bonus prompt- hunting/navigation: Seafood

wc: 356

Ever since her fishing venture at the Delta Hanako had been itching to try again. The thought of catching yet another giant put a spring in her step as she bounced along the Bifröst, her tail swaying gently as Toshi galloped by her side, only just managing to keep pace with his much shorter legs. She might have slowed down if he'd been willing to meet her in the middle, since every time she had asked him for fishing lessons he'd simply turn his nose up at her. Nothing she said or did changed his mind, so there she was determined to catch fish in her own tried and tested way: Hanako style!

The sand that lined the Bifröst was coarse beneath her paws, rough and scratchy against her pads as she slowed to a walk to take in the view. Toshi sighed in relief, panting a little as he plonked himself down on his rear. Auster lingered in the distance, it's dark silhouette standing out brazenly amongst stark blue of the sea and sky. As a self proclaimed explorer she ought to have been drawn in, tempted to cross the bridge to see what laid hidden on the other side. But the Wraith only had eyes for the water. She breathed deep, savouring the scent of the ocean breeze as it tousled her fur, like an old friend welcoming her back. Leaving Toshi to his own devices Hanako waded out onto the sandbank. It's slope was slow and gentle, stretching on for several yards till it dropped off to the point where she'd no longer be able to touch the bottom. She knew it was customary to fish from land, to reach over the edge of the water and grab a fish as it passed. But so far she'd had no luck with that method and every time she'd tried she'd ended up with a mouthful of water. With her way at least she'd be able to go for a swim, to be one with the waves and with the sun shining high in the sky she couldn't have chosen a better day for it.

He was exploring the islands near the back of the Dove Island Archipelago, when Saph spotted Hana. The trouble making Kea had squirked about a pretty backside disappearing near the water by the Bifrost, and it had taken some back and forth arguing before she admitted that it was Hana.

He abandoned the Ashen Islands, and looked towards the Bifrost. It was a decent swim, but he had done it before. He hopped into the water, his wings out either side of him like fins as he pushed lazily through the water. He had started off struggling to swim, but he had soon developed his own style. No one had been able to teach him properly to swim, for his wings had at first been a hazard. Heavy and awkward in the water.

He had learned to work with them, instead of against them, and now they helped him cut through the waves. They worked even better when he was fully submerged, so his style of swimming was often to dive beneath the waves, and cut through the water beneath, wings outstretched and tail like a rudder. When he needed breath, he surfaced, and then went down again. Occasionally, the salt hurt his eyes, but even that he had gotten accustomed to. Open eyes beneath the water would find the reefs near the island he departed, and he was careful to keep away from the jagged edges of it. An eel dove away from his sinking form, and he snickered as its tail slipped away. He held his breath again, berating himself for the loss of air.

Ignoring the distractions beneath the waves for the most part, he continued to cut his way to the Bifrost. He had the idea of scaring her, and when he was close, he took a deep, deep breath, diving far beneath the waves. Going closer, and closer, seeing the shadow of her body above him. He surged upwards with all his might, pushing out of the water, tossing his head back. Soaked wings held wide either side of his body. “Rrraaaaaa, dinner!’ he cried, going for her toes.

Wc: 356
Total: 712

wc:287
total: 999

Kicking off the sandbank Hanako swam out into deeper waters, till the bottom was well beyond her reach. Perhaps she ought to have found it a little daunting, that she was so far from the shore and out of her element. That if the weather or tides took a turn for the worst she could easily be swept out to the open ocean, lost and never to be found. But the ocean for all of its terrifying ferocity could also be welcoming; for now it's waves were calm and gentle, barely jostling her as she paddled to stay afloat. With her wistful gaze set on the horizon she didn't notice the approaching blob, her soft hum filling the silence not occupied by the whispering of the waves. And then it reared out of the water, it's massive form overshadowing her as though it was an ancient beast that had rose from the deep to gobble her up! Hanako shrieked and in her panic lost her stride, making her sink down like a stone weight. She drifted for a moment, her heart racing in her chest as she opened her eyes and winched a little as the salt made them sting. Her vision was blurry at first, swimming with too many colours and shapes but once she'd blinked a couple of times everything became clear and focused. Including the nasty boy who'd jumped out at her. Kicking her way to the surface, Hanako emerged with an almighty frown.

"Why-you!" She grr'ed baring her teeth, as if he'd find that even remotely threatening. But try as she might she couldn't stay mad at Mortis for long. "How'd you even find me? I didn't tell anyone I was going fishing."

Woops he hadn’t expected it, butHana sank in surprise at his sudden appearance. He waited a moment, and then she surfaced, angry and scolding. He ducked, expecting her to toss a wave his way, biting back a laugh as he did so. Instead, after baring her teeth, she calmed down and asked him how he found her. “I was just on the Ashen territories over there” he explained, pointing a wet wing in the right direction. He paddled gently to stay afloat as he spoke. “Saph said she thought she saw you out this way, so I swam over” he explained. It was a decent swim, but he had most certainly grown into his body. Towering equal heights to his dad, with the muscles of a fighter. Plus, he had been doing a great deal of swimming lately. It helped, living by the ocean. So his body was accustomed to the exercise.

“Did you want company?” he asked. It hadn’t occurred to him before that she might have come out here to fish alone. But as she had said, she hadn’t told anyone she had come out here. Did that mean she had intended for some alone time? Oh well. He was here now. They might as well work together, right?

He grinned at her, his rudder-tail wiggling behind him. “So what were you thinking of catching? I’ve heard there's all sorts of interesting stuff out here. I saw a turtle when I was swimming out to you, and there’s fish and mussels and fish and eels. Have you tried eel?” he was babbling, he knew that. But somehow, he couldn’t quite seem to stop, either. He had a sudden inspiration to try everything and gorge themselves sick on a huge variety of seafood.

Wc: 306
Total: 1,305

wc: 531
total: 1836

Hanako followed his line of sight to the cluster of islands in the distance and hummed, impressed by his swimming prowess. It wasn't too far and she knew she'd be able to make the swim with no trouble at all but his wings were a burden she didn't have to bare. Even now he made staying afloat with his extra weight look easy, almost effortless, as he paddled beside her and continued to chatter away. Upon inspection she noticed that his swimming style was rather different from her own, his strokes were graceless but powerful, consisting of strong and steady sweeps. Whilst Hanako's were slow and dainty,  relying on technique rather than brute force. It was an interesting observation, the sort that she made more frequently now that she was the Armada's Wraith but she quickly pushed the thought aside when she realised it was a silly thing to get caught up on.  As long as Mortis could keep up with her swimming shenanigans that's all that mattered in the end.

"Mmm!" As if she'd ever deny his company, it was a bit silly that he even felt the need to ask. His question brought on a smile as her eyes shone with anticipation. "Hmm, I do like eel. But I was thinking along the lines of something fancier. Octopus." She wasn't sure whether it was common in this part of the world but she'd once stayed in a kingdom by the ocean and during a banquet they'd served up octopus as a delicacy and she wasn't exaggerating here, it was the best thing she'd ever eaten. Just thinking about it made her lick her lips. "If you help me catch one I'll split it with you... seventy-thirty. Deal?" Her grin was big and wide, neither confirming or denying whether she was actually serious or not.

Without giving Mortis the chance to respond, Hanako sucked in a deep breath and delved beneath the surface. Once again the water muffled her senses, blurring her vision and making sounds feel muted yet echoy at the same time. It took a moment to adjust but once she was confident she could see and hear well enough to hunt she twisted her form, diving deeper as she approached the coral reef below. The sea floor was adorned with a myriad of colours, the twisted shapes and forms of coral of all varieties. Smaller fish scattered at her approach, hiding in the nooks and crannies between rocks as Hanako scanned the surrounding area, bubbles slipping out of her nostrils as she blew the air from her lungs.

In her naivety she thought it'd be easy to spot an octopus, that they'd just be bobbing about amongst the coral. She saw so many fish she couldn't even dream of naming or counting, even the tail of a sea snake slithering out of view, but if there was an octopus to be found then she'd have to try a little harder. Search the reef with a fine toothed comb if need be. Fine, they could do that. Kicking off the sea floor Hanako rushed to the surface and sucked in a lungful of air before descending once again.

Mortis frowned, scrunching up his nose. “Octa-what now?” he asked, scanning the ocean around them, as through whatever it was might magically appear and identify itself to him. He wouldn’t even know what it was if he saw it. It wasn’t one of the things he had encountered yet. He had mostly concentrated his own fishing exercises on… well… fish. “Seventy-thirty! You don’t have to give me seventy percent Hana, i’m okay with fifty” he teased her, darting away a little in case she decided to retaliate. She did however explain what to look for as he padded gently above the surface. He tried to picture an eight-armed funny head squishy creature. But honestly, he failed. Well, perhaps he would understand when he saw one. Wasting no more time, he dove under the water. Repeating the technique he had used to swim here. He found his wings weighted a lot less once he was under the surface. He pulled himself slowly down, his wings spread out on either side of him. He made his way down to the ocean floor, holding his breath carefully. He watched another eel slipping about the coral. Little fish dancing in between the cover of funny plants. A starfish, stuck to a rock. He pocked that with his nose. But, he really needed to breathe. So he shot back to the surface, taking in a deep breath, and looking about for Hana, seeing her descending once more. He folded his wing up and over his back, and darted in front of hre, waving his ‘shark fin’ and grinning at her. He could play goof and look for his octopus at the same time. He did almost have a heart attack when a big, finned body swam past him. He let out his breath in a sudden explosion of bubbles, and then swam for the surface to catch his breath. The dolphin surfaced when he did, and breathed a fountain of water onto his head. He giggled, and shoved a wave at the creature, ignoring it to dive back beneath the surface again. Wc: 351 Total: 2,187 "Mortis"

wc: 342
total: 2529

Plummeting beneath the surface, Hanako was soon joined by a wannabe shark. Try as he might the same trick wouldn't work twice on her, though this time she was able to see the humour in it since, yanno, she wasn't worried about being eaten alive. Eyeing Mortis' makeshift fin with a smirk she splayed out her back leg and kicked him away, using the momentum to rush ahead to the sea floor. Fish scattered as Hanako pulled up beside a large cluster of rocks and placed her paws against it, she squatted down to look between he cracks and her eyes narrowed in focus. The foundation of rock stretched on as far as she could see, a labyrinth unlike anything she'd seen on land. It made sense as to why all the little critters chose to live here, safe and secure, out of reach of the larger predators who'd happily gobble them up as a tasty snack. But it presented Hanako with a major problem, one she hadn't noticed till now. Up on land she could use all of her senses but down here she was restricted to just sight and sound, which weren't proving to be all that helpful when her prey was in hiding. Smushed away in one gap out of dozens, if not hundreds. Hanako scratched her head with a paw, if she was an octopus where would she hide?

She turned a little, distracted by the movement in the corner of her eye and found herself wondering if Mortis was fairing any better. It was frustrating that they couldn't communicate properly or form a plan without heading up to the surface. It really broke the momentum of their hunt, going back and forth as though they were a pair of indecisive pups who didn't know any better. Her lungs began to burn as she kicked her way back up, surfacing with a frustrated sigh before she dipped down only to notice that Mortis seemed to be onto something...Had he found an octopus? Her rumbly stomach certainly hoped so!

He ignored most of the aquatic life around him. Even the dolphin lost interest in the strange wolves in its water, and wondered a little ways away. A couple of fish darted past him, and he breathed out a few bubbles in their general direction. He swam towards one of the reefs near the bottom, scrunching up his nose as he carefully scanned for… wait, what was that? He noticed movement, and he darted forward. Grabbing the tentacle of some funny looking creature. a n octopus maybe? He certainly hoped so. He was running out of air. He pulled harder, and with a ‘pop’ its grip fell away from the reef and it as in his maw. He swam hard for the surface, grabbing in a few quick sucks of air past weird tentacle things in his mouth. It started to latch onto his face, and he shook his head vigorously to loosen it. “Hana, a little help!” "Mortis""Hana"

Dashing to the surface, Hanako dragged in a lungful of air as she stared up at the sky. Her senses returned to their full strength so it took her only a moment to realise that Mortis seemed to be in some sort of trouble. She whipped around, eyes wide as she took in the sight of what appeared to be strange octopus wolf hybrid. Tentacles curled around his snout, suckers smushed against his skin as Mortis tried, and failed, to shake it lose. When he managed to call for help his words were muffled as he was unable to open his mouth very far but Hanako didn't need to be told twice. She kicked forward and grabbed the octopus' head, biting down as hard as she could till it stopped squirming. It was funny how the roles were reversed, this time Hanako coming to aid Mortis with his big catch. Blood stained the water as it's tentacles went limp, sliding off his face to reveal that he'd somehow come out unscathed. If she'd been any slower his face might have been all lumpy and riddled with welts, which would have been funny for a little while but ultimately Hanako was relieved her friend was unharmed.

"Ohh wow!" Hanako said, appraising the octopus with a pleased nod. It was the biggest she'd ever seen and her stomach rumbled  in anticipation. Her strides became a little choppy as she paddled to stay afloat, her excitement mounting as she stared at the tentacles like a woman possessed. "Lets go eat!" She ordered, turning tail and swimming back to land as quickly as her body would allow. They'd hash out who ate what once they got there, for now she just wanted to get her paws back on the sand before the blood attracted something more attuned to hunting in the sea.