[Trade] Hunting - Trouble with the Pouncing Zataro (Oremizume, Denarius Silver Dove, Higatami)

It was a cool day in Vitalus, as the Sun high in the sky did little against the winter temperatures. The smooth canyons were silent and only the flapping of the wings of the two Empyrian and the quiet stomps of the runner Vayron could be heard.

The three Reosean were on a hunt, but not any hunt: their prey was a Pouncing Zataro.

Oremizume was the bait: he could look small and interesting enough as a prey for the big legendary beast, and he could lure that Zataro in a favourable position for the two Empyrian to attack.

Denarii was flying lower than Higatami, moving like a fish in the water between the edges of the rocks smothered by the winds, looking for any clues on the closeness of the creature.
After a bit, Oremizume started to slow down, and Denarii readied herself. She was going to end that monster life quickly and mercilessly, in a perfect execution, or at least that was the plan. After all, that beast was more than dangerous: it had already attacked two small villages, ending the lives of both humans and reoseans.

The silvery Empyrian looked over her shoulder, seeing Higatami slowly descend too. The shadow coated Empyrian was blind, but her feathery ears flickered from time to time, as she was listening to all the small sounds of the canyons.
Higatami and Denarii stopped moving, just flapping their wings to keep themself airborne. Under them, Oremizume was faking an injury, as if he had stumbled and broke a paw while running, trying to look more appetizing.
If the other two didn’t know that it was part of the plan, the runner could have fooled both.

Denarii smiled a little seeing a yellow sparkle in a crack between two large rocks. The Zataro had taken the bait, and slowly was crawling out of his hiding hole. The silver Empyrian hissed softly, alerting Higatami who directed her attention on the Zataro.

Higatami grumbled, as she heard the Zataro clicking claws on the rock.

Oremizume faked a fall, and in that moment, the Zataro pounced with a roar, stingers ready.
Denarii launched herself like an arrow, planting her back legs claws on the back of the monster, throwing it off balance as she tried to bring it to the ground. The Zataro snarled, missing Oremizume, but it didn’t fall and started a furious battle with the Empyrian.

Oremizume barked loudly, and Higatami landed on the opposite side of him: now the Zataro was surrounded: as it was trying to fend off Denarii, Oremizume and Higatami tried to bite its legs, making it stumble and lose focus on their companion. Their surprise effect failed, now they had to work hard to win.

“Now! Grab his tail, Higatami!”

Oremizume loudly barked the order, making the other reosean scoff, but since Denarii was way too close to the stingers of the creature to be safe she had no other option and did as the runner said.

Higatami sank her fangs in the tail of the beast, making it scream, and Denarii clawed at its throat.
Unfortunately, her claws barely scraped the hard brownish armor: the beast recoiled, snapping its fangs dangerously close to her purple wing.Oremizume huffed, anxious. They had a lot to learn about hunting Zataros: they thought that a reverse-pouncing would work, but in the end they lacked the strength to actively beat the monster if the surprise strategy fails.

It was time to play another way.

“Fall back! To higher grounds!”

The runner watched Higatami take off, and he was about to escape too, but the Zataro was not blind as their companion. The beast jumped on the Vayron, smacking him on the back with a clawed paw. Oremizume yelped loudly, rolling on the ground for a few meters, right near Denarii, who was catching her breath after a close-ranged fight with the monster. The bicoloured Empyrian grabbed Oremizume with her back legs, and propelled herself in the air with strong wingbeats.

The beast roared, raging, seeing its prey-not prey leaving.

Oremizume trembled in pain with his paws dangling in the empty air, urging Denarii to reach a high edge of the canyon quickly. Denarii sighed, displeased with how the plan had failed, and flew then to the designed rock.
Higatami was already there, making faces at the Zataro under them. She stuck out her tongue with a snarl, and the Zataro hissed loudly. Oremizume approached her, somber.

”Well.. That didn’t work.”

“Yeah, I heard that! Of course your stupid plan did not work!”

As Oremizume and Higatami started a growling contest, Denarii looked down. The Zataro was literally sparkling under the midday sun, something that she knew was not a common occurrence. After all, the silver and purple Empyrian had read quite a few books and knew that Pouncing Zataros had particularly sparkling scales to impress females. Which meant, unfortunately, that there wasn’t a single one in that canyon.

They had to deal with TWO Zataros.

As she told this to the other two, they immediately stopped arguing. They couldn’t leave the hunt like that, as people, reoseans and not, were in danger.
Denarii couldn’t abandon them like that either. She was sure that if she did, her adoptive mother would have been very disappointed… Maybe to the point of throwing her out, since she let innocents die.

“Alright… As Denarii said, we have to expect two enemies from now.” Oremizume started, making Higatami grumble.

He ignored her, and looked at the silver Empyrian instead. They needed a new plan. And Denarius Silver Dove smirked, as she knew what to do.

---

This time, Higatami was the bait. She was stronger than Oremizume, and could deal some damage with a surprise attack, as long as the Zataro really had its guard lowered. By lying down, the more delicate underside of the beast was easier to reach with her fangs and her long and sharp legs’ claws.

They waited patiently until the Zataro was gone, then slowly descended the canyon's highest peaks. The blind Empyrian carried a sword with her that belonged to Oremizume originally, but as he preferred to fight with bites the weapon had little use for him… But it was perfect for Higatami’s surprise attack.
Denarii's plan was simple, but it had to work with perfect timing.

Higatami let out a broken yelp, as if she was embarrassed, and then she threw herself on the ground, like a dead opossum, tongue out and everything. Denarii and Oremizume waited a while, trembling a bit because of the adrenaline and the cold, hidden in a crack high in the canyon smooth side. After nearly an hour of playing dead under the sun in the middle of the canyon path, the Zataro finally appeared again. This time, the beast was sure to have scored a meal, by the way it confidently walked toward the “dead” Empyrian.

But then, as it opened its maw to take a bite of the belly, Higatami came back to life, striking with the sword clasped in her wing-claws. The steel of the blade reflected the glare of the sun, blinding the beast, and then the weapon sank in the side of the cheek of the Zataro.

The beast roared in pain, stepping back and trying to claw at the Empyrian… But, since she was bigger than Oremizume, she just slammed her shoulder on its chest. Higatami stepped back, and Denarii dived from the rock, fangs ready to strike.

This time, she landed with all her weight on the back of the beast, and instead of trying to shove it on the ground, she kept her claws on its spine and BIT HARD on the side of its neck.

The scales of the beast scraped her chin and throat, but she had a solid bite on the monster. Her fangs dug deeper and deeper, as the beast trashed in panic. The stingers flew over the bicoloured Empyrian, but soon enough, the Zataro fell to the ground, gasping and drooling..

Until it was dead.

The three cheered a little, exhausted.

“There is still the female… But I suppose it can wait tomorrow?”

Denarii nodded at Oremizume, who sounded quite out of breath and a bit pained from the previous attack. Higatami huffed, patting her body clean from the dust that stuck to her back while she was lying on the ground. She turned towards Denarii, as serious as if she was going to say something life changing.

“Alright, Denarii… But, for the other, YOU do the bait!”