ORIGIN - Fishing for a Family

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Fisher hated Pisces. He hated the black and red bird who had saved his life. He hated the puffball with huge ears that he rescued from golems. He hated the bear who, despite fucking up so badly, still had a girlfriend and plenty of gembounds who took pity on him. The bear who couldn't even climb the Spire! He hated the lioness too, with her talk of love and family when she gave him a useless rock and then forgotten about him immediately. Bitch. He hated the way everything was soaking wet here, and how loud it was, and how no matter what everyone seemed to forget he was there. They had invited him, had pretended to love him, but they didn't care. Just like they didn't care about Cancer.

The brown noodle was still in Cancer's den, splayed out on the cold slate floor. His fur was damp, he was cold, and most importantly: he wanted to leave but found that he couldn't get up. He was waiting, miserably, for something to happen. He didn't know what, but after Cancer had been cast out, he had lost the only one who he could count on. The others, well... He had no idea where Black was. He had no clue what Fallah was up to. Tamelyn hadn't shown up, probably still somewhere in Polaris if he had to guess, and... Well, was there anyone else? Fang, maybe? Somehow, Fisher felt he didn't want her around.

His side ached. It was mostly healed now, though still rather nasty. The fur didn't grow where the scar was thick and snarled, and even his muzzle carried the marks of his mistakes. He rubbed his torn ear with a paw, troubled by his injuries. Why was he so weak? If he could just be stronger, he wouldn't be stuck here. He could go find his friends, his true friends and... And maybe make something. He didn't know what. Something better than the bullshit show that was here. For now, however, he was stuck here.

With a grunt, he rose to his feet and slunk out of the cave, walking over to the pool of water under the waterfall. The noise roared around his ears and made his fur prickle. He lapped up the cold, crisp liquid and got his whole face soaking wet in the spray. With a snort, he shook out his fur and sat down, sulking in the miserable hell he was trapped in.

private ;; @Black

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He was still searching, when he caught the scent; searching for knowledge, searching for clues, but he'd nearly forgotten about Fisher. And about Mau, and Fallah. But when the odor of noodle hit his nose his pendulous ears pricked up and he put that nose to the ground, trotting along at a lumbering mastiff's pace, snuffling as he pursued the odor.

It was Fisher, all right--and wet. The scent was more pungent here, and as the black dog finally rounded the corner and spotted him, his nose was smacked full-on with it. It was... strong, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Fisher was alive, and Black felt something new: a flood of relief.

He had not felt guilty about leaving Fisher behind, but he had regretted it, somewhat. He knew he'd made the right decision about rushing off to find the thing-that-had-fled, but at the same time it had bothered him to leave the wounded brown-thing with its spark of inner fire behind. Now here it was, and as Black trotted up, he eyed him.

Fisher was larger, older, heavier, and far more scarred. And worst of all, he didn't see that spark of life in him, anymore. He looked--well, miserable.

Black slowed as he approached, head coming up. He spoke loudly, but his tone was relatively soft.

"You live. ...It is good," he said simply, and then moved up to snuffle over the Fisher, taking scents and hints to see what he'd been through and how he was--the nose was a sensitive thing, after all.

Then he tried to plant one cursory, pleased lick on Fisher's head, his thick tail wagging as he dropped to his haunches, staring expectantly at the brown-thing as if for orders.

But for the first time, there was something like joy in his eyes--the joy, perhaps, of a dog meeting an old friend.

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(( @Fisher omg))

In the depths of his darkest moment, the last thing the mustelid had expected was a familiar, nearly lost voice of hope to each his ears. For a long moment, his coppery eyes laid on the shape of the mastiff, so much larger than he last remembered. Of course, the black dog had always been massive compared to him, a towering beast of gentle, sturdy strength.

"Black...?" He woofed, the tone of his voice taking on that similiar to a dogs-- although the fisher had always been a mustelid, in the company of canines he had always found a strange sort of home. He could hardly believe his eyes, his fur prickling along his spine as the mastiff came up and sniffed at him. Fisher didn't move. Hell, he hardly dared breathe. Was he dreaming, without the white mist? When had he fallen asleep?

The dog's tongue ran over his forehead and he felt a shock, sharp and piercing but entirely emotional, through his chest. This was his friend. Black had come back for him. Had, against the odds, sought him out and found him. "I can't..." He mumbled as the dog plopped back on to his rump. Their eyes met, cool cyan on sharp, vibrant orange.

The misery was lost on the brown noodle. It didn't matter that he had nearly died, fell in love (if it was even love at all) and lost... That he was trapped here. All of it was forgotten in that one simple moment.

His barkfriend had come back to find him. Someone cared about him. He wasn't alone anymore.

"Black Barkfriend!" He yowled, tossing himself at the mastiff, scuttling into his ruff and noodling his way into the thick black fur, tail thrashing in a wild wag. "You came! You came! I missed you so much!" He bawled, overwhelmed; he was just so happy to see Black. Nothing else mattered so much to Fisher in that moment as snuggling into the large dog, a squirming, wriggling noodle among folds of dark pelt.

"Thank you... thank you so much... How? How did you find me?"

private ;; @Black

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Black started, rather shocked, when Fisher suddenly leapt at him and burrowed deep into his fur--but he didn't mind. Rather, he lifted one paw, trying to peer rather quizzically at the mustelid that was now just outside of his field of vision, and this made Black's face look rather hilariously, deeply wrinkled. After a moment he slowly lowered the paw on Fisher's other side, as if to offer a hug or hold him close, but in an instinctive, entirely canine fashion.

"The Dog is sorry that he had left," he began, after a moment's thought. He wasn't sure why Fisher was so absolutely overjoyed to see him--he himself was pleased, but the big stoic hound rarely felt any extremes of emotion, and so did not quite comprehend it.

"But I am glad to see that you did not drown. ...Twice," he added. He gave the fisher a few reassuring licks before continuing again.

"He pursued the thing-that-ran, perceiving it as danger. It was not found. He has seen many things, and met many, and he still seeks, but the scent of the brown-friend brought him here. It was caught in the air, and it was followed. The Dog also wonders--does the white-cat survive?" Black sounded genuinely worried, but even so, he offered Fisher a couple of friendly nudges, again reassuring. The creature was clinging to him, after all, and Black--as far as his ways went--considered Fisher a friend.

"Or the large brown-cat, which climbs?" he added. The last he'd seen Mau, the little white kitten had been drenched and cold; the last he'd seen Fallah, or Fisher, had been when they were all rather, well, messed up from Aquarian.

"Do they live? Is the--are you well?" He snuffled over Fisher again, taking a few scents with interest, noting at least that there wasn't any too-fresh blood. That was a good sign. He hoped.

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(( @Fisher ))

The first thing that the big black dog had to say was that he was sorry of all things. He hadn't done anything wrong! Fisher hardly sat still long enough to stick around with anyone back before he was injured, it wasn't like Black had intentionally abandonned him. The mustelid listened and smiled as the brute ran his tongue over the smaller gembound, getting slobbery all up in his already damp fur.

"Heh, yeah, no-- I um, I try to avoid dropping myself in strange bodies of water these days, y'know?" He chuckled, reaching up to lick at Black's floppy ear and his wrinkly cheek. His laughter, which was a bit choked but otherwise sincere, faltered when Black asked about the white kitten and the bigger brown cat-- Fallah, and the little one who he saved. Regretfully, he didn't know where any of them were, or if they were even alive...

... But if Black had found him, surely together they could find their friends? Fisher couldn't leave on his own; he was still recovering from his deep wounds and didn't want to risk running into a golem or worse. "I don't know where the others are, I haven't seen them in forever," he admitted, calmly, wagging his tail softly as he slipped down from the mass of black fur on to the cool stone floor.

"But we can go find them-- you and me. Together." His eyes shone, as if a small flicker of that spark from when he was just a newborn gembound had returned. "I need to get outta here anyway. These gembound 'round here, they only care 'bout themselves. It's not any good, Barky." He flashed a grin, a slight twinge of nervousness in his system. Would they call him a traitor if he just vanished into the night? Would he even care? He didn't want to be here anymore. He didn't belong here.

"Whadda say, Black Barkfriend?"

private ;; @Black

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Black listened attentively as Fisher spoke, face wrinkled in that deep single-minded focus that only a dog can offer. As his brown friend mentioned the self-centered inhabitants of the cave, he turned and glanced around sharply, as if half-expecting them to be converging on Fisher this very instant.

Finding nothing, he looked back down at the wet fuzzball. He pondered only briefly before answering him in the same stoic matter-of-fact tone he used with everything.

"If you wish to search, then the Dog will search with you. The white cat must be found." He had a note of chagrin in this last--in truth he'd never meant to go searching for so long on his hunt without actually looking for the white cat. She should have been his first priority coming out of Cetus, and she hadn't been.

Black didn't add anything else. He just sat, staring expectantly at Fisher, apparently--again--awaiting orders.

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((ooc -- @Fisher ))

Fisher's memory of the white cat was that of a tiny scrap of fur made mostly of claws and teeth, tearing its way up his shoulder on to his back. The reminder of the wounds, the pain, were so dull in comparison to more recent fights. The kitten had made him grimace in pain before, but he supposed if some gembound were to do the same again he would hardly flinch. Funny how almost dying changed your threshold for pain. His tail wagged gently as he nodded. The mustelid was more interested in finding Fallah, but the kitten was so much younger than the three of them, perhaps the white fluff needed them even now.

Fisher sure as hell wasn't going to abandon anyone anymore. "Yeah, sounds good. Let me just... I guess, tell the crowd or whatever." He didn't look too enthusiastic about it, but the brown noodle got to his paws. "Just stay here, we can scadoodle in a sec'." That said, the fisher made his way over to the middle of Maji Walezi and, clambering up a rock, found a good vantage point to say his goodbye.

"Hey! Maji Walezi!"

He called out, ears laying back. How the heck to put this? He hadn't even really been that officially included or anything... "I know I haven't been 'round much or useful or anythin', so I'm just going to get out of your hair. Good luck with this... Place or whatever. S'too wet for me anyway." He didn't really know what to say, and he really didn't care who heard-- for now he just slunk off of his rock and started back over to Black.

private: open to maji walezi members ;; @Black

Ky had been out fishing, swatting at the dark shapes flitting below the waves. She would catch one for herself and one for Leon, perhaps another for Quix. The little one was probably taking the whole trial very hard. A shame this whole thing had to happen at all.

The lioness' paw flashed out once, landing her a large silver fish. It flopped for a moment before she ended its life with a swift bite. She was about to lash out for another fish when she heard the familiar voice of Fisher. Her blood ran cold. She thought he had left after the incident but apparently not. The lioness wanted to run and bury her head in her nest in shame but that wouldn't be the way to go. She had to confront this no matter how guilty and ashamed she felt.

After taking a breath she turned and walked to the rock where Fisher stood. "I'm sorry, Fisher. Sorry you were caught up in all this and sorry you want to leave... if it helps, I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She lowered her head, ears pinned guiltily. "I never should have lost my temper. It's not your fault what happened and I don't blame you. I don't blame you for anything." It was true. If she was in his paws she would probably have done the same thing. What would he say though? Would he forgive her? Or would he tell her to get lost... Probably the latter. "I'm sorry..."

words: 255
tagged: Fisher
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
"Thinking is this!"

Fisher blinked at Makyna as she rushed up, all full of apologies. Oh, so she was sorry, was she? It wasn't his fault? Of course it was his fault. Nothing good ever happened when he was involved. As if anything she said could take back what they had done. Even if she was sorry to him, was she sorry for Cancer? Probably not. What would happen if he accidentally hurt Leon-- would they turn against him next? He wouldn't give them the chance.

"You have only yourselves to blame," he spoke softly, meeting her eyes. It seemed like only yesterday she had saved him from the river, and given him that lucky rock. Her eyes had been so big and blue, full of innocence and... But no, no. It was all lies. Maybe once she had been a sweetheart, but gembounds could change. She was proof of that. He kept his hackles down, giving her that one moment to see the pain and disappointment in his eyes, before turning away.

The brown noodle slunk over to Black. "Come on," he mumbled to the hound, before he made his exit out of Pisces. Perhaps one day he would return-- but it was looking unlikely. At least... At least Makyna had tried to apologize, even if Fisher didn't want to listen in that moment. It was more than anyone else in Maji Walezi had done.

fisher exit ;; @Black

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Black eyed Makyna as she approached, and listened as she spoke, stoic and silent. She was apologizing. Fisher did not respond, much, and Black found no reason to intervene. His brown friend was in no danger, and thus his response was quite unnecessary.

When Fisher turned away, ordering him to follow, Black did not spare Makyna a second glance. It was not out of hostility, nor even coldness, nor sympathy to Fisher: rather, she hadn't looked at him, and there was no reason for him to pay her any mind.

It was time to go. And thus, the Dog would go. It was simple; there was nothing else to consider.

Black turned, padding along behind Fisher, obeying silently. He wasn't entirely sure where they were going; he hoped that it would be to find the white cat, and the climbing-cat, and to ensure their safety. He had all but forgotten the hunt, for now, though he hadn't forgotten the scent of the thing-he-hunted. His mind, however, was on his friend--and if he were worried about Fisher's well-being, he didn't speak about it, or show it.

If Fisher wanted to speak, he'd speak. Meanwhile, Black was there, and he would remain by his friend's side.

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(( ooc -- exit Black -- @Makyna ))

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