[ti]Private[/ti]Fishing...

[silverfang218]

Fish that Cuts through Water doesn’t know how he ended up here. He’s not sure how this situation came to be, and it’s slightly uncomfortable for the young tom. He is on a fishing trip, but Ghost that Lurks in Shadows is watching over him. Fish knows the older tom just here to protect him, but the guard’s presence is making the to-be nervous. They haven’t been there very long, but usually Fish would have a catch by now. He’s a bit distracted by his companion’s constant glare, however.

Finally, his gaze settles on a silver fish. The tom adjusts his form very carefully so as not to spook the prey. Shoving his companion’s glaring out of his mind, Fish lets out a soft breath. With a quick lash of his paw, Fish drags one of the creatures he was named after up on the bank next to him. With a flash of his claws, he finishes his catch. Success!

[pebble]

Ghost that Lurks in Shadow was assigned to go with Fish that Cuts through Water. Usually, Ghost was at home, cleaning but, on this rare occasion, he agreed to go watch after a to-be, as annoying as they were. Fish was quiet though and Ghost didn't mind him as much, considering most to-bes were excitedable and disobedient.

Standing from sitting within the shadows when Fish caught a... fish, Ghost approached the young tom, his gaze seemingly unamused as he sniffed the fish. "Nicely done. You caught yourself." The ebony tom joked slightly, stepping back and eyeing the youngster.

[silverfang218]

Fish takes a step away as Ghost approaches, allowing the older cat to take a look at his catch. In Fish’s experience, some guards prefer to keep their distance from hunters and to-be hunters to let them do their thing without interference. Sometimes though, Fish has noticed that guards like to take a peek at a to-be hunter’s catch and possibly congratulate them. It seems like Ghost is the latter.

Fish lets out a little nervous chuckle at Ghost’s words before responding in a quite but amused voice. “Ye-yeah, suppose I did.” No one had really mentioned that the to-be named Fish was a natural at fishing along with a talent for swimming. It is… rather ironic, Fish realizes.

[pebble]

Ghost rose a 'brow,' not really losing his calm and harsh deamenor as he studied the younger, tail tip flicking. He released a small huff and nodded, as if he had previously been sizing the younger up.

"I'm not sure how you prey-hunters do it," He mumbled, being a little chatty considering it was just fish. As long as he wasn't too loud, he wouldn't disturb the hunting; He knew this from experience. "Hunting, I mean. It just amazes me how quickly you guys can move," He muttered, thoughtfully. He hadn't ever tried his hand at hunting but, he was already too far along to learn. He was bulky and somewhat clumsy when it came to hunting. Plus, he enjoyed his duty as a guard.

[silverfang218]

Fish isn’t quite sure what to make of Ghost’s gaze as the older tom seems to look the to-be over. Fish’s ears twitch, however, as Ghost seems to be paying him a compliment; it’s a compliment to all prey-hunters, really, but Fish is the one being addressed at the moment. “I’m not sure how you home-guards do it either, protecting us I mean. You are so brave and strong.” He blurts out in response. Fish can’t honestly imagine fighting, the whole concept is foreign to him. He’s a gentle soul who is completely inept at fighting, not that he’s ever tried fighting. But he knows he’d be inept at it (and he’s completely correct).

Fish’s nose twitches as he realize that they are talking rather than actually being productive. He turns his attention back to the water, though he’d very much like it if Ghost hangs out nearby and continues chatting. Fish likes to chat, he’s just so nervous around most of his tribemates that most of his conversation attempts become awkward and uncomfortable. His nervousness is fading, though; fishing is his comfort zone, and Ghost seems nice enough… even if he does seem to glare at everyone.

[pebble]

Ghost retreated to his haunches, licking his paw and drawing it over his ear in slight grooming. "It isn't as hard as you would think, Fish. We really don't have to protect you guys from much, considering nothing really shows up. Even so, if enough if us are banded together, we can bluff an enemy off. You prey-hunters are constantly at work. I wouldn't be surprised if your paws fell off," He hummed, briefly pausing his grooming to speak. He licked his nose soon after, bat ears raised as he kept a weary eye out.

"It's a hard choice, really. When it comes to fighting, I'm not sure if I should go off on my own or rely on my tribe-mates. Either way, the outcome is unpredictable. With you prey-hunters, it's a little easier to make a decision when it comes to working together or alone. Or, so I would imagine," The ebony tom admitted. Ghost was a rather independent cat and would usually fight alone, trusting his own skills more than his tribe-mates. He knew what he was capable of. His tribe-mates? He had no clue how easily over-powered they could be. So, it was a hard choice for the tom when fighting. Working alone or together.

[silverfang218]

“But I bet if something showed up and attacked us right now, you’d attack them and protect me. Even though there’s only two of us. Just because you aren’t always fighting doesn’t mean you aren’t brave for accepting that you might have to fight, even if the chance is low.” Fish hums, refusing to back down off his admiration for home-guards. Fish has yet to actually witness a home-guard’s bravery first paw, as Fish is a somewhat new to-be, but he believes in it with all his heart.

He turns to give Ghost a weak smile. “I don’t work that hard, besides I rather like fishing. It’s not work if you are doing something you love, right? I’d like to think most other prey-hunters feel the same, though some prefer hunting overland to fishing I'm sure.” He turns his attention towards river once more. Fish’s tail raises slightly as a big fish swims into view. He instinctively gestures with his tail for a quick pause in the conversation. After a moment of following the fish with his gaze, the ironically named to-be lashes out with a paw while twisting to quickly pull the large fish onto the bank next to his other catch. He ends the prey’s life with another quick movement of his paw, before glancing back at Ghost. “I caught another me.” He echoes Ghost’s joke from earlier. How to conversation?

[pebble]

Hm. The apprentice was right in that and he dipped his head, opening his maw to speak again before the tom called for a pause. He looked around for a second before the splash drew his attention back to the younger, watching with admiration as the tom pulled the fish ashore and ended it's life. Fish mentioned something about catching another him and Ghost stood, padding closer to observe the fish.

Whike he looked unamused, the tom was rather impressed. "Indeed, another you. A bigger you, but another you nonetheless," The ebony male huffed, sniffing the fish and then stepping back. It wasn't often he got to see fresh caught-prey like this and he rather enjoyed it. He was curious for his behavior and nodded approvingly to Fish. "Well done," He praised the to-be, pride daring to show in his glare.

[silverfang218]

“Thank you.” Fish replies to Ghost’s ‘well done’. The only other cat that’s ever shown pride for the young tom in front of Fish has been Thunder of Coming Storm, Fish’s mentor; pride in his actions is a rare feeling for Fish, but he sits up a little taller at the compliment. Though it still seemed like Ghost was glaring down at him, the younger tom is starting to wonder if that’s just how Ghost always looks. Ghost doesn’t seem disapproving or angry at him right now, and Fish can’t ever think of seeing Ghost without that trademark glare…

Fish seems satisfied as he turns back to the river once more; having already caught two fish, he’ll likely have to be a bit more patient for his next catch. The water has been disturbed too many times for the fish to happily swim directly into his paws anymore. He might, however, be able to leap into the water and wrestle one to the surface. He’s done it before, but it’s a lot more work and a lot more difficult to pull off than a simple snatch from the bank. Plus, once he leaps into the water, he won’t get any more attempts at fishing in this spot today. Best save it for just a little bit longer… or until a perfect opportunity comes along.

[pebble]

It took quite a bit to impress ole Ghosty, considering he had seen a lot in his moons. But, the young to-be impressed him a little. He was absolutely amazed at how young Fish's fishing skills matched that of a season hunter, honestly. He hadn't seen that much talent in... ever, actually.

Settling slightly, Ghost turned his oil-slicked pupils to looking around the place, his tail tip flicking. He glanced at it, and then looked to Fish, a wondrous idea striking up in that mind of his. "Ever considered sticking your tail tip in the water and seeing if the fish nip at it?" The tom voiced his thoughts, an amused tone hiding in his voice. He wasn't a hunter, no, but he knew enough to know that fish ate anything that resembled a fish, especially if it was above them.