✯ — got spirits in my head and they won't go

The sun was yet to bring full heat to the areas that they called home, the island slowly being freed from its chilled winter. The parting of winter for spring instead brought in its passage the thaws that would bring running water through the river. Icy it might be from the headwaters in the mountains, but it was life. It was spring, and it was the full moon - it was the best time for fishing as some fish would be coming to spawn already. Nature had its ways of ensuring that the world continued, even if habits of animals were stranger than not.

Stepping through the grasses of the land upon which he lived, Aesior carried a stick in his jaws, intent on doing some hunting. He liked fire-roasted fish, raw was just as well but perhaps he had a particular taste for roasted. Tail swinging as he caught his balance, the tom would search out the most undisturbed part of the river - it was a wide ribbon of water and had depths he couldn't get across easily. He was stubborn if anything, he would get what he wanted. Wading into the softest parts of the bank that he could find, the mute talonguard would let his legs sink into the muck, making a face as it squished between his toes and claws as he squelched his way through to the water, being as still as he could with his movements.

He didn't want to chase away his prey with movements, and the fish seemed to be in this area - this was the best that he could find. Settling in the water, cold current tugging at his belly fur, he assessed how far he would have to move into the current, stick in his jaws so he could spear his fish on it. He much preferred to use his paws but if the current was too strong, this might be the best option to catch them.

Flexing his muscles as he saw a shimmer of scales in the water, he struck out to feel the fish glance him by, claws carding through its tail fin. Making a displeased expression, the tom would continue to wait, tail lifted into the air for balance. He would wait as long as necessary to get the kills he wanted. Narrowing his eyes as the sun emerged, his tail drooping to rest against the water, he gave a startled gasp as he felt a mouth close around his tail tip. Throwing his body around without much thought, he caught sight of the bass clinging to his tail, quickly going after it with his claws and a huff, digging claws into the fish as he threw it at the shore, hoping it wouldn't flop back into the water. Damn, if only he'd brought a bucket instead of a stick.

✯ — MALE. THE GOLDEN EYE. MEDIUM DIFFICULTY. REF. LANGUAGE GUIDE. — ✯

✯ — got spirits in my head and they won't go

The sound of his catch landing on shore managed to reach his ears over the sound of water about him, heart beating a bit frantically still. Memories that were coming weren't the happiest, he didn't want to remember any teeth on any part of his body. Shaking himself to chase away the memories of when he was much smaller, he blinked as he heard Fraggle's words. Realizing that the youngest member had aided him in dispatching his catch, he gave him a large grin in response around his stick before realizing he couldn't see it. Raising a dripping paw to his chin, he would move his paw in an arc towards Fraggle, a messy attempt to say thank you through sign language.

The rabbit's aid was what he needed, as accidental as the catch was, it still meant food, either for himself or for others. Sneezing faintly as he paused in the water, paw midair before splashing back into the water with the contraction of his muscles. Stick being clenched between his jaws he would wince as it creaked under uncontrolled pressure. Nodding to Fraggle's questions, he pointed to the river and riled up the dirt nearest to his paws before going still. Waiting for a few more moments, as soon as he spotted bubbles on the water's surface, he tensed and plunged the stick into the water. Luckily scoring a second bass, he struggled with the stick, having skewered the bass close to the spine. Carrying it to shore, he dropped his stick to free the bass and dispatch it with a crack of his jaws behind its head. Huffing slightly, he grinned at Fraggle, shaking off the scales that clung to his chin fur. Looking back at the river, he debated how to explain his tactic for fishing, as accidental as the tail was.

Rolling his stick with a paw as he thought, he tipped his head before sitting on his haunches. Using his paws, he attempted to make a visual scene of his trick with riling up the mud and murk. Moving one paw along as if it was a fish, he would extend one claw to pretend to be some sort of smaller fish and wiggle it some distance from the 'fish'. The 'fish' would close in on the 'bait' before 'taking' the 'bait'. Fish were attracted to tether smaller things that moved, and some bass were easier to catch in the mud as they seemed to think prey was easier to find where it might be stuck. He wasn't an expert on fishing, but he'd learned this much through his years and through experimentation to feed himself.

✯ — MALE. THE GOLDEN EYE. MEDIUM DIFFICULTY. REF. LANGUAGE GUIDE. — ✯

ultimum eques
the golden eyes
stoneguard
albino oriental
tags

✯ — got spirits in my head and they won't go

As Fraggle applauded him, the tom would find his face warming beneath his fur, embarrassed to be congratulated on a skill he'd developed merely to feed himself.  Shaking his head as if to dismiss the praise, he would look at the two kills between them before pausing to consider. Would the others be hungry? No matter - fish could be salted and saved for a later time. Nodding faintly at the boys enthrallment with his presentation, he would flick an ear softly. It had taken him a long time to figure out how to hunt in this manner, yes, but if only because of an injury that he still suffered from years later. His paws had become injured more through his lifetime but the nerves in his paws and wrists would sometimes become strained or even cross over and fine-tune movements where it included intense use of those muscles such as fishing, he had learned to use other items to his aid.

Looking up as Damion joined the small party of two, he dipped his head slightly in greeting, offering him a faint smile as he spoke of the fishing being a thing of luck. To him, hunting and fishing could be done by use of predatorial instincts, though not everyone was skilled to have such an instinct to tell them where creatures of prey might be. Crouching to get settled as the others spoke, he turned his head with a smile towards Vincent as he joined them, tail curling about his paws. His paws were sore from the temperature of the water, though he didn't mind it and this was a bit of an effort to warm them before they could start to ache. He would explain his situation with his paws but such a weakness was a secret he liked to keep, for as kind as the world of predators may seem, not everyone was a kind being within it and he had little desire to be taken after for a physical weakness he could not help anymore than he could help being mute. Strange as it had been to fish with a stick, he'd found he had greater success with spearing them in this manner. That, and the stick worked well for carrying the corpses once he was done.

Twisting his gaze back to the river and his stick, he stood back up and moved to roll it back to his body, most of his weight leaned upon his hind legs. Paws visibly shaking as he moved to pick it up with his paws and bring it to his mouth, pressing his paws back to the ground to try and hide the tremors. How did he explain another unwanted injury? Shaking his head, he stood up to give Vincent an example of how he used the stick - he could use his jaws but in the mud he was sure to end up wearing and eating more mud than catching a fish. It truly was a test of luck, but he tended to be fairly lucky when it came to fishing like this only from years of experience and studying. He was growing tired of the taste of bass but it was the fish he could catch best - he could only dream of eating salmon when their season came to pass through the rivers towards hatching grounds.

✯ — MALE. THE GOLDEN EYE. MEDIUM DIFFICULTY. REF. LANGUAGE GUIDE. — ✯

ultimum eques
the golden eyes
stoneguard
albino oriental
tags

✯ — got spirits in my head and they won't go

grateful was the allowance to slide past the injury he bore as an internal mark of shame. the attack that had left him mute years ago had done more than surface damage, but he'd been able to take a small revenge on the brute that took his voice, like he'd taken many things from him. giving an exhale to clear the angry memories and thoughts wrapped around the bastard that had done it, he would re-focus his mind on the present. he was fishing. he liked fishing. he was good at fishing. relaxing and his ears resting at a neutral point, he would check to make sure he still held the pale-furred tom's attention. not that he was eager for attention, gods no, but he wanted to show his means.

he would laugh if he could at his words, saying that he was full of surprises. attempting to flash a coy smile around the stick held now within his jaws, he would wade back into the waters, tail resting still in the air, a proud point over his spine, away from the jaws of any hungry fish. he would wait quietly, ears twitching at every minute sound, eyes finding a vole upon grasses not far away from where they stood. blinking, he would return his gaze to the calm water around him, involuntary the shudder at paws sinking deep into mud. holding himself still, he would wait and wait, waiting for the faintest disturbance of water, of a fish passing by his legs. quick came the strike, little time to tell where the muscles tensed and when the order to fire was given. abrupt and swift the splash of water around slender shaft of stick. rearing his head back, heavy weight of struggling fish upon the other end nearly causing him to lose his grip.

rotation of weight upon hindlegs closer to shore, he would turn his body back with stick in tow, to drop it against the shore and swiftly end the fish's life. gazing it over, he would narrow his eyes slightly. small, but it would do, they always did - he merely felt some regret for ending a young fish's life. shaking his head to free the scales from his chin fur, he lifted his head to vincent and motioned towards the stick he'd used. a silent offer to teach the other the strange way of fishing.

✯ — MALE. THE GOLDEN EYE. MEDIUM DIFFICULTY. REF. LANGUAGE GUIDE. — ✯