Come down, come down sweet reverence

Holey baskets she was a pack wolf! Jynn walked around as if in a daze, soaking it in with disbelief and excitement. What did she even do with herself now? She had made herself a den, got it modestly furnished and now she turned her attention to the pack itself. What did a pack need? Well food for starters. Hanzo did explain that she would be ranked as a Taicho, a warrior and she knew she'd need to spar her fellow warriors and maybe test the younger ones as well but that was more than she was comfortable starting off with. Maybe some fishing first?

Jynn had explored the Bamboo Maze a little more, hell she'd explored it long before a pack even existed there. These southern lands of Auster were some of her first. She strode toward the Manatee Bay where the fishing would be better. She didn't have a plan as of yet but she figured she could scout out the options first. Jynn scooted on her belly down the long roots of the mangrove before sticking her head into the water and taking a look around. She noted the manatees and also some gray snapper that seemed like a good target.

Nami was beyond thrilled that Jynn had decided to give Tojo-Kai a try, even if she wasn't sticking around for a long time - maybe she'd really end up liking the pack though, like Nami had. Regardless of how it unfolded she was grateful to have her around now, and she was eager to spend more time with her. Hopefully her time here was already proving to be enjoyable. She knew how strange it could feel to be around so many wolves after being on your own for so long, so she'd give her a few days to settle in before annoying her.

Making her way to Manatee Bay, one of her favorite spots in Tojo-Kai's claimed territories, she wasn't surprised to find Jynn there. Immediately she was overwhelmed by the childish instinct to tackle her into the water when she drew closer and saw she was distracted - no, not just distracted, but her head was fully underwater.

Torn between the two options, of tackling her or not, Nami drew a few long strides closer before making up her mind. Even if she was trying to fish, it wasn't like the fish would completely scatter and take ages to return. The water here at the shoreline was ever-changing, moving in and out with the tides, the waves often turbulent and unpredictable. A little splashing wouldn't ruin things.

Slowing slightly, she lowered herself into a playful stance, hindquarters wiggling slightly in the air before she pounced. Her intent was to tackle Jynn and bring her down into the water, no doubt getting soaked in return. She hoped she wouldn't be upset with her antics but the opportunity had been too good to pass up!

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Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn half considered snapping at the fish with her head underwater, but she knew that she'd lose in a game of speed with the fish beneath the waves. Best to withdraw and reassess. However, before she could something struck her and she went tumbling into the water. Jynn's heart raced as she scrambled back to the surface. Her head broke above the water, canine claws scrambling at the roots before realizing Nami was in the water with her. "Nami!" She yelled in both surprise and joy before laughing. Ok, the other woman had got her fair and square. "How are you, pack mate?" She grinned as she said the words, just paddling about in the water. "I was going to try for some of those gray snapper fish. Was planning on fishing from shore but if there's a good way to get them in the water I'm all ears." Speaking of, here ears twitched and flapped sending a spray of droplets off into the air.

Score! Her attack had been a success, and the two went tumbling down into the water together, Nami falling nearly head over heels. The splash that the two of them made wasn't extreme by any means but just enough to make a scene if anyone was nearby. It only took her a moment to find her bearings and scramble upright from where she'd landed in the water, giving her pelt a good shake to dry off at least a little bit.

Fortunately her little antics didn't seem to have bothered Jynn, in fact she was laughing! Grinning widely and laughing as well, she found her tail wagging hard behind her, sending droplets of water off her. "Jynn!" She returned the greeting readily, her grin hardly fading even as she spoke. "I've been well - how about you? Settling in well enough?"

As someone who'd been off on her own for a long time she knew it might take Jynn awhile to really integrate with the pack, though she was glad to see she'd stuck around thus far. It seemed like she was planning on some fishing and Nami nodded along eagerly. "Let's do it!" Maybe letting the water calm for a second was a good idea after she'd disturbed it. Reeling back slightly from the water, Nami moved into a reclined position, watching the fish further out as they calmed and began to swim toward the shore.

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Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn nodded. "Yea, it's really nice here. This more temperate climate suits me fine and the prey seems plentiful. I'm still figuring out how the pack system works and some of the finer points of ranks but I'm sure it will come in time." She at least knew roughly what her own duties would entail. Speaking of she probably needed to get fight training going at some point but for now she wanted to finish getting lunch together.

Nami was quick to agree to fishing and Jynn stood quietly, trying not to disturb the water too much. Where she was the water was just deep enough to cover her back, leaving her graceful neck free to launch an attack. As the water stilled the fish soon returned and for a moment Jynn just soaked it all in. A gorgeous day, the cool water shifting gently around her and the company of a good friend. A gray snapper started to swim toward her front legs and in a flash her head dove down, narrow muzzle parting the water like an arrow as her fangs seized the fish's tail. Her head jerked up with a grin, fish flopping around wildly in her jaws.

For a moment she'd worried her silly antics would get herself chastised, but she soon realized she was living in the past a little bit still. Things were so different here than the rigid pack she'd been raised in, where there was no room for nonsense. Here there seemed to be room for a healthy dose of fun, so long as she was still contributing and not being a nuisance. It was easy enough to do and she had to remind herself that she didn't need to be stuck in old habits.

Grinning from ear to ear at how easily Jynn moved on from being tackled into the water, Nami nodded along to her words. "It will, I'm sure of that! I felt the same way at first. This place is a lot different than the pack I was born into - though Hanzo seems a fair man. A bit serious, maybe, but his heart is good," Nami stated with clear confidence. She knew he was a good man, and she would vouch for him time and time again. He'd given her a home again, after all, something she genuinely had never expected to find again.

Sitting and watching the water still in front of her, only disturbed slightly by Jynn's slight movements, Nami was content to watch for a long while. Though she could be quite excitable, fishing was something she could be exceedingly patient at, channeling all her nervous energy into the task at hand. The gray snapper moved in slow circles ahead, and Jynn moved to strike one. Nami followed suit, the slender fisher leaping forward to snap at one that began to dart away. She had to kick out a bit further to reach it, feeling her paws lift off from the sand as she rushed to catch it. Though it nearly slipped out of her jaws she was able to dart forward and snatch it up, lifting her own head proudly as the fish gave a good few flops.

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Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn scrambled up the nearest mangrove roots, dark claws digging into the bark as she went. The fish was flailing wildly, tail nearly smacking her face as she bent her head down to pin it with her paws. Her fangs then slit the gills. Licking the blood from her maw she turned her gaze back to Nami. "Yea, a very serious sort but he's been a fair wolf every time I've run into him. A skilled warrior to." Come to think of it her previous encounters with Hanzo had been fighting some predator.

She grinned as she watched Nami catch her own lunch. Now that that was taken care of she settled down and started to eat her catch, eyes glancing at the water for other opportunities. A glimmer of silver caught her attention as she chewed the fish meat. Herring? There was a school of them shifting through the mangrove roots. Tiny, little snacks. Not really worth a huge effort but she couldn't help but be tempted to try. The smaller fish were probably faster, so would her similar tactic work? Jynn stuffed the snapper into a crevice in the mangrove tree before slipping back in the water.

"I just got to try for a herring. Would make a good appetizer! By the way, what was your former pack like, if you don't mind me asking?"

Paddling back with the gray snapper clasped firmly between her jaws, Nami caught sight of Jynn scrambling up the roots of one of the nearby mangrove trees as she caught a fish of her own and moved to settle down and tear into it for a moment.

"A warrior? I guessh he doesh give me that vibe,"[/color] she spoke through a mouth full of fish as she moved back to solid ground to take a bite into it. She hadn't experienced that side of him but given his demeanor, it made perfect sense now that Jynn said something. Nami was just glad Hanzo had agreed she could stay here, even if she felt she couldn't relate to him all that much. She could - and did - pull her weight, and that was what mattered at the end of the day.

She grinned as Jynn was tempted back into the water and Nami didn't hesitate in joining her, taking a small bite out of her own fish before abandoning it for the moment and sliding back into the cool water of the bay. "My pack was in the far north," she started, kicking away from the shallows as her orange gaze fixed on the water and searched for signs of movement in the water below. "The weather was so much more intense than here. These lands feel a little like being on vacation," she commented, grinning a little as she tread water in a deeper section of the bay. "I grew up in a little fishing village. We traded fish to all sorts of different wolves and packs. Everything there was pretty strict. In a stifling way, not like here."

It felt hard to put into words, the way home had made her feel like she couldn't quite be herself. But that was why she'd left, and how she'd eventually found this place. "What about you? You didn't grow up in a pack, did you?" Nami knew Jynn wasn't exactly a wolf like her and she knew of her deep-seated wanderlust spirit, but she didn't know a lot about her early life. She hoped she wouldn't be offended by asking. Catching sight of one of the herring's silvery scales - and then noticing the school of fish that traveled together - she dove down and aimed to snatch up one of them.

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Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn moved into the water til it was up to her chest. She then stood still, letting the ebb and flow of the water move her fur, ruffling it like algae or other aquarian plants. It seemed to be working as the herring moved closer and closer, the silvery school moving like a larger living being. She grinned as Nami moved back into the water to enjoy her. Fishing was such a relaxing hunting hobby most of the time.

Nami spoke of her old pack being in the north and of the intense weather. Jynn caught herself starting to nod even though she'd never been there. Just the mention made her think of the harsh northern winters in Boreas. It was a fine place to visit but she had little interest in actually living there. Nami spoke of living in a fishing village which was run in a strict and stifling manner. It sounded terrible!

"Well… not a pack like packs are here. It was very small and we held only a few small territories that we'd move back and forth between with prey. Course then a larger pack moved in and…yea…" Jynn shrugged as she gazed down at the herring. Her brow furrowed for a moment before her head dove into the water, her narrow muzzle cutting through it like a spear as her jaws latched onto one of the herring.

Honestly, she could stay here forever, even if her fishing didn't prove to be fruitful. The way the water moved against her was rhythmic and soothing, and for a moment she found herself lost in the movements. This was exactly what she was meant to do - moments like this only proved that time and time again. She was content to stand and watch Jynn move in the water for a long moment, watching the way the fish moved. Though she aimed to snatch one of the herring up, it proved a bit too fast for her, darting away nearly effortlessly.

The failure wouldn't deter her though - fishing was often just like that. A series of failed attempts was nothing to be discouraged about. Persistence was key. She was happy to pause to listen to Jynn explain very briefly about how she'd grown up in a small pack of sorts, though it sounded like their downfall had been a rivaling pack. Nami nodded, not wanting to press the subject since it didn't sound like a very pleasant topic for her friend. "Well - at least we have Tojo-Kai, right?" Nami would gladly sweep any bad feelings that were threatening to surface away, focusing on the present and what they had to be grateful for. At least that was how she felt.

Following Jynn's lead, she waited for the herring to once again swim past, taking her turn in diving in and aiming to snatch one up! Success! The other fish in the group fled, disappearing in a flash of scales through the water while she emerged victorious with one flapping about between her jaws.

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Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn's head whipped up out of the water and she wolfed the herring down in a single gulp. Licking her lips she hopped back up onto the mangrove roots to finish her earlier catch. Jynn settled down with the fish between her paws and nodded. "Yea, it's been interesting that's for sure. Life as a loner was getting a little too quiet for me. It's nice to be able to interact with others on a more frequent basis." Jynn had always been the friendly sort but life alone meant running across others could be a rare occurrence and sometimes even a dangerous one. She bent her head and ripped off another chunk of fish, carefully working to pull the meat back from the ribs.

The herring she caught only gave a few feeble flaps before she clenched her jaws a bit tighter. Tossing it toward the patch of solid ground, she aimed to snatch up another just as quickly as one darted past her. She had to think and react quickly, giving little time for planning between the movements. Such was the way of fishing though. Once she emerged with another, she slid easily out of the water to feast on the couple of herring she'd snagged.

"I feel like that too," she admitted, talking between hearty bites. "Sure beats being lonely." Nami had her share of loneliness in her life, and especially as she got older she'd decided it just wasn't for her anymore. Maybe some wolves were content to live like that but now that she'd seen what being happy felt like, that life just wasn't for her. "Get enough to eat?" Nami asked as she swallowed another mouthful, looking over to see if Jynn was content or not. If she was still hungry she'd happily dive back in for more for her.

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