[Trade] A Perfect Team

Life by the ocean was everything Swavelli had promised it would be. Each morning greeted them with the receding waves and the sun cresting the horizon. It felt like they were the first ones it greeted in its great arc across the sky, for an abandoned hatchling like Sweffe it made his heart soar to feel so important. The beach was quiet too, occasionally an Atopodentatus would come ashore to dig around in the sand, laying eggs, Swavelli said, but the salty water was unappealing to most animals around. This did mean their food was limited to fish from the ocean itself, which was no problem for Seffe’s big friend, in fact she revelled in it. However, Seffe was getting tired of being a piscivore and craved good old fashioned dry meat, like the deer they had to survive off on their journey to the coast. He brought it up to Swavelli one evening and though she rolled her eyes at the thought of getting bored of fish she agreed to venture inland with him to find something different to eat. 

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The grasslands that bordered the dunes of the coast were far more pleasant than the volcanic desert the pair had trekked through to reach their beach home the first time around. This stretch of savannah has little in the way of cover but with his head down Seffe could manage to sneak up on most things without issue. His main problem was actually landing successfully on his target but that was what Swavelli was there for. The Suchomimus had already vanished into the grass but the Utahraptor knew she was following his lead and letting him scout out potential targets. He kind of dreaded the day when she became too big to be his stealth buddy. He tried to keep his mind on the hunt instead of daydreaming about sand between his toes and the sea spray covering his feathers in salt. While he craved the newness of a different meal he was already missing lounging by the seaside and watching Swavelli fish for their dinner instead.

His train of thought derailed as he spotted a black shape wavering in the heat of the midday sun. He crept closer, his feathers dragging the ground as he tried to see what it was. It was enormous, firstly, furry and ridiculously muscled, like an exaggeration of a deer. Its horns were proportional, meaning they hung off of its head like a Shunosaurus’ rib bone, ending in a thick skull cap, inches of horn creating a Pachycephalosaurus-like helmet. One horn ended in a wickedly sharp point while the other had its tip broken off, not instilling confidence in Seffe now he knew this animal had survived at least one attempt on its life. 

“What is that?” he asked in a hushed whisper as he felt Swavelli approach behind him.

“Buffalo. We’ll eat for a week off it but it’s dangerous,” she replied in equally muted tones. Seffe watched it mill about and graze, alone and not paying attention to its surroundings. He trusted his companion’s judgement on these kinds of hunts but he felt the urge to commit to this anyway. When would they next get the chance to eat a meal like this again?

“The usual. If things get too serious just give the signal and I’ll distract it so you can run,” he said confidently. He ducked into the grass as his sudden increase in volume alerted the buffalo. Swavelli sighed but slunk away into the grass. Seffe slowly, gradually, crept up behind the animal and adjusted his foot placement, ready for the jump. He watched the grass around him and saw the faintest pale flash of a Suchomimus waiting in place. He nodded at her, unsure if she could even see him. Then, he struck. 

The buffalo wheeled around, bellowing in pain as Seffe managed to sink his teeth into its hind quarters. As it began to buck he took the tactical retreat, dragging his jaws through as much flesh as he could before it could kick him. Powerful legs whistled by his head and he ducked back into the long grass. He stayed low but hustled through the cover as the buffalo searched the grass for him. This wasn’t the type of prey to flee at the first retreat, though Seffe had guessed that from its general demeanour before they even attacked. He lashed his tail against the grass and rustled it loudly, making the buffalo turn towards him. Before it had a chance to charge, Swavelli had lunged from her hiding spot. Her powerful legs launched her onto the buffalo’s back and she did her best to hold on while clamping down on its neck. The prey bellowed in a mixture of pain and indignation, bucking again and trying without much success to shake the Suchomimus from its back. Her frantic eyes met Seffe’s letting him know she needed help and he rushed in. He dodged to the left of the buffalo’s kicks and took a chunk out of its stomach. Immediately doubling back on himself to avoid retaliation, Seffe dove back into the grass and readied his next move. In its growing panic the buffalo couldn’t split its attention between the two attackers and redirected its efforts into trying to get Swavelli off of it. As it reared up onto its hind legs Seffe rushed it again, tearing at the back of those legs to shake its balance. As he came away with a mouthful of flesh the buffalo collapsed under Swavelli’s weight and landed on its side. Seeing a more advantageous angle, the Suchomimus used her long jaws to latch onto the underside of the prey’s neck, crushing its windpipe. It continued to fight but the end was inevitable now, breathing was impossible and its kicks weakened as the minutes ticked by. 

Swevalli breathed heavily through her clenched teeth as she waited for the buffalo to stop struggling. Seffe stood at the ready in case it found a second wind and he needed to step in, but with a final groan and rattle, the beast was dead. The Suchomimus cautiously withdrew from the carcass, still watching for signs of life. She eventually dragged her gaze to meet Seffe’s and flashed a grin.

“Not bad, short stuff,” she said happily, tearing a strip of meat from the buffalo with a victorious flourish.

“Don’t start without me!” Seffe pouted, flapping his wings as he settled onto the stomach of the mighty buffalo to begin his feast. “And you’re welcome, by the way, for finding us something new to eat.”