Whitefish River Misty Morning

A lone wolf padded along the rocky bank of the mighty Whitefish River, occasionally stumbling as his paws slid off the slippery rocks. It was a crisp autumn morning, and a cool mist hung over the river like a shroud. It was a beautiful sight, one that made Koda feel at home for the first time in months. He had grown up on the banks of the Spirit River, and almost every day of his puppyhood -dawn till dusk- was spent playing in the shallow water.

A smile grew on his face and a laugh almost escaped him as he remembered pushing his brother into a deep part of the river on a particularly cold day. Koda had been scolded for his prank, but getting his revenge on the bigger pup, who had often picked on him, had been so very sweet. Of course, his brother's bullying only got worse after that, but it was important to savor your small victories.

The rocky shore gradually turned to sand, and Koda decided this was a good spot to stop for a rest and get a drink. A school of minnows scattered and darted under the cover of the weeds growing in the shallow water as the wolf came near the river's edge. Koda dipped a paw in to test the water, finding it a bit too chilly for a morning swim. Summer was gone, and soon the land would begin to die and the young wolf would be facing his first winter alone. As he lapped up the cool water, he remembered Finley, the pretty silver she-wolf he'd met on the mountain the previous day. She had suggested he join her pack, an offer he might be tempted to take up if times got too tough. For now though, he'd stay a lone wolf and explore this beautiful new wilderness.

Feeling refreshed, Koda continued on his way, content to follow the meandering river for a while until something pulled him away.

Hiya! :D

His ribs didn't ache as much today, so Peregrine decided to take his research project in a new direction. He padded through the cool morning air, arrived at the plateau's edge and promptly loped down into the unclaimed grassland beyond it. He made his way toward the river, having decided he would try his hand (paw?) at fishing.

When the black Alpha male arrived at the water's edge, a small splashing sound called his attention downriver. He wasn't alone; a strange wolf was having a morning drink. Peregrine's tongue darted out to moisten his dry nose as he studied the stranger downstream. He was very average in appearance, with no notable markings Peregrine could see from here.

When the wolf finished his drink and pivoted to meander away along the riverside, Peregrine broke into a slow trot. His unpleasant encounter a day or so before stopped him from calling out to the stranger. For now, he simply tailed him, as was his prerogative when he spotted strangers close to his turf.

The whistling of wings drew Koda's attention to a pair of ducks flying overhead. He turned his head to watch the birds splash down into the water, and as he did he saw something big and black in his peripheral vision. His heart skipped as he realized a wolf was following him.

Koda turned to face the stranger. "Enjoying the view?" He asked, hoping his sarcasm would mask his surprise. "How long have you been following me?"

The two ducks also caught Peregrine's eye and he paused to watch them as they flew lower, banked and glided to a stop on the river's misty surface. Their grace totally ensnared his attention until a voice redirected it back to the wolf, who had evidently noticed his tail.

Quirking a brow at the sarcastic comment, he tipped his head thoughtfully as he took a moment to study the stranger's hindquarters. "Yes," he replied without missing a beat. "Maybe a minute or two. You sound scandalized," he observed in an amused tone.

The black wolf didn't miss a beat replying to Koda's sarcastic question. The gray male blinked his yellow eyes, and was rendered speechless for a moment at the unexpected answer. He decided to just let it go.

"Sorry, you just startled me a bit," he replied, his polite and friendly nature resurfacing. Truth be told, Koda was mostly just embarrassed that the wolf had been able to sneak up on him without him noticing.

The stranger didn't seem to know what to make of Peregrine's remark, which gave the swarthy Alpha male a mischievous sense of satisfaction. Padding closer, he saw the scars on the other male's nose and gave him a curiously questioning look. He stopped perhaps six feet from the other wolf.

"The plateau," he said, gesturing toward the nearby ledge, "is my home. When I see strangers skulking around, I keep an eye on them, that's all. I'm Peregrine. Who are you?"

The gray wolf stood fast as the newcomer approached him, his stance not was not overly defensive but he hadn't completely dropped his guard. Koda noticed the other male studying the marks on his nose. "Porcupine," he explained, feeling no need to elaborate further. The other wolf could probably guess how he came to receive those wounds.

He listened as the black wolf, who introduced himself as Peregrine, explained that he lived nearby. "The plateau, as in Blacktail Deer Plateau?" He questioned, remembering Finley again. "My name is Koda, by the way."

When the male, Koda, asked for clarification, Peregrine paused and then looked around himself conspicuously a moment before returning his blue-green eyes to the other wolf. "Do you see any other plateaus...?" He punctuated this playful jab with a quiet laugh. "Yes, Blacktail Deer Plateau."

And just like that, Peregrine found himself trying to uphold a conversation with a stranger, which was neither his forte nor really among his interests. "Uh." He shifted. "Have you ever fished before?" He wasn't really one for hunting with outsiders, yet fishing wasn't the same as hunting, really. Maybe this dude had some skills and experience Peregrine could borrow, in the name of his project.

"Ah, right," he said with a laugh at his own apparent lack of observation. "I actually met someone from your pack the other day a girl named Finley," he explained. "That's why I was asking."

Peregrine switched the topic to fishing, an activity Koda had once pursued on a daily basis. "Yeah, I used to go fishing with my dad all the time," he replied. "Are you going to do a little fishing?"

Good, good, Peregrine thought, his inner voice taking on a strangely devious voice. Aloud, he said, "Yup, I was going to give it a whirl. You can come watch and give me pointers, Koda, but only if you meet my one condition: you're not part of another pack. Are you? Because, you see, it's against my religion to mingle with rival packs' members." And, now that he thought about it, he wouldn't mind attempting to recruit this guy if he actually was on the market.

"Nope," Koda replied with a shake of his head, "I'm just a lone wolf trying to make my way in the world." He was starting to miss pack life a bit, but he was still enjoying his freedom. It was great to go wherever you wanted and do whatever you wanted without anyone bossing you around. But it could also get pretty lonely sometimes, so Koda always wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to have some company for a while. Perhaps that was why he was so willing to go fishing with Peregrine.

Something about Peregrine gave Koda the impression that he hadn't done much fishing before. "So do you have any experience, or are you starting from square one?" He questioned the black wolf. "Cause I would be more than happy to show you a few things." It had been a while for Koda himself, but the teachings of his father were deeply ingrained into his memory.

"Ah, I'm in luck then," Peregrine said, eyeing Koda more closely now. He appeared healthy and able-bodied. He might be just the Warden or Gamekeeper the plateau needed to pad its ranks. "Maybe if you're good enough, I'll offer you a rank in my pack," he added jestingly, though he gave the other wolf a serious glance. "It's one of the strongest in the area." And he wasn't just blowing hot air either.

Motioning for Koda to follow him, Peregrine pivoted on a black heel and trotted back in the direction of the plateau. He stopped near a small bend in the river, where the water was a bit calmer, and glanced up at his companion. "I'm a total noob, really. This seems like a good spot to try but I could be totally wrong. Show me your ways, Fisherman Koda."

'A rank in my pack.' Koda repeated Peregrine's words in his head, and came to a sudden realization. "Are you the Alpha?" He asked the black wolf, curiosity evident in his voice. Peregrine certainly didn't seem like an Alpha to him. He kept this thought to himself, however. "In that case, I'll try extra hard."

Koda waded out into the river until the tip of his tail brushed the surface. The water didn't get much deeper than that, which was great for the wolves since the fish had a much bigger advantage in deep water. "This is a really good spot actually," he informed Peregrine. "The water is quite shallow, it'll be a lot easier to spot the fish."

"The key to catching fish is patience," Koda said, quoting his father's teachings. It felt strangely fulfilling to be the one giving advice rather than receiving it. "You gotta stand still and be really quiet, or you'll scare the fish away," he explained. "Then you just wait for one to get close, and grab it. Real simple."

Peregrine didn't verbalize an answer to Koda's question, though he tossed him a meaningful glance. They could talk about pack politics and whatnot later, if the male proved worthy of recruitment. For now, his true eligibility remained to be seen.

It boosted the Alpha's ego when Koda told him it was actually a good fishing spot, then explained why. "Thought so," he said smugly, then slowly waded after his cohort. He moved gingerly, trying not to make too much noise or otherwise muddy the waters. Surely that would scare the fish away or make the task more difficult.

"Oh, great. I don't have a lot of that," Peregrine quipped. "I don't even see any fish, do —" Before the you could leave his mouth, he spotted movement and clapped his mouth shut. Standing as still as a statue, only his eyes moved as he watched a small sunfish drift closer.

Could fish hear? He didn't know, so he stage whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "What do I do now, Fisherman Koda?" Did he grab it with his muzzle? Scoop it with his paw? Belly flop on it to stun it?

(Lol, Peregrine is a funny guy :])

Koda watched the sunfish drift lazily toward Peregrine. The slow moving fish was a perfect target for a fledgeling fisherman. "Grab it with your teeth, and don't let go," he whispered back. He waited for the fish to swim into range of Peregrine's jaws. "Grab it now," he hissed urgently.

:D

The moment Koda said the words grab it, Peregrine went for it, obscuring the rest of his guide's words with his loud splashing and flailing. He thrust his swarthy muzzle in the water in the fish's general direction, then began making chomping motions underwater in the hope that he would magically snag it. Because he sure as hell couldn't see anything with muddy river water in his eyes.

Naturally, the fish fled and he resurfaced after a moment, sputtering and dripping water everywhere. "Well, shit! That's a lot easier said than done!" Despite his loud volume, he gave Koda an amused look. "Bet that was funny to witness."

Taking a step back to avoid being soaked by Peregrine's splashing, Koda waited to see if the black wolf would make a catch. The flailing wolf missed his mark and the fish darted away in a panic, quickly disappearing from sight in the murky water. Koda shook his head.

Peregrine emerged, his jaws empty and his fur soaking wet. "Yeah," Koda said with a laugh. He felt a little guilty laughing at Peregrine when he had only been trying to follow his advice, but it was pretty entertaining to watch. "At least you didn't fall in," he tried to sound reassuring, remembering his own spectacular fail the first time he attempted fishing. He didn't want Peregrine to feel too discouraged. "You almost had him though. Keep trying, you'll get the hang of it."

Peregrine's splashing had kicked up a cloud of dirt, making it a bit harder to see, so Koda moved a few steps into clearer water. "My turn now," he announced, "watch me, you might learn something for next time."

The gray wolf stood still, his extremities starting to get a little numb from the cold water. He was determined to make a catch, so he ignored the discomfort. A flash of white alerted him to a sizable whitefish, the river's namesake, breaking the water's surface as it swallowed a drowning bug. Koda's yellow eyes darted to Peregrine, to see if he was watching, then back to the fish, and he watched it's every movement as it gradually swam closer. The fish took it's sweet time, but it was soon within the wolf's reach.

Koda plunged his head into the water, his jaws closing around the fish's wriggling body. But his grip wasn't tight enough and as he lifted the fish from the water it wiggled free, slapping the wolf's nose with it's tail as it fell back into the river. Koda chased after it in the shallow water, and made another grab for it. This time, he bit down as hard as he could until his teeth broke through the scales and sank into the flesh. Fish wasn't going nowhere now.

He hoisted his catch high into the air and strode past Peregrine, feeling rather proud of himself. As he reached the shore, he let the fish drop onto the rocks. "See, easy stuff."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the fish weakly flopped back into the water. "Damn it, get back here," he growled, dragging the poor fish out by the tail.

Koda announced that it was his turn and Peregrine bobbed his muzzle and said, "Don't worry, teach, I'm paying attention." He sidestepped slowly, avoiding sloshing too loudly, to improve his view, then remained very still to observe Fisherman Koda's skills.

It really did require quite a lot of patience. By the time the whitefish drifted close enough for Koda to make an attempt to catch it, Peregrine's feet had gone numb. His brain a bit too. He forgot about it, though, as he watched the gray wolf plunge his muzzle into the shallows and yank it back a second later, the fish wriggling in his jaws. It shook itself loose and fell back into the water with a loud smack! that made Peregrine twitch. Koda made another grab, this time holding his prey firmly in his teeth as he strode ashore.

Peregrine turned to watch him as Koda dropped his catch, which began to flop back into the water. "Watch it —" he warned, though Koda managed to grasp the fish by the tail even as it nearly reached freedom. With a grunt, he snatched it and dragged it away from the river.

"Nice," the swarthy male piped up when it was all said and done. "I like how he almost got away twice but you still nabbed him. Impressive. Is there a trick to holding onto them? I mean, catching them is one thing but holding onto them is apparently a whole separate ordeal. Are they as slippery as they look?"

"Heh, guess I'm a bit rusty," he said a bit sheepishly, keeping the gasping fish pinned beneath his paw. Koda laid down on the shore with his catch between his paws, tearing himself a big strip of flesh from the twitching body. He swallowed it whole, scales and all.

"They're slimy little buggers, so if you don't get a good grip on em they can wiggle free," he said in response to Peregrine's question. "One thing I used to do was practise catching sticks in the river. It can really help you perfect your technique."

Peregrine's head tilted to the side when Koda mentioned chasing sticks. "Sounds like a child's game... but maybe I should start there," he mused, licking his chops as he watched the male enjoy his hard-won prize. He didn't request to share it, as he wanted to make his own catch.

"I'm gonna make one more go of it, then call it a day before my legs freeze off," the swarthy male said, making an about face and scanning the shallows for any sign of a fish. He saw nothing and wondered if Koda's splashing had scared all the fish away from this area.

After waiting as patiently as he could manage, Peregrine muttered, "Screw this," and leaped out of the water after about ten minutes. "It's too damn cold for this. I'll have to try another time. Thanks for showing me, Fisherman Koda," he said as he shook out his pelt, licked down some stray bits of fur and then stretched out to air dry.

Koda shrugged. "It might sound a little silly but it works," he replied. Granted catching a stick was a lot easier than catching a fish, but point was to practise catching a moving target with your teeth. Then when it came time to grab an actual fish you'd be less likely to miss and let it get away.

The gray wolf watched Peregrine from the shore, quietly eating his catch as the dark wolf scanned the shallow water for a fish of his own. Several minutes passed, and just as Koda finished off the last of his meal Peregrine had decided to call it a day, returning to the bank to dry out his wet fur.

"Aw, I'm sorry you didn't catch anything," Koda said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "I hope I was helpful to you, anyhow." Fishing could be a challenge for wolves, a species more suited to hunting large hoofed animals, but once mastered it was a great way to grab an easy meal. "Keep practising, it takes time to get good at this stuff. But I think you've got what it takes." He assured the other wolf.

Peregrine shrugged at Koda's apology, then reassured him that, "Yep, you were helpful, Fisherman Koda. You should stick around to teach me more, though." He winked, then licked idly at his frigidly cold toes. He said no more for the moment, letting the implied offer hang in the air between them like bait on a hook. The fisher-wolf could grab onto it or let it drift away downstream, so to speak.

Koda decided to take the bait. "Yeah, I guess I could hang out here for a while," he replied. "Maybe some of my awesomeness will rub off on you," he added, a playful gleam in his yellow eyes.

Peregrine blinked, then smiled. "I can only hope. So I can consider that an official acceptance? Then you may assume a spot in my lower tier. If you keep up the hard work, you'll find yourself climbing to the top. I have a soft spot for fellow Gamekeepers and I totally count fishing as part of that trade," he hinted.

Koda nodded affirmatively. "I accept," he replied. His solo journey had come to an end, but Koda was excited to be part of a pack again. "And I'll do my best to keep everyone's belly full," he added. "I don't have to call you 'Sir' now, do I?" He asked, a teasing smirk on his lips.