One south spring night the quiet Hattori Asahi snuck out of the den. Stepping around her numerous siblings, maybe stepping on one or two by accident as she slunk around the bamboo. Restlessly she was following the strange shadows and silvery light speckling the maze floor. The lights moved and danced as the gentle winds knocked together the leaves and stems of the bamboo above her.

Silently she jumped from one bright silver spot to another all the way down to the bay. The water lapped serenely at the mangrove roots and white sandy beach. The sand reflected the brightest moon she had ever seen.

Down at the shore, she heard a splash and followed the sound closer to the water. small forms were wriggling about, the fish far more active than usual.

She stepped back as a shadow swept over the sands and over her, looking up she saw the silhouette of a heron just before it dived into the black water and came out with a gullet full of wriggling fish. She wanted to try!

Mouth ajar, drool making its way down his cheek, Jiro was sound asleep. Laying on his back, all four paws in the air, slightly curled with his extended part of his side pressed up close against one or two of his siblings. Which ones? He wasn't sure, didn't know or care. All that mattered was that he was comfortable. Super comfy actually and having a really neat dream until someone rudely stepped on his ear.

The petite paw of Asahi tugs at the delicate skin forcing his eyes to crinkle and a quiet whimper to rouse him from his slumber. Twisting around in an awkward position, Jiro watches with silver eyes as his not quite the smallest sister practically slinks from the den's outer door. Now, where was she off to at this time of night? Jiro isn't curious, lets get that straight. He doesn't actually care what his sister or any of his siblings go do, but he can't resist either A. breaking the rules or B. annoying his siblings for no reason. When he's presented with the chance to do both? There was no way he was going back to sleep now!

Rolling over and up onto his paws, he plods after Asahi, keeping a good few feet behind her. Pressing along the wall of bamboo as they make their way out to the bay, he pauses as dirt turns to sand. Silver beneath the moon's light, the bay is awash with a serene glow that almost appears eerie. Was it always this bright? Stepping down onto the dune and making his way to the shoreline where the water laps at his toes, he looks over to Asahi who watches a heron dive down to scoop up a load of fish into its beak.

"The animals are pretty lively tonight, eh?" Jiro inquires to his basically mute sister. He knows she hasn't ever spoken a word before - at least not while he's around. "Swimming's the easy part though. Catching the fish is harder," he muses, his own gaze turning to the shallows in front of them. Watching the fish dart about in an erratic manner. Was something bothering them? He hadn't noticed anyone else and if there was trouble on the beach, surely Kuroo or Nami would've been out patrolling. "Only one way to find out," Jiro's lips pull up into a devilish smirk as he leans over and shoves his muzzle against Asahi in an attempt to push her into the water before following after her, probably making more noise than they should have, but where's the fun in being sneaky?


Italics denotes Jiro speaking Japanese

wc: 434
total: 611/1500

The golden girl didn't notice that a shadowy someone was on her trail. She had assumed she had snuck out of the den completely alone. She had heard a whimper but had thought it was from her brother in his sleep.  

She jumped out of her skin for half a second when the shadow approaching her spoke. She had been too focused on the writhing wriggling fish under the surface and the heron flying by. She playfully bodychecked his shoulder and stuck her pink tongue out at him in response, her little lithe frame would barely make a dent to his heavy build.

The bright moon reflected his tiny silver spots and his mischievous eyes, It gleamed off his horns almost as if like magic. He looked like the starry sky had come down to play with her, but she knew it was just her stinky big brother. She pawed at one of the white spots on his leg and shoulder as he talked about how swimming was the easy part. She wasn't the best swimmer but she was good enough to not drown. Was he going to teach her new swimming techniques?

She then followed his gaze and bent close to the water, her white fur reflecting the bright moonlight over the fish. They didn't dart away from her like they did for Jiro who would cast a dark shadow, alerting the fish. Her nose was barely an inch from the gentle waves when she nearly missed her only warning.

She only managed to lift her nose away from the water before she was rudely shoved into the silvery waves. She yipped loudly as she splashed full body with Jiro splashing after her, scattering the myriads of fish away from them both.

She came to the surface and scrunched her face at him then splashed a wave of water into his face before she dipped her head under the surface on her own.

The world was quiet as she held her breath, the water was cloudy from their splashing. The moonbeams shifted and traveled through the water like foggy god rays and illuminated the sandy bay floor and the gathering fish started to swarm the surface again.

She swam under Jiro and pawed his leg like she was some kind of sea monster before she came back up for air next to him.



wc: 394
Total: 1005/1500

Jiro wants to laugh as his sister goes splashing into the water, but he's going to use her disturbance to his advantage. Just like what Nami had taught him, he diverts his focus to the school of fish that had swimming a foot or so from them. With Asahi beneath the surface, disturbing their calm waters, they begin to scatter, losing their own focus as they succumb to fear.

Pouncing forward, Jiro dives muzzle first toward the fish. Dipping beneath the surface, forcing his eyes to stay open even if they stung, he quickly grabs for a fish. A small one darts right in front of him and he's able to successfully snag it. As he comes back up with the aquatic animal in his teeth, he feels Asahi tugging at his legs. It was now his turn to let out a startled yip, his mouth opening and his catch falling back into the waters. His ears fold back and a frown crosses his face as he watches her emerge on his other side.

"Okay, I deserved that," he sticks his tongue out at her once more before turning back to the fish. "Look, if we wait a minute for them to calm, we can try to catch some. The moons seems to be making them not as coordinated as they usually are," Jiro lifts a paw to point at the silvery fish that are attempting to get back into their synchronized placement.

wc: 243
total: 1248

She giggled easily when she realized she made him drop his fish and swam tightly in a circle away from him. She aligns her ears to him as she comes about to face him and nods her head at his suggestion.

She wanted to try something she noticed just before he sent her flying into the waves earlier. This time she took care to select her waiting spot after shaking some of the water off.

Daintily tip-toeing toward a patch of sand that gave way to a short rock outcropping that leaned over the water she stops and looks over the edge at the fish. The bright full moon is reflected in the water and her white belly reflects the ambient brightness back, lessening her shadow over the fish and not alerting them to the fisher above them.

She glanced at Jiro, wondering if he was catching on. Maybe if he stood over her she could counteract his shadow and he could see that the fish wouldn't dart away as much. A silvery flash caught her eye again and she brought her golden gaze back to the water.

Asahi took a moment to watch the fish below her. She zeroed in on one close to the surface and she leaped with her mouth open to catch it right as she hit the water! Her jaws clasped the writhing medium sized yellowbelly fish, nearly shearing it in half as she focused on coming back to the surface. She dragged her limp catch back up the shore with a happy huff at her brother, her tail streaming water as she lifted herself out of it and wagging back and forth in pride.

She ripped into one of the gills and smiled with her mouth full at Jiro. Then pushed the fish with her nose to happily share with him.

WC: 304
Total: 1552

Jiro is glad that just because she doesn't talk doesn't mean she's stupid. Boy, that would be a difficult thing to deal with if she were. After she nods at him in understanding, Jiro watches as she tip toes carefully through the shallows to a specific outcropping of rocks at the edge of the water. He waits a few moments to see what she's doing. What was she planning? Interested to see if her tactic would work, Jiro wades over to stand nearby, careful not to disturb the fish too much.

With the reflection of the moon bouncing off the surface of the water and Asahi, he's starting to put the picture together. Moving to stand behind Asahi as a sort of shadow, he looms over his smaller sister to watch the darting fish below. Eventually, with patience, the fish slow and their opportunity is opened up. A moment after Asahi dives down into the water, Jiro follows after. Nose first, the midnight boy opens his jaws and latches them around a decently sized yellow bellied fish.

As he surfaces, he sees that Asahi is successful as well. Smiling around his now limp fish, Jiro makes his way to the shore to share his nighttime snack with Asahi. Once they've consumed their prizes, he looks around with a wide, tongue-curling yawn. "Should probably get back before Otōsan wakes for patrol," Jiro warns, reaching out to touch Asahi's shoulder with his nose before turning to start walking back into the bamboo.

- Exit Jiro -