Comet

Arctic Wolf

Comet could tell that Mayfal was a bit nervous about the shallow pool of water. "Don't worry, I can swim and help you out if needed." she offered. To her the pool wasn't too scary, as she could swim, had water magic, and could also see. However, she was pretty sure that the fox had none of those skills.

She watched intently as Mayfal reached their paw into the water. There was a fish, but when they lifted their paw, the fish slipped out of their grasp. Their empty paw slammed onto the stone. "Don't worry, it took me a couple of tries to get it too." Comet dipped her paw into the water. "If you have tried fishing before, this is probably different. Depending on if you fish in a river, pond, or lake, the fish move differently. I usually fish in a river, so this will be harder." Sure enough, her paw was empty too when she slammed it on the rock. "Oh well, I guess we just need more practice."

@Mayfal

Hearing Comet's empty paw slap the stone shore made Mayfal feel a little better. They decided that they'd try again. If they caught nothing this time, they'd just wait to get back to Eridanus where there was real food.

They figured they could probably gauge the movements of these fish if they waited just a little longer. They put their paw back in and allowed it to be part of the world under the surface. They felt the seemingly erratic moments of heads and tails and found a pattern. These fish always paused for a certain amount of time between their thrashing. An unexpected thrash upwards would take one by surprise, surely. Mayfal waited for one to pause on top of their paw.

They felt a pause and flipped their paw upwards! It nearly slipped away, but they slammed it against the rock before it could escape. Mayfal was quite proud of themself, and their face brightened up immediately. It wasn't dead yet though.

"It's still moving. Is it supposed to do that?" Usually, Mayfal would bite a rodents neck until it no longer moved, but this was a different animal entirely.

@Comet

Comet

Arctic Wolf

Comet watched as Mayfal tried again, this time they kept their paw for longer under the water. She saw too, the pattern of the fishs' movement. Thrash, pause, thrash, pause. Mayfal was smart, Comet had never thought of trying that strategy before. But then again, she always fishes in the river.

Suddenly, their paw rose out of the water, and slammed a fish onto the rock. "Wow! Nice job!" Fish were much harder to catch then mice or rabbits. They were slippery and flailed everywhere. "You have to bite it on the neck to kill it. Wait for a while until it stops moving, because it might pretend to be dead." that was one thing that made fish particularly annoying.

@Mayfal

There was no way Mayfal could tell what this oblong creature's head was, so they just stooped down and chomped one of the ends that was moving and hoped the was it.

"Pesky." Mayfal's muddled response to Comet's explanation. This fish better not be playing dead. It was admittedly and good survival tactic, though.

The fish stopped moving for a minute and was most likely dead. Mayfal was hungry, though. They didn't want to take any chances, so they ripped the head off of the fish to be sure.

Spitting out the fish-face, Mayfal asked "You want some?"

@Comet

Comet watched Mayfal chomp one end of the fish and finish it by completely ripping off its head. "Nice!" The head didn't taste good anyway, it was mostly brain and other disgusting things. She took a nice big ol bite and ripped the fish in half. "You can have this one." she picked the bigger and more juicy looking half and pushed it over to the fox. She wasn't too hungry, so there was no need for her to eat more.

@Mayfal

Comet took her half and the two enjoyed a lovely meal. It gave Mayfal more time to think and question.

There were many things Mayfal had wondered about, big and small, happy and sad. They had wondered about life itself.

Through mouthfuls of fragile bones and flakey meat, Mayfal inquired of Comet many things.

"What were you doing in the tunnel? What were those things attacking you? Why does fish taste so different from real food?"

It was a way to block out the hollow sounds of Pisces that made Mayfal so uneasy.

"And are we going home soon?"

@Comet

Comet followed Mayfal in eating the fish. The scales were the most annoying part, tasteless and they got stuck in between her teeth. But she gulped it down anymore, partially because she was a bit hungry, and also because she didn't want to waste it or make Mayfal feel bad about their catch.

"I was going there to do some exploring. I don't know what those things were, I have not seen them before. I think they are a kind of bug?" Comet felt feelings of gratitude wash over her again when she remembered how Mayfal had charged in blindly, literally, to help her. Then shame. But she shook her fur to get that out of her mind and answered the next question. "Hmm, maybe it is because they live in water?" she had never really thought about those things, but it seemed to be a plausible explanation.

Finishing the last of her meal, she stood up. "Yes, let's go home now." Comet waited for the fox to finish their half before offering her tail again. It had been a long day.

@Mayfal

Exploring. That sounded like fun. Probably too dangerous for someone who can't see, though. But maybe not. And it was too bad Mayfal couldn't catch any of those bugs! Revenge snacking sounded like a rather appropriate punishment for those pests.

And then, what was so special about water that it made animals tase different from each other? Oh, well. Mayfal was very ready to go back home. Comet brushed her warm tail across their scale-littered muzzle. As always, Mayfal took the tail in their jaws and followed Comet's lead.

~Exit Mayfal to home~

It was a familiar thing now, what had once started as just something Comet had tried using to help the fox out of the tunnel where they had hatched was now something she did to guide them around due to their blindness. She didn't mind it though. Mayfal was as good as friends went, you just couldn't get better.

"Exit Comet"