Barrow Fields Bramble shark

just once, she looked behind her and saw that shardik had the assured step of a sea-hunter. his pantherine prowl earned him some small respect, but she turned back to the task at hand.

among the undulated sands, the adolescent continued his calling - no doubt signaling to the uninterested ladies his candidacy in this spring’s courtship. sobeille went wide, slipping around large stones and bodies alike — but her advancement was noticed by one particularly seasoned bull.

at first, she thought he was the bull from a few weeks prior - but a long scar across his fluke told her otherwise.

sobeille waited for shardik to get in position — and when he did, she did the opposite of a stealthy hunter, breaking cover in a howl as she drove the herd deliberately right to his doorstep.

how would he handle a swarm of fat bodies panicking his way?

The dark head of Sobeille appeared in a curious place. Swordfish’s eyes narrowed on her, wondering what on earth she was planning. When she began to rouse the blubbery animals from their sunbathing, stirring the shape of a mighty bull seal in the process, he clenched his teeth together and cursed through them.

Son of a bitch-

Swordfish wasn’t about to tango with a herd of seals. He watched them begin to bounce their way toward him, snorting and making a ruckus as they went. The young hunter moved to conceal himself behind a large boulder, crouching down low to watch the passing bodies. Anger flared through him.

When a majority of the seals had passed, moving on to safer shores, Swordfish lifted his head and glared at his hunting companion.

What was that fer? Ruined the whole thing…

sobeille watched, her heart thrumming against her chest. the herd became a stampede -- and while seals on land could hardly be called graceful, they were strong, and they were more efficient than one suspected.

what would he do, sobeille wondered?

would his eyes be eclipsed by terror? would he freeze?

would he try anyway, to assail the masses as they headed towards him?

would he be trampled underfoot? what would he look like, how dark would his blood stain the sand, how long would he struggle to hold onto the tentative sliver that was life?

he ducked behind the cover of stone while a roving sea of churning bodies split around him, thundering down the shore.

when at last they became a trickle, his form broke from the angled stone.

a glare hardened his gaze. sobeille registered it as anger. she shrugged, glancing past him where the heads of the seals bobbed along the waves.

i wanted to see what you would do.

Swordfish regarded her with a stare that said he was not amused. The sounds of the fleeing seals faded until they splashed into the waters and disappeared. As the young man watched the last of them, he felt his stomach clench in a combination of anger and hunger. They’d had an opportunity and Sobeille had spoiled it just to see how he might react.

Huffing a sigh, the young hunter moved from his place behind the boulder and slinked closer to the young woman. He didn’t want to look at her for fear that she would see the anger that bubbled beneath the surface of his eyes. Swordfish felt as though she had wasted his time.

Are ya satisfied den?

Heavy-lidded eyes shifted to her. The bear-hunter frowned.