Nami wandered near the edge of the bay, pacing slowly down the shoreline. Though Auster was experiencing their wet version of winter, her mood overall was still quite bright. Even after what Tojo-Kai had endured not long ago - the point was that they had endured, and they were stronger for it. And the new life that was flourishing within the pack made it hard to feel down at all. She admittedly had a soft spot for young ones and their naive joy was contagious, sending ripples of happiness through the pack like a tidal wave.

She'd had her eye on a manta ray that kept floating close to shore. Its size made it easy to spot, even among the long strands of kelp that clogged up the bay. Catching it, though, would be a different story entirely.

Slowly she waded in the shallows, pausing only when the water was nearly up to her chest. Though it was relatively cool out, Nami wasn't the least bit deterred. The chill that flooded her as she waded further out only encouraged her; her eyes locked on the pale manta ray as it danced through the seaweed, almost tempting her to try to bring it to shore.

And sure, she could try, but she knew a thing or two about fishing and she knew a partner would definitely help her in this case. As much as she liked a challenge, she thought it more prudent to make sure they actually took down a good meal, especially with how many mouths they had to feed now. She couldn't imagine Hanzo and Kiriko's litter would be at all upset about an unusual meal either. Lifting her head to the sky, she let loose a call for whoever might want to help her, slowly backing out of the water and keeping her eyes trained on the manta ray. She hoped it wouldn't leave too soon.

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He had been spending more time with siblings as of late. Now that Nami was around, Kuroo could spend more time away from the bay. She was more than capable of fishing and tending to nets so he has not a single worry anything would go wrong. Because of this confidence, he was able to be around Usagi who he felt he hadn't spent enough time with. What with Kunai disappearing, Usagi was now more alone than ever. Kuroo had moved to the bay as a permanent resident while Usagi still slept within the same bamboo den they had claimed upon their arrival. Sleeping beside his brother felt as comforting as ever.

So much so that he was feeling refreshed as he left to patrol. Paw pacing through the bamboo corridors until a familiar howl echoed out from the bay. An interested expression crosses his features as he picks up his pace. In no time, Kuroo emerged from the bamboo wall that lines the curving edge of the bay. Pausing atop the dune with tall dried grass tickling his chest, he looks around until he spots Nami standing chest deep in the water. Kuroo watches for a few moments, studying how she stands looking somehow beneath the surface. He knows she can see into water more than he can from his distance. Was there something interesting today?

Too curious and always over eager to fish, Kuroo makes his way down the dune and slowly steps into the ebbing flower of the bay. Kelp and small fish brush against his legs, but that he pays no mind to. Now that he's closer, almost to Nami, he can see it now. A large, pale manta ray that glides back and forth through the waves. An eerie sort of elegance about it both amazed and drew him in. Careful not to disturb the water too much, Kuroo finally comes to a stop in the water beside Nami, also chest deep, save for an inch or two. "I get the feeling you might want to hunt that," Kuroo says softly, his muzzle leaning toward Nami so he doesn't have to speak too loudly.

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While she waited, she watched the way the manta ray swam, watching the way it dove between the strands of kelp that reached toward the water's surface. The thing about fishing was that they could always redirect their attention if the creature proved too hard to catch. There was no shortage of seafood here, from the manta ray to the schools of fishing swimming all around the bay. Even if her plan wasn't a successful one, they could easily change things up. All she knew was that they'd find something to eat today, regardless of what it might be.

She didn't have to study the bay for long before a familiar face came into view. Nami, never one to hide her feelings, made no effort to conceal the grin that spread across her features at seeing Kuroo was the one to respond to her call. Of course, she'd be happy for any company, but he had a way of making her smile just a little bit more than the rest of the wolves she spent time with. Her tail, already held high above her back, began to wave as a further indicator of her emotion as he drew closer.

"Absolutely," she confirmed his suspicions, a playful gleam in her eyes as she glanced from him to the water and back again. As he leaned closer, she moved to close the distance between them just a bit, pressing her nose to the side of his cheek in an affectionate but brief gesture before righting herself again. "Up for the challenge?" Stretching her legs a bit, she moved to wade further into the water. Another step and she'd be swimming rather than walking, though she waited to be sure he was game before she'd get started. Fishing, in a way, was even more unpredictable than land hunting - so they'd have to play it by ear and see if the manta ray was too quick for them or not.

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Kuroo's skin warms under her brief affectionate touch. A quiet rumble makes it way through his chest as he returns the gesture with a brief swipe of his tongue across her muzzle. "Challenger is my middle name!" He responds cheekily, laughing softly as he moves his paws across the sand, looking away from Nami to the water around them.

Giving his own fur a good shake, Kuroo stretches and keeps his attention on the depths. Since they were nearly at a depth where they might have to start swimming, he didn't want to be caught off guard in the process. As the seaweed around them sways and shifts, Kuroo begins to deepen his focus. Hunting in the water was a much different process than hunting on land. One wrong step and your game would be gone forever. Or you might become the one being hunted!

"How'd you like to go about this?" Kuroo questions, his eyes lifting briefly to Nami before darting back down to search for the ray.

"Speech"

The simple moment of affection was enough to make Nami's smile grow, her tail wagging a little harder now. Her joy upon spending time with Kuroo was obvious and she made no effort to hide it, especially since the feelings were returned. The fisherwolf looked even more pleased that he was open to a challenging hunt with her. Their focus shifted then to the manta ray then, Kuroo asking how she wanted to go about this.

Admiring the way the creature floated through the water, Nami considered, her tail giving a flick and sending up a light splash of water from the surface. "Ever caught one of these before? They're really fast," Nami warned him with a grin. Still the manta ray was swimming through the shallow waters, occasionally rising closer to the surface, making it difficult to decide when to best strike. "Lets wait until it looks like it's slowing down..."

It seemed like it had moved to the shallow waters to begin to rest, but so far hadn't settled anywhere in particular, still darting about every so often. Nami crept forward another step, very nearly swimming now, before she saw the opportune moment. It floated closer to the surface and Nami took the opportunity to kick off closer to it, paws no longer able to touch the sand beneath her. Using her speed she darted forward, aiming a bite on the manta ray's fin, though it was slippery enough it was apt to pull away from her without much difficulty. She hoped Kuroo had taken the cue and wasn't far behind helping her grab hold of it as it began to flail in the water.

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He couldn't deny the delight he felt when she tossed him that challenging glance. Her grin is captivating and he almost forgets why they're there until her tail flicks at the water, bringing droplets into the air. "I haven't. We hunted a porpoise awhile back, but I can't say they're going to be the same challenge," Kuroo let out a quiet laugh as he remembered how silly it felt taking down the lump of a blubbery animal. The manta ray would be a much harder target in his mind. Faster, lighter, and able to maneuver through the seaweed unlike he or Nami could.

Turning his focus directly to the manta ray, Kuroo watches its movements. He too notices how it drifts in the shallows, seemingly wanting to rest before it darts away. Inside, he wonders if they'll have a chance, but Nami is stepping forward, cueing to him that they might just get lucky. His own paws creep forward through the water, keeping as still as possible while his eyes watch the ray float closer to the surface.

Seemingly suspended in time, Kuroo stays frozen as Nami kicks off toward the ray. Once her jaws are on one of the fins, Kuroo kicks forward, his paws digging into the sand to try and gain some sort of stability. Though he's not quite swimming yet, his toes are reaching for the ground as he kicks harder one more time and reaches out to grab onto a fin. Just as his teeth are about to find their target, the ray's fin flips up and out of the way, coming back down to smack him hard across the muzzle.

Kuroo lets out a yelp, surprised by the attack, but undeterred. Once the ray's fin is back in the water and his snout has recovered, he goes back and grabs ahold before the ray can slap him again.

"Speech"

Nami nodded along to his words, grinning all the while. A porpoise would definitely be a challenge compared to a regular fish, but maybe a very different one than a manta ray. She'd hunted one of these creatures before, but it'd been a long while and she was sure she was rusty at it. Since leaving her homelands she hadn't had as much time to do group hunts on the water, and she was excited to participate in one once again.

Kuroo followed her cues, moving forward in the water a moment after she moved to strike. She didn't have much time to see what he was doing as the hunt unfolded, though she was confident he was just as capable as she was and that they'd find a way to take down their prey together. A challenge wouldn't deter either of them; that was something Nami was realizing she liked - no, loved - about Kuroo.

She held on strong to the bite she'd landed on one of it's fins, her paws paddling in the water to keep her afloat. Another brief spurt of flailing makes her lose her grip on it for a moment, a yelp from Kuroo's direction telling her that he was struggling too. Kicking forward a bit to close the brief distance the manta ray had gained on her, she aims another bite, this time where its fin meets its head.

As she bares down on it she tries to paddle backwards, hoping if her paws find solid ground that she can use her weight to stabilize her and get a better grip on the creature. If they lost it, it'd be unlikely they could catch up to it again.

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In the midst of grabbing ahold of his fin, he looks up to see Nami’s progress. His tail wags furiously, wiggling up his body to show his excitement when he sees that she has a good clamp on the manta’s fin. With the aquatic creature now firmly in their jaws, unable to utilize its fins to slap at them and escape, they could drag it to shore!

Watching Nami, Kuroo times his movements as best as he can with her. His paws paddle in the water, sluggishly moving him backwards as he keeps ahold of the ray. Exhaustion creeps up into his neck and jaw, but he doesn’t giving up. They’re so, so close now! So close that he can feel the sand just beneath his toes.

Scrambling for purchase on the more solid ground, Kuroo gives one more heave backward into the shallows. With a spectacular spray of water that shines in the sunlight, he’s able to help Nami lug the manta up and onto the beach. Knowing he couldn’t let it suffer for long as its gills gasped for air, err water, Kuroo jumps forward. Quickly dispatching the ray with a stomp of his paws, he slides off it and into the sand, sitting in an exhausted fashion. “Those things sure know how to put up a fight,” he comments, tongue lolling from he side of his mouth as he pants.

Namoo

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