[RoM] Early Winter Fishing

Wooo a collab with the most amazing sealle for the Rite of Merit for Tiri, Aul & Igi. I killed myself doing the background and gave Fran horrid sketches that she transformed into those awesome tokos you see thar!  

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Igi paced across the ice, carefully avoiding the edges. He whined softly to his companions, ears flickering as he nervously worked his mouth. Ever since he had been sucked into the swirling darkness he did not like the cold wet darkness of water. He whined again, this time causing the pale female to yip softly at him and gently press herself against him in support. Aul wagged her tail as she watched the older male they had arrived with approach the edge of the ice.

*

Tiri turned his head into the wind that ran cold fingers through his mane and brought with it the scents of the two tokotas. Winter lingered in the air, though the snows had not come yet, the time of plenty had passed. The fish, however, would be plentiful now even if this was not a site that would make catching them easy.

He knew the male from previous hunts, the female he had met once in the wilderness – before his human had settled with the others. And of course, he’d seen and scented them around the camp.  The other male whined as he paced the ice, clearly uneasy being so close to water. Ignoring the other two, Tiri padded onto the ice. It creaked and moaned beneath his large paws, it was still thickening the temperatures not yet cold enough to constrain and encase the freely flowing river.

The pale tokota stood on the edge of the ice, eyes tracking the movement of salmon beneath the surface. They all mingled in shoals beyond his reach. With a low growl of annoyance, Tiri jumped onto one of the large chucks of ice that lazily floated in the river – dislodged from the mass of ice they had passed while travelling here. It took him a moment to balance himself before ducking his head into the cold water and snapping at the surprised fish.

*

Unable to contain her eagerness Aul left her anxious brother, and jumped after the pale one. The ice wobbled under her weight and she flattened her ears in submission at the much older Tokota. Edging away from the male she jumped again, claws scraping deep wounds into the ice as she almost slipped into the water. Now on her own platform she happily panted and watched him fish. She had not fished from ice before, the streams and lake at home had only just begun to freeze when they journeyed away. She shuffled to the edge, legs splayed as she attempted to keep her balance on the slippery surface. Patting her paw into the water she took a few practice bites, imitating the males practiced ease.

Igi sat forlornly on the ice. Belly dragging along the surface he edged as close to the water as he dared, able to dip his muzzle into the water if he just angled it down slightly. His whining breath sending small ripples out before fear got the better of him and he retreated backwards. Yipping at the others he stood on his hind legs, trying to see what they hunted for, but only seeing the splashes and waves their motions caused.  Front paws touching the ice again he sat down, wagging tail scraping the ice clean as he let out low huffs at the fishers. Hopefully they would share with him. The humans stood at the lakes edge, he wanted to go greet them, but he had been sent with the others and wanted to try and bring something back for the man. He rested his head on his paws, eyes following the pale duo’s every move as he waited for them to catch something he could hopefully present to the people.

*

Tiri dug his claws into the ice as the female followed him onto the river, disturbing the precarious ice float. He turned his head and snapped at her but a signal from his human on the shore quietened him. Still, he maintained a low growl, watching the female with icy blue eyes until she found her own platform to fish from.

The fish thrashed in the water between the ice; aware of the danger that had appeared above them.  A black-tipped ear flicked back in annoyance at the other’s yipping. Tiri shook his mane, looking back at the other before returning to the fishing. The tokota ignored the bite of cold as he submerged his head again, jaws closing over the thick body of a salmon. It flailed in his jaws until a sharp jerk of his head snuffed the life from its body.

Glancing back at his human, he dropped the fish at her command. It slid on the ice and nearly fell back into the river so he picked it up again and tossed it onto the flatter ice that crept from the shore, much to the delight of the other male. 

Word count: 803 

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Informations:

Link or thumbnail of import sheet: 
Registered name and ID number: Tiriaq 1487
Prestige breeder or Pack leader?: PL
Handler name: Kayuqtuq
Class you are entering: Wild Trait, Ice Fishing
Supplementary Items: N/A
Training images and/or bonus images: Journey To The Past, Puppy Training, Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Inbred: No

Link or thumbnail of import sheet:  
Registered name and ID number: Deniigi 1067
Prestige breeder or Pack leader?: PL
Handler name: Tuaq
Class you are entering: Wild Trait, Ice Fishing
Supplementary Items: N/A
Training images and/or bonus images: The Reveal, Collab: Hunt of the Wolv's, Waiting
Inbred: No

Link or thumbnail of import sheet:  
Registered name and ID number: Aulanerk 1707
Prestige breeder or Pack leader?: PL
Handler name: Tuaq
Class you are entering: Wild Trait, Ice Fishing
Supplementary Items: N/A
Training images and/or bonus images: Curiosity, Leaping the Nest, In Over his head
Inbred: No

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HP: 6HP + 4HP + 1HP = 11HP