The Soulless Forest may not be the safest location, but Björn appreciates the cover. There's secrecy here, and the ability to hide themselves away. Plot and plan in the relative dark, beneath tree cover that would do them plenty of favors. Carefully treading the perimeter, making sure they're safe and well protected... this is his job now. For as spoiled as the rot prince could be, he wouldn't fuck this one up.

Speaking of fucking up. Björn sees the moose, though he sees it too late. The bull is colossal, and it's angry. Good thing the rot prince had been intent on driving anything of the sort off anyway. With a sharp call to the other warriors of their number, Björn dives straight for the ankles. Bowing his shoulders, striking with his antlers-- to arms, to arms.

"Björn"

Dom had been... well, listen, he's as well as can be expected. The world was large, and he's fairly young to it. Wet behind the ears in the ways of the world. Following the leadership of someone other than his parents, and someone his own age? It feels weird. Dominus feels an awful lot like a dog walking itself.

Whatever. There's no time to dwell on it, not when the warriors are being summoned. A colossal moose, with Björn already hanging from its hind leg. Without a second thought, Dominus throws himself at the beast as well. Gnashing, snarling, snapping jaws-- the whole nine yards. He takes the thing head on, though adequately wary of the beast's antlers.

"Dominus"

The dog in the boy rears its head at the call, the urge to drive and snap, to protect what was his, roiled in his chest. Sure, the moose was colossal, but he was descended from dogs that took on far bigger opponents and didn't back down.

The moose dropped its head at his approach and he was quick to deliver a nip to its nose, darting back just in time to avoid the hoof thrown his way. He snarled, a not quite bark pulled from his chest in response. The moose would have to do better than that.

Going for the ankles he moves to drive the behemoth off. It was time to move along.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

She hadn't known quite what to make of this ragtag little gathering. An ungodly ache had settled into her head and she wondered whether it was worry over how her father was going to take it, or if there was something genuinely wrong with her? Maybe she had developed a brain tumour and would drop dead at any moment? Wouldn't that serve them all right... It wasn't like she could just stroll up and ask Fuji for advise anymore.

She had been rubbing her head against a smooth tree trunk, clenching down on her back teeth when the call went up. Well, she still wasn't so sure on her feet, but she wasn't about to let the call go unanswered. She might even get a laugh in if Bjorn got himself kicked.

She arrived just in time to see the fluffy one, Corsair? Lunge and snap at the moose's nose. Bold. Foolish, but bold.

With the boy at the front moving to snap at the beasts ankles and Bjorn and the other kid towards the back she moved in along the creatures flank. It was time to go...

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Björn was pleased with just how quickly the others sprang to action. Hackles up, blood spraying from his eyes, he presents a vicious sight. Bloody, brilliant, and deeply deranged. Dominus, the purple child, and Mochi all coming to join him-- excellent. Spurred on by their appearance, and Corsair's boldness to go as far as to nip at the beast's nose, Björn doubles down. An assault to the beast's leg, grabbing at the ankle.

The moose kicks out, grazing the rot prince's shoulder. Though he flinches, he doesn't yelp. Right, go for the ankle, drive it off. Bowing his shoulders, arching his neck, and driving at the beast with his antlers, he spurs it on. Maybe they can get it to fall on the way out, figuring dead better than gone... but gone is good too. Get a move on, big ol' bitch.

"Björn"

Relief settles in Dom's chest as more of their number join. A bold young man, already trying to take on the moose by the nose. Driving the large, velveteen beast back. With a swinging head, it tries to smash Dominus, though the boy has picked a good enough spot to remain out of reach. Ankles. Everyone else was going for the ankles, so he would too. Allowing himself to slide down the shoulder, he lashes out with overwhelming force. Sinking in, though Dom doesn't quite understand that he should be releasing as well. Holding on until the moose wrenches free, and then returning for another chomp. Bite after bite, he's doing what he can to output damage. Herding isn't his first language, but he'll probably catch on here in a moment.

"Dominus"

The beast is finally moving, lumbering, crashing through the underbrush with bellows of rage. It is clear it doesn't want to go and when its head lowers again, this time he aims for a cheek, an ear, anything to get the message through that fighting them off is a bad idea, better to keep moving.

While sure, they could probably pull the beast down, it seemed a waste to him, better to save such a boon for the winter. It wouldn't go too far, and prey was still plentiful. Perhaps if it had been fragile or sick, but it wasn't. He wouldn't mind if it lived to fight another day.

But then again, perhaps that is the dog in him, as he uses his pronged antlers to prod at the moose's flanks. Almost there.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

A quick glance to the fluffy one, and its obvious he's maybe done this before. Taking her lead from him, she offers an occasional headbutt to the moose's flank so it won't come too far in her direction and trample her underfoot, otherwise, she keeps her bites low, towards the ankles and armpit, pinching, but not tearing. She knows that would be the better place to latch on if she wanted to bleed it, to weaken it, but this was about staking their claim and not about a meal. Not yet.

They work well together, for relative strangers, and she settles into the rhythm of it, the swings of antlers and flailing of hooves seeming to be more on principal than anything malicious now.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Perhaps there's some wisdom to leaving it standing. They'd drive it off, make sure the beast is weak and wounded for when they'd need food. It would be soon, and knowing there's a whole moose to break down and consume... yeah. Weaken it, drive it off, and make sure there's enough of a blood trail to follow.

Björn is swift as he jams his antlers into the beast's flank. Prodding it on, and letting it continue to move. Spur it on with as much force as he can muster, and ensure it was too weak to be a threat to them until the time came. It's a degree of violence that he doesn't need to be held responsible for, but he'd use his head, for once.

"Björn"

When Dominus realizes exactly what everyone is up to, he does relinquish the ankle. Taking on a different technique and trying not to get kicked in the process. They would drive it off instead of taking it down, though he's not sure entirely why yet. Still fresh in the ways of the world, he hasn't needed to think for himself like this before. Ah, strategy would come in time.

For now, he follows the others' suit. Gnashing teeth and driving at the moose, pushing it to the edge of the forest. Making their way overland quickly, though they're ungodly harsh about it. The taste of moose blood on his lips isn't enough to sate him, but it would calm his head for now.

"Dominus"

Sunlight begins to break through the branches overhead, the oppressive air of the forest giving way to the sunlit plains of the knolls. Moose preferred the cover of the trees so it would linger close, and with the metallic scent of blood filling their air, he thought they all realised this was just an interlude, but a necessary one for now.

His steps began to slow as the trees thinned out the moose pursued just a little bit further by the others before they too would fall off. A final bellow of defiance was thrown in their direction and the boy could only smile in response. Until next time...

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Snapping and snarling, she suppresses the hunter in her, for now. The sky lightened, a fresh breeze blowing in from the knolls as they grew closer to the edge of the forest. She saw Corsair drop back but she stayed on the beast to the edge of the trees, nipping at the moose's flank to make sure it didn't stop and turn back on them. It was moving, but it was still dangerous. Still a threat.

Her jaw hung loosely as she panted, the scent of blood still thick in the air, a job left half done, but they would be back, once the adrenaline had been given a chance to flee its system.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma