Sanguine Cove everything isn't meant to be okay

Pack RE: Sanguine Cove, a snapping turtle is meandering through your territory, trying to take a chunk out of anyone that gets in his way. Open to any SC members!

Magg had watched it strike and kill the duck, blood slicking off its brown and cream feathers as the beast chomped and severed. She wasn't sure what to think of it, and watched fascinatedly as though some great meaning would soon come to be revealed to her. Why was the hardbacked fish eating a bird, wasn't it meant to work the other way around? Why hadn't the waterfowl simply flown off? Why did it now leave the mangled carcass with only a few bites taken out of it?

She moved cautiously closer, nose twitching to catch the many scents that filled the air. Did it taste bad? The snapper stomped its little dinosaur feet overtop the beach toward her, but didn't seem to care much for the food it was leaving behind.

"Bad," Magg told it, circling the turtle in return. They matched each other pace for pace, the snapper steely determined but not rushed. It felt confident it would get the pup's tiny bones betwixt its iron jaws soon enough.

"Bad waster!"

Winter was fast approaching, which at least meant there was water again - but it meant their food would soon be running short. Nash was worried the summer's drought would mean a bigger shortage than winter usually carried. He was ever on the lookout for scavengers or other predators that might steal away their precious resources - or their children. He wouldn't allow it. The Other had already taken their precious leader. They would miss Al's strength more than ever in the coming months.

As he wandered and mused, Nash heard a familiar voice at the lake's shores. He paused, ears swiveling to make sure he wasn't hearing things, and there it was again: his middle daughter. The leader turned his paws toward her. When he saw what she was talking to, he picked up the pace. "Magg! Stay away from it!" he shouted as he ran down the shore. He could see the unfortunate duck a little ways beyond the circling pair. Images of finding his child like that, broken and bloody and cold, danced in his eyes. A snapping turtle was dangerous even to an adult, if they weren't careful - a pup stood no chance.

Nash skidded to a stop beside Magg, sand flying from beneath his paws. He snarled at the turtle, ready to defend his child.

Cuz poor Nash didnt have enough to stress about <3

These days the young boy was enthralled with following his father around. Whether it was just his age and his dad was a major role model or a subconscious need to keep the man in sight to keep from losing him was unknown. Either was Matos was a small dark shadow following Nash around. Sometimes he couldn't keep up and lost track of his dad so he went off and explored on his own. Today was different as the tiny Eastfall-Slayer was hot on his dad's heels.

It wasnt long before he too heard his sister's voice through the trees coming from the shore. He too veered towards where she was figuring his dad would too. Two-toned gaze soon fell on his tawny littermate circling with a very large turtle. He arrived on scene taking in what was happening. He eyed the torn apart duck and how the turtle was covered in blood. He cocked his head to the side stopping short of the gathering as his father jumped next to the mousy girl, snarling at the turtle.

Green and amber orbs went wide with awe at the display. In that moment a spark lit within the young boy. The display put on by the cove's alpha was unlike anything he had ever seen and he was actually enamored with it instead of scared by it. His dad was the coolest! Instead of cowering Matos mirrored his larger lookalike, snarling at the turtle from the opposite side, though he kept his distance...for now.

The girl's head shot up and her ears stood to attention at the sound of her name, twisting to see the source. Confusion shaped her features as she wondered if she'd done something wrong. It would not have been the first time she'd been unable to comprehend what she was in trouble for. Dutifully, she did as she was told, though a frown pulled down at the corners of her mouth.

"It's wastin' food!" she complained, hoping to shift the attention away from herself and onto the weird landfish. Maybe it worked, maybe he hadn't even heard her. The young girl's father's focus was locked onto the snapper and an unfamiliar, harsh tone dominated his vocalizations as he warned it.

All the more bemused and now frightened, she scurried away from them both and to her brother who was thankfully nearby. Magg sidled directly up against his chest and buried her face.

Nash didn't notice his son joining them - all for the best, because it meant he was staying out of the way. The leader was solely focused on the danger before him. He heard Magg's protest and flicked an ear back at her but did not stop growling at the advancing turtle. He did back up as it approached, careful to keep his toes out of harm's way. The last thing the pack needed right now was for him to lose a foot.

To his immense relief, Magg listened and retreated. He only then noticed Matos's appearance. "Stay over there," he called to them even as he snapped bared teeth at the turtled. It opened its mouth in retaliation and waddled toward him. Nash danced out of the way, side stepping and risking a snap at its rear leg before hopping back out of its reach. He didn't want to kill it; he just wanted it to go away.

The young inky boy held his mirrored posture, curled tail, barred teeth and raised hackles as his father commanded for them to remain where they were. Magg's tawny form found him and she buried herself into his chest. Instinctually he wrapped his head down and around her pulling her in and holding her against him in an attempt to both provide support and protection. His dual-colored gaze never left the turtle fiercely snapping at his father while the alpha easily danced out of the way. The eldest Eastfall-Slayer didnt understand that this treat was on the milder side of the scale. Even if he had, it was doubtful that he wouldn't find the display any less awe-inspiring.

Matos hugged her back, and she felt safe and secure once again. Peering out from his dark fur she watched their father dance with the gluttonous creature and felt confident that nothing bad would happen. As far as she knew, there was nothing that could take on their dad and live to tell the tale. She settled down onto her haunches and leaned heavily into her brother, now fully focused on the show.

"Get 'im Dad!" she even barked out, cheering him on with few thumps of her tail against the earth and an excited squirming of her paws. At the least that turtle was so gonna get grounded!

The turtle seemed to be growing frustrated, serving to embolden Nash further. He hadn't landed more than a nip on the softer flesh of the turtle's hind legs, and he was okay with that. As long as it understood it wasn't welcome here, that was enough. The last thing he wanted was to lose some toes or break a limb. Wait, scratch that, the last thing he wanted was for this creature to get anywhere near his children - or Sana's children, later. At least none of them had appeared to watch the spectacle.

Magg cheered him on and despite his focus Nash allowed himself a flash of a grin. At least his kids had faith in him, even if his own wavered sometimes.

With another quick nip the turtle finally snapped its jaws menacingly and lumbered back towards the water as quick as a turtle could waddle. Nash offered it one last parting blow and low growl to drive his point home, then stood and watched to ensure it didn't come back out. Satisfied, he straightened and turned to join his children. "Are you both okay?" he asked, even though he knew the turtle hadn't touched either of them. "Stay away from the water here for a little while; snapping turtles can be sneaky and they can kill someone your size. I know it did a bad thing," he added, looking straight at Magg this time, "but sometimes we just have to let them be. Not everyone shares our values. I don't want either of you to eat the duck, either; turtle can carry illnesses, and I don't want either of you to get sick." He said all this with a firm but kind tone, wanting to get his point across but not scare them - too badly.