thebastion | Day 126 :: action [OPEN]

Entry tags:

Day 126 :: action [OPEN]

Who: Tama-chan the friendly anklegator. Kaoru available on request :)
Open: Open
When: Day 126
Where: Around the Bastion.
What: Tama-chan being friendly.
Format: Action
Warnings: None. Unless you're squicked by extremely freshly-caught fish.

[lately, someone has been learning how to swim]

[it all started a few weeks back with a bellyflop into the onsen and a good deal of flailing, which made Kaoru decide that something needed to be done. Thus, after splashing about with her mama in the onsen and the river every day or so since then, Tama-chan has learned how to swim.

She also learned that she can catch fish in her mouth if she's fast enough, but since it freaks Kaoru out a bit to see them flopping around, she tries not to do it around him. But Kaoru isn't with her today. Tama-chan likes to share with the people she loves and, well... she loves everyone.

Care for a fish?]

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[What am I doing, Tama? Why, I'm getting the best parts for you, in thanks!

In truth, Colin doesn't have much of an appetite for meat. But he knows what gifts from animals mean, his twin sister at LEAST taught him that much. And he knows that organ meat is probably the best thing for animals. Also some of the tastiest.

So, guess what Tama? He's gutting it... and now he's putting the guts down in front of you.]

Here you go, little one. You'll like these more than I will.

But I bet you'll like what I'm going to do with the rest of it, too... you may not like the fruit, but the juice supposedly gives the meat a real nice zesty flavor.

[Fair warning, Tama. Roasting fish is pretty easy, but Colin's also a pretty bad cook...]

[Humans. Such strange creatures. Her mama doesn't particularly like food to be bloody or wriggling either. Well, it would be a shame to let those innards go to waste so... she'll go ahead and chow down on those. You should use the time to get as much done as possible, because she will get all up in your space, as animals tend to do when there's food involved. She is a curious creature. When she's done eating, she stares up at him, then carefully, pointedly, pushes the fruits to one side. Zesty? Yuck.]

[Colin has no problem with Tama being curious. It's what the young do. And while Tama's wolfing down the guts, he's setting up a fish skewer to roast. He does, however, know the importance of teaching the young proper behavior. When you push aside his food, Tama? That gets you a quick, light bop on the snout with his hand.]

No.

[But he's not going to scold you further, Tama. Are you going to stick around after getting disciplined?]

Now, if you behave, I'll show you how to catch a bird.

Of course, I doubt you'll be able to set your own traps, but I'm sure I'll have you bringing fish to me as bait in no time...

Now, this fish you brought me? The advantage of cooking it is that it spreads the smell far and wide. And assuming Paarthurnax isn't patrolling the sky, I'm sure we'll get a pecker in no time.

Do you have the patience to wait, little one? Or have I hurt your pride?

[makes a little noise that could almost pass for a chuckle, licks the hand that bopped her and nudges the fruit away again. Yes. It's a fun game, fun!

She'd suck at setting her own traps. You see these stubby little legs of hers? No dexterity whatsoever. Patience, though? She does have that. She settles and watches him with a tilted head, eyes occasionally flickering toward the fish. Perhaps momentarily she considers taking it back, because it does smell good... but no. It was a gift, a gift!]

This has backfired horribly, hasn't it?

[Colin pokes her on the snout again, he'll need to ask Kaoru how to discipline Tama. But in the meantime...]

Yes, yes... Now watch this.

[Colin empties one of the fruit baskets. He then grabs it and the fish, and heads off some distance away. He rigs a simple length of rope to a stick, positions the basket on the stick, and puts the fish under the basket. Then, he returns to where he was sitting. It should also be noted that Colin is not a hunter, this will likely end poorly.]

Now, we wait. Maybe you'll get a pecker yet, eh Tama?

[Have another pat on the head.]

[not gonna lie, mama and papa spoil Tama-chan terribly. But then, Tama-chan doesn't do many things she needs to get told off for. She leans toward the little pat and goes to investigate the trap, occasionally glancing back at him as if to check he's not going to spring it on her. She comes and settles down beside him once she's satisfied it's all in order and quietly rests her head against his knee, tail swishing lightly on the ground]

[Colin is a dirty prankster a lot of the time, but no. For now, Tama can investigate to her heart's content. When she relaxes, so does he. With one hand, he resumes washing fruit, a little slower than he was before. With the other hand, he's going to gently pet Tama, only pausing every so often to pay a little more attention to his cleaning before he resumes the petting.

It almost seems as though he's not even paying attention to the trap. But unbeknownst to little Tama, Colin's artificial eye is keeping a constant watch on the trap. If the trap fails, it's not going to be because he didn't see it.

Time passes, as time tends to do. When suddenly... a small, young Pecker flies down! And you better believe it's suspicious, what with that guy and that anklegator right over there... Colin doesn't react yet. He's just going to wait for the Pecker to get under the basket. What about Tama?]

[she relaxes with his hands, though she doesn't go full derp and roll onto her back so he can rub her tummy - because that would be a pretty undignified thing to do with a guy she hasn't had much to do with until now. Tama-chan is nothing if not an anklegator of class. Gotta wait until the second date at least.

When the Pecker flies near, her tail will stop swishing the moment the Pecker flies near. Her head shifts a little on Colin's knee, as if to jerk right up to look, but stopping because the movement might scare the birdie away. After that she falls very still, watching.]

[It seems that Colin and Tama are on the same wavelength. Which is good, since neither of them have much of a chance of catching a pecker on their lonesome.

The pecker is watching them as it lands near the fish. It is clearly not trusting this, but it also keeps looking at the fish under that basket. It approaches the basket, and quickly backs away. It repeats this dance several times, before it finally darts under the basket and grabs for the fish.

Colin pulls the rope, yanking the stick! The basket drops! The Pecker starts making an unholy racket, thrashing in the basket!

They may actually have it trapped! ... Okay, it's trapped. Does Tama know what to do with it? Colin hasn't got a clue...]

[stomps over to the basket and lays one of her front feet on it to hold it still and makes an uncertain noise at Colin as if to check whether he minds - because her mama somehow always minds when they're birds or fish; she's not sure about the reasoning behind that one. After she nudges the basket over with her horn she moves quickly, managing to catch the Pecker in her teeth before it has a chance to escape, jaws clamped tightly around its neck - she knows better than the maul the body.

A couple of rough strikes against the ground and its done, and Tama-chan is trotting back to set the body on the ground like a proud cat. She is getting better at this, she is!]

[Nope, Colin doesn't mind at all. Heck, he's just watching to make sure Tama doesn't get hurt. The hunt and kill doesn't seem to faze him.]

See? There you go! Good job!

A little bit of ingenuity goes a long way in catching prey.

[Not that he knows anything about hunting... That trap was just a fluke.]

[It may have been just a fluke, but Tama-chan thinks you're one of the most awesome people in the world. Right up there with her adoptive parents.

Settling on the ground with a happy snuff, nudging the Pecker towards him. Colin should get the first bite, since he didn't get to have any of the fish and all. Just so long as he doesn't make it zesty...]

[He was afraid of this. He doesn't eat much meat in his diet at all. Fortunately, though... he's not unprepared. Danaree went to great lengths to ensure that Colin and her animal companions would get along, so Colin knows how to accept a gift.]

For me? Thank you, Tama.

[Colin converts his multi-tool into a small hand-ax]

I actually would like the head, if you don't mind.

[Swing and chop! Head comes off, and Colin takes it. He won't actually eat it, but a detailed X-Ray and medical scan should provide some interesting study for biologists back home, if and when he gets back.]

The rest is all yours. Enjoy that pecker, kiddo.

[He pushes the rest of the body gently back towards Tama.]

[...brains? Tama-chan doesn't particularly care about brains, but if that's what he really wants, she won't try to dissuade. She takes hold of the headless body and sets it down to eat, nudging it a little with her snout to figure out where the best place to start might be. The soft underbelly, perhaps? Time to eat!

...what are feathers. Those things that are getting all over the place. Those things Tama-chan is freaking out over slightly, because she has never encountered them before and, nope, they are not delicious. Freaking out slightly because they're in her mouth, they're in her mouth, ew.

[Colin watches Tama, and he gives a sympathetic smile]

Yeah, that's the problem. Fur's much the same, really. Butchers pluck the feathers before getting to work.

Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about that. I... think if you dunk it in the water, the feathers will be easier to remove?

... You're talking to the animal, Colin. Your sister would be proud, but she'd remind you that it's unlikely to understand the finer details.

[He thinks for a moment, and then he reaches out and pats the surface of the water, giving the pecker's body a look.]

It'll spread blood through the water, but it'll probably make it easier to get past the feathers.

[looks over to the river... She's not sure mama would like that. Blood in the water and all. The pecker gets another nudge, and she rests a foot on it. Can she pull out the feathers? No, no use. She just ends up snapping her jaws at it uselessly. Had she known it would be this hard, she wouldn't have bothered. At least with furry animals you can tear yourself a hole and eat from there...]

...

You're going to make me cut it open for you, aren't you?

[He makes a face at Tama.]

You're supposed to be a fierce hunter, a few feathers shouldn't deter you.

[a little grumble and a huff, lying down disappointedly. Fierce hunter, yes. The fiercest. But she's still just a baby ._.]

[Colin reaches out with his free hand to give Tama a scratch under the chin. With his other hand, he converts his multi-tool back into a knife]

You're going to need to learn to do this yourself, you know. A helpful elf won't always be around.

[With one swift motion, Colin slices deeply into the breast of the pecker. He twists the knife further before pulling it out, leaving a wide open cut for Tama.]

Dig in, kiddo. No feathers to worry about in there.

[she does, steadying the bird with her front foot again. She is grateful for all of your help, she is! A wary bite before she starts eating, just to be sure there isn't anything else in there that she might choke on.

Maybe one day she will be bit enough to eat it feathers and all, but right now... just meat and innards will serve her fine.

Lifts her head and licks her lips. Sure you don't want any? She can't imagine that head being very delicious...]

I really am okay, Tama. You can eat all of that you want.

As is, I'm sure your owner's probably going to have words with me for spoiling you.

[He's just going to keep right on cleaning the fruit while Tama eats. His multi-tool is easy to clean, and the blood he got on his hands washes off easily enough.]

[a little grumble, like she knows what he just said. Not owner. Mama. And at least Tama-chan tried to share! Her mama won't get angry about that, at least.

That said, if anything, Tama-chan is the owner.

A little snuff and she turns back to her pecker, and picking though it. Birds, man. How come they're so boney?]

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Day 126 :: action [OPEN]

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