Bear Den
Yay! First piece with my fursona Sakara and his little brother Kuveli. I enjoyed writing this, though sadly I'm a bit tied-up and haven't had a chance to properly proof-read this, which means it'll still have some very rough edges. If I get a chance to, I'll re-upload a proof-read version later. If not, there'll be another piece involving these two up soon enough.
Bear Den By MetroFox
"I think he went in 'ere!" Kuveli dashed-into the cave. The soft grass gave way to cold stone. The warm summer sun faded into black. None of it put the foxkit off. He charged-on with spear in paw, loincloth catching on low rock formations.
"You sure, little bud?" Sakara trailed close behind his little brother. The foxman was a third taller than his brother. His legs were wrapped in horsehide leggings, a hareskin loincloth fluttering in the breeze. Sakara entered the cave, grabbing his little brother's shoulder. Kuveli stopped, spinning around.
"After you 'it it, I know it, I saw it!" Kuveli threw his ears back, azure-blue eyes bulging. Sakara returned the glare with equally shaded eyes, his fur of fiery amber-orange, cloudy-white, and grey, it seemed to light-up the cave.
Something caught Sakara's eye. A crimson stain was dashed against the wall. Light reflected off it. Sakara walked-over and touched it with the tip of his tongue. He wrinkled his muzzle, the vile taste of ancient mold overwhelming him. Underneath it, however, was the sweet, familiar tang of ram's blood. Kuveli crouched by his side, staring-up with a toothy smile.
"Remind me, I should trust your little eyes more." Sakara ruffles the fur on his little brothers head, evoking a yip and purrs.
The foxman gets back to his hind-paws, staring deeper into the darkness. It was pitch black down there. The gods only knew how many jagged rocks and hidden rivers there were down there, waiting to swallow victims.
"Have you still got that fat?" Sakara asked, reaching back with an open paw. Kuveli placed a leather pouch and stick in his big brother's paw. Sakara took it, scooping-up fat from the pouch, and smearing it on the stick. Then he held it against the wall, and with one swift motion, struck the flint against the wall. Sparks fell, catching on the stick, the fat going-up in a heartbeat.
"Can I go first?" Kuveli clutched his big brother's paws, looking-up with wide eyes. Sakara smirked.
"Not a chance." He chuckled, patting his little brother on the shoulder. Kuveli whined and pinned his ears back, to no avail. Sakara held the burning stick ahead of himself. Even more dew covered the walls. The cave was surprisingly big, Sakara could've led flat across the floor. Maybe the ram's den was down here.
Sakara descended deeper, some ten paces. More flecks of blood stained the floor, growing in size. The slope ended in a pool of blood. A skinny, hoofed leg led on the edge of the light.
"Does a chest-wound bleed that much?" Kuveli crouched down, squinting to try and make-out anything in the dark. Sakara growled, moving ahead with caution in each step.
"It could, if it wasn't plugged with an arrow." Sakara unsheathed a blade from his belt. He clutched the bone hilt tight, light glinting-off the slate blade.
"Maybe it tore it out?" Kuveli cocked his head to the side. Sakara crept forward. His claws no longer clacked against the rock. His spear was tied to his back, and the knife clutched above his head. Kuveli held his spear close, trailing his big brother.
"Where is it then?" Sakara asked, looking back with a raised eyebrow. Kuveli mumbled, moving to his brother's side.
The darkness receded, revealing more of the goat, or what little was left, that is. The leg was severed from the body, meat muscle, and bone exposed, still dripping with blood. Sakara moved closer to it, sheathing the knife again. He reached from the chunk of meat, and a great roar shook his body.
Sakara jumped back, slipping on the blood. With a crack his head hit the rock. Kuveli barked in alarm, crouching by his brother's side. Extending a paw, the foxkit helped Sakara sit-up. He was dazed, but the great, brown shape in his blurred vision scared him back to his senses.
His vision quickly cleared-up. The blur twisted into a great, brown bear. It's muzzle and chest were coated in blood. Dangling from it's maw was a ram, limp, entrails hanging from a split stomach, blood pouring from a mauled throat. Sakara got back to his hind-paws. He unsheathed his knife, snarling with fangs bared.
"Thieving thing, that's ours!" Sakara held the blade over his shoulder. If that thing came close, he'd stab it's eyes-out.
"Should we run?" Kuveli whimpered, slowly backing away. The bear reared-up on its hind legs, sniffing the musty air. Sakara stood-fast, watching, thinking. "Big brother?" Kuveli sounded more and more distressed. The foxkit stopped, sucking in his breath. He moved behind his brother again, tugging on his tail as hard as he could.
"Let's go!" He winged. Sakara didn't shift, he glared at bear, ears pinned back. Kuveli tugged again and again. He watched the bear drop back onto all fours, and start creeping forward.
"Listen," Sakara turned to his little brother. "I'll distract it, you grab the leg and make a dash for the exit." Sakara took a step forward. Kuveli yelped, wrapping himself around Sakara's tail.
"No, that's stupid!" Kuveli's voice was muffled by the tail. Sakara spun around, an eyebrow raised at Kuveli.
"Have you got a better idea?" He snapped, yanking his tail away from Kuveli. The foxkit jumped back, his ears pinned-back and eyes bulging. Sakara kept a stern look about him as he turned back to face the bear. Kuveli grumbled to himself.
"Hmph, no!" He spat-back, scowling. Sakara sighed. He leaned on his forepaw, ready to dash.
"Stop sulking and get ready." Sakara said, taking deep breaths. In, out, in, out, in... Out.
Sakara darted forward, waving the knife around above his head. He barked and howled like a lunatic, drawing the bears attention. Kuveli slipped out of the light. He felt his heart in his throat, watching his brother approach the bear. Each time Sakara leapt forward, the bear backed-away.
The light was beginning to fade, the torch burning lower. The ram's leg was now on the edge of the light. Kuveli saw his moment. The foxkit knelt down and crept through the shadows. He hugged the rough, damp stone, being as silent as possible.
Sakara waved the torch in front of himself. The bear reared-up again, stopping. Sakara hesitated, why had it stopped? He began forward, trying to get the bear moving again, but the light revealed an answer. The light reflected off a damp, cold wall, the bear pressed against it.
In the safety of the shadows, Kuveli snatched-up the leg of meat. Clutching it to his chest, he jumped-back. He barked his success to Sakara, so that they may escape.
Sakara's ears twitched at the bark. He began taking light, soundless steps away from the bear. One step, two steps, three steps...
A ferocious roar rattled Sakara to the core. The bear crashed down onto all fours. Kuveli watched, frozen, his breath caught in his throat. Sakara went to turn and run, but the bear reached-out and swiped the torch from his paw. The foxman lost his balance and his muzzle hit the ground with a crack. The adrenaline coursed through him, enough to push him through the daze of his fall.
"Big brother!" The foxkit dropped to his haunches, shaking violently. He closed his eyes and whimpered. Sakara pushed himself off the ground, abandoning the now extinguished torch. He found his footing and took one step forward, when pain erupted from his shoulder. He collapsed again, a colossal weight on his back. He thought the whole cave had come down on him, until he heard the deep growl behind his head.
Sakara stayed there, face down against the rock. He couldn't budge under the weight of the warm bulk. Pain tore through his shoulder, something warm and wet drenching the left side of his body. He couldn't draw breath, each second began to drag.
One
Two..
Three...
His lungs were ready to burst. Everything was fading, fast. One arm had fallen numb, unable to move it. With the other he grasped at the cave floor, hoping to find his knife, a sharp rock, anything.
"Kuveli..." He wheezed. The foxkit managed to force himself to look, seeing his big brother crushed under the bear. The shaking worsened, his fangs chattering. And something else was rising in his gut: anger.
Kuveli got to his hind-paws, glaring at the bear. He took the spear from his back. The anger grew, and the foxkit's muzzle wrinkled into a snarl, fangs flashing. He charged forward, sprinting with all he could muster. The bear looked-up to see the charging foxkit, too late.
The stone tip of the spear disappeared into the bear's neck. It reared-up, smacking it's head on the ceiling as it roared. The sound reverberated through Kuveli, making his head ache.
With a sputtering cough, Sakara dragged himself to his hind-paws. He ran to Kuveli, struggling to move, teeth grit and paw over a gaping shoulder wound.
"C'mon, let's go..." Sakara gasped, gritting his teeth tighter as pain surged through him. Kuveli grabbed his big brother's tail and followed him out. He kept looking back as they ascended the path they'd entered from. The bears furious roars came again and again, yet slowly faded from ear.
The two brothers dived into blinding white light. Kuveli fell to his knees, panting hard. Sakara yelped as the cold, fresh air bit at his wound. As his eyes adjusted, he looked down to it, seeing the blood pouring from it, coating half his body. Using his knife, he cut a length of hide from his leggings and began to bandage the wound.
"I hope that by the goat-headed spirit you still have that meat." Sakara turned to Kuveli, seeing his little brother staring into the forest, bewildered, but safe. And still clutching the ram's leg.
Finishing-up his makeshift bandage, he limped-over to his little brother. Kuveli was silent as he looked-up at his big brother, letting Sakara wrap his arm around him, and lead the both home.