fire made flesh; and fire is power

There is no question of whether they will or won't investigate the source of the commotion, only when and who will get there first. Rhaegal was fearless in this, sensing only the possibility of an even grander escapade than they had originally set out upon. His gaze swept over his accomplices only once before he focused for a moment upon the girl at his side. It seemed that his hunger for adventure was reflected back to him within the bright blues eyes of Bastille, and no words were needed as the duo were the first to approach the hill that veiled the ruckus beyond. Viserion was not far behind, his golden gaze sweeping back to ensure that Arthfael held as much interest as the rest of the group. Together, they ascended the hill parallel to Rhaegal and Bastille, if a few steps behind them. The soft whimpers of Semele had been barely audible over the tumultuous noise of whatever scene unfolded beyond the rise, but Drogon heard them and just as his attention had so readily focused on the unknown ahead it swiftly locked upon her slight form as she backed up towards him. It was as if a completely different wolf stood at his side, the wonder in her eyes replaced by nervousness and the typically joyous air that she possessed taken over by fear and uncertainty. And Drogon did not like it, not one bit. As she looked up to him for comfort, the only thing he could think to do was to repeat his earlier action which she seemed to have so liked. So his head dipped down towards her and touching his nose between her ears. He would let no harm come to her this day.

Together they moved to join the others atop the hill, Drogon lowering his form while Semele was allowed to simply walk to the top due to her shorter stature. Occasionally he glanced back, ensuring they were still alone in their trespassing endeavors, and as he moved to look forward once more Semele's head rubbed along his. The action had been unexpected, new and different from anything she'd done before, and it made his stomach jump for he was so very on edge with the responsibility of protecting all present. But once the butterflies that ensued within his very heart had settled their wings, he felt comforted by the action, and he leaned his broad head into her neck as she finally dropped to crawl beside him. When they reached the top, they laid alongside the others in a long line of curious yearling noses and eyes peering through the tall grasses to get a look at what chaos ensued below.

Rhaegal barely heard the words that Viserion had spoken, finding little concern for the logic in the situation. He was completely enraptured with the scene taking place below them. At first, his entire body had stilled, leaning forward slightly as if to get himself as close to the action as possible. Slowly the intensity of what he was seeing melted the excited tension from his body, and as Bastille crept forward he mimicked her movements - for one not wanting to be outdone by a girl (even if it was Bastille) and also because he felt almost a pull from her movements. When they were side by side once more, his tail began to wave back and forth in the tall grasses and a single ear flicked towards her as she spoke. For once, though, his tongue was stayed, for he was far too enthralled with the action of the hunt to waste time on words expressing as much. The white backed ears of Viserion tipped forward to focus upon the hunt once he had seen the knowing smile upon Arthfael's features. How could wolves overcome such a beast? He'd heard tales of wolves hunting great moose and even the fabled aurochs, but the alligators of the swamps were rarely touched upon due to the fact that the mountain wolves did not come in contact with them. His eyes widened as the group of wolves seemed to refocus their previously well balanced attacks over the entire body of the alligator to target only the head. What about that powerful tail? Drogon thought little of the semantics of the location of the attacks, merely entranced by the brute force of these Iromarian wolves to physically overwhelm this ancient leathered beast that fought back against the ferocity of their fangs.

At first he did not realize that Semele had kept her gaze averted when they'd come up the hill. For just that moment he had been so taken with the display of utter lupine power that everything else seemed to cease to exist. Time seemed to slow as garnet eyes focused upon the lashing jaws of the alligator as she grasped the leg of a dark wolf, and for half a second Drogon was unsure if he wanted to the alligator to prevail or the wolf to escape safely. Then, rapidly time caught up with him and the other wolves attacks on the reptilian caused her to relinquish her hold. Whether or not he was relieved or disappointed was never registered, for in the corner of his vision the movement of Semele rising to her paws caught not only Drogon's attention, but that of Viserion and Arthfael as well. Further down the line Rhaegal and Bastille were far too entranced with what they were seeing to notice the tiny frame of Semele as she stood for a moment before suddenly folding back to the ground in a heap of russet and grey fur. Viserion stared for a moment, unsure what he could say or do as he leaned around Arthfael to look at the girl who had quite literally tucked herself away within Drogon's fur. It was Arthfael's words of offered comfort that caused the white fringed boy to nod, watching her for but a moment longer before his attention was taken by the formidable hiss of the alligator below.

Drogon, however, simply stared down at her tiny form, seeming even smaller than she ever had before as whimpers slipped through her lips. He did not know what to do, how to make this better for her. Was she not impressed by the prowess of the Iromarian hunters? Garnet eyes seemed lost for a moment as they flashed up towards Arthfael as he spoke words meant to comfort her. His gaze dipped back to Semele almost immediately, having no words to offer of his own. Blinking, he glanced back out at the alligator and wolves as the hunt seemed to reach its climax as all the wolves piled onto its head. The noise escalated with growls and hisses, snapping jaws and turbulent movements. No longer did he care to watch, though, instead doing the only thing he could think might help Semele in this moment. His large head and neck wrapped around the small form tucked at his side, allowing his fur to almost entirely surround her and his chin tucking down so that his neck and head pressed against her ears. If he could not stop the scene that so upset her, he would muffle the sounds of it from ever reaching her ears.

The hunt was truly escalating quickly, Viserion finding surprise in how well their efforts to focus merely upon the head seemed to work. He was sure that would never work with the great elk that roamed the mountains, for they would merely strike out with their deadly hooves. Then again he could not be certain, as he'd never seen a hunt play out. Rhaegal's eyes grew wide as he watched a shewolf lined in dark grey similar to Bastille's golden cape jumped onto the alligators back and went for the top of the head. And then, all at once, it seemed to be over. With a final surge the alligator rolled onto its side, partially trapping the grey girl, though Rhaegal didn't think she was very hurt because it wasn't like she yelled or anything. Shaking out his head and neck from the excitement, Rhaegal turned towards Bastille and only then noticed the way his largest sibling was enfolded around the tiny girl Semele. Glancing down the line at them, a single brow rose in confusion as he looked back to Bastille, not really understanding why in the world they would choose now of all times to cuddle. Shrugging, he nudged his nose into Bastille's shoulder and whispered, "C'mon," to her as well as the other four yearlings. He might have been foolhardy in rushing up the hill to watch the hunt, but he knew better than to stick around when the attention of the pack wolves was not taken by the alligator any longer.

Slowly he scooted backwards, away from the edge of the marsh grasses and reeds they had peered through before turning around and rising only when it was safe to jog down the hill in excitement. When he was on level ground again he bounced around, leaping at Bastille and nipping at her ears before glancing back up to make sure his brothers and their friends were coming too. Viserion urged Arthfael to go first - someone had to get down there and make sure Rhaegal didn't kick up a storm and notify the hunters of their presence. He then crept towards Drogon, nudging his brother's neck and earning lifted lips in reply as he extricated himself from Semele for only a moment to ward off whoever had prodded him. But when garnet eyes met those of molten gold he realized that the noises of the hunt had ceased, and now the alpha's call summoned the rest of the pack. They needed to get moving. Drogon nodded to Viserion, who then moved to crawl down the hill to join Rhaegal and the others below as the darkest prince encouraged Semele to lift her head and join them. He cast a glance back down upon the hunt to see that all seven wolves were now on their feet and the alligator was deceased. Looking back to Semele, he spoke in a raspy whisper, "The wolves are alright," wanting to comfort her with at least that knowledge, but unsure if she would be upset to know that that alligator was...well...dead.

He would not move down the hillside until Semele was in front of him or moving at his side, but when they finally made it down to join the group his garnet eyes flashed around at the boisterous actions of Rhaegal, not wanting any danger brought to the group that would further upset Semele. He did not care where they went from here, so long as it was away from the pack wolves and into some happier environment, as his eyes cast around in search of the long legged bird that had excited her before. But he did not spot it, probably stirred to flight by the hunt. Garnet eyes moved to Viserion then, hoping his clever brother could come up with an idea to distract Semele's worried mind.

(ooc; I will leave what happens next up to you guys - they can head for home, or I had thought maybe they could head back that way and maybe stumble upon a young alligator c: and like you can reply in whatever order too :P)

drogon; rhaegal; viserion