Totoka River it’s yours and it’s mine.

qiao could sense the glower of her familiar; just once, her gaze edged to him in silent communication.

she turned back to the man. rivulets of water splattered from his shaken pelt. the bone sat beneath his paw.

qiao took care to never once look at it. thank you, kind one. she murmured, taking one of the fish alongside with stormchaser. like him, she peeled back scale from flesh, revealing the circular swim bladder of the creature. this she ate, turning her attention to the exposed stomach.

oh, would you look at that. qiao brought the samplings of the stomach towards lestan, her gaze low.

it was at that exact second stormchaser made his move.

qiao complemented his lightning reflexes with a hard shove aimed at lestan's shoulder. the fish went flying -- its guts arcing in a pink ribbon above them. mud flung underfoot, and reeds clattered -- after silent work on her part, and much angry shouting on lestan's, she watched as her familiar slipped from the banks with the bone in tow.

qiao began to run.