Festive Fishing

It was cold out and that was completely to be expected. 

With the winter season up on them the weather had quickly declined and brought in snow against the shores and the higher elevations of Isla Pera.  For some it made traveling and doing simple everyday chores simply unbearable. Even those at Steelwater had to make do, maintenance rising up as the cold spray left ice building up on their home, making it cold, slippery, and threatening to damage it and crush the ship further. Flying this time of the year had its own dangers, weather was an obvious one, ice building up on your wings and crashing you to the world below was another. Uzuragi prided herself in being able to fly in the worst of it, but even that didn't make it any easier to find the free time away from her duties to hunt for a little something extra. She wanted to gift her flockmates, especially those who might not be doing so well, and she just wasn't going to have much time to do that this year. Luckily for her she had built connections all over the island chain and she knew just where to go in her limited time. 

The northeast part of Isla Pera was about as far away from home as Uzuragi was going to get, the Highlands dusted with white snow cut up by the water flowing down the mountains. This was the green side of the island, left mostly alone by the volcanoes and their hazards. Uzuragi was seeking out a few figures in particular, the first being Nerodia who is another female Tropeonathus.  Uzuragi brought for her a  gift, an ornate and sizable clam of the Derasa variety. She found her tucked up near the top of a tall waterfall. The bright pink Tropeo was tucked into what used to be a hiking path that cut behind the falls into the rock face. It was now grown up with mosses and vines, she looked like a flower from afar. 

Uzuragi was easy to spot once she lowered her altitude, her bright blue standing out against the green and white foliage. 

“Uzuragi! It's been a while. How are you? What is that there in your claws?” Nerodia greeted. 

“I am well enough. “ Uzuragi answered rather indifferently. She was making out. The Tropeo was careful as she slowed her descent into the hiking path and gently set the object down on the stone pathway. She lowered herself down behind it, nudging it forward with her beak so to move it towards Nerodia. “A gift for you, a beautiful clam. “ 

“Thank you, I didn't expect to see you or I would have collected something myself. “ Nerodia would take a peek at the clam before she carefully picked it up in her beak and walked it over to stash it deeper in her nest. With the clam secure in her home she would turn back around and join Uzuragi. “What brings you here? You're a far way from home. “ She would ask, curious as to why she was seeing her old friend at this time of the year. 

“I want to bring home some unique gifts to my flockmates this year, I figured the farther from home I am, the better chances of that I have. I know this area is far different from home on the ship. I'm happy you're still here. Is Khazri and Snowbell?” Uzuragi explained before asking about some mutual acquaintances. Snowbell the large, crested Parasaurolophus and Khazri the Suchomimus. 

“They are, yes. “ Neordia would lean from one side to the other, stretching out her shoulders before she’d stretch out her wings. “We should be able to find at least one of them, we should take gifts.”

“Ideas?” Uzuragi would prompt.

“The second falls downstream, against the backing is pretty blue fish with stripes. They climb the falls to lay in pools. We could catch a few to take to Khazri. “ Nerodia would plot. “Next to is fruit bearing trees, some fresh fruit for Snowbell would be a wonderful gift.” 

“Sounds like a plan, let’s get to work.” Uzuragi would voice. The blue Tropeo would lead the way, shifting over so she could get her wings free from the old pathway before hopping up onto the old railing to lunge off and take flight. Nerodia would take flight after her, falling in behind her as they would glide downstream. Once the two of them were downstream at the second waterfall Nerodia would climb along the torrent of the lower falls and pluck unsuspecting fish from its rocks. While Nerodia collected fish, Uzuragi skirted the branches of the trees near the bank and collected up the green and yellow fruit. Once the two of them had as much as they could carry they returned to the clean air of the waterway and took flight. They climbed out of the river valley and they headed for the highest grounds they could find. There were a few points of interest that Khazri or Snowbell or both could be found at one time or another, Once Uzuragi and Nerodia reached one of them they were lucky enough to find Khazri.

“Well, look here!” The crested Suchomimus would greet, looking up at Nerodia and Uzuragi as the two brightly colored Tropeos came in to land and drop off their bounties. Khazri is a fluffy, lightly colored Suchomimus with a strong classic tabby pattern filled out with fawn spots and streaking, a dun pattern showing through in places on the limbs. “What did you bring? This is so much. “

Nerodia and Uzuragi set their bounties carefully down near Khazri and settled on the cool ground themselves, The floral tropeo would speak first. “We brought you some fish, and we brought fruit for Snowbell. We wanted to give some gifts while we’re in the area. “

“Oh, Thank you!” Khazri wouldn’t hesitate to scoop one of the fish into her mouth and knock it back down her throat before she’d start organizing the fish and the fruit into a cache to keep them out of the elements until she could deliver the fruit at least to Snowbell. Snatching up a second one of the gifted fish she’d swallow it down before turning back to the other two. “I’ll make sure Snowbell gets those fruit I’m sure she’ll love them.” Khazri’s feathers would fluff a bit, she turned her head some. Now she was eyeballing Uzuragi. “So what brings you so far from home? You’re normally not this far out. “

“I came for gifts to take home. “ Uzuragi would explain. “Something we wouldn’t have near the ship. “

“Oh!” Khazri would stand a bit taller, perking up a bit. Even her crest perked up some. “Well let me set you up. We can collect everything into a net and you and Nerodia can fly the net of goods back home, I’m sure Nerodia would be okay flying out to sea wouldn’t you Nerodia?” Khazri already seemed ready to go collect up a fine bounty for the flock. She didn’t even wait for an answer, she started marching off.

“Oh yeah, I should be fine. “ Nerodia would hop along after Khazri.

“Good, good! Let’s get to work we have a good bit to collect and not a lot of daylight left to collect it. “ Khazri would lead the way off into the wilds. She would instruct the two fliers on where to go and what to grab. First was a large net. This net had been abandoned by helicopter years ago and would do just fine. Next was collecting up the gifts and securing them in the net. Khazri would help secure them and made sure everything was accounted for and nothing would move wrong or shift wrong or break free any.  Once they had collected all the net would hold Khazri would grab another fish from her stash as a snack and she would close up the net and carefully secure it shut. The last thing she wanted was the net coming open and dumping everything or worse taking her two flying friends out of the air.

Once done Khazri would round up the other two. “Okay, okay, gather around! Don’t think I don’t have gifts for you two as well. “ The feathered Sucho had gotten into a stash while Nerodia and Uzuragi were distracted and had gotten out a couple of objects. The first she nudged towards Uzuragi. “For my beautiful blue friend.” The object was a beautiful blue stone. Next she nudged the other object towards Nerodia. “For you.” It was a piece of bright red and pink slag glass.

“Thank you. “ “Thanks.”

“Now, I know it’s a long flight back out to sea so why don’t you two spend the night with me?” Khazri would offer, her feathers smoothing down some.

“That’s a wise idea Khazri.” Uzuragi would voice, accepting the offering.

“Sure, it might do my sleep some good. “ Nerodia would give a nod.

With that the three of them would collect up the stone and the slag and then would turn in for the night in Khazri’s den. In the morning right around sunrise Nerodia and Uzuragi took off in tandem, flying the net full of gifts across the island and out to sea to be handed out to Uzuragi’s home flock.