or let it serve as a warning // roadhogs v coyote pack day 3

This hunt is harder than expected. The metal shells encase their prey, sweet flesh guarded by unforgiving steel. And their meal bites back, Alpha squealing with pain as a shard lands in its fur. It tumbles, venomous liquid mixed with blood oozing down its hind legs. Beta reacts, always ready - but again the humans in machines are quicker still. It limps away from the impact, panicked, and the rest try to dodge out of the incoming fire but it is no use.

Still, the hunger overpowers the pain. They'll eat, or die trying. There is the option of running away, but to what? More of the same, endless miles of rock and dirt? Surviving on insects and worms? No -- there is nothing out there. And dying of hunger simply isn't an option.

So they shake off their wounds and leap again, wild like fire.

[ coding by griffin ]

Alpha strikes, and Alpha falls.

Beta wastes no time, launching itself at the human alpha in green. The rest of the pack sneer and bite, no time for a mourning howl. But then Beta runs into a machine's line of sight and it too falls, winced breaths and subtle twitching in the dirt.

And the rest of them panic - two down, three left, no, two left. They are outnumbered now, no Alpha - Omegas, together, they look at each-other as if to say go-on, take charge. Become the Alpha.

But neither wants to damn themselves to what that means. So instead they paw at the ground, dodging attack after attack, limping on bloodied paws. They are going to die here, and they are going to die hungry. One more falls, metal in the side of its head. The lone wolf stands shaking, cowering at the metal machines.

The pack survives for three more seconds before the scorpion strikes.

[ coding by griffin ]