Duck Lake We can be like Jack and Sally if you want

Maybe @Pygmalion but definitely AW

He would never usually say he hated anything but he hated the cold. His fur didn't thicken out properly here, whether do to the lack of prey or something else he didnt know but he was colder due to it. Do to this he moved around more often just to keep warm and unfortunately lost his brother's trail. When Pip landed at the lake he noticed it not yet frozen and was grateful, settling and fishing for hours before catching a medium sized meal. Wagging his tail he slid to his belly and crunched through the fish, seeming like usual to be content in the moment.

The lake was due-south, and might've been a target for birds in the warmer months. Ibis hoped (with a sense of desperation) that she was right to think there would be something to eat there; the marsh was suitable enough for her, but now there were more mouths to feed and she could not rely solely upon her brother. If she wanted her new friends to stick around, she would have to provide. It was a difficult lesson for the lady. She had spent much of her life being cared for, rather than doing the caring, and the constant activity had worn away the last of her youthful fats (although the growing famine had helped there too).

As she drew closer to the lake through the many layers of trees, she thought she smelled fresh blood. It filled her mouth with saliva so rapidly that Ibis was repulsed by herself; a line of drool slipping off of her teeth and plopping in to the leaf-litter below. She hastily dabbed at herself with her forelimb and continued on - watching as a silhouetted shape dove face-first against something upon the shore. There was that scent again (this time, more fishy) and Ibis knew immediately what was going on.

She felt her belly churn with hunger as she dashed from cover, aligning with the stranger as they ate. It was rude, she knew, but she was so excited to have found someone able to fish! Her tail was raised and batting at the air as she interrupted the stranger's meal. Did you catch that? She launched quickly in to conversation before the person could even take notice of her. Can you catch me one? Or show me? Where'd you find that..? Well it was a fish, so obviously the lake -- but how? Ibis thought all the food had vanished!

Pip's meal would have been finished in no time but suddenly there was a young voice and he looked up into the face of a girl as she rushed toward him. For a moment he was defensive, paw being placed over his fish and body tensing before he realised she was just excited and he figured probably hungry too. The girl asked for his help and his ears perked, a bit surprised by the lack of caution the girl used to speak to him. Pip had grown up in a large family with many siblings older and younger to content with, he was used to having tons of wolves around him and in his space all at once. It was for that reason that he relaxed and gave her a friendly smile nodding "Yeah, I got you" he said and stood up, looking down at the rest of his fish. After a moment's thought he slid it toward her "It isn't much but its something if we don't catch more" he then walked toward the lake and began to slowly walk along the shoreline until he caught a few small flashes of silver. Slowly he slid into the water and moved inch by inch outward and paused, looking toward her and motioning her closer silently "Don't talk" he said, his voice dropped to a volume only high enough for her to catch if she paid attention.

In her excitement Ibis perceived the defensive shift of the stranger over the fish but did not fully comprehend the significance. She had been taught not to touch another person's food (as it was quite rude) and kept her distance from what he was eating, showing a greater investment in the lake's edge, where she stood energized and expectant, perhaps anticipating that a fish will leap from the water for her or something equally ridiculous. In truth Ibis is stunned by the prowess of the stranger; they have a small pile of fish and at a time where prey has been diminishing across the wilds, the mere aroma of the meat brings life to her thinned face.

When the boy is comfortable enough with her presence and it is clear Ibis means no harm, he says something about helping her - and invites her close, advising silence. Ibis nods and shuts right up, prancing alongside where he leads, but isn't sure what to look for. Fish were not her area of expertise - then again, she had never been much of a hunter to start off with. Learning to fish might just save her life and keep her friends fed, which was the important thing.

The fish drifted with the flow of the lake and he followed moving slowly, one paw over the other silently. His eyes were on the water ahead of him and he caught a flash in the sunlight, lunging forward jaws snapping closed seconds after his face breached the water. He came up to the surface holding a thrashing fish and hurried ashore, dropping it "Get it, pin it quick and hard and then bite behind its head hard and deep" he did the pin as he spoke and then quickly bite down, ceasing the fishes struggling. He looked up and turned, using a hind paw to flip the fish in her direction. "Go into the water. Deep enough for the water to be murky but clear enough to see shadow. In the right sunlight you'll see a flash. Silver usually. The second you see that lunge with your muzzle and chomp down on it. It takes practice, patience and precision" he said warning her it wasn't easy but then joining her at the shore again. "We should take it easy though. Not run it too barren. One try okay?" his tone was kind as he looked down at her, smiling in a way that said she could go ahead and try as much as she wanted but if she caught one that was it.

It sounded like a lot more work than she expected. His instructions were clear enough (and a bit brutal, she thought) but then he moved to show her; his motions were fluid as if he'd been doing this all his life, and soon he was joining her along the dry shore with a fish in tow. It was small, as malnourished as anything from the land, and made her immediately skeptical of the lake's true value. In the coming weeks the snow would come and the fish would freeze - or vanish - and Ibis didn't think she could burn all those calories for such a small payout. Then again, food was food, she was desperate.

I'll try -- she softly says, trying not to raise her voice too high. Then she began to wade in to the water. It was quite brisk, bitterly so, and the fur along the girl's narrow spine raised in surprise. Soon enough her limbs were numbed to it. It wasn't as bad as wading through mud, she thought - but still, being wet wasn't something that the nymph particularly enjoyed. She carefully paced along the slick river stones of the bottom, and then paused, watching for -- shadows, was it?

No, there was a flash of silver against the darkness of a murky swath; so quick that Ibis almost doubted herself too long. She lunged, felt the sharp cold of the water against her snout and immediately huffed in reaction, raising her face out of the water immediately, and the dark shapes of the fish zoomed off a great distance to where the water was too deep for her tiny self. Ibis sputtered a bit, the water dribbling off of her chin. She felt like a complete fool and withdrew frantically from the shallows - shaking off with a huff of frustration upon the shore.

Oh god, I suck! I wasn't expecting the water to be so cold. The girl lamented and looked pathetically to the stranger, looking all the skinnier where the water slicked her coat down.

The girl seemed disappointed but it wasnt his concern whether she thought it good enough. In a time of true struggle even a small meal could last far with determination. He watched as she went into the water and watched, she seemed attentive enough. He caught the space between her spotting the fish and the lunge though he smiled as she wasnt the worst he had seen. As she came up sputtering he laughed his tail wagging as he flashed her a bright smile "With practice it'll be instinct on sight, kid. You're not bad though" he wanted to encourage her to try again on her own terms, especially since he wasnt even sure the famine would last that long. "My name is Pirrup but people call me Pip. What's yours?"

She didn't expect him to continue with his good cheer, unabated. Maybe condescend to her (because so often people did, and too commonly she was oblivious to it), maybe even yell at her for her lack of follow-through; instead he seemed pleased, and bolstered her thin confidence with some words of encouragement — followed promptly by an introduction. She shook some of the water from her coat (really showing her age in that moment) but was all smiles after.

My name is Ibis! People call me -- uh, Ibis. Sometimes Cerulean? My mom gave me two names. It wasn't a surname exactly, which would be confusing to explain. Before the boy could fully process that she hastily says, I live in the marsh north of here. But its getting pretty cold, so it... it might be a good idea to think about moving. As this idea dawned on her she peered north as if to contemplate her soggy home, briefly distracted.

When she turned back to him she was fully present again, focused on the wolf rather than the water and her failing to fish. Do you live here at the lake?

Pip flinched back as droplets of water sprayed his fur, a bit startled but not really bothered by it. He had many brothers, many sisters, he was used to always being a mess from a fight or a hunt or a bit of a playful scuffle. He snorted softly and cracked a smile in return to hers, ears pricking as she began to speak with much more enthusiasm than before, something that he found impressive in a humorous way. She rambled a bit but he didn't seem to be bothered but instead listened with content patience to everything she had to say. "Nice to meet you Ibis. Cerulean is...well that's a beautiful name too" he said though he thought Ibis was a fitting name for the young woman. "I do not, I'm just trying to find my brother again. Lost his trail and decided to inspect the lake" he spoke casually, his tail swaying at his legs.

Well, it was a beautiful lake either way. The perfect place to survive through autumn with the food shortage going on, provided you had the skills to benefit from it. Alas, she was not one of those people. The stranger's mention of looking for family struck a chord with her though; she nods, understanding wholeheartedly the struggle of a scattered family.

If you get tired of the lake you're welcome to the marsh, if that helps? You've been very kind, teaching useless little me to fish. Think of it as payback, sweet Pirrup! Ibis proclaimed without hesitation, smiling to the boy. How long have you been in the valley? Maybe I've seen your brother around here..? It was unlikely, what with all the chaos of late and Ibis' habit of lingering for long hours in the marsh, but hey, miracles could happen.

Once again he was taken back by her outward friendliness. He couldn't help but smile in return but he was concerned for her to say the least. Never the less, it wasn't his business and he could only hope that she wasnt this nice to everyone. "I appreciate the kind offer and it was no problem to help you out but I have to find my brother. Looks like me but with brown eyes instead of gold. More muscle less fur" he wagged as he fell silent hoping perhaps she could point him in the right direction.

She hadn't been offering the marsh as a means to root him in place, not at all. The way he took the offer was odd though, he simultaneously accepted it but also rejected it, and it was briefly very confusing. When he went on to describe his brother Ibis tried to think of all the wolves she knew with white fur—pale, with dark eyes—did she know someone like that? It would've been more helpful to have a name.

The only one to come to mind was, Pygmalion, maybe? Her voice was thoughtful and subdued, a comment made more to herself than the boy, but loud enough for him to hear it. Beyond that she couldn't think of many; there was Marten, and... The only other pale wolves among the marshlands were women, so, they were out.

He waited patiently holding his breath anxiously and then as she asked if it was Pyg, yipped and wagged happily overjoyed. "Yes! That's him! Do you know where he is?" he gushed eyes bright. The tracking had taken time, many times he had gotten off path and struggled to find it again. He was discouraged this time and had considered not going back to searching. It seemed fate had different plans that day, something that took weight he didnt know he had off his shoulders.

The abundance of good cheer spilling from the boy was infectious. Ibis smiled, her tail waving, flicking some errant drops of water from where it had collected during the fishing attempt. She nods and says, I met him a few days ago. He's living with the rest of my friends right now — I could show you? Pirrup was more than welcome to follow her. Ibis would live vicariously through the reunited siblings if possible; it felt good to bring together two lost souls like this, and made her think fondly of her brother, hopeful for a similar outcome for herself. Come on, it isn't far. She motions with her snout and sets off alongside him at a hasty prance, suddenly energized again. Maybe later she'd come back to try her luck at fishing again.