seal-ed your own fate!

They were off like a pair of arrows fired across the beach, cutting along the edge of the water and making no shortage of noise as they splashed along. He hadn't missed the quizzical looks or the hint of bemusement at the notion of wariness around the seals. He simply opted to ignore them. He'd been looked down upon his entire life, he was no stranger to an authority figure assuming him to be weak. The dark male took it in stride. The measurement of his success would be in whether or not they brought the seal home today, not how valiantly he fought against the half-tonne mass of blubber and muscle. So as the majority of the group began to flee into the waves to avoid being the wolves' target, he cut around the haulout towards the cliffs. Pushing them into the water would be easier, as it would show which of the animals was truly unwilling to abandon their space on the beach. If they approached from the water, they would effectively corner many of the seals, most of which would feel pressed to fight back. This way the option to exit was easy.

The wraith looked over his shoulder to his hunting partner, and jerked his head towards the wide open stretch of beach that was rapidly emptying of bellowing bodies. The Sumatar was the one to make the kill and he would be most effective approaching from behind, once all of the remaining females were focused on Nao. Which meant that now was his time to set to work. He circled around the increasingly small space that remained full of seals, making a grand show of raising his hackles and snapping his teeth. Meeker souls would shy away, and make for the water. Of course, all of the seals were bellowing and lowing like their lives depended on it. Which, to their credit, it largely did. If wolves hunted by sound, he would be unable to function amidst the cacophony of seals snarling at him.

The slender male lunged at one of the females closest to him, whose shiny grey form was curled around the squalling form of her pup. She didn't balk at the threat, and instead, swung her graceless body towards him with jaws stretched wide. He readily moved aside to avoid the bite, and gave her a bit more room. There were quite a few nursing mothers pressed close on all sides of her. This was their prime location, it seemed. A few dozen enormous bodies clustered together in a region where the sea was close enough to leave for hunting, but far enough away for their young to be safe from the many others who hauled out onto the shore and might trample an infant. Perhaps he'd move around them. Search for a female who was more isolated, further away from the prime pupping spot.

As he skirted along the cliffs, placing himself firmly in the middle of the haulout, his attention caught on a few stragglers who had yet to make for the water. Were they assuming themselves safe behind the knot of angry mothers? Time to find out! Fluffed up and snarling like a rabid beast, Nao charged the tiny group of harbour seals. Before he'd gotten more than a few hundred feet from them, the whole group dispersed. Or did they? In the wake of their barking, bellowing flop down the beach, there was a lone body left behind. The female was quite a bit bigger than most of the mothers he'd been checking out before, perhaps too self assured by her bulk to feel the need to cling to the safety of numbers. As he approached, snapping and snarling all the while, she wheeled awkwardly to face him. Tucked close to her chest were a pair of squealing, terrified pups.

The dark male paused, taking a beat to search for Kotori and his progress across the haulout. Once he managed to catch sight of the larger man and make eye contact, he set about phase two of the hunt. Making a great big show about being an apex predator. It was a strange dance, where he had to slowly pivot and turn to keep the large seal facing him while he goaded her into a fight. Her only real weapon was that great big mouth with it's sharp teeth, but it was surprisingly mobile for such an otherwise awkward animal. Nao set upon her cautiously at first, testing her speed and reflexes with a few well-placed bites aimed at her shoulders. She couldn't move well without sacrificing the protective cover of her bulk over the pups, so she didn't have the same range of motion to defend herself that another seal might.

He settled for lunging towards the pups intermittently, forcing her to meet him face to face each time. Certainly this was enough of a distraction from the surrounding haulout that the Sumatar could find his mark to attack from behind? It was merely a waiting game, hoping that she didn't start trying to flee in the meantime.

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