it was close to the nomad's campgrounds when it happened. a yowl split the air just as Dutch bent over to catch some stray fish that had washed up on the island's shore. apparently, she had offended the great cat god with trying to get free grub. she had a split second to look up before the beast was upon her. tackling the smaller woman to the ground, it'd hiss and spit above her. a jaguar. of all the damn luck. she raised her lips at the feline, snarling, as she got to her feet. there was no damn time to call the alarm. if she did, there was a good chance the jaguar would get spooked and run... right to the camp. the Hjarrandi were fierce warriors, true, but Dutch's ego had been bruised and she wanted to take it down. with a vicious snarl, she'd leap toward the jaguar and try to block it's access to the Hjarrandi. or at least entertain it for a good while before she bit the dust. either way. it swatted her aside easily and she tasted blood across her face. damn it. she was only acutely aware of another being moving toward her. be it another feline or cat, she wasn't sure. her violet eyes were entirely focused on the jaguar before her. 219 words. "speak."

Dag ran headlong for the feline, having heard its snarl from the camp. He had spent some time inspecting Valkyrie's latest captives and making sure they were fed and watered. The ones she'd collected all seemed... small, like Dutch, which seemed like an odd choice. They weren't suited for hard labor, that was for sure. Oi, but he'd leave Valk to her ways.

What mattered now was the feline intruder! Using his weight for momentum, Dagfinn threw himself at the cat in the hopes of knocking it away from Dutch. With a grunt, he managed to shoulder the cat off of the smaller female. "Round the back, round the back!" He bellowed. If they had any hope of taking down this cat, they'd need to attack from different angles. Even a scrappy whiskered cat-thing didn't have eyes on the back of its head! Or so he really, really hoped. He didn't stop to check Dutch for injuries, but he had come to understand that the little female could hold her own. Dag admired her moxie. Between the two of them, taking down this cat was a sure thing.

word count 189
cumulative word count 408/1500

it was becoming apparent that she could smell Dagfinn before she even saw him. oof, the guy needed a bath. or maybe all Vikings smelt bad? Valkyrie didn't, but she was a woman. but... but no time for this! Dutch snapped at the cat's retreating shape as the man threw himself at it. she managed to tear a few strands of fur out before the Viking told her to go around back. that really wasn't Dutch's first choice. if they wanted it to flee, surely they shouldn't block the escape? with fresh scratches on her face, the dwarf rounded like she had been told. blood wasn't thick yet in the air but it was getting there. she grabbed the jaguar's tail and yanked, earning a surprised yowl that she relished in. they could kill the feline or let it go, but Dutch was smarting from her facial wounds too much to let it go without a good fight. she wanted to repay the favor. acutely aware of the dead fish that attracted the feline, she wondered if a few rotten morsels were even worth it. the fish pile had baked too long and stunk; which is why she had found it in the first place. but the bones could be useful in accessory making and the meat was good to fill a hungry belly. she didn't bitch about that as she focused back on the fight. 234 words. "speak."

As Dutch yanked on the cat's tail, Dagfinn dove in to grapple with the beast's front. He got a quick swipe to the face, which laid him out faster than he expected. With a heavy grunt, Dag hit the ground. His head got a good bump, but he was up on his paws faster than the cat could get its bearings. Like a hell hound, he dove for the cat's neck and tried to sink his teeth in deep. Dag scrabbled for purchase, his grip slipping as the cat snarled and wrenched itself back and forth. His teeth found their hold finally, sinking beneath fur and into fat and flesh.

Growling encouragement to Dutch, he closed his jaws further. Blood flooded his mouth. It was always hotter than he expected. He figured he had hit a major vein, since the cat just kept bleeding. In fact, he choked a bit on it, causing him to loosen his grip just enough for the cat to wrench itself free. The cougar was entering triage, trying to size up its enemies. Was it time to attack or flee? As blood streamed fast and freely from the wounds on its neck, the cat set its sights on a nearby tree.

Before Dag could react, the cat wrenched its tail out of Dutch's mouth and made for the tree's trunk, claws unsheathed for purchase on the bark. "Dutchy! Little lady, go for its tail! Keep it from gettin' up the tree!" He knew Dutch's weight alone wouldn't be enough to drag the cat back down to earth, so he threw himself after the cat as quick as he could.

word count 274
cumulative word count 916/1500

Dagfinn, smell aside, rose up to the challenge. He battled the jaguar from the front while she held on for dear life at the back. As the feline moved in rhythm to the Viking, the dwarf was not surprised as it tore from her grasp and made its way to the tree. But instead of grabbing its tail again, she flung herself into a leap and landed squarely on its back. The full weight of her body caused the beast to stumble, sliding down the tree only to land as the man added his own weight to the attack. Yowling and clearly panicking, the jaguar bled profoundly as it flailed under the two wolves. Luckily, she was on the beast’s back and away from its claws. Positioning herself upward on the shoulders, she waited for Dagfinn to decide what to do next. Her eyes found his face, willing him to decide. Should they kill the beast and collect its body for the Hjarrandi? Or should they let the cat go? Trying to at least control it so far, Dutch grasped it from the back of its neck. Her tiny teeth added more insult to its growing injuries. “finish it!” she grunted; voice muffled by the feline’s pelt in her jaws. She could totally make some jaguar fashioned trinkets with its bones and teeth. Even the pelt would do wonders for trade. But she wasn’t going to kill it unless Dagfinn felt it was necessary. 244 words. "speak."

Dag wooped appreciatively as Dutch threw herself after the cat. When she landed on the feline's shoulders, he howled with glee. It was over now. They would catch this beast and present its magnificent pelt to Valkyrie. Adrenaline flooded his veins as he thought of her superb little grin. Yes, they would take and skin this wretched creature. Dag threw himself up at the cat, snapping at its spine. He was sturdy, but not the most athletic of creatures. Most of his strength relied on brute force.

It took more than a few embarrassing attempts at hopping before he finally got some purchase on the cat's skin. His grip was superficial at best, though, and he only succeeded in tearing open a new wound on the cat's back before he fell to the ground again. Grunting in frustration, Dag shook himself off and set his sights on a more obtainable objective. "Oi, oi, go for its eyes!" He bellowed up to Dutch, sizing up the cat again.

Although its spine was further out of reach, he could grab the thing's rear easily enough. Darting forward, Dag grabbed at the cat's left thigh and sunk his fangs in deep. To his satisfaction, the feline yowled in pain and scrabbled its back legs uselessly at the tree trunk. "Eyes, eyes! Let's kill 'er!" He shouted, mostly into the meat of the cat, but hopefully loud enough that Dutch could hear.

word count 238
cumulative word count 1398/1500

Rolling from the creature, she had a split second to think. Dagfinn was positively elated to kill the beast that had attacked his bandmate, but she really wasn’t that egotistic to think that was the only reason. He probably wanted to give the pelt to Valkyrie so she could judge the worth of it. Hell, Dutch wanted to do that too. A jaguar was rare. It was uncommon. Someone would pay them a pretty penny for the contents of the cat. The Viking gorged a new wound into the fierce predator while Dutch slipped from its shoulders and went to the front. She lashed out with her paws, claws sinking across the beast’s face. It gave a desperate cry and tried to pull away. But she was quick, and dash to intercept it again. Another paw flashed out. She caught its eyes this time, blinding it. Blood strayed the ground. The beast was panting heavily, its strength almost done. “finish it, Dagfinn!” she managed to cry out before Dutch tried to grasp its leg in her jaws and bring it to the earth. She may have alerted the jaguar of her presence, but she wasn’t strong enough to kill a predator by herself. She also wasn’t in a position to as well. Making sure to block the exit, she shifted her weight. Eyes narrowed at the beast, she waited for Dagfinn’s final move. And hopefully, that’d finish this thing off for good. 248 words. "speak."