Raumr could not deny that the caribou he watched weren't cute. What with their fuzzy antlers and fluffy tails, he almost felt... endearment toward them. Almost felt sad they were so delicious, but hey, a cat's gotta eat! Except, these ones didn't really seem like they should be eaten. Similar to the elk, bison, and musk ox he'd witnessed in the area, these caribou were also acting strangely. Many of them boasted open sores and raw areas that bleed constantly. Perhaps these would also have weird things in their stomach.

Looking to his group, he nods to a particularly deranged looking male that was bashing his antlers against the bottom of the boat. "That one looks too distracted to even notice us," he comments, eyes watching the animal carefully. "We can just run at it quickly and take it down, yes?" Raumr glances once to his group to make sure they were all in agreement before forging on.

Raumr Regalus, the Third

table coding by bunni ♥

After having her mouth full of puss filled bison, Taiga was loath to go on another hunting expedition. She couldn't let Raumr go it alone, however. So the big feline padded along silently behind him. Rounded ears shifted as they came in close to a herd of caribou. The ungulates were so distracted that Taiga was pretty sure they could walk up and just knock them over the head with something. She could smell blood and putrescence on the cold arctic air and her pink nose wrinkled in distaste.

Raumr laid out his plan and Taiga nodded once in agreement, her tail lashing back and forth, belying her eagerness to proceed. Gods above... were they going to have to turn into vegetarians? They couldn't eat the infected, dirt munching herbivores. She supposed they could start eating other carnivores, but their flavor wasn't as palatable.

"Taiga"

Isacriot lurks. Trying to sort out exactly what was going on here, trying to get a grasp on why things were so weird. Now that things were borderline knocking down the Syndicate's door, she supposed it was her problem now. Lurking around the edges of the northern lands, the shadow of the hulking ship in the distance... hm. With all the prey behaving in what was absolutely a bad way, she needed to get a closer look.

If you want something done right, do it yourself. The girl scans the horizon, approaching a rather... unconventional pair that's beginning preparation to set out. With the way they're watching the caribou, she figures their goal is common. Ramming its antlers into the side of the boat itself, behavior too strange to simply let go. Riot's steps are tentative, putting on a more innocent face than usual, in the fact of the giant cats. "Room for one more? Hoping that one has some answers." Inclining her chin toward the confused caribou, Iscariot readies herself for a chase.

"Iscariot"

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Erik tracked his father north. The man had given him the slip within the Prominence, and the bastard prince had struggled to pick up the trail again. Scent trails in the spires didn't make sense. Bouncing off the strange pillars, weaving in ways that didn't make sense, distorted by the breeze... he'd been shaken by a madman. Knowing he'd have to move hell and earth to find the once-king, Erik is dragged north.

The pit in his stomach only grows as he breaks onto the swath of ice, populated only by the ship. The scent of his father's blood was on the breeze here, and Erik feared the worst. Had it been intentional, or had some terrible fate already befallen him? No shred of relief, though it seemed this place had brought out more than just wolves.

If they could get a closer look at the strangely behaving prey, then maybe... maybe he can piece together some answers. His father's keeper, yes, but Erik sought answers as well. Bringing one of the creatures down would hopefully shed light on the situation. Drawing close to the latest party in progress, Erik gives a subtle nod to the big cats at their helm.

"Erik"

Raumr understands Taiga’s concerns. Like any predator, they much preferred the flavor of vegetarian animals. Sweet, smoother, and far easier to eat. Turning to carnivores now would not only be hardest to digest but also far more dangerous.

He tries not to think of this issue as two wolves come to join them. Nodding in response to the girl and greeting to the boy, Raumr smiles that honey sweet smile of his. “Don’t get trampled or gored,” he warns them before stretching out his massive frame. With a rumbling roar meant to scatter the herd, Raumr took off at top speed.

Gunning straight for the confused caribou, he met its bleak dark stare as it slowly raised its blood dripping head. Amid that look of confusion, a sort of anger began to flare, that much he could see. They would need to take this beast down quickly. Leaping toward the caribous face, Raumr wraps his arms and claws around its neck and begins biting its face.

Others join them. Other carnivores that were most likely curious and worried about their current predicament. The lioness greeted them with head nods, but said nothing. The mood was... ominous. Everything felt wrong.

Raumr took off after the caribou and Taiga followed suit. The liger reached the bloodied ungulate first and leaped upon it. The lioness was right behind him, using her massive paws to swipe the legs out from beneath the caribou. As they grappled with the beast on the ground, raspberry eyes noted that not many of the other caribou were even aware of their presence. Some coughed, breathed heavily, rubbed their faces on various items. It was... wrong.

"Taiga"

The lions, for their part, didn't look like they wanted to eat her. Iscariot finds herself more relieved than she'd like to be, on that front. A roar enough to scatter the herd, though it chills her in a way as well. Aggressive predators all have their way to send the others scattering, narrowing in on their prey, but roaring... there's a flair to it. Riot's ears fold against her dainty skull, and she launches herself at the lone caribou.

Snarling and snapping, being mindful of the hooves, she full sends into the ragged beast's flank. The tissue is highly vascular, and Riot works to do as much damage as she can in the moment. Let it bleed, prevent it from running off, though the lion was doing a solid job of that on his own.

"Iscariot"

A grim smile pulled at the corners of Erik's dark lips. There's something about a hunt that brings him to life, in ways he would otherwise push down. Hold back. A violence that lives in his bones, allowed to come out and play. With good reason, he pushes himself after the prey animals. Orange eyes shining, as he narrows in. Pushing himself across the ground with precision, even at high speeds. For as large as Erik is, most of his companions are much larger. Thundering after the herd, grim determination painted on his face.

Diving for the caribou's hind leg, Erik wraps his powerful jaws around it. The beast doesn't react as violently as he'd anticipate, but then, perhaps the cat clinging to its front end has something to do with it. He'd prevent any hope of escape, while the rest did their bidding to bring it down.

"Erik"

It's not a good sign. The caribou hardly reacts. Muscles freeze as two massive felines and two canines maul it. Why wasn't it fighting back? Why wasn't the rest of the herd running or attempting to protect it? None of this made sense. What was wrong with these animals? Nervousness lights through Raumr as his teeth dig into the ungulate's neck, blood spraying across the icy field. It probably was only beginning to writhe and react from the simple fact that its nerves were being shredded. The poor thing wasn't even making a sound...

He pulls back, releasing his hold from the animal that now lay out on the ground, bleeding across the ice and snow. "This isn't right," he whispers, bringing a paw up to his muzzle to wipe off the debris.

Raumr Regalus, the Third

table coding by bunni ♥

Wrong. It was all wrong. What were they going to do? The caribou fell easily beneath the might and health of the quartet. It barely made a sound as its life was ripped from it. Taiga had been sure not to bite the beast, but the others had. After getting puss in her mouth last time.... ugh.

Now that the caribou was dead, Taiga took a step back, eyeing its bloodied form. Not all of the blood was even produced by them. There were pustules and sores littering the greyish brown coat. The deer's sides seemed to be bulging. With a sigh of resignation, the lioness stepped forward, hooked her mighty claws into the beasts belly, and ripped downwards tearing it open. Would this one be filled with dirt as well?

"Taiga"

Usually, the prey cry out when they're under attack. Usually they fight back, harder than this reindeer is trying to beat the predators back. This one is... wrong. Everything about the behavior is wrong, and Iscariot doesn't know where to begin. There's a knot forming in her stomach over it, something she can't put words to. Though her teeth shred into the beast's flesh, it doesn't... seem to care? What the fuck?

Stepping back from the bloody scene, her brow furrows. Wiping her muzzle against the snow, clearing the blood and debris from her mouth, Iscariot's stomach churns. "I don't like it." Quiet, as she mulls over the strange developments.


"Iscariot"

Erik's teeth sink in, snap bone, rend flesh. His jaws are strong, probably the strongest part of the imposing boy. Hell, it's hard to feel imposing, surrounded by two whole ass big cats. They've been kind enough not to ask questions, and to allow him to come with them... and that's enough. Throwing his weight into the caribou, feeling the beast's fur in his mouth, shredding what he can. Everything is too quiet. Far too quiet for such a bloody, messy process. It makes his sides ache, and leads him to far more worry than he'd like.

All of this, the hunt completed... and he's still no closer to locating his father. Though the shifting breeze said he wasn't far, just where the delusional man had gotten off to was still a mystery. The hunt leaves him with more questions than answers.

"Erik"

Failure!

The hunting party, equal parts wolf and feline, successfully down the caribou.. or so they think. For a moment the prey animal is still, and the lioness tears open its belly. Entrails spill out over the snow, though immediately the caribou begins to flail, letting out a cry of agony. Scrambling onto its paws, blood and guts spilling out across the tundra, the prey animal manages to escape- leaving the group with even more questions.