Fishing on the Ice (Solo)

[Sira]

Fishing on the Ice Timestamp: 79th of Winter, 511 AV Sira wasn't really much of a fisherman, at least not in the usual sense. She could hunt for fish from the sky as an eagle would, but fishing with a line and pole? Sira had never really done anything like that, and then the fact that today she would be going ice fishing, it was quite exciting. At least it would have been if she wasn't so hungry. All Sira could really think about was getting food for herself, her child, Addy, all of Wind Reach. The fish had better be biting, because after several hunts of returning with nothing, and the blue mold leaving everyone under fed, this fishing trip was their last hope. Before she could go fish, however, Sira would need to get together all her gear. Considering she didn't own any fishing gear she would have to requisition that, but she still needed winter clothes, boots, a dagger, her sword and bow just in case, and several other minor things. Loading her coat into the large bag she used to carry her gear around Sira muttered about the fact that she was going to have to shift out on the ice and freeze her butt off before she ever managed to get the clothes on. Eventually she had everything together except for the fishing gear, which would be waiting for her down at Thunder Bay, assuming the Avora she asked to bring it for her even remembered. It would be quite embarrassing if Sira showed up and had no fishing gear. But there wasn't anything she could do about it, not until she was already there, so Sira just had to trust that he remembered. In a flash of glittering smoke the woman that was Sira was replaced by a beautiful, massive, golden feathered eagle. Sira stooped and grasped the large bag in her talons, then hopped forward a few times until she hopped right off the edge of her aerie and started falling through the sky. Well.. diving, rather than falling, because Sira didn't fall. At least, she would never admit to actually falling, and this time she definitely was not falling, as she quickly demonstrated by spreading her wings and doing what birds do.. flying.

[Sira]

Across the valley she flew, over the frozen river and all the way to Thunder Bay. The bay itself was frozen over in many places, most nearer to the shore. Sira and the group of Endal and Avora she was going fishing with would be heading to one such ice patch, one that had been scouted already to ensure it was thick enough to support her weight. The others were already there and Sira was one of the last few Endal to arrive. When she landed she opened her bag with her beak, dumping the contents out onto the ice while the other's just stood and watched. She probably could have asked for assistance, but Sira didn't ask for assistance. Once the bag had been emptied she threw it down in front of her and positioned herself directly above it. Sira could never quite predict exactly where she was going to end up when she shifted, but hopefully she would land on the bag and not the cold ice. In a cloud of glitter and smoke she shifted, feeling the cold of the ice biting into her feet an instant later. Petch, she thought to herself, having just missed the bag. Sira quickly hopped forward onto the bag, which promptly slipped from beneath her feet, sending the poor naked woman tumbling onto the ice and snow. "Petch," she cursed out loud, much to the amusement of the other endal who were watching. Sira climbed back to her feet and managed to get safely onto the bag before she realized she had now slipped out of reach of her clothing. "Gods be damned!" One of the Endal, a man who likely just wanted to get a better look more than help, dared approach and Sira shot him an angry glare. Holding up his hand in peace he reached down and gathered up Sira's clothing with the other, cautiously handing the garments to her. "Thankyou," Sira said grudgingly as she snatched the clothing out of the man's hand, who's eyes lingered a moment longer on Sira's body than they should have. "Well? Get a good look in, all of you, then," she shouted, turning a circle on her bag for all to see, "because I'm covering it up now!" Sira pulled on her pants first, then her socks, boots, then top, scarf, coat, cloak, and finally her gloves. Now she was ready to go ice fishing.

[Sira]

The Avora who had been tasked with ensuring her gear safely arrived seemed to have done his job. Sira found her pole and line, as well as a net, some bait, a lure for when she ran out of bait, a knife, a big stabby thing she eventually found out was called an ice pike, and lastly a thick saw for cutting the ice. Following the suit of the other endal, Sira set out away from their landing spot, carefully walking across the cold ice. The area had already been scouted for thickness, but Sira wasn't about to risk falling in because of a misplaced step. The going was slow, and sometimes slippery, but eventually Sira found herself a patch of ice that for some reason she thought looked promising. Not that it really looked any different from any other patch of ice. Sira threw down her blanket then dropped her supplies on top, except for the pike, which she fumbled with for a moment before shoving it tip down into the ice. At first it didn't want to go in, and Sira pushed down hard, but the ice wouldn't break. "Petch," she muttered, pushing her whole weight down onto the object, barely piercing the surface. "I guess I should have brought a hammer." Glancing around, Sira reached for her sword which was poking out of her bag, and started bashing the hilt into the handle of the pike like a hammer. It was loud, it probably scared away any fish she would hope to catch, but it did drive the pike down into the ice. She repeated the process twice more, driving three holes in a triangle, before setting the pike aside and going for the saw. Grunting, Sira began to saw through the ice, connecting the dots. It was tiring work, the ice was thick and hard, but slowly but surely Sira connected the first two dots. Two more sides to go. Glancing about, she spotted another Endal in the distance who already seemed to have his hole cut and was dropping in a line. "Well.. maybe I scared all my fish his way," she muttered as she began to saw some more.

[Sira]

A good few chimes later Sira finally had her hole dug into the ice. She was officially ready to begin fishing. Well, almost. She just needed to bait her line. They were using precious seal meat as bait. There had been a debate on this as to whether it was worth it or not, but in the end the group agreed that trying to fish using the mold would have been pointless. They needed results, and the meat was the best chance at getting them. Sira's mouth watered hungrily as she slid the precious meat onto the end of the hook, trying very hard to resist the urge to just pop the chunk of uncooked flesh in her mouth then and there. Seal was one of her favorite meals, afterall, but she knew better. They needed to catch fish, not seal. And lots of fish. So.. Sira baited her line and positioned it over the hole. She waited a moment, still fighting temptation, then finally let it drop. The bait disappeared with a plop and a tiny splash, pulled under the surface by a small weight tied to the line. The next part of the assignment was what Sira dreaded the most.. the waiting. She would have to sit there in the cold and wait, hoping a fish would be stupid enough to bite. It might happen right away, or it might be hours. If she moved around too much they might hear her through the ice and never even come close. So Sira bundled up in her heavy cloak and waited, wishing she had Addy with her to keep her warm. "Should have brought some hot tea..."

[Sira]

Waiting for the fish to bite was incredibly boring, and that combined with the fact that it was freezing out, Sira was not having a good time. She wanted to get up and move, to go fly and hunt like she was meant to, but she'd already tried that and come back empty handed. Food was scarce, and even the wind eagles were having trouble keeping themselves fed. The fishing trip was a last resort, and if they did bring back any fish, it wouldn't last long. As she waited Sira found her mind wandering, thinking back over the past year. It had been an eventful one, to be sure. At the beginning of spring she had been attacked an nearly killed by a wizard and his pet wolf, a wolf Sira was fairly certain was a kelvic by the unnatural intelligence he showed in hunting her. No normal wolf would have chased down a wind eagle. Sira had only survived that ordeal by the unexpected appearance of Fois, another endal, who fought off the wolf and brought her back in wind reach before the poison and her injuries could do her too much harm. Then of course there was the night with Ayren, which had resulted in the conception of her daughter, Natalie. Again she'd been attacked by wolves, desperate for food after the long winter, and Ayren came to her rescue. As a reward, and a treat to herself, Sira slept with him. Not only was her daughter conceived that night, but it was also the night that Sira admitted to herself she was truly and fully in love with Aidara. The summer came with a break for Sira, nothing major happening.. at least until the end. Nobody could have foreseen the lightning storm that swept the land as the Watchtowers zapped people from all across Mizahar and transported them to that strange place high above the sky. Sira didn't like to think about that experience up there.. with the Ravarisk. She quickly put it out of her mind. Fall started off with a bang. Having just survived an off planet experience, Sira and Aidara decided to throw a party in honor of their coming child to get their minds off the ordeal. The party turned out to be a blast, but the season itself was a hard one for the couple. Sira was overly emotional to begin with due to the hormones, but on top of that the happy couple dealt with a lot of issues that had been troubling them for a long time. Both of them faced their darkness and came out into the light, and they were a stronger couple for it. As for the winter, it was nearly over, but it had been a hard one for all of them. The joyous birth of Natalie was marred by the lack of food, severe weather, and general bad spirits of everyone in Wind Reach. It wasn't the best way to bring her daughter into the world, but there was nothing Sira could do to help it. Sira prayed each morning, a thing she had begun doing ever since the encounter with the Ravarisk, to Priskil and Rak'keli for her daughter's health and safety. Whatever would come, she knew she had to be strong for her daughter. Strong in body, mind, and faith. And so.. she went fishing. It was boring. It was cold. It was mind numbing, but Sira did it. Not for Wind Reach, though that was surely a beneficial side effect, but for daughter.

[Sira]

After about fifteen chimes Sira decided it was time to check on her line. She hadn't felt any nibbles, but maybe she would get lucky and pull something up anyway. Drawing it out of the water it didn't feel like there were any fish on it. Nothing was struggling, and though Sira had never gone fishing before, she always assumed that the fish would struggle against the line. When she finally pulled it out of the water she was shocked to find nothing there. Not a fish, not even her bait. "PETCH!" Sira cursed aloud, drawing a glare from an endal at his hole a few yards away from him. Giving him a sheepish smile Sira shrugged and pointed to her hook. "My bait fell off the hook." The endal nodded his understanding, offering her a shrug in return, and Sira went back to work baiting another chunk of mouthwatering meat. Just as she dropped the bait back into the water the endal who had looked at her earlier also shouted out in anger. Sira looked up to see that he too decided to pull in his line, possibly after seeing Sira's empty, and his bait was gone as well. Now if it had just been hers Sira would have just passed it off on her lack of experience, but the other endal had been fishing before and he knew how to bait a line. That meant there must have been something alive down there under the ice. Something alive and crafty, because it was stealing their bait without getting hooked. It was annoying, but it also gave Sira hope. All it had to do was slip up once and they would have their food. Sira pulled back up her line and doubled checked to make sure her meat was a secure as it could be, then dropped it back in the water. All that was left to do was go back to waiting and hope the next time something bit, she could catch it.

[Sira]

Over the next bell Sira lost more and more bait, and the other endal were beginning to lose theirs as well. Sira was starting to think the entire trip was a waste of time. Whatever was under that water, they weren't going to catch it. She was about ready to call it quits and head home when she felt a slight tug on her line. Sira sat up, staring at her hole. Was that a bite? I don't know.. what do bites feel like. It must had to have been a bite. Okay.. Sira, pull! After a quick mental debate with herself Sira yanked on the line and to her utmost surprise she felt the tug of resistance. Something was fighting back! "I think I got one," Sira shouted, drawing the attention of all the endal within range of hearing her. The man closest to her, who had just pulled up his empty line, came running over to watch and help if he could. Sira began pulling in the line, but whatever was down there was fighting back hard. Her pole was bent over the hole and Sira yanked and tugged, trying to pull the line in. "Come on, Sira, you can do it," the other Endal cheered on as Sira struggled with the line. Just then one massive tug bent the pole down further than any of the others before, and Sira responded with a hard yank back up. The resulting snap of the line had both endal standing with their jaws dropped and the wooden pole snapped back up, smacking Sira in the face. The kelvic stumbled back and the other endal rushed forward to help her back to her feet. "What happened," he asked, already knowing the answer. "I... I think.. I think it got away."

[Sira]

Two more bells of loosing bait or having not bites at all was all Sira could take. She was the only one of them who had even come close to catching anything, and none of the other's had felt so much as a twitch on their lines. Whatever was in the water it was too clever to be hooked by their lines, though most of the time they got no bites at all. Sira finally shook her head and stated to no one, "I'm done with this." They were wasting more food trying to catch nothing than they would have if they had just let everyone eat the seal. Sira started packing up her things and saw several of the other endal doing the same thing. None of them wanted to be out on the ice any longer, and they all shared Sira's opinion. It was a lost cause. There was nothing to be caught that day, at least not on the ice, and they were better off trying somewhere else. Once again the endals would be coming home empty handed. Sira knew they would be chewed out for leaving early, but it was better than freezing their asses off for nothing. Once she had everything packed up she stripped down, shifted, and flew away. When she returned to the city she simply dropped off her gear before heading right back out. Just because the ice had proved fruitless didn't mean she was going to give up. Sira spent the rest of the day flying over the Unforgiving mountain range searching for something, anything, that she could bring back. It was how she spent most of her days, but it was way better than sitting on a patch of ice doing nothing while some fish stole her bait. ~End

[Phoenix]

Sira

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Fishing	5
Organization	3
Problem Solving	3
Hunting	1

Lores

• Learning a new skill: Fishing
• Naked Endal on ice
• Improvising tools
• Allowing reason to win over a grumbling stomach
• Returning home empty handed

The Order of the Phoenix

Great thread, Sira. It made me sad that she gave up after all that work!

If there are any questions or concerns, send me a PM and we will discuss.