In Dire Straits

Things changed. Rooter didn't. He hibernated, though the rain forest didn't get the same weather as say Inaria in the winter so his sleep was brief. He still wasn't at full weight and that also contributed to his sleep. No one bothered him. He made few friends (translation: none). He had no mate.

No mate.

Things changed. Then he realized the lack of scents.

To be honest, the disappearance of the leader surprised the grizzly. Both leaders actually. And Screaming Mother wasn't around. Orcrist didn't question it, at least out loud he didn't, and Rooter was fine with that. So the bear ate more. He even shared his meals. Things slipped into redundancy and he didn't mind. It was quiet. It was safe, for Alteron. Which meant bad things would come soon. And Rooter wanted to be ready.

"Do you miss them?" was his idea of small talk. Bears are poor at small talk, but he was careful and hesitant when he asked. Wolves normally bonded with their mates and children. Orcrist and Atlas weren't normal. He had no words about their children. He was glad they didn't bother him. He remembered some of them and in particular the older ones the parents didn't care about. Not even a bear would do that to their children. Even male bears would hesitate attacking cubs to make sure they weren't killing their own.

"I want a job." were his next words after Orcrist spoke. "Not just fighting. Maybe scaring outside wolves to see if they can brave a bear and join this pack."

Such an orator.

Orcrist laid upon the grassy front of his home much like a man on a hot day enjoying the summer on his porch. The humidity rose quickly in the morning, the flies annoyingly buzzing around his head and the shade brought some relief from the sun. The forest was dense enough to give the sun little chance of peeking through the canopy, but it trapped the heat.

He was surprised to see the bear lumber toward him after not seeing him for some time. The Chariot forgot about the whole hibernation business bears had. "That's specific." he said, though knew what Rooter meant. In all honesty, he didn't miss them. Maybe his kids, yes, but Atlas was a complicated mess. He let out a yawn.

"A job..." he repeated, mulling it over. He didn't have a lot of sentries before. Cuff and Atlas were the ones to do most of the work, but now that the woman was gone, he figured he needed more. "I suppose I could let y'have somethin'. What makes yah think you c'n do the job?"

What makes you capable?

✦ ✦ Speech Text ✦ ✦

[Image: wolf_skull_by_nayuki910-d5dlzpz.gif]

So small talk failed. Or the wolf missed them more than the bear assumed. Or he caught him off guard. Okay then.

At the question, Rooter closed his eyes and lifted his head. His previous comment was abrupt and blunt. He could elaborate. But the words took time and he played what he would say over and over.

"This place is supposed to have a fearsome reputation. I know you have wolves that filter who comes here, besides you. First impressions... are important. But YOU saw more than just an angry bear--" that deserved a lesson in trespassing "--and you listened. You were bold, or too confident, but you earned my respect. I'm here. So if you can do that to a bear, than a bear could do that to a wolf. I want to try that."

He shifted, slouching on his hip and looking out to the forest. The wind blew, bringing the scent of rain. For a moment the bear was uncomfortable. He knew the wolf before him and his ego. But he remembered the day Orcrist approached him. Loyalty gets you far, he said. Respect was what bears had. It was a clash of ideals, but...

"I still owe you. I want to fix the fallen trees that got me here. I'm strong enough to do that. But I want to do more than that to earn my keep. To re-earn your respect."

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Orcrist

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