i hope you like sushi
09-30-2021, 10:20 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-30-2021, 10:39 AM by Haru. Edited 1 time in total.)
Haru had never been filled with so much determination in his life- and that said a lot coming from him, a wolf whose ambitions flared to life whenever he set his eyes on a goal. In that respect the honey-brown wolf was as tenacious as they came, his desire to please his peers and superiors creating a driving force within him that could seldom be stopped. Hattori had managed to light that fire within him back at the border, when he'd unknowingly given Haru the only thing he'd ever truly wanted in life; a chance to join the Ashen. While his rank was technically that of a peasant the three year old hadn't been dissuaded in the least. In fact, he'd accepted the role with a wagging tail and toothy grin, not so selfish as to assume he'd be worth anything more to them at first. And that was okay, because if there was one thing Haru knew how to do, it was bide his time. He'd done it for three years already, training and gaining experience so that when he showed up on the packs border he'd be a male worth taking interest in. This would be no different. He would look for openings and gain points with his packmates until it was time to show them what he was worth, and when he earned his place among them they would all know that it was because he belonged there.
Thankfully for Haru though, one of those chances had popped up a lot sooner than he'd thought. In the same breath of making him a peasant of the Ashen, Hattori had also offered him a way to earn a better spot for himself within the pack. Now, catching fish was nothing new to Haru. His mother had been born on an island and had been quite the fisher herself, a skill she'd taught to all her pups before they'd been old enough to go off on their own. The green-eyed youth had spent many mornings plucking fish from the streams and lakes of southern Boreas and it was a skill he had confidence in, and yet he still couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit nervous. The only pressure that had ever been on him to perform well was that of not going hungry, but now he had to do well to impress another wolf. He knew very well that he could come away empty handed today if things weren't in his favor, could embarrass himself on the first day by not living up to his claims on the border, but he refused to let it get the better of him. Instead he let the inferno of his determination burn his insecurities out. He'd stay all day if he had to, and all night as well. Whatever it took to get the job done, because at his core that’s who Haru was; undeterred, reliable, and loyal to a fault. And if Hattori wanted fish then that's what Haru would bring him.
The first thing that Haru noticed was the difference in weather. Back at the Shrine the entire land had been painted white with snow and the air had been sharp and cold, but farther south near the island things were considerably warmer. While there was still a light layer of snow on the ground the cold was hardly there, the cloudless sky shining with a bright sun that made the warmed the wind just enough to make it cool instead of frigid. It was almost nice after the heaps of snow and ice he’d been dealing with, and he was looking foreword to enjoying the more mild weather from here on out.
He wasted no time in making his way to dove island, but he didn’t bother journeying past the beach once he reached it. Instead the honey-brown wolf walked along the shoreline until he found a promising spot to go about his work. He seemed to have found it when his green gaze landed on an outcropping of rocks scattered throughout the shallow chest-high waters. He quickly made his way over to one of the rocks, choosing a nice flat one that hovered about two inches above the water itself, allowing him to stand atop it comfortable while gazing down into the shallow waters. He made sure to position himself so that he didn’t cast a shadow over the water in front of him, and then began the waiting game.
As Hattori had said, there were definitely fish in these waters, and the more mild weather meant that there was no need for them to hide in the depths of the ocean. All he had to do now was wait for the right moment and then make his move. He kept perfectly still, his patience on full display as he held his stance in complete silence, eyes never leaving the water in front of him. Minutes ticked by, and when he finally made his move it was so fast and so sudden that the fish had no time to react. He lunged foreword with front paws outstretched, plunging his upper body into the cool water without a moments hesitation. He felt his paws slam the fish into the sandy bottom and pin it there seconds before his jaws closed around it firmly, and then he was scrabbling backwards and hauling his soaking upper-half back onto the rocks, his prized locked firmly between his teeth.
Pride and relief surged through him as he killed the fish and dropped it on the rock behind him, his earlier fears of coming back empty handed quickly fading into dust. He spent the next two hours repeating the process, hovering on the rock and biding his time before plunging down into the waters to lock his jaws around his struggling prey. By the end of the second hour he had collected a nice pile of fish behind him on the rock and wondered if it would be enough to impress Hattori. He could definitely keep going despite the cold if he needed to, but he wasn’t used to fishing in the ocean and he had to admit that the salt water had begun to sting his eyes and burn the cuts on his tongue where he’d gotten jabbed by the sharper bits of a few fish. It was definitely something he’d have to get used to, but he wasn’t about to let it get the better of him.
Thankfully for Haru though, one of those chances had popped up a lot sooner than he'd thought. In the same breath of making him a peasant of the Ashen, Hattori had also offered him a way to earn a better spot for himself within the pack. Now, catching fish was nothing new to Haru. His mother had been born on an island and had been quite the fisher herself, a skill she'd taught to all her pups before they'd been old enough to go off on their own. The green-eyed youth had spent many mornings plucking fish from the streams and lakes of southern Boreas and it was a skill he had confidence in, and yet he still couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit nervous. The only pressure that had ever been on him to perform well was that of not going hungry, but now he had to do well to impress another wolf. He knew very well that he could come away empty handed today if things weren't in his favor, could embarrass himself on the first day by not living up to his claims on the border, but he refused to let it get the better of him. Instead he let the inferno of his determination burn his insecurities out. He'd stay all day if he had to, and all night as well. Whatever it took to get the job done, because at his core that’s who Haru was; undeterred, reliable, and loyal to a fault. And if Hattori wanted fish then that's what Haru would bring him.
The first thing that Haru noticed was the difference in weather. Back at the Shrine the entire land had been painted white with snow and the air had been sharp and cold, but farther south near the island things were considerably warmer. While there was still a light layer of snow on the ground the cold was hardly there, the cloudless sky shining with a bright sun that made the warmed the wind just enough to make it cool instead of frigid. It was almost nice after the heaps of snow and ice he’d been dealing with, and he was looking foreword to enjoying the more mild weather from here on out.
He wasted no time in making his way to dove island, but he didn’t bother journeying past the beach once he reached it. Instead the honey-brown wolf walked along the shoreline until he found a promising spot to go about his work. He seemed to have found it when his green gaze landed on an outcropping of rocks scattered throughout the shallow chest-high waters. He quickly made his way over to one of the rocks, choosing a nice flat one that hovered about two inches above the water itself, allowing him to stand atop it comfortable while gazing down into the shallow waters. He made sure to position himself so that he didn’t cast a shadow over the water in front of him, and then began the waiting game.
As Hattori had said, there were definitely fish in these waters, and the more mild weather meant that there was no need for them to hide in the depths of the ocean. All he had to do now was wait for the right moment and then make his move. He kept perfectly still, his patience on full display as he held his stance in complete silence, eyes never leaving the water in front of him. Minutes ticked by, and when he finally made his move it was so fast and so sudden that the fish had no time to react. He lunged foreword with front paws outstretched, plunging his upper body into the cool water without a moments hesitation. He felt his paws slam the fish into the sandy bottom and pin it there seconds before his jaws closed around it firmly, and then he was scrabbling backwards and hauling his soaking upper-half back onto the rocks, his prized locked firmly between his teeth.
Pride and relief surged through him as he killed the fish and dropped it on the rock behind him, his earlier fears of coming back empty handed quickly fading into dust. He spent the next two hours repeating the process, hovering on the rock and biding his time before plunging down into the waters to lock his jaws around his struggling prey. By the end of the second hour he had collected a nice pile of fish behind him on the rock and wondered if it would be enough to impress Hattori. He could definitely keep going despite the cold if he needed to, but he wasn’t used to fishing in the ocean and he had to admit that the salt water had begun to sting his eyes and burn the cuts on his tongue where he’d gotten jabbed by the sharper bits of a few fish. It was definitely something he’d have to get used to, but he wasn’t about to let it get the better of him.