Private Thread Sunny Ripples

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright's whiskers twitched in quiet amusement at the sight of Sturgeonpaw's eager little steps. Her own tail tip flicked, betraying a spark of fondness as she watched him inch closer. "You can catch a fish..." She assured him softly, her voice still light with that tremble of shyness that never quite left, even now. "Y-you just have to be p-patient with the river. It’s not like land prey"

She rose and padded to stand beside him at the water's edge, careful to place her paws where the mud wouldn't suck her down. The current sparkled in the sun, calm for now, but alive beneath its surface.

"Otterwhisker will b-be proud either way. Let's stay on the shore...." Her gaze dropped to the water, scanning it with that same trained calm. "Try to watch before you strike. F-focus on how they swim. L-like little shadows. W-want to try spotting one together first?"

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright leaned slightly, following Sturgeonpaw’s gaze until she, too, caught sight of the darting little shapes flitting beneath the surface. Her ears perked. He was seeing them. That alone was a small victory.

"You spotted them." Her voice carried a note of pride, soft but clear. "T-that’s the hardest part at first." She flicked her tail toward the riverbank, signaling him to stay still a moment longer. "Minnows are a g-good start. N-not much meat, but catching one takes the same focus as catching bigger prey. Better to learn the rhythm now than fumble when it's a trout." It would be safest too with little chance of being dragged in by a bigger fish.

Her green eyes shone with approval as she shifted to give him space. "W-when you’re ready, crouch like I showed you. Watch the way they move. Then - strike fast, from above. N-not too deep or you’ll lose your balance." The key was patience. If he missed and disturbed the water the fish would come back - but it would take time!

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
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Cottonbright blinked, startled only slightly by the sudden splash, then stepped forward as droplets of cold water scattered over her forelegs. But her eyes were already on the flailing minnow, her tail flicking once in swift approval.

"You did it." Her voice was calm, sure, even though his strike had been messy. That didn’t matter. What mattered was that it had worked. She nudged the minnow with a paw to stop its frantic writhing and ended its struggle with a neat bite before it could flip back into the shallows.

Her head turned back to Sturgeonpaw, the corners of her mouth pulling up in a rare, quiet smile. "Q-quicker than I expected...It doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. Y-you reacted when the chance came and that counts."

She looked to the water again, where the surface had stilled just slightly. "Let's try together... Let them come to you. Th-they’re curious, even if they don’t know it." She got into position by the shore near the shade, peering into the shallows calmly before she could spot another school of minnow.