|
Post by Silver on Jan 6, 2024 7:24:04 GMT -6
Whew! What a catch. Absolutely nobody is going to believe this fish story. At least Fiera has a good number of new friends to show for it. As tired and pathetic as they look now, they might just end up useful. Oh, and would you look at that? There's a couple more things sticking out of the mud over here. [Taming success!]
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 6:46:14 GMT -6
It had been a while since Fiera had brought Savitri to the river bend, and with good reason. He was a menace. His playful, pranking nature might be amusing to some people, but Fiera didn't find it so fun when he was actively getting himself into trouble- or danger. She thought back to a month or so ago when he thought it would be funny to quite literally toss himself at the face of a rakai sarane to see if it would try and catch him- only to blow fire in its face when it actually tried. That was a fun thing to explain to the rakai's owner. In a way, this fishing trip was an effort to try and get some of that energy out. If she was lucky, he'd find his surroundings too interesting to actually cause any trouble and she'd be able to get through this relatively smoothly.
Fiera 11 Savitri 7.1/14.1 1
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 6:49:03 GMT -6
Of course, their surroundings WERE genuinely interesting for once. Fiera had scouted out a neat place this time. Rather than a smooth river, she found a spot where the land fell down in a terraced fashion, making the stream stop in individual pools before spilling over the edge to the next one. The constant flow of water made it so the pools never got stagnant and gross, but each individual one was quite pristine and still looking at first glance. Usually there was a mat of algae in the center, constantly rotating and kept perfectly in the center by the constant current. The environment was admittedly a bit difficult for Fiera to traverse however- she wasn't exactly a spring chicken, and all these hills and small rocky cliffs were a bit rough on her knees. Still, if Savitri was enjoying himself then that was all she really needed out of this.
Fiera 12 Savitri 7.2/14.2 2
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 6:51:49 GMT -6
He certainly seemed to be enjoying it more than their usual fare. She could see why. Normally the river was a wide, murky affair. It was perfectly straight with a somewhat shallow muddy bottom and low visibility. Other than the occasional bicycle that got dumped in on accident, it was a pretty plain area for a young, adventurous creature. She supposed it was a bit like walking down a regular road- everything off of it was going to be more interesting than the road itself, which might lead to a creature wandering off. So Fiera had to do her best to make the road itself more interesting- which was what led her here. She wasn't sure how good the actual fishing was here though, that remained to be seen, but she was sure she could pluck at least a few interesting things out of the depths to make the trip worthwhile.
Fiera 13 Savitri 7.3/14.3 3
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 6:54:04 GMT -6
Already, Savitri was exploring the first pool. The little pebbles on the bottom came in a dull rainbow of colors from various types of rocks washed downstream over the years, and she watched as he flipped them over experimentally, marveling at the patterns and shapes. "Let me know if you find anything good, Savitri!" She said cheerfully, and looked around the pool herself. There WERE a few fish in here. Not much bigger than minnows, but perhaps they'd be worth selling as bait more than anything else. Fiera got out her net- they should be easy enough to catch. She glanced down at Savitri- he was still investigating the pebbles, so there wasn't any chance of him getting caught in it. Her target confirmed, she stayed very still, letting the little fish draw closer and closer... before she struck, plunging the net as fast as she could into the water and heaving herself back up.
Fiera 14 Savitri 7.4/14.4 4
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 6:56:25 GMT -6
Her partially feline instincts must have been better than she thought, as she managed to catch all three of them. She purred with happiness and surprise, looking at the little creatures that swirled in the bottom of the net as she held it just in the water. Savitri swam up to investigate, his wide red eyes making the little fish crowd towards the opposite side of the net from him. "Aren't they cute, Savitri? They're ours now!" She said, and pulled the net out as he plunged back to the bottom of the pool again. She quickly transferred the minnows to her catch bucket, making sure they all slipped out from the webbing of the net unharmed. Her first catch- a small one, but perhaps indicative of things to come. She straightened back out and looked at Savitri, who was still digging around in the rocks- though more insistently this time.
Fiera 15 Savitri 8.0/16.0 5
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 7:01:00 GMT -6
"Find something interesting?" Fiera said, leaning over the edge of the pool. She didn't think Savitri could hear her all the way down there- or at least not well- but stranger things had happened. Finally he dove in, shoving his face directly into the mess of rocks at the bottom, so hard that Fiera was sure he was trying to burrow his way through to escape the pool. She gazed on in confused concern for a moment before he pulled up again, bringing something to the surface. Instinctively, Fiera held out her hand, and Savitri breached the water and plopped something directly onto it. "Oh, nice! Did you find a pretty rock to give me, S-" Fiera said, before actually looking at what he had just put in her hand. The texture was not that of a rock. The fact that it was moving meant that it was DEFINITELY not a rock.
Fiera 16 Savitri 8.1/16.1 6
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 8:32:31 GMT -6
Fiera made a noise a lot like "HweURUGHHH" and tossed the creature into her catch bucket. Upon further inspection, she could see that it was a dull yellow with a slightly craggy texture- perhaps making it difficult to detect amongst the rocks- and was lined with myriad little legs. Or were they fins? Fiera couldn't really tell- it wasn't an enormous creature. But perhaps it was worth something. Savitri stared up at her with his big, wet eyes, waiting for her response. Fiera gave him an obliging pat on the head. "...Good catch, kid." She said. He definitely did that to prank her, but a catch was a catch. Perhaps she could encourage him to use those skills to make more... productive finds. Or at least less wiggly ones. Praise received, Savitri dove back into the water to find something else to do- or perhaps, more bugs for him to catch.
Fiera 17 Savitri 8.2/16.2 7
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 11:35:11 GMT -6
The algae mat floating on the surface had been disturbed when Fiera plunged her net in, and now little pieces of it sprinkled down towards the bottom of the pool. Savitri ate these up with relish, enjoying the flavor of 'wild' food. Fiera was glad he was up to date on his veterinary regimen however- she didn't want to think about what sort of bugs could be in that. When it looked like he was done eating however, Fiera picked up the catch bucket and made a move towards the next pool. "Come on Savitri, let's go!" She said, gesturing over her shoulder. The seryn looked up at her, then towards the edge of the pool. The water spilled over the edge, flowing down a slope for about six feet until it reached the next pool. It was a big distance for a fish to try and cross, though he'd never truly be "out of the water".
Fiera 18 Savitri 8.3/16.3 8
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 11:55:39 GMT -6
He was, however, a seryn. You know. A species of fish that could breathe air and even fly under ideal circumstances. He truly had no reason to be afraid of it, but was struggling to make the jump regardless. "Oh come on, Mr.Confident can't manage a little slope?" Fiera said, teasing him. He bubbled the water angrily. "Oh, I guess I'll just have to leave you there, then! Nice knowing you, Savitri!" She said, flipping her hair and continuing to walk. It might have been cruel, but she knew that Savitri needed to learn to take it as well as he could dish it- or, failing that, to get over his fear of being out of water. Sure enough, she heard a loud splash come from the pool. She glanced back over her shoulder. He wasn't flying- he didn't know how to do like that- but he had managed to gracelessly flop out of the pool.
Fiera 19 Savitri 8.4/16.4 9
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 12:45:07 GMT -6
Well, it was a start. He continued sliding down the slope, splashing pathetically in the half inch deep water, until he finally managed to flip himself over again. From there Savitri half fell, half slithered his way down the slope until he finally landed in the pool below. Fiera gave him some sarcastic applause. "Excellent job. Ten out of ten, really." She said, only for her pet to squirt water at her as a retort. She shrieked with amused surprise, holding up an arm to defend herself. That seemed to satisfy Savitri, so he began to explore his new surroundings, fluttering away into the depths of the pool. Fiera glanced around herself- there wasn't much different, being so close to the last pool, but she supposed it was at least a bit more shaded. A large oak tree stretched itself out over the water, protecting it with its leafy boughs.
Fiera 20 Savitri 9.0/18.0 10
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 19:54:58 GMT -6
The thick shade of the tree prevented the algae from growing here, and the current swept away or pulled down any leaves, which were much flimsier than the mats of algae to start with. This meant that this pool was a lot clearer and cleaner, and Fiera could see deep down into it. She wasn't sure what made these divots in the terraced earth to start with- small sinkholes, perhaps? Over time though, their bottoms had become covered in pebbles and river grass, making it impossible for the average person to tell their origin. This one was pretty deep though- the rocky bottom was almost ten feet down, and Savitri was only just now reaching it. He nudged the substrate with his nose, as if proving to himself that yes, it really was that deep. He looked back up at Fiera- she gave him a thumbs up, he was doing fine.
Fiera 1 Savitri 9.1/18.1 11
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 20:02:53 GMT -6
What was of greater interest to her was the schools of fish swarming around. A couple of shimmering, rainbow schools swam from end to end, picking at the bits of debris that fell into the pool, no doubt assisting in keeping it so clean. They were doing a good job, but Fiera was keen to get in on that and claim them for herself. She purred happily and readied the net before plunging it into the water- to no avail. The fish quickly fled, scattering in all directions as she failed to scoop up a single one. She huffed to herself quietly. This pool was a lot wider than the last one and deeper, which gave them more places to flee too without thinking about it when Fiera stuck the net in. It also left Fiera at a disadvantage with her range- she couldn't stretch all the way across this pool.
Fiera 2 Savitri 9.2/18.2 12
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 20:05:48 GMT -6
She gave it a few more tries, but it was clear her strategy was missing something here. Before the fish were so crowded in together that it was like... well, like catching fish in a barrel. Now though, they had plenty of places to run and hide. Savitri watched as she struggle to grab any of the water. She ran from side to side around the edge of the pool, but the fish had caught wise by now and fled to the other side as soon as she got close. She dipped the net in to run it through the water as she ran towards the other side, but she couldn't move it fast enough to catch up with them. It was starting to look hopeless- they had even stopped clumping up in a school like they had been before, making it all the more unlikely that she'd catch more than one at once.
Fiera 3 Savitri 9.3/18.3 13
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Apr 15, 2024 20:15:27 GMT -6
Just as she was about to give up however, she finally managed to snag one, lifting it out of the water. Below, Savitri's red eyes gazed at her. "Yes! I did it! Hahaaa- oh, hi there." She said, finally meeting her pet's gaze. "You uh, you need something?" She asked rhetorically as she dumped the fish into her catch bucket. He didn't reply, but instead silently slipped back into the water. She returned the net to the water, and then realized what was happening- Savitri rushed around the bottom of the pond, swimming directly at the fish. Being much bigger with larger fins, he easily spooked them into moving away from him- and straight towards Fiera's net. "Ah, herding! Fantastic idea, Savitri!" Fiera said happily, and waited until he drove some of the shoal closer and closer to her waiting net. They locked eyes for a moment, mutually understanding each other.
Fiera 4 Savitri 9.4/18.4 14
|
|