Her first few ventures outside of Avalon's territory had been... dare she admit it? Kind of fun. At first it was nerve wracking, but each small expedition built her confidence until she found herself not looking over her shoulder for her mothers or siblings quite as much. Riding on this high, Lore ventured out in the Buffalo Knolls to explore the hilly areas she hadn't been to yet. It wasn't long before a noxious smell tickled her nose and turned her stomach. Nevertheless, it piqued her interest. What could possibly smell so foul?

She followed her nose until she came across a massive, rotting buffalo carcass. The flesh was peeling from its bones, gore spread out around it from other scavengers that had come and went. Lore wrinkled her nose, not interested in that when they had plenty in Avalon's stores, and was about to turn around and head onwards when she heard a thick, wet snarl come from behind her. And then another. And another. Lore turned, her eyes saucer-wide, to see a trio of mangy coyotes staring her down with ferocious expressions. Oh, Abraxas, watch over me, carry me through this trial... Shaking like a leaf, she let out a loud, bugling howl before tucking her chin over her throat. Maybe someone would hear and help. They had to. Abraxas would deliver her a savior.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

As much as Astaroth craved independence, she felt equally as bound to her siblings. Spending time alone, as fun as it was, wasn't quite as fulfilling as tagging along with them on whatever adventures they were getting into... so it wasn't a surprise when she caught a whiff of Lore's scent, heading toward the knolls to the northeast of Avalon's territories, that she trailed after her. Her multicolored eyes roved the territory greedily, drinking it all in as quickly as she could. The way the land rose and fell here in small hills intrigued her. She moved to crest one of the hills once she drew closer, though she became quickly aware of another smell. Not Lore's, but something.. rotten? Her nose wrinkled as she tried to place it, noting it grew stronger as her sister's aroma did. It wasn't long before she caught what was beginning to transpire, seeing the scene from a distance. Her sister, surrounded by some mangy looking coyotes. She just came within earshot when her sister let loose a howl for help. Immediately she felt a protectiveness wash over her, pushing away the fear that began to creep up, rising like bile in her throat. She wasn't so sure she would've reacted the same had she been here alone. "Get lost, losers," Astaroth snarled as she lunged forward, aiming to send the coyotes scattering.

Oh, thank Abraxas! You always come through for me, you do you do! Lore's fear was somewhat assuaged when Asta came charging up beside her. She let out a fast breath, her sides falling and rising quickly. There was strength found in numbers and even greater strength to be found when she stood by her sister's side. "Y-yeah, LOSERS!" Lore shouted, squaring her shoulders and digging her little claws into the dirt for more traction. The coyotes had been focused so much on the carcass that they hadn't anticipated another child rolling up - but Astra was bigger and more imposing than her sister, not to mention the sharpness of her words. They yipped to each other, scattering briefly but then reforming on the other side of the carcass, snarling with renewed anger. Lore glanced back at Asta, the whites of her eyes showing clearly. "Do we chase them off?" she whispered, flicking her eyes back to the coyotes. They didn't back down.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

With little fighting experience besides brawling with her own siblings, and that one fight she'd gotten into with the girl in the misty forest, Astaroth was far from a skilled fighter. But the thought of her sister being tormented by three ugly coyotes didn't settle well with her. Her hackles raised instinctively as she dove forward, the three canines beginning to scatter, clearly at least a little intimidated by the two wolves. Maybe her sheer size was enough to send them running- at least that was what the Abraxas-Destruction girl hoped. "Uhhh-" She started, trying to square up with them as the trio moved around to the other side of the carrion. Puffing her chest out a bit, trying to stand even taller, hoping it made her look really big and intimidating. She mirrored their anger, lips peeling back and a low snarl bubbling up from her throat. "Yeah, let's get 'em, Lore," she answered with finality, before aiming to leap clean over the carcass and at the coyotes, all gnashing teeth and growls. She knew maybe picking a fight with them wasn't the smartest idea, and certainly wasn't risk-free, but she acted on pure instinct. Surely with Abraxas on their side they could win this one.

As Asta acted, Lore simply mirrored her. She puffed her chest out too and tried to dig deep and find that same vicious, slavering snarl that she had been able to produce. It took a moment - her first attempt was a little squeaky - but she found the correct way to rumble the air over her vocal cords so that the snarl rang true and clear. Honestly, if she didn't know it was herself making the noise, it was kind of scary. Okay, together, they could do this! "We've got this, Abraxas will guide us," she said, dipping her head for a moment in silent prayer. Just as she did, Asta soared over the carcass with a roiling snarl and landed amongst the coyotes. They scattered and yipped, more startled than anything by the movement. Lore gasped because the move was very cool, but she didn't want to attempt it and risk failing. Instead she careened around the corner of the carcass, coming at the coyotes at an angle and sending them scattering again. Panting heavily, she glanced at Astaroth and raised her eyebrows. They were really doing this! Snarling, she lunged out at a coyote who'd come back to try and tried to snap at its front paws.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

The overwhelming need to protect herself and her sister flooded her immediately, stamping out all the feelings of trepidation that might otherwise threaten to consume her. It helped too knowing how mad their moms might be if they came home battered and bruised. If they were going to brawl with these coyotes, they might as well put their all into it, and ensure they came out on top. Not that the girl really knew what that entailed, whether chasing them off or something else- her own experience with violence was pretty limited so far, mostly contained to just trying to tackle and bite her siblings. When she landed and saw the coyotes scatter just a bit, she tried to zero in on one of them. Couldn't take them all at once, so she'd pick on one who looked a bit more eager than the others, watching her sister snap at another. Somehow Asta found a deeper growl, trying to project her voice so it'd scare all of them. She aimed to dart out toward the coyote she was focused on, following Lore's lead and snapping at its paws, pleased by the way it ducked and dodged away from her.