When you're blind, sometimes just getting through a tunnel without incident is a win, especially a tunnel like N, where both Aurelle and Lichen have had minor sensory overload incidents in the last... week, or so. Walking into Polaris alive and normal was a small win, but a win regardless.

"Maybe we can stop by the river and try to find some water crawlers?" Aurelle suggested to Lichen behind her, still leading the dragon into the room by her face-feelers. "Or rats, maybe. Even if we end up finding more later, we could eat the extras when we stop to rest." That seemed like a sensible thing to do.

The elf went on, "or we can just try to find the tunnel leading to Ursa and get to Cepheus as fast as possible. What do you think?"

Either way, good start.

@Lichen

"That is a lot of choices. We should see what we can find before we move on? Just in case we need to eat it while we're in Ursa. That, er, seems like the sensible thing to do." Lichen suggests in turn, but as for what to look for in particular...

...Water seemed like a decent idea. They could fill up before they went, so they wouldn't have to get cold eating the snow. Or at least, that was sound logic to her. "I think one of the streams is this way." She calls before toddling in the direction she'd sensed it; feeler still looped around Aurelle assuming she comes in the same direction. "Could even be some rats. Creatures have been staying near the waters to stay cool. I think. Isn't that what warmbloods do?" Lichen asks.

Truthfully it was all guesswork on her part, similarly to how Aurelle might guess as Lichen's own habits. She knew enough that warmbloods had to regulate their temperature needs in other ways when it was too hot. They couldn't simply bake themselves on a good rock like she enjoyed doing.

@Aurelle

"I think that's a good idea," Aurelle said, turning to follow Lichen as she led her to water. She could dimly hear the crystal river flowing through Polaris. Considering Lichen's next question, she offered a little hum and a shrug.

Some caves were much warmer than others as summer came in. "It is quite hot, and humid," she said. "I'm not sure if Lessers think of that, though. I'm not sure how smart they are."

Either way, "I can have a look," she said. Figurative, of course. Focusing her magic, she found it stronger than usual (thank you, Polaris). There was her own heartbeat, Lichen's beside her, of course-- and somewhere nearby, a few thudding near the river as well as inside the water. They must be the fish.

The others? She was uncertain. "There's something nearby," she narrated for Lichen's benefit. "They seem quite small, but I'm not sure if they're mice, rats, rabbits or something else."

She shrugged a shoulder, still cheerful. "There's lots, though. Even if they're not rats, it'll be good eating."

@Lichen

Lichen gave the information some thought as she waded into the waters. "Are they little sounding?" Lichen asked, as if there aren't dozens of creatures smaller than either of them. She sits in the stream and assumes her position for fish hunting. But, before she dunks her jaws in asks; "are they in the water?"

Then she hunches over, jaws laying open on the water with her feelers swishing about in the water. There wasn't exactly much hope that these would be the water crawlers they were looking for; but either way, a meal was a meal...

...In fact she begins to wonder if there's anything in the water at all as she waits. And waits. And wriggles and wriggles. But nothing bites. Not a soul. Even until her jaw begins to ache. Eventually she closes them with a sigh.

Where were all the fish?

@Aurelle

"Yes, they're little-sounding," Aurelle said. She could still hear them somewhere nearby-- though right as Lichen asked, she went ahead and out her head under the water anyway. "Ahh..." was all she managed to get out. She could tell-- hear --that every fish in the vicinity had been spooked by the sudden intrusion and left.

For a moment, Aurelle waited, just in the off-chance that something came by. But nothing did. Eventually, half-concerned Lichen might drown before a fish comes by, she stepped over and gave her a firm pat on the rump.

"It's a land-thing," Aurelle explained, turning her head to where the little group was (like Lichen could see it). "They're over there, near the wall, I think. There's a lot of them there."

@Lichen

Lichen lifts her head from the waters with a quiet "Oh." They'd been on land, of course. The pang of embarrassment soured the back of her throat, perhaps she should have asked rather than diving into the stream. After heaving herself back out of the waters. They were land things. Those were harder to hunt without being able to see.

"Cave rats?" Lichen thought to ask this time opposed to simply running off without further input. It wasn't as if she could sense where they were either. She'd have to sneak up on them, something equally difficult to do when you can't see what's around you. Why couldn't the bounty have been fish? She inwardly lamented. If you waited long enough the fish would come to you, there wasn't often a way to fool land prey so easily.

Perhaps the greenery may show signs of being nibbles on at least...

...The feeling of green unfurled around her, it gave a much better idea of surrounds than underground barely detectable mycelia, at least. "Which way?"

@Aurelle

"Over there," Aurelle said unhelpfully, though she did give Lichen a physical nudge in the right direction. "I don't know if it's rats. It's something with heartbeats. Something small, in a pack." Either way, it was food-- if not for the bounty, then for them both.

Realizing that Lichen was probably using magic to try and find them, Aurelle tried to focus in on her own to guide. It was dimmer; much dimmer than the heartbeats had been, but she had a decent lay of the caves. "They're near the wall," she repeated, nudging Lichen in the right direction again. "They're under... a rock, or a shelf. Their burrow must be near there."

It wasn't exactly the most useful instructions, but blind girls made do.

@Lichen

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

Animal Death/Hunting

Aurelle waited, her ears still lifted, as Lichen slid away from her. She knew not to make any sound, because even a sudden little scrape of her foot against the cave floor might be enough to alert something flighty like a rat or a rabbit.

Soon enough, though, she could hear the dim crunch of Lichen's jaws breaking delicate bones. The elf's ears twitched upwards, and she held her hands out for the dragon's return, soon feeling smooth scale against her palms. "You got more than one," she said, her tone impressed as her hands felt over Lichen's jaws and at the mice. She hummed thoughtfully, and then, doubtfully.

"I think..." and she wasn't wholly sure. It wasn't like she could just open her eyes and have a look. "I think they're mice, but that's okay. That means we don't have to worry about running out of food." Mice weren't exactly the most filling meal, but it was better than gnawing on hard jerky. Aurelle knew that much.

"And," she added cheerfully, not wanting Lichen to get crestfallen, "you got two at the same time! That's really good. Do you wanna eat one or will we put them both into your bag?"

@Lichen

The proverbial record scratch as Lichen's mind stuck on the fact that these were mice and not rats, was very much visible in her body language. She went from brushing up to Aurelle like an affectionate cat to stock-still in just a beat. Once again, Aurelle had read her like a picture book if either of them could see one.

"Oh." Not her best work in, not sounding as disappointed as she felt. "Well, put them in the bag. I remembered to eat before we left." She continued, her voice grating as it attempts to lift in tone.

Without another word, Lichen swivels to present the bags to Aurelle. No fish, no rats. Perhaps she was getting old. Washed up. Inwardly, she groaned.

"Is there anything else nearby? What else was on the list? Fruit?" Lichen asks quickly in a bold effort to change the subject. "Roots?"

Lichen tried to focus on sensing the greenery, but her lingering embarrassment made it difficult. It wasn't easy to feel for roots and fruits, when recent memories of your friend trying to cheer for your failure kept replaying. All she could think of was the reassurance in Aurelle's voice, a gentle and friendly gesture, but the dragon couldn't help but think she was several cycles old. Fully grown. She didn't need a cheerleader for her mistakes, which only made the red-hot embarrassment in her face burn hotter.

@Aurelle