Cliche. The other option? Scale the mountainside using the ledges, rocks and narrow protrusions freestyle. He opted that the other option as it would give Cliche time to get down. He barked again drawing the bear as close to the edge as possible and when it slashed at him ferociously, he turned around ducking at the same time and leaped from the ledge onto the steep slope below through the mist making his way down.