Isuma was more than happy to receive attention, the cheerful little creature purring contentedly as Hazel's small fingers worked into a particularly itchy spot that made her haunches wriggle with delight. When those fingers lifted away, even for a moment, golden eyes opened to give the Fae a look of pitiful betrayal - shameless begging that Jigano had been too soft-hearted to correct in his little soulmate. The attempt to guilt Hazel into continuing faded quickly as a treat was proffered instead, the gryphlet letting out a little chirrup of curiosity as she examined the twist of snow moss with quick, avian tilts of her head to study it from all angles before she extended her neck to nibble it cautiously. It smelled like some of the flavored hot water that Jigano sometimes drank, much to her bafflement, but it was a familiar, soothing scent because of that.
While she investigated the peppermint bark treat, Jigano was entangled with the beast that he'd hoped to make her meal, his pristine fur soaking wet as he fought the large fish with a desperate stubbornness while his fox friend yipped in excitement and only added to the chaos. He backpedaled as best he could until loose pebbles shifted under his paws and he lost his balance with a yelp - and with the yelp, lost his grip on the fish. The wounded creature thrashed away from him desperately, but a mental command sent his fellow after it, and the stockier red fox leapt with glee on their prey, pinning it until Jigano could once again get a firm grip on it. This time he was able to shift his jaws into position to bite down on the goldfish's spine, cracking the bones and neatly severing it as the creature gave a final flop and then went still.
Exhausted but triumphant, he dragged it onto the shore while his assistant frolicked around him. Letting the fish fall to the dry pebbles he looked up to call Isuma over to her meal--
And blue eyes found Hazel instead, widening in shock. The lithe creature tensed, but it was Isuma who chirruped reassuringly from her place atop the beetle's head, chewing at the peppermint bark treat, though from the faces she was making she wasn't sure what to think of it. The white fox licked his muzzle nervously, cleaning the blood from his fur, but another encouraging reep! from Isuma seemed to decide him. He gave the red fox a look, and the other creature sat back from where it had been sniffing at the dead fish, attentive to the white one's instructions even as Jigano trotted back along the shore and into the shallow water, ducking behind a large singing stone.
It was not a white fox that emerged from the other side of it, but a wet and somewhat bedraggled human who peeked out sheepishly, offering Hazel a tentative smile as he slogged back to shore, though only as far as the fish and the red fox who watched him expectantly. "Ah... hello again, Weaver. I hope you have been well?" Blue eyes flicked curiously to the giant beetle at her side, but he returned them to her almost immediately as he offered a dripping bow before settling himself on the ground next to the fox who remained.
While she investigated the peppermint bark treat, Jigano was entangled with the beast that he'd hoped to make her meal, his pristine fur soaking wet as he fought the large fish with a desperate stubbornness while his fox friend yipped in excitement and only added to the chaos. He backpedaled as best he could until loose pebbles shifted under his paws and he lost his balance with a yelp - and with the yelp, lost his grip on the fish. The wounded creature thrashed away from him desperately, but a mental command sent his fellow after it, and the stockier red fox leapt with glee on their prey, pinning it until Jigano could once again get a firm grip on it. This time he was able to shift his jaws into position to bite down on the goldfish's spine, cracking the bones and neatly severing it as the creature gave a final flop and then went still.
Exhausted but triumphant, he dragged it onto the shore while his assistant frolicked around him. Letting the fish fall to the dry pebbles he looked up to call Isuma over to her meal--
And blue eyes found Hazel instead, widening in shock. The lithe creature tensed, but it was Isuma who chirruped reassuringly from her place atop the beetle's head, chewing at the peppermint bark treat, though from the faces she was making she wasn't sure what to think of it. The white fox licked his muzzle nervously, cleaning the blood from his fur, but another encouraging reep! from Isuma seemed to decide him. He gave the red fox a look, and the other creature sat back from where it had been sniffing at the dead fish, attentive to the white one's instructions even as Jigano trotted back along the shore and into the shallow water, ducking behind a large singing stone.
It was not a white fox that emerged from the other side of it, but a wet and somewhat bedraggled human who peeked out sheepishly, offering Hazel a tentative smile as he slogged back to shore, though only as far as the fish and the red fox who watched him expectantly. "Ah... hello again, Weaver. I hope you have been well?" Blue eyes flicked curiously to the giant beetle at her side, but he returned them to her almost immediately as he offered a dripping bow before settling himself on the ground next to the fox who remained.
