Fishing was a skill...and not one that Binti excelled at. And yet, it was something she continually worked at, since it annoyed her that this particular avenue of hunting was one she was so bad at. It wasn't like it was necessary, either - but that didn't change the fact that she hated failing at anything she set her mind to.
She had been a member of the Ela'wadiyi for many years, at this point, but had never quite let go of her expectation of self-sufficiency...and she had always been more profficient than most at hunting, so it was particularly frustrating that fishing, even after all this time, was so difficult.
After yet another failed attempt, one that left her pelt soaked, and her forelock dripping in her eyes, a chortle, quickly silenced, made her glare at a jackal seated on the riverbank.
"Tell me again why I didn't put you out of your misery long ago," she muttered, although an affectionate undertone to her voice made it clear, at least to her longtime companion, that she wasn't as annoyed at him as her words might otherwise indicate.
It was a testament to how long they'd been together that Shujaa didn't flinch...or roll his eyes. The jackal had been by her side through her transition from snarky young rogue with a huge chip on her shoulder, to reluctant young lioness trying her best to raise a litter of cubs in a pride she hadn't been born into...and eventually, through her deciding to join said pride, and the ups and downs that had come along with that decision.
For Shujaa though, while he couldn't say that she was always the easiest lioness to get along with, he'd never questioned his decision to travel at her side. He wasn't even sure what had made the initial decision for him - perhaps it had been the recognition of a similar vein of stubborness that they both had? (His just tended to be quieter, and, at least in their youth, less irritable).
"Probably because you know no one else who would sit out here slowly baking on the shore to keep an eye out for crocodiles." He retorted drily, a flash of white teeth reflecting in the sunlight as he grinned.
"Especially since it doesn't seem like I'm even going to get a meal for my trouble."
Using a large paw, Binti tried to splash him, a mock-growl accompanying the action, while her nose wrinkled in irritation (although not at him, to be fair).
UGH. She didn't even like fish that much!
Uta