Gone Fishin' [OPEN]

In the early hours of the morning, the large bear had awoken from his den he had found the night before. It was alright for not being one he had really been searching for. It needed some work, some adjustments to make it feel more like "home". He looked to the bare walls and stretched his large body, then shook out his coat. When he walked outside of the protection, he stood on two legs, and stretched up towards the sky. He released a loud roar with his stretch. Coming back down to four paws pressed on the ground, he walked towards the center of the pack's home. His eyes trailed to the Regina's den. He was curious if she and her mate were awake this early, or if he had possibly awoken them with his roar. Thinking about how much trouble he could get into, he decided to explore the lands a bit. He would look for a place which held the best resources for his needs. As he wandered through he territories, he made note of each in his head. The first area was covered in magenta colored flowers. He walked through it carefully, trying not to crush any beneath his massive weight. But it was inevitable. He walked as carefully as he could, but there was no use. Flowers would die to his paws and he felt really bad about it. Seeing innocent things be killed was horrible for him. He had seen it happen one too many times. when he was clear of the flowers, he continued on his path. The next area he found was vastly different. There was a large cliff with water at the bottom end of it. It was highly dangerous for typically anyone who came there. he walked close to the edge, getting a sense of the danger, but knew himself enough to know the big ol' bear was a careful creature. He moved from the edge and continued on his way through the forest. He moved about the area peacefully, no rushing or trying to get any particular place.

The sound of rushing water peaked his interests as he moved a little quicker. Flowing water meant there would be fish not far from it. Excited, the bear picked up his speed. Kenai ran as fast as he could until he reached the water's edge. His nose sniffed the air. The grasses were lush from the fresh water around it. The red rocks were gorgeous, beautiful beneath the free flowing water. Excited by his find, he splashed into the water, rolling from side to side. He discovered a deeper portion of the water and swam around for a moment. When he had his fill of play, he began treading water slowly. The massive paws padded at the water, keeping his head above the surface. Kenai lowered his muzzle into the water, allowing his eyes to watch for the fish below him. He breathed calmly, watching as their fins moved their agile forms through the clear waters. Climbing out of the water, he shook his coat side to side, flailing the excess water off of him. He moved to stare over the fish, when his eyes looked to the rocks. There had been some fish who were traveling down the stream and would be trying to jump down the rocks. He smirked slightly and moved to the top of the rocks. His careful silver hues watched the shimmering fish from under the water. he would wait here for the opportune moment.

In the hours before sunrise, Jagara walked silently among the morning mists. Everything about the season of spring was detestable to her - with only two exceptions. The increase in rain was wonderful to watch, as Jagara loved the rumbles of thunderstorms, but the thicker fog was incredibly practical for her. The snow leopard’s grey pelt blended perfectly with the surrounding coverage, making hunting and going about her routines unnoticed significantly easier. But even this convenience could not sway her disposition towards this annual phase of rebirth and growth. Emerald grass and colorful flowers replaced what was once a pristine blanket of snow. Where Jagara used to find entertainment in tracking scarce prey, she was now bored as so many unintelligent animals made themselves obviously known and multiplied in numbers. What life was it to a mountainous cat when even food was so easy to find? In her mind, this lifestyle seemed fit only for a human settlement, where all necessities were provided and luxuries were affordable. She gave a soft snort and continued along her way.

By the break of dawn, she returned to her den in a casual trot. With every bounce of her frame, the lifeless body of a young hare swayed submissively. Taking its life was quite dull, but as a responsible dog owner, she had to feed Arthas. Peeking into the stone cavern, Jagara noticed that her blue merle shepherd was still sound asleep in his little nest of hay. She never understood why that canine loved to doze in piles of hay, but she was not one to judge the only family she had. A quiet thud was heard in the dark expanse between the supporting boulders of her den, followed by the soft padding of paws as the cat slipped out for the day. She knew Arthas could find his own food if he needed to, but having a breakfast right at his paws would be a pleasant surprise. With a quiet huff, she gazed at the land now enlightened by the sun. Above her ashy head, birds were singing their morning tunes. None of this interested her though. The leopard knew not why, but her path today led to the Crimson Falls. Calmly, she trotted through the rejuvenated foliage. It did not take long for her to reach the day’s destination as the flaming disc had only just become visible above the treetops. The scenery was always best viewed in the hours of daylight, when the rocks that covered the area became brighter in their bloody color. She traveled downstream, hearing the sound of the falls ahead. It was to her surprise then, when a large brown bear blocked her view of the gorgeous spray of water. This was perhaps a newly accepted shifter with whom she had not yet met. Regardless, she continued on her way along the rushing water, intending to meet this beast.

As her shoulders rose and fell with each walking stride, her tail naturally accommodated a complimentary sway. The muscular limb was, as always, gracefully lifted above the ground and in this case, hovering a little bit higher in an innately authoritative manner. She did not know who this was, but his scent she had not yet noticed among the territories. Yes, the musky odor of bears was familiar to her, though the memory had dulled ever so slightly over the last century or so. Icy eyes examined the figure in front of her, who was clearly poised to strike at an unsuspecting fish. Jagara had seen this behavior multiple times before when she stayed with her ursine friends. While his focus was on the prey, she calmly walked around him and up to the ledge, dangerously close to the roaring water. The rock she stood on was lightly sprayed, but not quite wet. Compared to the bear’s pelt, it was actually quite dry. Her movements had of course been clear to the eye, but she decided not to disturb the focused fisher with interruptions. Minding her own business, she laid down upon the rock, tail whisking gently over the edge in the interval space between the cascading waterworks. The auxiliary kept an ear pricked in the direction of the grizzly, but took the free time to soak in the beauty of the entire crimson landscape.

As the fish moved for the free flowing stream below, Kenai held his stance, watching and waiting for the perfect moment. His ears could hear something was coming close to where he was standing, but he never took his eyes off the prey. His nose told him it was a female, feline type. Before he would make eye contact with her, he was going to catch a fish. A fat fish moved slowly to the bottom of the small pool below. It's mouth opened and closed as it took int he oxygen from the water and moved its fins around its body. Its tail moved side to side, pushing it through the water. Kenai crouched, keeping his eyes on the morsel of food. Pouncing, he splashed loudly into the water, digging his claws into the food and moving to wrap his teeth around it. The blood moved into his mouth, free flowing with a mix of water and some guts. Kenai bit hard on the wiggling fish, making it take its final breaths and pulling his head from the water. In his jaws, he held the dead fish and a smile pressed across his muzzle. His silver eyes looked to the female who had been resting close to where he had been standing and waiting before. Her body was a beautiful color of white with large black spots. Her eyes were ice blue and felt as though they gave a chilly stare, cold as the stream he had been fishing in. Climbing up the rocks, he moved to keep a distance from her. When he was completely out of the water, he shook his massive body from side to side. He shook the excess water off of him, careful not to get her wet. When he was as dry as he could be for the moment, he moved closer to her. As the gap between them was diminished, he dropped the fish between his long claws. One paw pressed to it hard, making sure it did not move from his grasp. "Hello, I am Kenai Makwa, Bellator here for Regina Eden. I am pretty new here. Who are you?"

The crimson rock of their surroundings let tinted light bounce onto the falling water. The coloration was slight and barely noticeable, but there was a soft peachy tint to the otherwise clear liquid. A loud splash made Jagara turn her attention back on the bear for a moment, who stained the water even further with his catch. A little dash of red ran down the river and then over the edge, the evidence of the kill erased as quickly as it appeared. It seemed that life just flowed this way. One tragedy, when caused by the paws of higher authority, was meaningless. Yes, there was a true loss for those affected, but nothing would ever be done about it. Whether it be by divine right or sheer intimidation and power, the highest authority was exempt from punishments other than those dealt by foreign parties. Usually, however, these unaffected parties do not care enough to react. In this instance, Jagara figured she could easily leap over to this bear, rake him across the face, and then be back at a safe distance before the fish’s heartbeat stopped. But why would she? A bear has justification for killing a fish because he is a bear, just like she has justification for her own hunting.

By the time Jagara concluded that the world was just an unjust hell, the other shifter was shaking his pelt off. Her cold hues had been watching him intently for a while now, despite her mind wandering elsewhere. She quietly examined his frame, visible by the wet brown fur splayed across his body. The slap of the scaly meal did not distract her from the visual examination. He seemed to be of a healthy condition and decent shape. It was hard to actually impress the snow leopard, but at least she was not displeased with the new addition. Emotionless blue orbs held the gaze of the silver ones as he spoke, not shifting away when she made her reply, “Welcome to the pack, Bellator Kenai. My name is Jagara, and I am the Auxiliary here under Eden.” A small, almost predatory smile curled the black membranes of her lips. On any other creature, it would look soft and welcoming, but on this feline it was slightly eerie. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope you’re adjusting well to our pack… How do you like it so far?”

"Jagara, what a beautiful name. I have never heard anything like it. Where does it originate from?" he asked her with a smile. As he looked to the fish beneath his massive paw, he looked up to Jagara. "Would you like this fish? I can easily catch another for myself if you truly want it." Kenai looked to the female, his silver hues rolled over her body so carefully, checking out her frame as she was much closer to him now. He was no longer distracted by the act of fishing, as his morsel was no longer moving beneath his great weight. The combination of his size and lack of water had killed it quickly. Death was not something the bear wished on many, but a bear had to eat. And boy did he love to eat. Kenai tried to start counting her spots, but there had been so many, he lost track of where he had left off. He found himself counting the same spot several times and finally called it quits. He then remembered she had asked him a question. "I think the pack is very nice. I have already gotten the pleasure of meeting the Regina, as she allowed me entrance, then I met the Rex. Diallo seems to be very kind. I also got to meet the new Epror, whatever that is. His name is Niko, and he too seems very nice. I have yet to meet any others, but from the smells of this place, there are mostly felines in these lands.. Am I correct? Not that there is anything wrong with felines... I would just think more shifters of my kind would be around, or perhaps something else exotic." Kenai looked to the fish and then to Jagara. He wondered if she would want his gift or if she would wish for him to eat it instead. "So how long have you been with this pack? If you do not mind.."

((Sorry for the crappy reply. I'm out of muse, but at least it's something.))

The snow leopard dipped her head in a silent ‘thank you’ for the compliment as it was uttered, still watching the bear before her. “I was born in the Alps near the Swedish border, yet my name has nothing to do with that. I assume my name stems from some oriental culture, as the pronunciation ‘zhjag’ syllable would be more common there and reminds me of the Chinese surname ‘Zhang’.” A small shrug of her shoulders accommodated the conclusion. Jagara had never given her name much interest, perhaps simply because it was the only one she had. No last or middle name was ever appointed to her, and she doubted there would ever be one. Upon the gentlemanly offer of the fish, she sighed and shook her head, “No thank you. I never really enjoyed the taste of fish, unless it is tilapia and I cook it myself. Otherwise, I would rather cook something more…” A soft smile dawned on her lips as she mused, “Furry. Like the hare I caught earlier today for my dog, Arthas.” As she spoke, she noticed the silver eyes begin to run along her pelt. There was neither much judgment nor admiration from what she could tell, but he looked busy as his gaze flickered up and down along her before he began to speak again. Kenai mentioned the shifters he knew, and with the addition of Jagara, it seemed that he had met everyone from the upper seats of the hierarchy. “Yes, it appears that felines make up most of this pack. But besides us, there are also two reptiles and one member of the equine family. Perhaps you will meet them soon.” His next question caught her off guard. Her brows furrowed for a moment as she thought back to when she joined. “I believe it was about a year ago. Perhaps more… I do not recall. Although I can say that I have been here longer than the Rex.” As she moved to sit up, a slight itch bit at the scars on her hind legs. She leaned down and swiped a rough tongue several times over the jagged pink lines over both of her knees before straightening again and sitting in a statuesque manner.