Moonspear i want to know how it tastes

casually reposting this (with minor edits lol) for present date bc idc and i need fresh threads

Now with the puppies growing more capable by the day, sometimes she let them trail her along while she did her duties, sometimes she didn't. But, there was no questioning it: they were getting bolder, learning more, adapting, growing bigger, and with appetites to match all this progress. Her own hunger was not far behind with the winter wanting to keep her busy as well. She did not want to waste any opportunity she could to hunt. Today's preference was perhaps a bit unseasonal: fishing.

Soon, it'd be far too cold for it.. The waters were already much colder than she actually preferred (barely above freezing thanks to their subtle current), but she skimmed the edge of a creekside doggedly for a plentiful spot to suit her wants. For now, she was staying out of the water only barely. Nothing had caught her eye yet. Until, yes, suddenly it did.

She changed her course quick, precise, and fast to move from observer to a spear-point. The water splashed and the silvered streak was almost lost, just as the rock underfoot shifted at her weight. So, not her most graceful of catches. But, dammit, she wasn't letting go and snapped in double-time until she felt scaled flesh give way beneath her teeth.

Reeling back she ate away at it before she bothered to identify it, feeling her skin prickle with the chill (the overcast skies and no sun didn't help any). It was food, and this first prize was hers. She had not yet really offered fish to her girls, and knowing they could inherit their father's preferences, she wondered if they'd dislike it like he did. Regardless, now, she could prowl with a clearer head and hopefully continued success. She shook her fur, still damp, and moved upstream, alternating between perusing for terrestrial and aquatic prey alike with a hawkish countenance.

hope you don't mind me

Aurelius had never hunted fish to a high standard before. Sure, as a pup he had splashed around in the few creeks that bordered the Keep, swiped at a few scales but always returned empty handed. After growing accustomed the mountain side, refreshing his memory of sure-footedness, sliding in to a loose routine was quite a natural feat. He'd scout for a meal come dawn, and often return to the crags as a wintry dusk shadowed the land, and it was now that for the first time in a while he descended the slopes and onto flatter ground.

A dark figure caught his attention and the man trotted over, quickly recognising the queen. He was yet to encounter any of her brood, yet her raven figure was beginning to become a familiar sight. He wished not to disturb her prowling, and instead set himself by the riverside with the pure intention of snagging a fish, molten orbs scanning the surface for a sign of movement. If none should suffice, then Aurelius would announce his presence to the matriarch with a gentle chuff.

not at all :p

A few other fish tempted her, vaguely so, but it was in remembering the chill still lingering on her fur that made her feel extra choosy. She didn't want to spend a lot of time dallying in the water or taking the slim shots that may not even get her anything. None quite rose to that quality she wanted, especially not with her hunger relatively sated for now. Amekaze kept moving along quietly in no sort of hurry until she could spot him -- Aurelius -- beside the riverside, seemingly engaging in what it offered as well. She could afford to steer away from her own prowl for a minute to investigate his doings.

Initially she kept her approach a bit slow to make sure he wasn't immediately at risk for severe interruption; knowing fishing could be that way sometimes, she felt it out before she called out to him softly. "Any luck?" Not often did she find others on the waterways like this beside herself, so he continued to prove himself a curiously interesting addition to their lot.

Inexperience led to failure as Aurelius missed the flash of silver water-dweller between his stare. It was frustrating of course, yet his lack of attention made the raven queen's greeting a welcome distraction to what might've ended up as a soaked canine. "None," he spoke with a tight grin, the part of him that wished to succeed beginning to niggle away at his chest. "It seems the waters are against me." A shrug and a gruff chided laugh sounded as he turned away from the stream. "How about you?"

None. Her ears splayed in brief disappointment for his lacking luck. "Too bad.. Earlier, just a medium sized thing to hold me over. Awfully cold water," she shared with a frown and sounding relatively indifferent about her spoils. There had been bigger catches before, and neither had it been amazingly delicious. Nothing to write home about. "If.. I can get any more that are worth it, I may see if any the pups have an earnest appetite for fish. Their father does not." So that he could understand her odds here. "Did you come from up or down stream so far? The fall salmon runs never were too noteworthy on the mountain this year, so there has been little to do with fishing, truthfully. I am usually the only one at the water's edges like this," she sighed softly.  Her stare narrowed past him once more towards the waters. It was not the best season for this in general, sadly.