Stock The Pond - Final Run - RPLOG
From Flexible Survival
Participants
Date
4/8/2016
Log
Aaron waits patiently for people to start arriving, sitting in a worn-out looking lawn chair overlooking the river. Any moment now, people will be along to find out all about the fish waiting in the river. How many people, what kind of people? Who knows? As long as they're willing to help out, it's all good.
Fenris jogs along the riverbank, wearing saffron monk robes. No, there is no telling where he got it. The tubby tanuki has his sword and his spear slung across his back. Joining them, however, is a long, bamboo fishing pole! "Did someone say fishing?" he asks, waving a flyer.
Clopclop. Clopclop. Clopclop. Astara is trotting over to where the poster said to go, the demonic centauress smiling as she sees Aaron, as well as another! "Heya, Aaron! Good to see you again." She looks to the tanuki, bowing politely as she introduces herself. "Hello, I am Astara."
Erythraeum wanders up without her usual set of full body armor, though she still has her riot shield and shotgun on-hand. She takes a look at the gathered morphs and smiles. "So... This seems to be the right place, right? And we're... Fishing? I'm not the most... Familiar with how this works..." She admits as she walks up the surface of the water and looks down into it.
With far less audible fanfare aside from some clinking equipment a vixen pads toward the group from along the shoreline, evidently having gotten here early but wandered off to the side. She's wearing a blue vest with twin red crosses on either upper breast and a backpack with the Zephyr logo on it... but over her shoulder she's carrying a small bundle of rods, evidently with the advertised purpose of this outing in mind. "So this is where people are gathering - better to do anything in a group in these woods." Her eyes flit between the others present, nodding amiably to Aaron in recognition. "Rhennick, med-tech... and apparently fisher for the evening. So how are we going to do this?"
Aaron looks out among the small crowd, quirking her head to one side...hmm. Wonder if more people would've shown up if she'd advertised how freeform this is...ah well. "Ladies and gentlebeasts, I've gathered you here today for these." She holds up a fairly large picture of a fairly unusual-looking fish, with vermillion scales and a long, thin body shape. "These are the last fish Cat Town needs in order to breed a steady food supply. Your task today, should you choose to accept it, is to catch these fish - ALIVE - and return them to these two tanks." Gesturing to either side of her, she indicates two large fish tanks, already full with clean water. "I don't care what tools you use. I don't care how you do it. I don't even care if you catch some different fish as food. I just care that you get me at least two of these fish, alive. Everyone clear on our mission?"
Fenris leans in to look at the picture of the fish. "Sure!" he says with a smile, "There any kind of bait they like?" He asks, then looks at his fishing pole. He frowns. "Maybe a hook isn't the best for this kind of thing," he admits, "I'll save it until we catch the red fish!" The Tanuki starts to carefully gird up his robe with his rope belt.
Astara nods, giving Aaron a thumbs-up. "Got it! No killing. Though... I can't say I exactly know how to fish." She smiles sheepishly, a little blush of embarassment spreading across her face from the fact she showed up on a fishing mission without the prerequisite skills.
Erythraeum looks between the others present for a moment, trying to figure out what the plan is, then steps away from the water as Rhennick appears, as she's curious about the sticks on the vixen's back. She opens ber mouth like she intends to speak, but is cut off by Aaron before she can get a word out. The wolf taur turns to look at the bunny and tilts her head as the objective is explained. "Hmmm. Doesn't /sound/ too difficult, I think?" She says, then turns to Astara and chuckles. "Nor do I... This is... Pretty new to me." She walks up to the river again and starts trying to spot the fish in question swimming down it. "Let's see, how common are these things, you think?"
Rhennick peers at the picture of the fish, then raises a fuzzy eyebrow in curiosity. "I'll second the question about their bait, and add asking if we know where they tend to be - deep, shallow, cold, warm. Plus I'm curious what is so special about THOSE two fish, and what they are..." The vixen pulls off her backpack and sets it down, along with some of the rods she was carrying - selecting one with a sort of clip and wire on the end of it, apparently designed with catch-and-release in mind.
Aaron notes to Erythraeum, "My answer so far is 'not very common at all'. I fully expect all of you to catch some fish before you get lucky." That said, she looks out to the rest of the crowd. "I have no idea what kind of bait they like; I'm absolutely useless at fishing, so I haven't landed a single one. That's why I arranged this little get-together: Cat Town has been getting by on what it could scrape together for too long, and Zephyr is doing approximately /dick/ about it, so I'm taking up the challenge. And so are you, as it turns out!" She moves to sit back down in her lawn chair. "I hope you have better luck than me. I'll be here minding the tanks and standing guard against feral attacks."
Fenris has discarded his outer robe and has tied the rest around his waist before happily splashing out into the water, leaving his robe and weapons and a small pack on the shore. The Tanuki wades out until he is up to his big round belly. He then watches the water attentively, his arms outstretched to either side. He can't actually mean to catch these fish with his bare hands?
Astara watches with a raised eyebrow as the tanuki rather unceremoniously gets to work... without a fishing pole, or net, or anything. She looks over to the other taur, walking besides her. "Well, I guess we're together then in our unexperiencedness, huh? I'm Astara, by the way. Hopefully between the two of us, we can make one competent fisher!"
Erythraeum frowns a bit at Aaron's answer, though her own watching of the water seems, so far, to agree with the rabbit's conclusion, as she's not seen one, though that honestly means less than nothing, in the long run. Before too long, one of the others wades out into the water and Erythraeum stands still and blinks for a moment, not sure what to say to that. "Wai- Uh. Shouldn't we... You know, /not/ scare the fish?" She asks, then turns when she's addressed by Astara. "Ah, hello! My name is Erythraeum, though... That's a mouthful, so you can just call me Eryth, or Ery... Or whatever, really." She shakes herself a little bit and shrugs. "Doesn't much matter to me.
Rhennick listens to Aaron until the lapine vinishes, and the vixen can't help but suppress a wry chuckle. "Little information seems to be par for the course... oh well. I'd love to say my being here is an official Zephyr response to show they DO care, but I'm just here on my own. Go figure." She shrugs, then watches as Fenris unceremoniously hops into the water - prompting a little shaking of her head. She turns to Astara and Ery, walking toward the pair of them with her pole held to the side. "You've got the right idea at least, Ery. Fish are fast and generally terrified of absolutely anything that might mean 'predator'. So... yeah. That..." A nod in Fenris' direction. "Is... probably not gonna help too much. But it might work I guess." She walks over to the pair, offering a smile of sorts. "I'm not exactly an expert, but as fishing goes my tastes are kinda... old-world, let's say. Back when it was you and bait and tools, instead of tits and talons. I'll share what I remember if you like though?"
Aaron is true to her word - she sits down in her chair and watches the fishers wade out into the water (or not, as the case may be). To the untrained eye, she might look like she's relaxing and taking it easy...but close scrutiny will reveal that she's slowly scanning the landscape, watching for signs of motion. Conservation of energy. Fenris will find that the fish swimming in the river will swerve to avoid him, but otherwise care very little about his presence. The fish don't come fast or often, and they're rather difficult to distinguish at times, but this isn't exactly hard mode if you're not picky. Of course, if you are...
Fenris stands very still, waiting patiently for a flash of red. When he sees a likely swimming splotch, his hand darts out to slap the wriggly swimmer from the water to the shore. Not to say he is successful, but he is going to try it.
Astara watches Fenris for a little, but turns her attention Rhennick soon enough. "I wouldn't mind some help. Have absolutely no clue on how to catch the things, let alone catch them /alive/."
Erythraeum turns to face Rhennick and tilts her head a little bit. "Well, whatever you remember is more than I know, most likely... I just came over to see if I could make myself useful. I have't got a clue what we're doing." She turns and watches Fenris in the water for another moment, then perks up as he seems to have seen - And attacked - Something that interests him. "Did you get it?" She asks after the splashing has died down a bit.
Rhennick's attention jerks back to Fenris at the loud splash - her ears turning there before she did. She can't help but think of feral bears swiping fish out of the water in the old world... but those bears were not always IN the water when they did it. Still, it could work. Looking back to Astara and Ery the vixen nods, setting her rod down and unzipping her backpack on the ground to pull out a container that sloshes around as it is moved. "So fish are simple. They want to be comfortable - they want to feel safe - and they want to eat. Give them the first two, and they'll go for the third." She unhooks the top of the container and turns it to let the pair see if they wanted - a few small shrimp and other fish are in there. "Frankly I had no idea why fishing was a fuss or what the objective was, so I kinda got started before today, to brush up. But yeah... I have no idea what these mystery fish will want to eat, but it'll either be basic bait..." She taps a can inside the container. "... or maybe they'll like one of these."
The tanuki's efforts do pay off, in that he catches a nice, big, healthy fish! That...does not glimmer vermillion, as the picture had indicated. Good fish, easily something to be proud of on a different day, but not what the crowd is looking for. Worthy of note is that it's the only fish grabbed so far, with no one having produced nets or any other fishing gear of any kind aside from the singular fishing pole. If no one else is equipped, here's hoping Fen is willing to give lessons!
Fenris grins over at his catch. "That's a good one!" he says, "I'll name it Dinner!" Then the burly tanuki goes very still again and watches the water for a telltale flash of red.
Astara blinks as Fenris actually manages to net- er, catch something! "Oh! Wow. Glad it seems someone knows how to catch fish." She remarks, listening to Rhen all the while. "Hmmm. That does make sense, though, for what the fish want. I'm more curious about our implements to catch them, since it seems we have few. Besides your pole and our hands, at least."
Erythraeum looks at Rhennick for a moment, then at the collection of fishing poles. "Maybe I would be better off doing what he's doing..." she says, in reference to Fenris' quick success in catching at least /something/. "I have no idea how to use stuff like that. Never seen it before in my life." She says, sounding a bit embarrased, and more than a little confused.
Rhennick nods to Ery, taking the larger taurform's meaning as she compares her size with that of the splashing Fenris. "It might work, but more fur in the water might or might not be a good thing. If you do wade in, watch the water current - anything downstream of you is better able to feel your splashes or taste your scent in the water. You could spread some bait in the water to maybe attract them too. But if you want to try it the other way..." She only has three rods, but she offers her two extras to Astara and Ery. They are clearly different sizes, but both of them are servicable rods. "It's... really a sport of patience, honestly. Staying silent, spreading out, putting bait on the line and then using the pole so that it's far away from you. That way you're offering the fish food without them feeling endangered." The vixen deftly demonstrates, opening a can of mashed bait and putting it on one of the spare rods' hook/clip, then offering it to either of the two if they'd like to take it.
"Hmm... A contest? I wonder what the prize could be. Maybe the fish?" Voiced a human-looking woman with her nose to the flyer as she walked down the path. The only noticeable mutation on her being the constant sparkler of a cat tail swinging back and forth with every step. "Well they did say they wanted the fish alive. Perhaps it'll be something else then. Maybe it'll be a cool looking fishing pole. One that has hot rod flames and actual flames spouting from the top of it." Fioera continued this line of thought for awhile. Having not yet noticing that she had already reached her destination.
Aaron announces, "Since you asked, the prize will be a theoretically endless supply of fish. The entire purpose is to get a breeding pair so that Cat Town can be fed, after all, soooooo...once the population has stabilized, you'll have some whenever you want!" She quickly holds up pictures of the fish that the others are looking for, gesturing to them, then to the fish tanks at either side of her. "Catch them however you see fit - as long as that's ALIVE - and bring them back here for transport. Cat Town needs food badly, and we're here to help!"
Unfortunately for Fenris, the fish he was trying to grab simply wriggled out of his hands, slippery little bugger that it is!
Fenris frowns as his thick hand comes up empty. "This is usually easier," he says, "I think the little flappy things are having a race! I'm nit used to seeing them swim so fast without being chased!" The tanuki holds still and watches for another fish. Something about what he just said tickles at the back of his brain as he swipes at the next fish. . .
Astara goes forward and grabs the offered fishing equipment, giving a light smile to Rhen. "Yeahhhh, I think I'm a liiiiitle bit too big to be able to get away with nabbing them by hand. Plus, I might end up skewering them on my claws..." She wiggles her fingers to demonstrate her point. "It might work out better if we're all trying different methods, though, since we have no idea about the fish. That way we systematically try everything!" She heads to the water's edge, far enough away from Fenris as to not overlap in their catching areas. She sits her horse-half down on the ground, makes sure the line is hooked up properly like Rhen said, and casts her line! "Well, here goes nothing..."
Erythraeum listens to Rhennick with one ear cocked and her head tilted slightly to the side. "Most of the fish will be coming from upstream, will they not?" She asks as she looks back at the river. It's not exactly calm, but not really all that fast, either. She's not sure how much the fish will be trying to swim against it. "Maybe I should try one of these first..." The wolf taur says as she looks at the fishing pole offered to her by the vixen. "That way if it works out I don't have to get wet in the first place. If it doesn't work... Oh well."
Rhennick nods as Astara accepts the offered pole, and then hooks up bait on the second one before offering it to the larger wolfess. "Yeah, staying relatively dry is another perk of this method. And the fish can come from either direction... but if you're standing in the water, everything downstream will know it while everything upstream won't." The vixen pulls out a shrimp for her own pole instead of a mashed bait, hooking it onto her line while commenting: "Maybe whatever that rare fish is will want something richer... but Astara's right, this way we're covering all the possible methods. Plus it'll be putting a bait scent in the water... that's gotta help." Pushing back to her feet, Rhennick looks for somewhere that there's shade and still water, then sets herself up on the riverbank to fish - casting a line hopefully into the depths.
This time, Fenris's attempts bring up some fish! As in, some of a fish. It's one of the desired species all right, but it seems to be bitten cleanly in half. Astara's efforts will come up wholly empty, as another fish-part comes flowing down the stream...and then another. Something upstream clearly has the munchies, and it's feasting on the local wildlife that aren't fortunate enough to make an escape. No wonder the fish are swimming downstream faster than normal!
Fioera seems honestly shocked hearing Aaron's voice. Only now did she pulled the flyer from her face to see that she had finally reached where the contest was taking place. She stared at the fish pictures that were presented for a good few moments, memorizing the ones they are currently looking for. Once she believed she had a firm grasp on their appearances, she looked back up at Aaron with a happy-go-lucky smile and a thumbs up. "Got it. Let's go help save some kittens." Her attention then once again returned to her environment clearly looking for something. Something that, once she saw it, she said, "Aha!" as she energetically ran towards a tree. Her hand then reached towards her chain sword before remembering the other fishers, and instead grabbed her knife in order to cut off a choice branch she believed would make a decent, if but temporary, rod.
Fenris frowns at the fish-bit that he has flung up onto the shore. "Well," he says, "That won't do at all! Waste of good fish!" The burly tanuki wades to shore, where he retrieves his first fish and carries it to where his possessions lie. He produces an old shoelace from hus pack and strings it through the feebly flapping thing's gills, then retrieves his spear. "Something is eating up our fish before they arrive!" he says angrily, "And that is just rude!" He takes his spear and stomps off up the river bank.
Astara blinks as she sees half a fish floating in a bloody wreck down the river, pulling in her rod quickly. "What the-" She looks over to Fenris, seeing he had much the same luck. "Well, shit. I was hoping this'd be a mission that wouldn't have to be resolved through a conflict. But... oh well." She sets her rod to the side, standing up and stretching out her equine legs. "Hold up there, tanuki! Best we do this together!"
Erythraeum takes the fishing rod, and manages to suss out a general idea of how it is supposed to be used. She gets the bait put onto the hook, then plays with the reel a little bit, realization coming at what the trigger on the rod does before she looks at Rhennick. "I think I have this figured out... So I just... Swing it to throw the hook into the water?" Just as she says that, Fenris storms out of the water and goes stomping up river, followed shortly by Astara. "Um. Should I go help them out, maybe? I brought some of my gear, at least." She says as she looks down at her shotgun and shield, both still hanging to her by their straps.
Rhennick just... looks at the sudden rush of activity heading upstream. Sighs sighs a bit to herself, looking down at her rod and just shaking her head. "So much for quiet fishing, then. Maybe after whatever this is gets dealt with. Would it be too much to hope for something small that's easily scared away?" That last bit is rhetorical - the vixen has already reeled in her line and quickly puts the unused shrimp back in her container before sitting up and straightening her vest. "Yeah Ery - let's not let them go alone. Here's hoping the worst I have to patch up is a twisted ankle because they ran ahead too fast..."
Fioera had finally chop the branch off when she noticed something concerning going on by the river. Branch in hand, she approached the others asking, "What's going on now?" Taking note of the fish remains floating down the river. "Ohh... That's not good." There wasn't even a moment of hesitation as the the human-looking woman began running upstream at full speed. Now seeking to take care of whatever was devouring these fish before it decimates the entire population.
Moondog emerges from the brush, trying to whsitle with a dog-face. It isn't very effective at all! "Hey every...body?" Wow, there sure seems to be a bunch of commotion. He looks downward, fish parts bobbing in the river. Looks left. Fishing poles and such getting stashed away. Looks right. Folks a-running upstream. His ears perk. "I guess I'll be following the crowd.."
Leaving the bunny behind to guard the fish tanks and chair and mission statement, the group runs off as one to try to chase down the source of the decapitated fish. More and more, the river is littered with corpses, and not just of fish - small woodland animals appear to be similarly ruined, with the water running red away from a particular point in mid-stream. For the moment, all is conspicuously quiet...perhaps whatever was devouring assorted lifeforms has had its fill, and has gone off to rest somewhere?
Fenris stomps, grumbling through the undergrowth on the edge of the river. When he sees the point of origin for the carnage, he frowns at the river. "Animals don't eat half a fish," he declares, "Or just bite the heads off of things. I haven't seen this kind of carnage since I found that shipment of chocolate easter bunnies." The tanuki then wades directly into the water and raises his spear high. . . then slaps the water with the pole? "Get out here, miscreant!" he shouts.
Astara curses at the littering of corpses in the water, a look of disgust and unease on her face at the gory sight. Her glowing blue eyes are glowing a little brighter, and she's unholstered her laser pistol and flipped the safety off of it, treading carefully now... and then Fenris suddenly strikes. She tenses, her attention snapping onto the area he struck before darting around, looking for anything that might've just been alerted to their presence through that noisy commotion.
Erythraeum sighs and undoes the hook holding her shotgun to its bandolier, then does the same to the much heavier harness for her riot shield. "Alllllright, then..." the wolf taur rolls her shoulders for a moment, then sets her jaw. "Let's go." She says, then takes off after the rest of the group, watching the river out of the corner of her eye with an ever deepening frown as the parts floating in the current get more and more worrying. She catches up just as Fenris is wading out into the water again, completely unsure what's going on.
Rhennick arrives just behind Erythraeum - the larger wolfess faster than the medic, and frankly better to have as a potential tank between her and whatever danger is being literally stirred up out of that water. Fenris' yell carries to her ears and she internally grimaces, ears laying back as she mutters "really...?" She looks at the red water and the bodies on the banks... seeking sight of the danger, and then focusing on the water itself. "Where did it go...? Is there a trail away from the water, or is it STILL there...? Oh god, please tell me we're not fighting a mutant pirhana..."
Fioera bit her bottom lip as she viewed the bloodbath in the river. Her heart sinking a little at the sight. She had decided it was now best to drop the branch, instead deciding to use the now free hand to wield her chainsword. A confident smile grew on her face as the blades motor roared to life with the press of a button. Her eyes gazing through the surface of the water in hopes of finding what caused this massacre of woodland animals. "The rest of you should probably stay behind me for the time being." Readying to jump into action on the off chance Fenris' lure ends up causing the beast that did this to attack them as a whole.
Moondog is currently bringing up the rear of the group, for no other reason than his own late arrival and confusion at the goings-on at the river. He jogs along behind, not drawing weapons or anything of the sort just yet. His nose stabs into the air, snuffling and sniffing as he goes, trying to catch a scent.
GRRRRAAAAAWWRRR!!! Whatever it is, Fenris sure seems to have pissed it off, and the massive...THING surfaces from the river bed. Irridescent scales cover its serpentine body, and - while no eyes can readily be seen on either end - there is a fang-filled mouth on BOTH ends of the creature, each one roaring out in protest at being disturbed just after feeding time. Without warning, one of the heads lunges for the tanuki, intending to either bite his head off or coil its body around him! The thing is massive, easily ten meters long, its rainbow hues moving and shifting as its body does likewise!
Surprisingly, Fenris seems prepared for this eventuality, tumbling backward and using the flow of the river to his advantage as he rolls back in a double somersault before snapping back to his feet, spear leveled! "Nothing like ringing the doorbell!" he shouts with a grin.
Astara looks aghast at the massive beast as it rears its ugly /heads/, before she looks down to her pistol. "Need something bigger..." she mutters to herself, searching through her saddlebags before she whips out her portable flamethrower, prepping it for action. "When the opportunity strikes, I'm going to try and toast the thing! So make when I make the call, you stay out of its path... this baby shoots poison, too!" She backs up, making sure she has adequate distance to not get gored by the thing before she can even get her weaponry primed.
Erythraeum turns to this newcomer who is revving up a chainsword and calls to her. "Hey. No. Who's got the riot shield here?" She steps forward a little bit. "If there's even anythi-" As the whatever-it-is bursts from the water, Erythraeum looks up at it in shock, though as soon as Fenris starts leaping backwards, Erythraeum darts forward to the edge of the river and plants the base of her shield, hunkers down behind it and takes a wild shot at this thing with her shotgun. "Back onto shore, back onto shore!" She shouts.
Rhennick's reaction at the sudden emergence of this thing from the water is a startled 'yip!' and flattening of ears followed by a grumbling "Craaaaaaaaap.... You heard her, everyone out of the water!" The vixen has a laser rifle but reaches instead for her medical gear, eyes focused on those toothy mouths and where they're going to go next. "We REALLY dont want to see if that thing has poison on it too - if it so much as nicks you fall back so I can stabilize you!"
"Woah! That is AWESOME!" Was Fioera's reaction upon seeing the giant serpent-like thing. Perhaps not one's standard response to such a thing, but that was who she was. At very least it had seemingly failed to bite the tanuki in half. Nodding at what Astara said, she responded with, "Okay then. I'll keep it distracted until then." The human then leapt into action, fearlessly charging her body straight towards the beast despite what the others had said.
The massive creature seems to have no concept of the force leveraged against it - all it knows is that it's been disturbed, and now there are more disturbances! One end of the thing lashes out after Fenris, attempting to coil around his ankle and bring him down into the water where it has the advantage, while the other thrusts itself toward Fioera with murderous intent. Any ranged weapon would stand a real risk of generating friendly fire at this point, especially with all of the thrashing and movement! The thing growls and bellows incoherently as it lashes out, attempting to have an even bigger dinner than it'd previously enjoyed!
Fenris whips his long bladed spear to intercept the monster's coiling maw. . . thing, stabbing down hard and fast as it comes into range. For a loveable butterball, he is surprisingly familiar with that weapon.
