as fate would have it

Birna's whiskers flicked forward as she gazed upward. The man explained that he was fishing but that it wasn't as complex. Her head tilted to the side. It seemed more complex than just trying to grab them though definitely safer. "It's fascinating, and smart. Last time I was here in the summer I encountered a great and terrible lizard. It snatched a deer right off the banks." She shuddered. She did not like those creatures.

The little leopard sudden moved, exclaiming that he'd caught one. Birna moved to position herself out of the way. "Do you give lessons? My name is Birna and I should very much like to learn of other ways to catch fish. They are a very rare food where I used to live." High up in the old mountains fishing holes were rare and in those that existed fish lived deep, deep down in the water. They would only occasionally wash to shore when they were sick or dead.

Speech