"Tch. What do you want now?" Vein hissed, spitting Gash from his jaw like a bad taste.
"Ouch!" Gash said, his voice weak yet carrying his usual tone.
"You're alive, huh?" Vein's gaze split , one eye on Grizzler, the other on Gash , his frown deepening.
"Aaah, that Claw… he was a monster out there!" Gash winced, rubbing the marks where Vein's fangs had held him. The air between them thickened, heavy with old grudges and exhaustion.
"Claw?" Grizzler said.
Was that Naive Leopard, the forest's legend, Claw himself? Grizzler thought
But why them? Grizzler's paw drifted to his chin, eyes narrowing at the battered leopards.
Well, it was night I couldn't tell if he was the real one...
"Anyways... what should I do with you two?" Grizzler said, his smirk widening.
"I can crush you both right here, if you know what I mean."
The wounded leopards tensed, muscles knotting under singed fur.
Dust lifted around Grizzler's paws as he leaned forward, eyes glittering like coals.
"Aaah, if only I had some honey..." Grizzler yawned.
"Tch..." Vein's ears twitched as he frowned at the lazy bear.
Wait a minute... did he just say honey? Vein thought.
When I attacked those stupid humans, I think I spotted some...
Was that Grizzler's target?
Vein's grin slid across his face.
"Huh? What are you smiling about ... do you want to fight?" Grizzler lifted an eyebrow, his tone not serious.
"Uh, excuse me?!" Gash shifted on the scorched earth, eyes flicking between Vein and Grizzler, unsure whether to laugh or flee.
Vein cleared his throat before speaking.
"Hey, Grizzler... did you attack that tribe..."
Vein's smirk stretched slowly, the corners of his mouth curling with mockery.
"For honey?"
Grizzler's ears twitched, though his grin never faded.
"What?"
"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH THAT HONEY!" Grizzler's grin split wider, but his paw rose like thunder.
The ground beneath him trembled as dust swirled around his lifted paw.
Even Vein flinched at the sudden shift from humor to fury.
"How about a deal, Grizzler?"
His paw sliced through the air, but halted at Vein's words.
"Do you know that those humans are..."
'All dead?' The words hit Grizzler like a falling tree.
The words made Grizzler stop mid-air, his expression hardening.
"Dead?" Grizzler muttered.
That explains the fire...Grizzler thought.
Vein watched closely, measuring Grizzler's reaction.
"So, you really think I'd work for you, wounded leopard?" Grizzler said, crossing his arms together.
"I can go there myself, without your help."
"No, you Can't " Vein's tone cut through the air like a blade.
"Huh?" Grizzler's brow furrowed, the lazy humor on his face slipping away.
I don't believe I'm saying this... Vein's paw trembled as he forced the words out.
"Claw , he's there. Alive," Vein said, his voice heavy with grudge and the thirst for revenge.
Grizzler stopped chewing for a heartbeat before smirking again.
"Aaand?" Grizzler said, chewing lazily on a broken branch, unimpressed.
"Do you think you could face that monster alone?"
"Hmm, you're right about raw power... I can easily crush him. But..."
"That leopard's fast , too fast. He'd ruin my hunt for honey! " Grizzler's paw slammed into the dirt, cracking the soil beneath him.
A shadow lingered behind the trees, eyes fixed on the trio.
The earth shuddered under the impact, sending dust spiraling through the faint glow of the dying fire.
Vein and Gash exchanged quick glances, unsure if they should speak.
"Hmm, OK." Grizzler landed a paw , a sign of acceptance.
Vein didn't smile; he knew Grizzler was hard to convince.
Grizzler's paw hooked under Vein's chin, forcing his gaze upward.
"What makes me trust you both, huh? You'd turn all three of you against me."
Vein didn't move. From the side, Gash swallowed hard.
"Claw is wounded , but he's getting stronger. And cleverer."
Vein's eyes locked onto Grizzler's, filled with authority.
"If you don't believe me..." Vein's gaze shifted to his scar.
'Then kill me here,' Vein said quietly, every word steady as stone.
"Then I will kill you!!" Grizzler slammed his paw toward Vein like a falling boulder.
"VEIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "VEIN!" Gash screamed, but his limbs betrayed him.
Thud!
The paw hit the ground instead, but Vein didn't move, confident in his own words.
Dust and pebbles exploded outward, falling like rain around Vein's still silhouette.
Grizzler's laugh cracked the silence.
"Just kidding! Let's go, but if you both stand in my way, I will kill you!" Grizzler laughed as he lunged forward.
From the dark underbrush, a deer watched in disbelief.
W–what... Claw? Honey? What in the forest's name is going on?! the deer thought.
And why in the world are those leopards chatting with a bear like it's normal?!
Its ears twitched nervously, catching every growl and thud from the clearing.
The poor creature pressed itself lower behind the brush, eyes wide with disbelief.
When Grizzler lunged forward, Gash followed.
"Vein, aren't you coming?" Gash asked, barely able to move his body.
"Go. I'll follow when I'm ready." Vein said, his gaze fixed on the horn stuck in the tree, sharp, glinting faintly in the dim light.
"Oooo ok!!" Gash said.
So it isn't a branch, huh... a deer ?
Because of that fake Leopard, I haven't eaten any humans , well, except that small struggling squirrel.
When Gash disappeared from sight, Vein hissed, his half-lidded eye glinting toward the tree's shadow.
"Hey, you! I know you're there."
The deer's horn trembled once he heard him.
"Get out."