Behind me the pack spread out, Joral, Took and Silf taking the front alongside me. I immediately turned, looking to see if there were any more of the Nanuks around, but it registered as hot to my heat vision, and I saw no other signatures of heat, so I turned my focus back to the creature in front of us.

The Nanuk still stood on its hind legs, four arms spread threateningly as it roared once again at us. I felt my khatif pride swell, but not in looking down on the Nanuk, but instead evaluating it as a challenge, a worthy opponent, and an equal. That being said, I was still going to leverage our numbers against it, and, pushing my magic to my throat, screamed my challenge at the beast.

The shrieking warcry washed almost visibly over the Nanuk, and it appeared to be stunned for a moment, so I began to lead the charge. I was wrong.

With a swelling of its chest, the Nanuk breathed in, then let loose what could only be called an explosion of sound. I could feel my joints vibrate under the continuous pressure of the roar, and felt my ears threatening to pop as my stomach threatened to empty itself under the sheer force of the sound that was physically pressing and rattling the entirety of my body. With a scream of effort I began to force my magic from my sonilphon to my throat, but when it reached my throat, the vibrations from the Nanuk prevented my throat from making sound.

Suddenly, I felt something burst in my ears and I staggered, my sense of balance failing me. Nausea swelled, and I vomited, the blood of the slaughtered goats gushing up my throat and between my teeth, slowly plopping onto the ground below me. I looked up, just fast enough to see the Nanuk come barreling towards our staggered front line.

I was barely able to rise up and throw myself into Took at my side, pushing us both out of the way of the Nanuk’s two left paws smashing down on our position. I lashed out with one hand, slicing my fingers into its grounded forearm, to little effect. Only 2cm dug in, not even the entirety of my claw found purchase, and it only served to infuriate the beast. I continued scrambling forward, attempting to drag my other hand and claws into its flanks or side, but had to roll away to avoid the next crushing blow.

As I continued rolling, trying to escape, I saw the Nanuk prepare all four arms to smash down in my area, and knew I couldn’t escape, but before it could complete the motion and crush me into a bloody paste, a gout of flame smashed into its face and knocking it onto it’s back foot. Iituli stepped forward, continuing to press flames that he’d conjured into the beast. I felt the blood running out of my ears as I stood up, trying to balance myself and only barely succeeding as I tried to take in our bearings.

Looking at the pack, only us four in the front had blood trickling down the sides of our heads, and the rest stood much more steadily than us. Joral was using his arms as a second pair of legs, and was already preparing to launch himself at the much larger beast in front of him. Silf wasn’t much different, the scale around his head flared and his mouth opened threateningly, a wordless hiss continuing. Took was already in the face of the beast, dodging back and forth, and Ishtar was darting quickly around the Nanuk, lashing out with claw and fang whenever it was distracted by Took, Foire (who was also harrying it), Iituli’s flames, and the surrounding pack.

Finally, I was able to gather my magic to my throat and, drawing on my [Innervating Address] called out the simple command: “KILL IT!”

Around me the pack began chanting, “VICTORY by FANG and BLOOD!” and I rushed back into the fight myself.

It was hard, because my sense of balance was completely impaired, but I didn’t let it stop me. I whistled for all three frontliners to attack one side, and they did, trusting me implicitly. Took was first and took a glancing blow from a claw but still threw herself into the beast’s side, latching on with fang and claw to its upper shoulder. She ripped and tore as hard as she could while the smaller, nimbler Silf and Joral ripped into the flesh just below the Nanuk’s ribs. It screamed in rage and pain while batting at the pests hurting it… and gave me the opening I needed.

Iituli sent another gout of flame to the Nanuk’s face, blinding it and burning it, but not severely enough to stop it from lashing out at my companions. I rushed under its claws and to its exposed belly. It had been a while since I’d fought something large enough to enact this strategy, and a grim smile crossed my face as I began to tunnel into the soft belly of the beast.

I lashed out with both hands, claws extended and at full force as I attempted to disembowel the Nanuk. My claws sunk in deep enough to slice through muscle, but not quite to the viscera, so I pushed my head forward, jaws snapping as the beast reared back in pure agony. I didn’t let it escape, and my face sunk into the soft flesh as I gnawed my way into the guts. Each mouthful I got I ripped back and out into the exposed air before reaching for more, looking to cripple the massive enemy before it could do anything more.

Now, the beast screamed, not in challenge but in agony. It batted me aside, my mouth still buried in its innards, and I ripped what seemed to be a portion of its intestines out as I flew away. The Nanuk began to run away, surprisingly quick, but I wouldn’t let it. Finally, my mind settled enough for me to activate my [Combatant’s Bloodlust], and I calmed just enough to realize that it couldn’t easily reach its back.

I rushed after it and with a powerful leap, sailed onto its back. My claws and fangs bared, I began to rip and tear at the base of the Nanuk’s skull and, while it screamed in pain and tried to swipe at me with its paws I was able to expose the spine, and with one final, powerful bite, I crunched through the bone and the bear’s body went limp below me.

With a scream of triumph, I looked to the skies… and realized that none of my pack was around me.

“Father… come here.” Ishtar’s voice shook uncontrollably, and I turned to look back.

Took laid on the ground, a huge gash on her side I hadn’t seen bleeding profusely. Her blood was filling the earth around her, and I looked into my daughter’s eyes as she looked to me, eyes filling with hope, while my own filled with despair.