theogony

When prey was scarce on land, it seemed that the wise turned to the sea. Before he'd been sent back home, Kaine had explained that fish were often plentiful even in times of hardship. Finding them, on the other paw, was much trickier. Luckily for the young phoenix, dead things tended to gather at the edges of the shore. Though he was a god-child, he was not above scavenging when needed. Auster was barren, and he wasn't about to steal prey from those who needed it more. Worthier wolves. Whom God actively smiled upon. Not him, with his mother abandoning him, and his father forced to chase after her and his missing son. God seemed inclined to kick him when he was down.

Today, something strange and slimy had washed up on the banks. A foot or so in length, and rather deflated looking. Mephistopheles had never seen a squid before, and so he was less inclined to eat it than other varieties of sea beasts. The gulls were pecking voraciously at it, though. Perhaps it wasn't so terrible. If there was nothing else, he would try it. First, though, he wanted to see what else was out there. Mollusks abound, gooey-geysers spitting at him as he walked by. No, he thought to himself, they not enough to sustain him.

At the end of the beach, he found what he sought. Disturbed sand, signalling that something might have been buried here. Perhaps a more successful hunter had cached their kill here, intending to return for it later on. Foolish, but all the better for him now! Broad paws scraped against the soft, wet sand, eager to see what lay within. A nest, containing the soft shelled eggs of what he thought might be a turtle. Perfect!

Without waiting for another predator to happen upon his find, he tucked into the meal. Eggs weren't all that common, especially at this time of year. The partially developed embryos offered meagre protein, but combined with the fluid within the egg, they were delicious. The young male devoured egg after egg, tongue scooping up as much as it could from each shell.

***fight time***

The distinctive series of yipping calls that descended upon him from the foliage of the island brought dread coursing through his veins.

Shit.

Lifting his head from the subterranean nest, Mephistopheles was faced with a decision. Looking into the whiskey gold eyes of a few brave coyotes, he knew he wasn't about to give up his meal. After all, the swim out here had been hard work, and he'd earned this! A growl bubbled up from deep in his chest, and a snarl painted itself across his features. Auds pressed tight against his skull, tail flagging high over his hips. He squared his paws, and lowered his centre of gravity with bent joints. Flexing his toes, he gripped the loose sand as best he could. Icy eyes narrowed, gaze fixed on the small band of canines.

He was an Abraxas, and he wasn't scared of a few mortal pests. Tucking his chin towards his chest, he intended to make up for his lack of training with pure tenacity. As the coyotes drew closer, they began to circle around him. They left him backed against the ebbing tide, with the sea as his only escape route. The standoff didn't last long, and soon enough the first of the four made its move on him. Quick as a viper, it sunk its teeth into the flesh of his left thigh, just below the knee. He sought to catch its leg between his own teeth, but it was too quick. He had left his right flank wide open, and another of the little beasts rushed in to snap at his flank, gouging through the flesh right in the middle of his ribs. A snarl tore itself from his jaws, and he abandoned his attempted assault on the pair to his left. Damn it, that had hurt!

As he rounded on the bugger to his right, and managed to bowl it over by slamming his right forepaw down on its back, he felt another deep bite dig into his left thigh again. He was smarter than this, though, and finished what he had started with the coyote under his foot. It struggled, pinned on its flank as it was, and tried to sink its teeth into his leg to free itself. No such luck. A few haphazard bites were delivered to his muzzle as he sought out a good grip on the back of its neck. The thick muscles of his neck tensed, channeling power to his jaws, and the fragile vertebrae at the back of its head snapped. The tiny creature went limp.

In the meantime, he was now under attack from all sides. The three remaining coyotes were outraged by the loss of their pack member, and were taking it out on him. His wounded left thigh was weeping blood, but remained stable enough to fight. It was, however, their main target. Whirling around, the giant snapped at the nearest of the canines. Flashing ivories caught a mouthful of loose skin at the scruff of the nearest coyote, and he flung it aside. The smaller creature sailed only a foot or two before tumbling into the sand up the beach. It sent out a distress call where it lay, and the replies that followed sent dread coursing through Mephistopheles' veins once more. Oh God, there were more?

Swatting yet another coyote away, he tried to ignore the rising panic in his throat. He wasn't skilled enough for this, and he knew it. He was a disappointment to his family. As the last remaining coyote backed away from his snapping jaws, the male sucked in a deep breath. From the tropical forest beyond the beach, three more coyotes emerged. The pack regrouped, six in all, and began to circle him again. The phoenix was not ready to give up yet, and he held out hope that perhaps he could pull through this. After all, they were smaller than he was. He tucked his tail between his legs- to protect his underbelly, not because he was afraid. No, he was never afraid.

Placing himself between the pack and his meal, he snarled once more. He had earned this, and he was the offspring of divinity. He was stronger than them. Without a moments hesitation, the pack charged him. The male reared up on his hind legs to catch the face of the lead attacker between his jaws, uneager to separate his chin from his chest to do so. Lacerating the coyotes face, he managed to swat it to the side. When he dropped back onto all four paws, he managed to land himself on another of the small beasts. A few ribs cracked under the force of it. That still left four coyotes he could not fend off at once, and they began to snap at his legs and underbelly. Slashes from their teeth cut into him all over, threatening to strike something vital. The space behind his elbow felt the sting of teeth, and the lower portions of his forelimbs. Once again, one of the beasts assaulted the damaged section of his left thigh, just below the knee.

Overwhelmed and underarmed, the young male decided to retreat. He didn't want to die such a pathetic death over a few eggs. Kicking and swatting at coyotes, snapping at whatever he could get his teeth on, the young Abraxas cut a path through the beasts and beat a hasty retreat into the sea. Briny water burned each of the fresh cuts and scrapes. The swim back to Auster was going to be agony, but it would be nothing compared to the pain of his family's disappointment in him for failing at something so simple.

-exit Mephistopheles-