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 Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:57 pm
Note to Self:
1: No fish, no catch
2: Yes fish, no catch
3. Yes fish, crappy catch
4. Yes fish, good catch
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:14 pm
It was a very fine day for fishing. The water wasn't terribly cold and the level was high. Streamlining her wings by tucking them tight against her back, Ophie entered the water. Bubbles trickled through her whiskers as she opened her eyes and began to search for fish. Although the water was rather murky- something, hopefully a large trout, had stirred it up something fierce- she was feeling confident that today's trip would turn out well. It needed to- soon, the lakes would ice over and the fish would move downstream to warmer waters in the river. If she was going to have a winter store that was remotely fresh, she needed to keep looking while the sun shone.
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:22 pm
Kicking her feet to propel herself through the water, Ophie sought out her prey. She wasn't seeing much right here, and thought about moving to one of the lakes near her den or upstream a bit, but then something caught her eye. A small bass was picking at the weeds on the bottom of the river. Seeing it surprised her, and she kicked off the riverbank to spring at it. Clumsily she pounced- a clever fish would have evaded her snapping teeth. But this one clearly wasn't paying attention, and her jaws closed around it. It didn't have time to put up much of a struggle- as cute as otters are, they're lightning-fast predators when they want to be, and Ophie was feeling dangerous at the moment. The bass satisfyingly done-in, the magenta angelic surfaced and spat it onto the shoreline. This bend of the river was quite secluded; nobody would take her meal. Taking a deep breath, she dove down again, trying to find more to add to her coffers.
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:34 pm
Almost immediately, she spotted another bass, this one about the same size as the first. Maybe a little larger- it was hard to tell with all the silt she'd kicked up nabbing the first one. Floundering a bit in the water, she grappled with her intended future dinner. This one put up a bit of a fight- it thrashed around, but once again a fish succumbed to the otter's hunting prowess. It soon landed on the shore with the first fish. Once again, she returned to the water to look for another. She figured on catching one more here, then taking these home, then going out to a lake to catch a few more. She could really only carry three at one time.
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:39 pm
This time down, however, she couldn't find anything. Not even after the water cleared a bit. She searched down below in the muck and the weeds and she searched in the mid-water levels, but the commotion seemed to have scared off the rest of the fish. She decided to swim a little upstream, to see if anything else would turn up.
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:48 pm
It had been a wise choice to move on- this part of the stream seemed like a much better hunting ground. The water was clearer and the channel was wider. Right away, she spotted a potential meal. A school of perch hung in the water. Ophie dove after them, but they were more observant than the bass. They quite quickly disappeared. The mustelid had no choice but to follow them. Perch were delicious, and she knew they could be caught!
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:54 pm
As fast as the perch were, they were no match for a hungry otter. Opheliac managed to catch two in one strike. The smaller, she gobbled down, savoring its sweetness. The other she clenched tightly in her jaws for the swim home. Arriv ing at the spot where she caught the two bass, she dragged herself ashore and shook the water out of her fur. Then, she picked up the bass, wedging them on either side of the perch. She jogged home, holding her wings to dry them off in the sun.There was no sense in leaving her wings wet any longer.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:59 pm
Arriving back at the densite, Ophie didn't even bother to go inside. If the minis smelled fish, she'd lose her cache. Instead, she rolled aside a rock to get to her food storage. Her 'icebox' was a clever little cave dug into the ground near an underground spring that fed into the lake behind her den. The pit was lined with bark and the spring ran through the bottom of it, cutting it in two. She'd made it the first year she'd occupied the site. Things kept near the spring stayed nice and cool, while the bark lining ensured that they stayed clean and dry. If she wanted to, she could weigh things down with rocks and keep them in the stream itself. The cooler was already full of dried fish and berries, but she really did want something fresh for the long, cold months ahead. Clearing a spot right next to the water, she laid down the three glistening, slimy fish. Then, she rolled the large stone back on top of the hole and headed out to the lake.
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:04 pm
The lake behind Ophie's den was small, but well-stocked. It was sort of her own private hunting ground, though she didn't use it very frequently. Normally, she preferred river hunting. The river offered better visibility and usually larger fish. But sometimes there'd be others there, and that was always awkward for her. Sliding into the lake, she began to feel around with her whiskers for any fish resting on the muddy bottom. She figured if she could catch two more fish, she'd be satisfied for the day. Now... where were the fish?
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:11 pm
Aha! There were the fish! She'd landed practically on top of a fat, lazy catfish. He was much, much too slow. Wary of his razor-sharp barbels, she dispatched the fish with ease and returned it to the surface. She could see that the sun was beginning to go behind the clouds, causing a chill to come over her. Shivering, she dove again. At least the water in the lake remained mostly a constant, if somewhat chilly, temperature.
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Scaramouche Fandango rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:13 pm
However, she couldn't find anything in the silt. That was the problems with lakes sometimes- the slightest movement set them off. Their sandy, mucky bottoms were too soft for any real trout action. Their worth as a panfish breeding ground, however, was indisputable. She shot through the water with great ease as she looked for a cluster of the thin, grassy weeds that often signaled the presence of resting bluegill. Some bluegill to go with that catfish would be amazing!
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:15 pm
Ophie knew her lake well. Definitely well enough to know where to find bluegill. A school of adults was dozing in the grass. The otter smiled wickedly, then with a flash of teeth and a jet of water from her wings, she attacked the school. Attended by ruckus and chaos, she continued to n** at them until she had a good group of three of the flat fish. Bluegill were small, buttery creatures and went down easily. Clambering back onto the shore with her haul, she picked up the catfish and dragged it back to her den. The slippery fish left a trail on the grass, but she didn't much care. Even if something like a raccoon came to investigate, only she knew where her cache was.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:17 pm
Rolling the stone again, Ophie placed the fresh fish gently next to the ones she'd caught in the river. Two bass, a perch, a catfish, and three bluegill. Definitely not bad for one day's haul! Now she could go inside, take a nap, dry off, get warm, and then repeat the whole thing later this evening or tomorrow. A few more trips and she'd easily have enough fresh fish to satisfy her for the winter. But first, that nap...
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