Maggie lumbers around oafishly as she contemplates the ways she can try and prey on Jeremy's emotions. But every time she does, she comes up with a solution that maybe gets them out of the park, or maybe gets Marth out of the park, but not her cub. What is she supposed to do? All this manipulation and planning is getting her no where.
The bear side of her mind offers a suggestion, although she tried it once, maybe its time she is a little more... forceful.
Harry and Zack look at each other as they see the bear change from her languid pacing to a beeline, realizing all too well she probably has something less then civil in her mind, by the stance of her walk. Luckily, her tunnel mind also prevents her from noticing them as they stalk her quietly.
============
Hannah leads Marth towards where she knows Leticia and Marth hang out, stepping noisily through the bush, the scent seems to agitate Marth on a subconscious level, stepping ahead of Hannah now as he sees where they are going, eager to find Leticia and set things right, once and for all, or to set Jeremy and realize what he is doing is wrong, destroying her life. Larry, Leticia, she changed into a woman out of love for Maria, out of true love and devotion, just because they were obeying their civil norms of not having a child within a night or two of meeting one another doesn't make the love any less valid, does it?
Jeremy, however, also noticed the scent of something coming, and his ears perking as he hears the heavy hoofed step of Marth, before Leticia can say a word or stop him, he's on his feet. Marth needs to stay away from Leticia, if not for her own good then for his, and Jeremy intends to make sure he keeps his distance from HIS mate. Trotting out of some thicker woods he comes face to face with Marth and Hannah.
"Hannah, what are you doing, what is HE doing here?" He growls, his eyes locking onto Marth's, whom stares right back.
"I am here to see Leticia, I want to apologize." Marth says calmly, but his undertone hinting with menace, challenging Jeremy to not back down, meanwhile Leticia slowly pads over to watch them from a distance, her gaze looking between the trees at the two tense bucks. She can't help but feel a little pang of guilt, and pride, rolled into one. Here are two fine men, both with their good qualities, and both with their bad, and here she stands hurting them both. Does she even deserve them? She shakes her head before she starts crying again, moving closer, hoping to stop them before they fight.
Jeremy stomps his foot in defiance, he won't yield an inch to this intruder. "Leticia doesn't NEED an apology. If you feel bad, you know what you need to do? You need to be happy for her, you need to be happy she found a man, you need to be happy she is happy with him, and you need to be happy she is with his child. All you've done is manage to tear her down, and I'll be damned if you hurt her any more then you already have with your bile." Jeremy snaps, stepping forward now.
Marth's nostrils flare as his own temper flares, hearing this about finding a mate and holding his child, her own animal instincts flooding back as he parts his lips, unknowing how close Leticia really is, but knowing in his heart he speaks the truth "I love Leticia, and I always will to some degree, and nothing you say will change that, nor will the child she has with you. What you need to understand is if she had only asked me to take those steps, I would have gladly done it for her. I came here for her, and I don't intend to let something I love so passionately go without a fight, whether I win or lose is irrelevant, if nothing else I want to prove to Leticia what she meant to me, and what she still means to me."
Jeremy is quick to move forward until they are nose to nose "Is that a challenge newbie, or are you just trying to be the poetic hero? If you want to prove anything to anyone around here, you better be more then just words. The last guy who was full as much talk as you, well he's not around anymore to jeer our ears off."
Marth draws back a hand and balls it into a fist as his eyes flare wide, Hannah gasping in fright "No!!, but his punch is stalled as a deafening grizzly roar echoes around them
=================
"Touch him and I'll rip you limb from limb you she-male!" Maggie roars, stomping through towards them, her eyes ablaze with anger.
Marth glares over at the manipulative bear and curls his lip, his testosterone getting the better of him as he begins to lose focus on what he came here to do, "Your son is the one who needs a talking to. He is acting like an immature child when all I did was come here to talk. But then again, maybe he doesn't need a talking to, maybe its too late, maybe he just needed some god damn proper parenting."
Even Jeremy's gaze flickers at Marth's sudden sharp tongue, whereas Maggie's eyes just seem to darken, her lips curling up in a very feral growl "You shouldn't have said that, you have insulted me after all this, hitting so low. Now you'll pay."
"Maggie STOP!" Hannah pleads, but she is only shoved out of the way as Maggie charges full boar at Marth, Marth taking a defensive stance but he knows the large bear could crush him, let alone the mauling he is probably going to receive, or he was going to receive as a black and silver blur saves him.
Zack dashes into Maggie, diving with all of his weight to tackle her to the side, quickly vaulting off of her to avoid a swipe from her claws, a swipe that'd surely take his head off. Meanwhile, Harry grabs Marth out of the way just in case, glaring at him and snarling "Are you insane? Get back before you get killed."
Zack climbs up as Maggie lumbers off, watching her before padding over to Marth "You are just trying to upset everything, or you just that unlucky kid? You need to watch your tongue when you're talking to certain people..." he glances to the others, Jeremy turning his back to walk to the grove of trees he and Leticia were sitting in, whereas Hannah moves after him, then back to Marth "You're going to live but avoid that bear if you want to keep it that way, I doubt this is the first time she'll try taking a swipe at you and we can't stop her every time."
Marth just nods, glaring back after Jeremy, while to the side behind Harry and Zack, quietly, silently Leticia is approaching him, her eyes wide with fear, her heart racing as she felt nothing but terror and... care for the buck who almost just died, fighting for her....
==================
Jeremy looks around for Leticia, scowling and groaning, as he turns around Hannah is standing right before him, he looks down to her and sighs. It isn't her fault Marth has grown so stubborn. And really, if their positions were reversed, would he take this lying down? "*Sigh* What is it Hannah, you just saw theres no reasoning with him."
Hannah shakes her head, stepping closer to him "No, there is no reasoning BETWEEN you two. You just love to see whats wrong with one another, every flaw in the other that makes that guy wrong for Leticia, rather then why she loves him, and he won't see why she loves you. If you both get beyond that, maybe you don't have to end this in a way with as much heartbreak for anyone." Hannah's voice chokes slightly, knowing her words might be robbing her of a potential friend in either "You have already grown away from your human self so much, but that doesn't mean you should give in to the dominant buck entirely either. Find a balance, a real man would be able to handle this without violence, this isn't Jerry Springer." She blinks, realizing she just remembered the show from her human life, smiling slightly in amusement.
Jeremy is stunned, looking down for a second as he realizes shes right, yet shes wrong. He can't just give up Leticia, that would be immoral in and of itself, she's the mother of his child! Still, even if Marth wants to mend things with Leticia, maybe it is high time he mends things with Marth. If they are going to be any sort of friends, he will have to at least make it so he can tolerate him. He slowly raises his eyes to meet Hannah's "You're right, I will..... Hannah? What is wrong?" He stares into the paling wide eyes of Hannah, seeing a large shadow in her eyes, whirling around just in time to catch a brown furred arm to the neck, sending him flying to the right as Maggie barrels right for Hannah.
===================
Fuming with rage, Maggie paced away, nothing is working! She has to stop this. She stops to think to herself, murmuring silently 'A mother would give her life to save the life of her child...' she pauses, looking at her claws, and back towards where she almost crushed the buck. A flash in her eyes and a growl escaping her lips as she sniffs, smelling the scent of the doe. Maggie knows what she must do. It really is for his own good, if Jeremy wants to stay a freak, fine, but let him find a true woman, one deserving of him. And she is going to ensure that.
As Maggie follows the scent, staying quiet as her large body can, she slowly spots Jeremy, standing close to the doe. Damn that girl, well it is her fault for making this have to happen. Stomping forward before another good samaritan can tackle her again, she growls softly as she extends an arm to move her son out of the way, to safety.
The doe can only look up to Maggie and let out a shrill gasping sigh of fear and terror as Maggie roars again in a feral manner, drawing a claw back and then swiping it down at her, aiming for her shoulder and neck, Hannah diving at the last moment to get behind Maggie, but she shrieks a bloodcurdling scream as she feels something hot and wet begin to mat the fur on her chest.
===================
Marth sighs, shrugging as he is continued to be told off, looking to Leticia and locking eyes on her, saying almost all he can say with just his sympathetic, almost sobbing eyes, rimmed with tears as he gazes at her beautiful feminine form, what he wouldn't have given to have that body as Maria, doe or not, to feel Larry's arms around her, to run her hands along his face... his muzzle... his horns...
"Just hold off, I am sure if worst comes to worse we can magistrate a..." Zack pauses as his ears twitch, suddenly looking to the sound of the roar and the subsequent scream, Marth snapping out of his reverie as all four of them bolt towards the noise.
As they arrive, they come across a gruesome sight. Jeremy rushes forward to catch Hannah before she hits the ground, almost roaring in return as he yells at Maggie "Mother, NO!" His words come too late though as both Zack and Harry draw two slim looking pistols, the soft PHHHHIT of the air compression signaling the firing as multiple darts fly out of them towards Maggie, striking her soundly all across her left flank.
Maggie turns and roars, lumbering towards them, but she stumbles forward and nearly falls, and after before she can recover, Marth charges forward to butt his head into hers out of instinct. Quickly she collapses on herself, her eyes already fluttering as the potent tranquilizers bring the bear-woman down.
Leticia rushes over to Jeremy and Hannah, pressing her hands onto her neck as she tries to staunch the blood, the huskies producing a walkie to call for medical emergency services. Marth moves over onto his knees and takes Hannah's hand in his "Hannah, oh no, HANNAH say something! We need help NOW!"