Snowberry allowed his massive body to go limp as he fell. But, he had misjudged how close to the tunnel wall in his attempt to crush his opponent. His shoulder hit a ledge, knocking him onto his side instead of his back. In these quick moments, he felt the talons in his back release as the other gembound let go. The polar bear landed with a grunt onto the dirtied tunnel floor.

He craned his neck from his position on the ground before rising again to his paws. Dammit... The gryphon was going to be too quick for him to catch up to. Snowberry could taste failure as the other gembound seemed to be making an escape. At least, until the creature stumbled over a rib cage and face planted with little grace.

In this time, the bear had galloped hastily towards his opponent. His head was lowered and his maw opened wide as he closed in. His teeth aimed for the back leg of the fallen gembound. If they found purchase, he could possibly drag it backward.

Round 4/5
Attempt:Chomp the leggy like a chicken wing
Defenses: None
Injuries: Bleeding from Eythans talons

@eythan

**Note: Was given permission by Navy to interpret Eythans failure

So, yeah, the escape attempt? There had been, allegedly, far too much frenzy and panic in it: in the sheer speed he seemed to be going at and the great bounds he was making, Eythan's bright, keen eyes failed to notice an inconveniently placed ribcage. The damn thing was still wet with viscera, somehow. His foot caught in it, then sent it sliding forward --- ergo, the gryphon was sent sliding forward and straight onto his face.

"Fuck!"

It was an absolute wonder how he hadn't cracked his beak in the process, with how hard he had smashed into the stone.

Still in a stupidly panicked state, he began to scramble and claw at wad after wad of luminescent mosses, beginning to feel sick from the sugary scent on the air. His talons dug even harder into the rock as enormous bear jaws clamped firmly about his left hind leg, firmly at the ankle joint. Eythan squealed sharply in pain, instinctively reeling his other leg closer to himself and kicking out at the offending muzzle.

He had experience with a broken pelvis, and that had incapacitated him for months at his brother's twisted sense of mercy.

Other than kick at Snowberry's face, all the gryphon could do to prevent any instantaneous mauling was to dig his talons deeper into the moss and rock and to hunker down tight against it. There wasn't much difference being made.

ROUND 4/5
Attempt: Kick that snooter!
Defenses: Ears back, claws digging in to stone, hunkered down
Injuries: Bruising on the back, bleeding (possibly fractured) hind leg

(Confirming permission for interpreted failure roll by Tricky, above. <3)

@Snowberry

His teeth hit their mark. He felt them break the skin and touch muscle. The metallic, salty taste of blood welled from the wounds and filled his mouth. A satisfied snarl rumbled from deep in his chest. Finally, he was getting somewhere. However, the little victory was short-lived.

Eythan's paw slammed square into Snowberry's nose. Pain rocked up the length of his wide snout and caused his eyes to well with tears. Immediately, the polar bear released his grip and reeled back several steps with a pained roar. For a moment, he swore he saw stars.

He shook his head, blood spattering the area in front of him from his bleeding nose. Another frustrated roar escaped him. The shocking amount of pain nearly took the fight out of him. He could hardly open his eyes.

But, if he couldn't fight, then he could at least chase this intruder out. Snowberry was sure he dealt enough damage to that leg. With a snarl, he charged forward.

Round 5/5
Attempt: Chase him out so Snowberry cn go cry
Defenses:
Injuries: Wound on back, fractured snoot

@eythan

There was a sickening crack! signifying a broken something. Eythan felt release on his ankle and immediately threw himself forward. A pained roar, then a snarl echoed behind him, but he was already high-tailing it the best he could on three legs (who knew what was really wrong with it). His wings were loose, at the ready to carry him out of reach at a moment's notice.

He didn't turn around, but called back, "sorry, dude! I really didn't mean to hurt you!"

May as well fuckin' apologize, right? The face-breaking was totally unintentional and a panic reflex!

ROUND 5/5
Attempt: https://youtu.be/mw2kKyJu9gY?t=128
Defenses: Nope! It's time to run!
Injuries: Bruising on the back, bleeding (possibly fractured) hind leg

@Snowberry

Character: Snowberry Age: +8 (8 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +9 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +14 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +5 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +17 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +16 Penalties: - Total: 70

Character: Eythan Age: +37 (37 Cycles) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: +13 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +8 Penalties: -5 (more than 1 critical action)* ROUND 3 Attempt: +5 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +12 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +17 Penalties: - Total: 90

WINNER: Eythan

*Penalty for dodge + attack as a single action. Avoiding a successful attack + attacking the enemy in the same roll is penalized. For future reference, the flying upward to avoid Snowberry's charge could have been one roll, and the intent to dive for a grab on the next unless stopped could have been clarified, with the next round being the roll for grabbing.

@Eythan @Snowberry

Nobody needed to tell him to get the hell outta dodge, for lack of better phrasing. Eythan didn't feel any bear breathing down his back, and that was good enough for him to pick up speed and take wing as soon as the tunnel widened enough.

First order of business when he got back to Polaris: nurse the heck out of that leg.

;exit
@Snowberry

He only continued forward for a brief moment. The intruder was didn't hesitate to flee the area. Underneath the aching pain of his more than likely broken snout, he felt a little twinge of pride. He could at least say that he protected his families home from intrustion. Of course, he had to find them first...

-exit