Sometimes, it was nice to just slip away for a few days. It wasn't like he'd be missed, there were plenty of other bodies to cover for his absence. He hadn't really left the island much, in the way his siblings had, so he wanted to take a chance while the weather was nice to stretch his legs that he was working so carefully on growing into.

Skirting carefully around clearly claimed lands (he didn't wanna get caught sneakin' out and who was to say they wouldn't let his parents know?), he made his way to rolling plains that reminded him of the ferns, except less flowery, and with big wooly cow things off in the distance. He plopped his butt down and yawned. Oblivious to the lioness partially concealed in the waving grasses, slowly prowling towards him.

"speech"

-Large predator fight - Lion 1/3-

Steig raced down the last of the mountain side chasing his new friend. It was a few shades lighter than Aunty Ro's, but the donkey brayed and flicked her heels out towards the boy as raced her to the plains, screaming and laughing all the way. This was the best! Lumi had her reindeer, and the donkey was kinda close, but it had much bigger ears, and sounded a whole lot more wild when it decided to be vocal. Steig had been fascinated with his Aunt's from the moment he laid eyes on it, so when she told him this one was for him? He had too much energy to contain.

It was his new friend skidding to a halt, his face burying in her backside that alerted him to the stranger on the plains. Green eyes squinted as his ass's ears folded back and she brayed a warning to the young wolf, kinda browns like him but not. His own eyes grew wide as he saw with his donkey had seen. “Lion!”

He was moving before the words finished leaving his mouth, running straight at the sneaky cat. He couldn't let a stranger get eaten so close to home!

“Speech”

Róta rolled her eyes at the boys excited scream. When her donkey had come home with another in tow she had chewed him out and told him she wasn't keeping another. That said, the boy was quite obsessed, and maybe if he had his own he'd stop tailing her everywhere, so together they had made introductions and the two got on famously.

When the boy tore down the knolls, well, she'd bought it on herself hadn't she? Grudgingly she wandered down the path slower than the endless ball of energy that looked just like her long dead son was her nephew. It was the clattering of hooves, the scream of Lion! that lit a fire under her ass.

Kicking up a gear, “Skit,” Her eyes fell on not one child but fucking two, and not even one of theirs at that, about to go toe to toe with a fucking big cat. If two screaming donkeys and two blurs of russet weren't enough to get her attention, hopefully Róta's teeth in her ass would drive the message home.

Kenway had been so absorbed in his own little world that it took a second for the kid's scream to register. His rump lifted off the ground and his ears flattened, and tail tucked defensively. His eyes swept the grass. Was this some sort of cruel joke? He couldn't see any lion? Until he could. Golden eyes locked across the grass, but it seemed the braying of the donkeys caught her attention as much as he had. When her head whipped to take in the approaching reinforcements, well thank fuck there was an adult in there too... He took the opening to lunge for the side of her throat, bracing for the inevitable tear of claws through his flesh when her brain caught up with the chaos.

"speech"

-Large predator fight - Lion 2/3-

The thundering of hooves, the braying of the donkeys, his aunt's steps heavy behind him, it was all exhilarating, and if this was what raiding felt like, he couldn't wait to be old enough to join in. He saw the cat turn her head in their direction and he grinned fearlessly. The other boy moved to grab her neck, his aunt was going for her butt, so Steig threw his full weigh at the paw that was rising to strike at the stranger. Teeth found their mark on the limb and he relaxed the rest of his body to act as a dead weight (a move he had been practicing when mum wanted to pick him up and load him into the sack, he was big enough to walk damnit!). If he kept the limb immobilized for long enough, maybe the two larger wolves could do some damage.

He didn't have enough experience to know to look out for the rear paw that struck forward, catching his ribs with sharp, hooked claws.

“Speech”

Her intention had been to harry the cat, drive it off, but it seemed the kids had other ideas, with one grabbing the lioness by the neck and the other latching onto a paw. Róta growled out her frustration, adjusting her hold from the rump of the feline to the thigh, digging around with her teeth seeking out that vital artery that would ensure it would bleed out enough to no longer pose as much of a threat. The patchy boy was large, maybe he could crush her throat with the aid of Steig holding that limb out of the way but she wouldn't count on it.

Finally, flesh gave way and blood coated her tongue. Róta continued to bite down, shearing flesh to make sure the job was done, the snarls and roars fell on deaf ears. The lioness was a threat, and had to be dealt with as such.

“Speech”

The coppery scent of blood filled the air and he was surprised when the paw didn't rise to swipe at him. A small whimper told him someone else had caught the blow for him and he adjusted his hold from the side of the lioness's throat to the underside, biting with all his might to cut off her air supply since the skin was too loose and thick to allow his teeth to tear her throat out. His heart was pounding in his ears, donkeys milled about shrilly braying and biting and kicking where they could, and her strength seemed to be rapidly fading. He just had to hold on a little bit longer and make sure she didn't fall on him, or the younger pup that had charged in to save him. He began to push her to the left, away from the leg the pup clung to, unfortunately, towards the adult that had a hold of her back end. Hopefully she could pick up on the pressure and move rather than getting pinned under the massive feline.

"speech"

-Large predator fight - Lion - 3/3-

It hurt. It burned the way claws cut through skin, but the boy growled fiercly and bit down harder. She didn't lift her leg again, she seemed to be slumping forwards. The brown kid seemed to be pushing the lion away from him and he took the hint and pulled the limb to further destabilize the lone cat... didn't these things usually hunt in packs?

Now that it seemed the other wolves had this one dealt with he quickly relinquished his hold and climbed up on top of the fallen foe, standing up on his hind legs and pulling his forepaws in for balance, for all intents and purposes, an oversized meerkat on a perch, on the lookout for further foes.

“Looks like she was alone...” he looked to his aunt for confirmation, the donkeys milling about, stomping their hooves, daring another competitor to enter the ring.

Her hold was tight and it took the cat's weight shifting uncomfortably in her jaws to realise the young wolf at the front was trying to turn the feline away from crushing her nephew. Probably a good idea, come to to think of it, but if he was crushed under there she could wander off and he'd have to get out before he could bother her again...

Then again, her brother might blood eagle her too, probably best to go with patches plan.

She adjusted her hold and helped to heave the body off to one side. The lioness didn't have any strength left to fight back with and for that, Róta was grateful. It wasn't often she took her old gods into consideration, but she'd make an offering of this one, if only because they had seen her brother's son safely through the madness of it all. She ignored the bile that rose into her throat when she remembered they didn't do the same for her.

Panting, muscles aching, she stepped back for a moment to look at Steig with a quirked brow. Ah, he had his moments of brilliance, she supposed. She took a moment to double check their surroundings. No, it seemed like this one was alone... strange.

"speech"