Saulk, Fallen Ember, & Leomar

Fallen Ember flew high along the rocky shores, then swept in closer over the bay. The hybrid eagle turned her keen sights to the land below, looking for any potential prey or easy meal to feed her and her pack.

Some distance away, Saulk loped steadily through the scrub brush leading to the bay, with the bulky Leomar sauntering even further behind him. With the wolf and lion being more suited to strength than stealth or finesse, they were relying on Ember to locate and harry a meal their way, or least find one that would be easy enough for them to catch.

-Prey-

Roughly a mile down the coat, where the cliffs rose higher, a small band of white-tail deer were grazing. Two does, three of their yearling children, and a solitary buck.

In the bay, five fur seals were resting on the beach. Two males and three females.

Saulk, Leomar, & Fallen Ember

The deer looked promising, but the seals were a rare treat if they could be caught. Their bulky forms would be slower too, making them an easier target for her two fellow hunters. Ignoring the small herd of whitetails, Fallen Ember soared back inland, crossing the solitary road that transected the land between the coast and the sprawling grasses before it. A few hearty wingbeats and careful maneuvering of her tail brought the cinnamon-brown eagle down with grace before Saulk and Leomar. "There are seals in the bay; a group of five. White-tail further down the coast, but I didn't notice any weakness in their numbers."

Saulk furrowed his brows in thought, having never really hunted seal before, though he knew enough about them from Dally and the others. "The deer can be a back-up if the seals don't work out. Ember, I want you to distract them while Leomar and I get closer." The wolf looked back to the lion, "If you can get their tail, drag them up the beach - we can't let them get back into the water."

Leomar nodded as an eager glint shown in his dark eyes. "Right. Ready when you are, Saulk." Hunting was a close second to fighting when it came to Leo's favorite pastimes, and seals would be a unique change of pace for the big cat.

With a short but simple plan in place, Ember vaulted back into the sky, her wings beating hard to lift her sizable body back into the air. Once there, she headed straight for the bay and dropped herself a few yards from one of the males. There she fluffed her feathers, shook her head, and took a few meandering steps towards the beast, "Can I bother you for a moment?" Ember inquired, then went on without waiting for a reply, "I've been searching for fish, but haven't had any luck so far - know of any good spots to find them?"

-Prey-

The six and a half foot long male raised his head. His eyes narrowed slightly at the bird, but at just over five-hundred pounds, he had little to fear of the tenacious raptor. He regarded her for a long moment, as if deciding whether or not to humor the bird with an answer, before finally obliging, "There's a decent spot down the coast a ways. An inlet that might be good hunting for you."

The other male yawned and rolled onto his side, using a flipper to lazily scratch at an itch. Of the two males, this one was closer to the water, and looked to be about the same size as the one Fallen Ember was talking to.

Saulk, Leomar, & Fallen Ember

"An inlet, you say?" Ember repeated with a slow nodding of her head, "Ummm... which way was the inlet? This way, or-" She hopped closer to the water, letting her talons clack loudly on the rocks and her voice screech with a little too much force. She pointed her bright yellow beak up the coast first, then swung it the opposite way, "-that way?" Her goal was to get as many seal eyes looking towards her and facing the ocean, rather than up the beach where Saulk and Leomar were now descending.

"That one there - with his head up." Saulk was whispering to his lion counterpart, dual-colored eyes locked on the male that Fallen Ember was engaging with. "If you can grab his tail, I'll contend with his front half." The wolf was moving while he spoke, head and tail low, and body slinking over the rocks.

Leomar, for all his size and weight, moved more like water over the incline. There was no hiding his frame nor his large mane, so silence was the name of the game right now. A quick glance to Saulk told the wolf he'd heard him, then it was back to stalking. One paw quickly ahead of the other, the lion moved down the beach. Closer and closer they got before bursting into a dead on sprint for the targeted male. Leomar went for the tail, and if he got it, would begin to drag the creature backwards. Saulk rushed for the front, snapping like a wild thing in the hopes of preventing the seal from bolting to the shore, or swinging around to bite at Leomar...

-Prey-

The eagle's ploy worked, even if the seal was lightly annoyed at being bothered by Fallen's questions while he was trying to get a nap in. "That way." He was just nodding, indicating north of the bay, when the rapid thump of approaching paws caught his attention. A gruff bark from one of the females caused him to swivel his head around, where he saw the African lion lunging for him. He tried to wheel around and meet the big cat fang to fang, but a wolf was suddenly snapping at his face, and his attention pivoted to Saulk. He snapped at the wolf, driving sharp teeth into the canine's shoulder and neck and giving him a brief thrash. At the same time, unable to free his tail from Leomar, he was pulled up the beach a few feet...

The other seals began a mad dash for the safety of the water...

Saulk, Leomar, & Fallen Ember

Nearly six-hundred pounds of thrashing seal put a strain on the old lion, but his muscles were up for the task. He dug his paws in and heaved back, pulling his prey further from the water. After he'd gone several feet, Leomar released and went for a bite at the back of the seal's neck, while gripping at the creature with his claws to try and prevent any attempt at escape back to the sea.

Saulk snarled savagely as the seal's teeth tore into his flesh, and immediately snapped back at the creature, going for the side of the beast's head...

Fallen Ember had taken to the skies. Rather than get in the way of the fighters, she kept an eye out for potential danger, or anything that might interrupt their hunt.

-Prey-

The seal made an attempt to flee back to the safety of the ocean once his tail was freed, but Saulk was relentless in his attack, and his fangs scored several more deep punctures over the creature's face. Leomar's claws further impeded his escape, leading the seal to swivel around and snap at Leomar instead. If he could just drive the lion off for a moment, he could easily steam past the wolf...

From Fallen Ember's vantage point in the sky, she would see no sign of trouble.

Saulk, Leomar, & Fallen Ember

The smarting bite from the seal drew more than just a stain of red on his muzzle. If his dark eyes could have reflected the same color to showcase his rage, they would have been crimson. It had been ages since he'd last taken on any real injury, and this affront to his senses stirred the cooling embers in the elderly beast. He pressed for the seal with an incensed roar, caring not for the teeth gnashing at his face. He was going again for a bite on the back of the creature's neck, while this time slashing his cruel fangs for the creature's eyes.

Saulk continued his own assault, though he was more tactical with his aiming and less consumed by the blistering fury that had so easily taken his friend. Instead of going for the face, he aimed for the thick neck...

Fallen Ember continued to wheel about in the sky, ready to call alarm should the need arise.