Duck Lake aanniqtuq ☀

The Keeper froze. He felt both the vibration on the air, and the heat that was delivered with it, but he didn’t know the intent. The only connection he could grasp was the only connection he had with the woman-  the pelt. He must have offended her, because the warning had clearly some emotion invested in it... perhaps she thought he would damage it? 

It was was a good thing he was frozen, ears flicked back and body stiff as her growl ransacked into his marrow. Because at that moment, an unaware fish, a rather shapely and hefty lake trout, grew curious at the lakes newest inclusion. It could smell the little flecks of fiber on the hide, the heated tang of copper still invisible yet inviting. The trout hungered. And while waiting, Cry remained as still as possible, bating even his breath as the greedy piscine drifted closer and closer to the shallower water.

it was already fat, probably having eaten it’s way higher up the food chain, but knowing this, Cry had agility on his side. Moving through air was much quicker in short bursts than it was water, and not only would this trout have to turn and swim away, but it would have to take excess seconds to build up speed. All Cry simply had to do was lunge. 

Milliseconds went by before Cry felt that thread snap, and with a quick prayer to whatever god would listen, the ex Assassin threw himself forward just as the littlest end of its beak like mouth crossed the hide. The char was shocked, panicking as it went to move away, but by then Cry had already held his breath and snatched up the 62 pound fish up in cold jaws.
He held, and dragged the heavy meal to the shore, tightening his grip as the hefty char wriggled with enough force to nearly free itself. But eventually, Cry had enough landroom to drop the struggling fish and paw to still, a well enough crack of bone as he bit it’s head to silence its struggle.

Dragging the meal to the pale woman, he laid the massive piscine before her as he deftly turned back to retrieve her pelt before it was lost to the freezing waters. It remained where he had left it, and gratefully he picked it up, and brought the crisp and wet hide back to the woman, laying it besides her newfound food.

“I apologize,” he began.