Come down, come down sweet reverence

The west was pretty in a fateful sort of way. When the sun rose at just the right time the arid landscapes were awash in beautiful color. When the sun hit high noon everything seemed barren, hot and not at all pleasant or worth traveling through. Yes, here she was again. Jynn was hoping to find more interesting lands but so far all she was doing was running up her appetite. Not a good thing for a single hunter.

Thankfully, the Good Spirit smiled on her and she arrived at the border of a lush valley. She immediately took a drink from the nearby stream before setting about hunting. She didn't have much hope of bringing down large prey. Rabbits and rodents were more her speed. Her large ears easily detected movement and in a moment she was off after a rabbit. What would've been a simple hunt soon became more complicated for in racing after the rabbit she was forced to skid to a halt as the rabbit dove into a den not far from a group of young male lions feeding on a large buffalo. Immediately a male with a tawny mane got to his feet and strode toward her while licking his lips. Well, shit.

Úlfr wandered westward with no real goal in mind other than scoping out some additional hunting lands. Fireside was doing well on stock for winter. Not only did they have reasonable stores from hunting but there were also the domestic animals as well. Úlfr was more just curious. After hunting a guar he was curious what other animals were out there and so he'd headed west to see what was out that way.

He strode into the valley and immediately honed in on the smell of blood. As he followed it along he came upon a bachelor pride of lions. He intended to see what they'd killed and the move on but a large male lion got to his feet and was headed for a woman. Úlfr snarled and charged for he lion. His jaws snapped briefly on the lion's haunch and he bounded away as the cat twisted around and swiped at him.

Hattori wouldn't make a habit of coming out this far. He was several days travel from Ashen and as a shinobi he really ought to stick closer to home, but a case of itchy paws had hit him pretty hard and in his defence he had made the journey in good time. Nothing to sneeze at least. The Valley that now surrounded him was lush and verdant, clearly earning it's Emerald name, but there was more to this place then just pretty scenery. The scent of fresh blood from a kill caught his attention and Hattori was not above bullying lesser predators out of the way, or even fighting them to claim the prize for himself. Except perhaps 2 male lions were a little too much for him to take on himself. One was already in the throws of a brawl with a pair of wolves, whilst the other was reclining back over it's kill like a makeshift, and still warm sofa, as though it was more than content to let the other male deal with the situation.

Hattori rushed into the brawl, hoping to diverts the lion's attention as he let out a rumbling snarl, like distant thunder. Having fought a few cats by now he had a fairly good idea on how to approach this, that they would all have to strike hard and fast if they hoped to drive this beast away. And perhaps even the second lion if it came down to it. Skirting around so he he caught the lion's eye, he held the beasts gaze for a moment before lunging forward with talons extended. It was a bait of course, he wasn't foolish enough to smack the lion head on when he'd no doubt return in kind. Instead he felt the attack whiff right past his head as he ducked down and gave the lion a sharp jab with his horns, right under his arm when the skin was at it's thinnest.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn's ears flicked back and she growled threateningly at the lion. She felt fairly sure she could outrun him but she still hated to turn her back on a large cat. That was just begging to be pounced on. However, she didn't have much in the way of options. Suddenly, a young male charged at the lion, biting its haunch before spinning away. He looked to be barely a year old if that and Jynn immediately decided to fight.

Another male appeared and drew the lion's attention. Jynn took advantage of the lion's rear end being towards her to snatch up its tail in her jaws. She bit down hard and twisted her head, pulling back sharply on the tail til she heard a pop as a few of the bones dislocated.

Úlfr quickly twisted around, not wanting to leave his rear end exposed for too long. That's all he needed, to head back to his mothers with fresh ass cuts. Thankfully he wasn't alone. Both the horned man and the leggy woman were getting in on the action. Úlfr eyed the lion. The horned man was dealing with the front, the woman at the back and so Úlfr dove at the lion's nearest exposed side. He dove in low, jaws ripping into the flesh of the lion's belly between the ribcage and the hind leg. He thrashed his head seeking to do as much damage as possible. The lion roared in pain, its hind leg kicking forward violently and shoving the pup effectively away.

Between the three of them the trio were more than enough to keep the lion occupied. The resting lion perked up as the scent of blood filled the air and leaned forward, it's claws digging into the buffalo as it watched with renewed interest. Out of the pair that lion certainly seemed to be far more shrewd, its sharp gaze flicking from cat to wolf, to maned wolf. Whilst the other was on the defensive, twisting this way and that as it was hounded from several angles. The damage they'd inflicted thus far was painful but not terminal, though from the way it was thrashing around Hattori suspected it had a low pain tolerance. As though being cornered like this was rather stressful, almost too much to bear. Pressing the attack, Hattori dashed around and raked his talons down it's flank as the others did their part, leaving bloody streaks in the meatiest section of its thigh. It roared, so loud and fierce the sound reverberates in Hattori's chest, even when he stepped back to observe the situation. He didn't think this lion had much fight left in him, it would turn tail and run sooner rather than later. It just needed one final push.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn held on as tight as she could but it was obvious how much stronger the lion was. She was dragged around as it spun and thrashed before eventually she was flung to the ground. Her legs flailed wildly as she scrambled back to her feet. She saw the horned man dive in for another attack and so did she. She bolted forward and bite into the cat's spine, wrapping her long arms around it's body just in front of the hind legs. The cat yowled and twisted around, its claws flashing out towards her. Jynn abandoned her position and bounded away just in time to receive light lacerations over her right shoulder and not something more serious. She spun around to eye her opponent, hoping the lion would give up the battle.

Úlfr hit the ground with an awful thud. Pain blossomed across his head where his head struck a rock. He was amazed at the cat's strength and wondered if they shouldn't just make a run for it. However, he didn't feel like he could run very fast. For a moment it took him awhile to get back to his feet but he finally did and quietly observed the situation of the adult wolves. It was clear the lion was over the fight and ready to move on. Movement caught Úlfr's attention and he turned to look as the other male lion stood up. Oh no… he swiftly set his defenses and prepared for the next battle. Talk about unfortunate luck, but if they survived at least Fireside had a bunch of healers that could tend to his wounds.

Hattori mock charged, head dipped down with horns stabbing at the air. The lion flinched away, snarling again more out of worry than outright aggression and leaned his weight back onto his hind paws as it looked over its shoulder to its brother. Seconds felt like minutes as it waited and Hattori grew tired of the delay, he lunged forward again teeth bared and that, paired  with all of their combined efforts was enough to drive off the first lion. He limped off the scene, tail tucked between his legs, and soon rounded a corner where he was no longer within sight. Good riddance.

But just as the others noticed, Hattori's attention snapped to the second lion. This one prowled along and without even a moment of warning he lunged forward, limbs extended with claws unsheathed. This was where the hard part began.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn watched carefully as Hattori charged toward the lion. She swiftly set her defenses and waited to see if she needed to jump in or if the other lion would retreat. Eventually the lion bolted and retreated and she let out a sigh of relief, glad to see it go bu the relief did not last long. Movement caught her eye and she looked to see the other male lion standing up at attention, eyes fixed on the wolves. She secretly hoped that the lion had seen what had happened to his friend and that he'd just go leave or else maybe he was full but no such luck. The lion lunged toward Hattori and she sprinted into action. She leapt onto the lion's back, her fangs latching onto its left ear as she sought to use her long arms and legs to hold on as long as she could.

Úlfr's focus left the second lion for just a brief moment as the first one took off running. Well, that was good at least. He wasn't keen on fighting two lions at once and as long as the first one didn't come back they could at least focus on the second lion. The second lion didn't seem interested in backing down and it charged forward toward the group. Jynn leapt to attack it first and Úlfr followed close behind. His fangs bit hard into the lion's right leg, jaws latching over the knee. Úlfr twisted and thrashed his head seeking to do as much damage as he could. If they could limi the motion of the lion they could gain an advantage and maybe not be quite so vulnerable to the beasts massive claws. Hopefully, it would realize that be outnumbered was not a good fight to be in and retreat after its buddy.

Hattori didn't have time to duck out of the way and their forms collided with the earth. The air was forced from his lungs and rushed through gritted teeth as he scrambled to wriggle out from beneath the feline. On instinct he peddled his back paws against it's stomach, his talons soon finding purchase on the soft exposed skin of its belly and ripping and tearing with each strike. The lion twisted suddenly and Hattori just about noticed Jynn perched atop the lions back, attempting to hold it's neck in place so it couldn't deliver a killing blow. That and the fact that the pup had grabbed a hold of it's knee, the lion's lower half slumped and it straightened it's front limbs to prevent itself from falling over. In turning giving Hattori the space he needed to slip free. He scrambled out from underneath the lion and winched at the soreness that now racked his form, if nothing he'd have a few bumps and bruises by the time they were done here.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn gripped the lion tightly as it thrashed. She twisted her head sharply to her right and as a result of the motion and the tender flesh of the ear she succeeded in shredding it. Suddenly, the lion twisted one of its arms back, claws raked through her scruff, tearing flesh and flinging her down onto the ground. She quickly rolled out of the way to avoid the lions jaws. Jynn got to her feet and leapt away before twisting around to get a feel for the lion's position as she planned another attack. Her neck stung but she was glad it hadn't been more serious. She'd need to tend to the wound after ward and though it might be a bit arrogant she felt pretty sure they'd survive, as long as they kept alert and light on their feet.

Úlfr wrapped his arms around the lions leg as he thrashed his head. From his position he couldn't see the movement of his allies very well though he noticed when Jynn was thrown off the lion and send crashing to the ground. He had a sense that he was in danger but he didn't move soon enough as the lion twisted around and fangs found his scruff. He yelped as the teeth pierced his flesh and he was dragged off the lion's leg and thrashed around violently. Fear suddenly leapt into his throat and he struggled to keep his neck protected, scrunching his head back as he tried to protect his vitals should the lion try for a more serious grip and in the mean time his front legs flailed as he tried to scratch at the cat's face.

The lion was quick to find another target. It set it's sights on the youngest of the trio, grabbing a hold of his scruff as though he was scolding the pup for bad behaviour. Hattori's years flicked at the sound of the pup's yelp and he leapt into action, charging in like an angry rhino. There was no use in going for the throat at this angle, his thick mane would prevent the shinobi from getting a good enough grip but the space where the neck connected with the back was fair game. He collided with the lion and the impact left his neck throbbing, his horns pierced flesh but his main intention was to cause enough of a distraction that they'd release the pup and give the trio a second or two to regroup.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn flinched as she heard the pup yelp. This was getting serious, they needed to send a strong message and quick. Hattori was already on it. He bashed into the lion, horns piercing into flesh. The lion roared in pain and in doing so dropped the pup as it was forced onto its side. The moment the lion's belly was exposed then Jynn dove in. Her fangs latched onto the softer flesh just in front of the lion's hind legs and perilously close to organs the lion would likely prefer to keep. She ripped hard through the skin and muscle before the lion's hind legs shoved into her chest and pushed her back. In doing so it caused her fangs to do even more damage. The lion was back on its feet and it limped away from the wolves, turning back for a moment as if trying to decide if it should continue but it was clearly in a lot of pain.

Jynn's ears pinned tight to her head as she let loose the low roar-bark of her kind. A strange and haunting noise she hoped would unnerve the beast.

Úlfr flailed and twisted, pain pounded in his neck. He felt the lion shift as it was struck and he was finally released. He scrambled to his feet and bounded forward to put some distance between himself and the lion. He could feel blood starting to pool on the back of his neck and mat his fur. He immediately wanted to be home with his mothers. Ásvor could make any injury feel better. He looked at the lion and his allies and quickly moved to stand next to Jynn as he tried to make himself look as big as possible. He growled as loudly as he could hoping he sounded strong and scary despite the pain that was blossoming from his injury. With any luck all three of them putting up a strong front would scare the lion off and they could go about tending their wounds.

What a mess they were making of the lion. Blood coated their maws and the lion's expression shifted, his ferocity wavering as it took in the gravity of the situation. They weren't going to back down and the sooner the beats turned tail and ran the better, but he was clearly more stubborn than the first lion and wanted to have the last laugh. It turned as though to leave, only to whip around and try to smack Hattori across the face with claws extended. The shinobi felt the air brush against his nose and would have likely been struck had he not shifted his weight to his hid paws and leaned back. Letting out an indignant snarl, Hattori's voice joined the chorus as he returned the slap in kind with his own bloodied talons. His hit didn't land, and he slashed through the air again with his other paw, this time whacking the lion across the muzzle. Not to scratch but rather to add insult to his myriad of injuries and that seemed to about do the job, the lion didn't need a moment longer to weigh up his options and instead left the scene. Leaving the trio to bask in their hard fought victory.