Duck Lake Through the boughs of the garden

He didn’t hear a word Amalia said to him. He was too busy gulping down the second fish, gagging a little when a bone did indeed get caught in his throat momentarily. Atreus didn’t even slow down, though, the next swallowed mouthful pushing everything down his gullet.

A third fish sailed his way and Atreus snatched this one with his teeth, feeling it jerk in his jaws. He instinctively crushed it, dropping the maimed fish on the ground to polish it off in less than sixty seconds.

He felt a sprinkle of cold water and looked up to see Amalia had stepped back out of the water. His tail swayed slowly. Now that he wasn’t famished, he remembered his manners.

Thanks, Amalia. I was really hungry, he said a bit sheepishly, aware that he’d eaten every last scrap and left nothing for her.