12-03-2009, 08:04 PM
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The hybrid sat stock-still on the edge of the water, her golden-yellow eye focused on the choppy surface of the water in front of her. It was a typical December day, cold and blustery, wind whipping across the inlet and churning the water, slicing through the hybrid's coat. She already bore her thicker winter fur, just shades darker than her usual colors and hardly enough to qualify as different from her summer coat. As she sat and watched for the bright flash indicative of a swimming fish, her mind drifted just slightly, wondering how well-prepared she was for the impending cold season. It would not be long before they saw snow, Kaena knew, and while she anticipated this with an almost child-like glee, she feared for the safety and preparedness of Inferni as a whole. Some of their canines were not built for extremes of temperature, and the cold was especially damaging to those with the thinnest coats. Like Vieira, she thought, realizing the smaller canine was from a southern climate. The hybrid wondered if she'd ever even seen snow before.
The hybrid's optime form made for easy fishing; she remained crouched down, kneeling over the water with her right hand at the ready, frozen at her side and waiting for her meal. There were already two fish at her side, their throats (or what Kaena supposed was their throat, since they did not have necks in the traditional sense of a canine) neatly slit by her single claw. One more ought to suffice; the fish were of some rather large type, distinctly different from the ones the hybrid woman had caught for Vieira before. She had no idea what to call them, but she appreciated their size and hoped that the third would be of a similar size, enough to feed both herself and Vieira. The coyote's attention was drawn by the distinctive glitter of scales beneath the surface of the water. She went absolutely still, her muscles bunching together to spring forward and snatch the fish expertly, her claws seeking hold in its rubbery flesh.
Kaena flipped the fish onto land, killing it in the same efficient way she'd dispatched the first two, and gathered up her catch by the tails, heading back toward her home rather quickly. Hunger gnawed at her, and she was eager to see how far Vieira had progressed in her chores. As the hybrid crested a low-slung hill, she was rather pleased to see the sticks had already been gathered into a pile, a small indentation on the earth just outside of Kae's cave. The hybrid could have used the main firepit, but there wasn't enough fish to go around to everybody else, and she would rather stick close by her home anyway. The hybrid knelt and set the fish next to her, grabbing the rock to set to sparking the kindling tucked between some of the sticks, striking the two irregularly shaped items together until a spark set it to flame. The silver-furred coyote knelt to exhale at the flames, blowing on them to ignite the fire. Kae wasn't quite sure if Viei knew how to set a fire, and the last thing the hybrid wanted was for her to light herself up. "Vieira," the coyote called to the entrance of the cave, intending for the other canine to take over cooking duties.
The hybrid's optime form made for easy fishing; she remained crouched down, kneeling over the water with her right hand at the ready, frozen at her side and waiting for her meal. There were already two fish at her side, their throats (or what Kaena supposed was their throat, since they did not have necks in the traditional sense of a canine) neatly slit by her single claw. One more ought to suffice; the fish were of some rather large type, distinctly different from the ones the hybrid woman had caught for Vieira before. She had no idea what to call them, but she appreciated their size and hoped that the third would be of a similar size, enough to feed both herself and Vieira. The coyote's attention was drawn by the distinctive glitter of scales beneath the surface of the water. She went absolutely still, her muscles bunching together to spring forward and snatch the fish expertly, her claws seeking hold in its rubbery flesh.
Kaena flipped the fish onto land, killing it in the same efficient way she'd dispatched the first two, and gathered up her catch by the tails, heading back toward her home rather quickly. Hunger gnawed at her, and she was eager to see how far Vieira had progressed in her chores. As the hybrid crested a low-slung hill, she was rather pleased to see the sticks had already been gathered into a pile, a small indentation on the earth just outside of Kae's cave. The hybrid could have used the main firepit, but there wasn't enough fish to go around to everybody else, and she would rather stick close by her home anyway. The hybrid knelt and set the fish next to her, grabbing the rock to set to sparking the kindling tucked between some of the sticks, striking the two irregularly shaped items together until a spark set it to flame. The silver-furred coyote knelt to exhale at the flames, blowing on them to ignite the fire. Kae wasn't quite sure if Viei knew how to set a fire, and the last thing the hybrid wanted was for her to light herself up. "Vieira," the coyote called to the entrance of the cave, intending for the other canine to take over cooking duties.