ardent

fishes in surprising places

Pro Angler #2 (Lake trout)



You're not feeling so well...

Katsurō

Tojo-kai
Atotsugi

Beginner Fighter (0)

Advanced Hunter (95)

age
1 Year
gender
Male
gems
123
size
Dire wolf
build
Heavy
posts
38
player
Xarae
10-27-2024, 05:43 PM (This post was last modified: 10-30-2024, 11:51 AM by Katsurō. Edited 1 time in total.)

Something was happening in the north, but before he got to where he was going - somewhere further east, it seemed - Katsu was determined to stop and take in the scenery as he went. For all he knew, he might not ever come back to these places in Boreas. Auster and the bamboo were his home, of that much he was certain. Nevertheless, his eyes roved hungrily over this new territory. Huge trees stretched up, up into the sky, reminding him eerily of the spires that had erupted further south in Boreas. They eluded his vision in the same way. The fact that he couldn't quite determine where they ended unsettled him.

Turning his eyes back to the forest floor, he padded along towards the scent of fresh water that tickled his nose. At the far edge of where this territory broke off into white tundra sprang what looked like a deep river, beginning in a a wide pond. The water was still and beautiful. He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath that chilled his lungs from the inside. Cold, cold, cold. The young wolf shook off the chill and headed towards the shallows of the water, peering deep to see what species of fish might populate the northern waters.

"speech"
coded by NachoMumma



╔══════════════╗



╚══════════════╝



Tethys

Armada
Young Fatalis

Intermediate Fighter (30)

Intermediate Hunter (40)

age
2 Years
gender
Female
gems
446
size
Dire wolf
build
Balanced
posts
82
player
Nyx
10-27-2024, 06:08 PM

Despite the oddities that were happening as of late, Tethys felt wary about going far from Armada lands. Maybe it was the fact that she was just beginning to feel like herself again, or maybe she was just afraid- she didn't like thinking too much about the latter. She was a Fatalis, she wasn't meant to be afraid, certainly not of a blood-red sky nor the stone pillars that she'd heard had sprouted up far south of here. Deciding to scout the woods to the east of her homelands, Tethys didn't have any real goal in mind today. Maybe she'd see something worth reporting to someone back home, at the very least.

Searching for some way to help was the very least she could do, though she doubted she'd be successful.

Far-reaching tree limbs grew more sparse as she headed north, where tundra met forest. Tethys had been here before, this specific pond, fed from the northern coast of Boreas. Exhaling slow as she spotted a stranger up ahead, he very nearly blended in if not for those fiery red markings that colored his pale white coat. Even more wary of strangers these days, she slowed as she neared him. She couldn't discern much about him from this distance, so she'd approach with caution.

"Bit cold for a swim, don't you think?" A sad attempt at humor, maybe? Tethys wasn't really good at talking to others, especially not when it came to small talk, so she figured maybe something a bit more lighthearted might be a good icebreaker.



You're not feeling so well...

Katsurō

Tojo-kai
Atotsugi

Beginner Fighter (0)

Advanced Hunter (95)

age
1 Year
gender
Male
gems
123
size
Dire wolf
build
Heavy
posts
38
player
Xarae
10-27-2024, 06:16 PM

His eyes were so focused on the placid waters that he didn't hear the stranger's approach. Katsu narrowly avoided the impulse to jump, but when he turned to face her his hackles were raised. She was striking, with a pelt like an aurora sky, and he found himself eyeing it with curiosity - but he quickly blinked, hoping she wouldn't mistake it for a lecherous leer. Too late. She thinks you're a creep.

"Not swimming," he said stiffly, "Fishing." It was unfortunate for them both that neither of them socialized well, but Kat always made a valiant effort to at least be cordial and respectful as his father had taught him. He had intrinsic respect for elders and women, but the latter still confused him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bright flash in the water and he tried to take the opportunity by diving quickly down, jaws agape. A splash erupted around him, his jaws closed on empty water, and he came up sputtering and dripping wet. Not swimming, huh?

He felt blood rush to his face and he directed his gaze back at the water, knowing he'd made a fool of himself and not fond of seeing the judgment that would be plainly written on her face - judgment that he was convinced would be there, anyway. "Trying to fish," he added, his voice strained with embarrassment but he hoped it made him sound cool and aloof. "Do you know these waters well?"

"speech"
coded by NachoMumma



╔══════════════╗



╚══════════════╝



Tethys

Armada
Young Fatalis

Intermediate Fighter (30)

Intermediate Hunter (40)

age
2 Years
gender
Female
gems
446
size
Dire wolf
build
Balanced
posts
82
player
Nyx
10-27-2024, 06:42 PM (This post was last modified: 10-28-2024, 01:35 PM by Tethys. Edited 1 time in total.)

His reaction to her approach was practically mirrored all at once, her stiff posture shifting into something a little more defensive. Her hackles raised instinctively, and she felt her lips twitching into a slight sneer, but the words he spoke - although they were slightly cold -didn't seem nearly as aggressive. Her orange gaze scrutinized him, trying to figure out the kind of wolf he was. Unlike him, she didn't seem nearly as worried about coming across too strong, staring nearly unblinkingly for a long moment.

Tethys gave a quit hum of response to his statement. She was prepared to leave him to his own devices, but she paused as she watched him snap at the water and emerge without anything to show for his efforts. "Fishing," she repeated, fighting back the faintest of smiles, unable to help her amusement from coming through slightly.

"I do," she answered simply. Tethys was proud of where she came from, where she'd been born and raised, and she had no trouble identifying herself as a northerner. "I'm from the north. Not much of a fisher myself though. Water's too cold here to bother most of the year," Tethys explained. In the winter, fishing from these frigid waters could prove a risky task.

Slowly she moved toward the water's edge, keeping a respectfully safe distance from the other wolf as she did. Leaning down to study the water's surface, she paused for a moment before speaking again. "Shouldn't be too hard to find something. Might just have to be patient." Squinting at the water's surface, and trying to keep an eye on Kat out of the corner of her eye, she jolted her head back when she saw the grey-green scales of a fish just a few feet below the surface. Following it with her eyes, and then with her body, turning slightly to follow its slow path in the water. "See? The fish here tend to be pretty big, so they can put up a weirdly good fight," she gestured at the still surface of the river and the fish that moved in the depths below.



You're not feeling so well...

Katsurō

Tojo-kai
Atotsugi

Beginner Fighter (0)

Advanced Hunter (95)

age
1 Year
gender
Male
gems
123
size
Dire wolf
build
Heavy
posts
38
player
Xarae
10-27-2024, 07:08 PM

He immediately felt guilty when she returned his raised hackles, but wasn't it normal to react in kind? Katsu theorized his startle reflex could be mistaken for aggression, but he also knew it would be foolish to say: hey! I'm not going to hurt you! That's exactly what someone who was planning on hurting her would say, probably. Even though she seemed amused at his poor attempt at fishing, it helped him feel slightly more relaxed. If she was already unimpressed by him, how much further could he really embarrass himself?

"Trying to fish," he amended, relieved by her amusement. It diffused the tension between them at least. When she spoke of the north and the waters here, he visibly relaxed and nodded along patiently. He was an excellent student, if nothing else. The water had been bracingly cold, he couldn't deny that at all. He should take it from the local expert here how to proceed. "I suppose I haven't fished as much as anything else," he admitted, watching her face closely for any further hint of judgment. "Really, I'm more used to the twitch reflexes of larger game, but I can see how that would be a major hindrance for this sort of prey." Katsu adjusted where he stood as Tethys came closer, orbiting around her at what he hoped she thought was a safe distance. He followed her gaze into the depths of the water below, tracking the fish she'd identified clearly. It was a monster of a fish, bigger than plenty he'd seen in Auster. Likely they had few predators in these cold waters.

He bided his time, waiting until the fish came closer and closer to the surface. There was a piece of vegetation floating along the top of the water, some lichen or moss that had dislodged from a rock below. When the fish's wide mouth came into view to suck it in, he dove in and snapped his jaws tight around its head. The thing was much stronger than he anticipated, and it took bracing himself on the slippery rocks below and whipping his head back as hard as he could to throw the fish on to the marble shore behind him. Water flew up in a sparkling arc, the splash back covering them both. The fish hit the ground with a thunk and he turned to Tethys with a wide grin, soaked from his head to his middle. The smile fell off his face when he saw that she was soaked, too. "Oh! Oh, my deepest apologies," he stammered, then gestured to the fish he'd landed with her help. "Please, enjoy. It's too much for just me." Which was a patent lie, as the boy was huge and could wolf down three of those fish in as much time it took him to catch them. Luckily, his stomach stayed quiet and bolstered his lie.

"speech"
coded by NachoMumma



╔══════════════╗



╚══════════════╝



Tethys

Armada
Young Fatalis

Intermediate Fighter (30)

Intermediate Hunter (40)

age
2 Years
gender
Female
gems
446
size
Dire wolf
build
Balanced
posts
82
player
Nyx
10-28-2024, 02:04 PM

This man seemed quite strange to her- but then again, most wolves felt strange to her, almost alien. The only ones that felt even remotely like kindred spirits were her family members. Briefly she wondered where he came from what sort of wolf he was, but it wasn't really any of her business. Another soft snort of amusement was given, noting that he seemed a little less tense now that she had relaxed a bit too. "Trying to fish," she reiterated carefully.

Though amused by his mistake, she didn't really judge him for it. He articulated clearly that he was more used to hunting than fishing, which were two entirely different methods of obtaining prey. She understood what he meant, and nodded along. Tethys was the same way, having much more experience trying to chase down large prey that were common to find wandering the tundras, or smaller prey like hares and other arctic rodents.

He seemed as respectful as he could be, giving her some space while still watching where she gestured. Moving back just a tad when he zeroed in on the fish, she watched as he studied it, waiting for it to sneak closer to the surface. When it was within reach, he lunged for it, fighting against its hard flailing as he surfaced with the strong fish. That wasn't the only thing he brought up, though- a spray of cold water was sent directly into her face and eyes. Instinctively she squinted hard against it, attempting to keep most out of her eyes.

It only took him for a moment to realized what he'd done, though she was already shaking her head to rid it of water. "It's fine," she assured him lamely. If that was the worst thing that happened to her today, she'd be just fine with it. The way his smile dropped made it obvious that he hadn't meant to, so how could she hold it against him? She almost thought to deny his offer, but she wasn't sure how that might come across to him. "I- alright, if you're sure," she said, warily moving over to pull the fish closer.

A good few bites would be taken before she temporarily abandoned her fish, moving to the edge of the river again. If the fish were here feeding, surely there were more? "I figured I should see if I can snag a few more, for my pack," she explained, strangely enough not wanting to seem overly gluttonous after being given free food. "My name's Tethys Fatalis, by the way, of the Armada." Watching the water's still surface, she spotted a few faint shadowy figures beneath the surface, waiting patiently for the right moment to snatch one up.



You're not feeling so well...

Katsurō

Tojo-kai
Atotsugi

Beginner Fighter (0)

Advanced Hunter (95)

age
1 Year
gender
Male
gems
123
size
Dire wolf
build
Heavy
posts
38
player
Xarae
10-30-2024, 01:24 PM

It did sort of make him feel better that she accepted his offer, even with some reluctance. Success! What a win, however small. Katsu felt himself clawing back to even keel emotionally, his anxiety subsiding with every bite Tethys took of the fish. Surely, when he'd finally landed the fish, it had been impressive. Was she impressed? He idly watched the waters again as she ate, occasionally stealing a surreptitious glance back at the purple wolf. She ate with some reluctance.

Perhaps not impressed.

At least she'd taken the offer and didn't seem too put out over the fact that she'd been caught in the splash zone. When she'd finished and returned to eying the water a comfortable distance away from him, she stopped to introduce herself. He'd forgotten all about that pleasantry during their initial hackles-raised encounter. Foolish of him, and impolite by far. It would only be right to make further amends by assisting in the collection of the fish. "Yes, certainly. Let me assist and we can double your bounty," he said quickly, then introduced himself. "I am Hattori Katsurō out of Tojo-Kai," he said. He was not as familiar with the Boreas packs, but he knew the Armada were powerful and old by the usual measure of a pack's lifespan.

"We could certainly ensure the fish keep biting," he said, stepping away from the frozen lakeshore to the hardened soil surrounding the icy beach. Although the ground was packed tightly with winter's frost, he dug away diligently until the hoarfrost cracked and gave way to the deeper, loamy earth beneath. That pungent smell of freshly overturned earth tickled his nose as Katsu hunted amongst the crevice he'd made until he found what he was looking for: a fat, wriggling worm. Katsu wrinkled his nose and stretched his lips back to nick the nightcrawler just at the edge, keeping it out of his mouth as much as possible. Was he afraid of bugs? He'd never really stopped to consider it, but he did find them disgusting.

He returned to the lake shore and nodded to Tethys, worm in mouth, before tossing it just a foot or so into the water they could still easily monitor. "With any luck, that should work a treat."

"speech"
coded by NachoMumma


1/3 hunted small fresh (another unnamed fish)
1/3 gathered item related to hunting (bait: worm)



╔══════════════╗



╚══════════════╝



Tethys

Armada
Young Fatalis

Intermediate Fighter (30)

Intermediate Hunter (40)

age
2 Years
gender
Female
gems
446
size
Dire wolf
build
Balanced
posts
82
player
Nyx
11-03-2024, 12:42 PM

It took a lot to really impress her, though that said much more about how she struggled to relate to other than it did about anything else. It was hard to feel really awed by wolves when she felt so strangely distant from them, so other. If anything, she was far more preoccupied with how she seemed to Katsuro- had she been appreciative enough? Too gluttonous? Too emotionless? The latter was something she knew she struggled with, but she didn't want to give a bad impression of the Armada. Imagining him going home, wherever home might be, and telling a tale of his good deed going unappreciated by an Armada wolf... she nearly shuddered at the thought.

He introduced himself then, as a wolf of Tojo-Kai. Not a pack she knew much about- they were a reclusive group, but she knew little else about them. He offered to help her collect more fish, and she felt she could only nod and warily accept his offer of help. "If you insist," she managed dumbly. Was he only offering out of obligation? Or genuine care? A more familiar wolf she might ask, but she didn't know how. Giving her head a little shake, she tried to rid herself of those thoughts, knowing she'd just drive herself mad wondering and trying to get inside his head.

A place she certainly hadn't been invited to. Better focus on what they were doing and not what he was thinking or feeling.

"Good idea," she applauded him as he dug at the frozen ground, digging with obvious determination until he found a worm deep beneath the soil. Once he extracted it, he tossed it into the water and then came the waiting. The fish didn't seem interested at first, but after a long moment a few began to stir. One by one they begin to move closer to the surface, Tethys fixing her attention on a nice fat one that dove swiftly toward the worm. Managing to cut it off before it consumed their bite, she dove face-first into the cold water, eyes closing when she felt her teeth sink around its flopping body. Success! She emerged soaked halfway down her throat, giving the fish a good squeeze before tossing it onto the shore. She just hoped she'd moved quickly enough that her hunting partner would have a chance to snatch up one of his own too.