I am trying really hard to use the term "murder jackals" instead of "murder hobos". I feel the latter can be distressingly classist. In this economic and political environment, too many people are a missed paycheck, hospital visit, or car breakdown away from housing insecurity. Ben and I could be in that spot ourselves with just a few significant screw-ups.
Murder vulture is also a fine term to describe an adventurer that likes murdering things and picking over their carcasses.
No, we're not using "murder hyena" as a term for this. Hyenas are noble animals that hunt far more than they scavenge (source, source, source).
OMG I'm so done with edgy tragic backstories. They are a sometimes thing that has turned into an all-the-time thing. Pizza-slicer characters: all edge, no point.
Hmmm, the "hobo" aspect characters are going through is the homelessness part, not the scavenger part. Because, as we all know, our tragic backstories must include a lack of family and hearth. Carnivores, including Jackals and Vultures, tend to have dens and nesting areas. Animals that tend to not have those things are herded grazers. Maybe Murder Bison?