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leahdarkspear · 7 years

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A Visit with Poreen

At long last, I finally finished this story. I tried to come up with a better title, but they’re not really my strong suit. Anyway, I hope you guys like this one!

The breeze was cool and pleasant as it swept across the grassy plains of Mulgore. Gently it tousled Leah’s hot pink mohawk as she stood leaning against the nearby bridge support. The ground was cold and damp under her feet from the rainstorm which had swept across the plains the night before. She and Taj rested along the southern edge of Stonebull Lake just off the path outside of Bloodhoof Village. Parched from the long ride through the sweltering Barrens, the troll’s trusty raptor drank eagerly from the cool, clear lake. Leah held his bosal and reins in her hands as she scanned the surface of the water. The lake appeared deep and, with the exception of the small ripples from the breeze, completely still.“Hmm,” Leah pondered aloud to herself. “I wonder how de fishin’ be.”

Splash! Almost seemingly in response to her thought, a trout’s jump broke the surface of the water.

“I wish Daddy was still here, Taj,” she said as she stroked the smooth, turquoise scales along her raptor’s neck. She always thought of her father whenever she encountered a potential fishing spot. “He woulda loved dis for sure.”

Leah pictured for a moment sitting on the bank of the lake next to her father. Patiently they would watch their bobbers as they sat in the land of the peaceful Tauren, their backs warmed by the sun. The wind would blow an undulating pattern in the tall prairie grasses and carry the songs of the birds to their ears. Leah blinked away her daydream. Maybe her father couldn’t be there, but surely she could find someone else. Maybe Boaris would come with her one day - he did have that silly old fishing hat, and he was decent with a rod and reel.

Leah glanced up at the sun, which was now directly overhead. “C’mon, Taj, it be midday.” She turned to the raptor and patted him on the rump. “We gotta get ta Thunder Bluff. I wanna have time ta give Poreen a visit aftah we get done at Una’s.”

The two made good time to Thunder Bluff. Taj, it seemed to Leah, had been born for no other reason than to run fast. This was good, because that was how she liked to ride. She stabled Taj on the lower rise and gave the stable master a little gold for his trouble (Taj was none too happy about being cooped up and was nipping at the Tauren’s tail). She then made her way to Thunder Bluff Armorers, in hopes that Una the leatherworking trainer could teach her something new.

A couple of hours later, Leah left Una with an armful of supplies and a smile on her face. Una had several hides in various stages of tanning, so Leah had been able to lend a hand and observe the entire process. More importantly, she now understood the technique behind making heavy leather herself. Leah beamed knowing that a new, sturdier set of armor made by her very own hands was in her future.

When Leah arrived at the stable master’s, Taj seemed notably calmer. He was furiously ripping the flesh from what looked to be a tall strider shank. Leah packed her supplies into her saddle bags and handed the stable master yet more gold, for she noticed he was now sporting a bandage on his tail. She then made her way to Elder Rise, all the while pondering training techniques to help Taj break his annoying habit of trying to bite everyone.

At the Hall of Elders, Leah spied Poreen near the druid trainers, sitting cross-legged on the floor, reading a thick leather-bound book. Quietly, she approached and placed her hands over the Tauren’s eyes. “Guess who,” she teased in a sing-song voice.

A small smile brought up the corners of Poreen’s mouth briefly. “Greetings, Leah. You know, for someone who stalks prey for a living, you aren’t very stealthy. I heard you as soon as you came in.” The druid usually remained quite passive, but she did have her moments. There seemed to be a hint of teasing in her large, soft eyes.

The hunter just chuckled. “Tryin’ ta make a joke dere, friend? Ya gonna hafta do bettah dan dat if you be lookin’ ta get my goat,” she replied, still grinning. “Besides, I don’t try ta sneak up on you, ‘cause you be hearin’ everyt’ing wit’ dem big ol’ ears.” Leah then turned her attention to the book in Poreen’s lap. “Say, whatcha be readin’?”

Poreen’s eyes lit up. “I’m studying the properties of Stranglethorn bromeliads,” she answered in a lively tone. Anything about the natural world interested the druid, but she especially loved to study tropical flora.

Leah made a face. “Ugh. Why? You be needin’ somethin’ ta help lull ya ta sleep? Bromeliads don’t do nothin’ but look nice.”

Poreen flared her nostrils with a short, annoyed snort. “There is nothing wrong with beauty being a plant’s primary function, Leah,” she said reproachfully. “Bright colors attract pollinators, which in turn fertilize all kinds of other plants, allowing them to survive and bear fruit. And I’ll have you know, pineapples come from bromeliads.”

“Really?” Leah asked with intrigue. “Well, I do like me some pineapple punch.” She then leaned on her druid friend and began reading over her shoulder.

Poreen sat looking up at Leah in mildly perturbed silence for a moment before snapping the book shut.

“Hey, I was readin’ dat!” Leah seemed genuinely offended that the druid had closed her book. Poreen chuckled softly. She was somewhat amused that a simple fruit could so easily change her friend’s opinion of an entire family of plants. Trolls were indeed curious creatures.

“So, my friend, what brings you to see me?” Poreen inquired with a smile. The druid got to her feet and motioned for Leah to follow her out of the Hall so they could talk without disturbing the others.

“Oh, ya know, I was in de neighborhood,” Leah replied casually as she followed Poreen outside. “I’d come ta see Una about learnin’ some more leatherworkin’ techniques, and so I thought I’d come by an’ say hello.”

The two sat on the grass and caught up. Poreen spoke of her nature studies, the Night Elves of Moonglade, and how Leah had just missed the Darkmoon Faire. Leah talked of missions, creatures she’d hunted, and how she and Boaris were getting along. Before they knew it, two hours had passed.

Leah rose to her feet with a groan. She pulled herself up tall and stretched her limbs which had grown stiff from sitting so long in one position. “Well, I best be goin’,” she said. “I was hopin’ ta make it to Camp T by nightfall. Get dat ride across de Barrens done early in de mornin’ so it’s not so blasted hot, ya know?”

Poreen nodded. “It was good seeing you, my friend. Shall I walk with you to get Taj?” she asked as she stood up.

“Actually, Por,” Leah began, “Would ya mind sparrin’ wit’ me a bit? It’ll help me loosen up ‘fore I gotta get back in de saddle.”

“Don’t you normally do that with Boaris?” the Tauren inquired. “I thought you two only did that as an excuse to have one of your ‘cool-down sessions’,” Poreen said as she made quotation gestures with her fingers. “Isn’t sparring you trolls’ idea of foreplay?”

Leah whipped her head around to look at Poreen with her eyes wide and mouth agape. Like most trolls, Leah didn’t shy away from discussing intimacy, but she was caught off guard to hear Poreen bring it up so flippantly. Her cheeks went pink as she sputtered. “Wh-what? Noo! Dat’s not de only reason I… Look, what I do wit’ my mate is my business!”

“And everybody’s who’s in earshot,” Poreen muttered under her breath.

Leah shot Poreen a dirty look. “Whatchu say?”

“Hmm?” the druid replied innocently. “I didn’t say anything, but I believe you were correcting me on some misconceptions about troll culture.”

Leah eyed Poreen suspiciously for a second before focusing on the topic at hand. “Well, while it be true dat watchin’ a mon display his combat prowess can be arousing’, sparrin’ be all about self-improvement. Ya spend time perfectin’ techniques an’ developin’ muscle memory. Dat way in de heat o’ battle, ya body knows what ta be doin’, an’ it does it automatically. By de same regard, ya don’t always be sparrin’ wit’ just one partner. Even wit’in de same fightin’ styles, de execution of a technique be unique to de mon dat’s doin’ it. Different partners help ya ta learn how ta improvise in combat. You become familiar wit’ all kinds o’ ways to attack an’ ta defend yaself. It be an exercise in both concentration an’ strength. Good for de mind an’ de body.”

“And you don’t just do it because you like to fight?” Poreen asked.

“Well, I’d be lyin’ if I said dat wasn’t part o’ it,” Leah responded with a shrug. “Us Darkspears have had ta fight for just about everyt’ing we got. It be second nature to us now. I s’pose ya eithah learn ta take pleasure in what ya can, or ya go crazy. Still, it’s not like fightin’ be de only t’ing we got goin’ for us. Dere be some o’ us dat, if peace fell over Azeroth tomorrow, would be just as happy ta nevah pick up a weapon again.”

“I see,” Poreen nodded. “But as for sparring with you, I respectfully decline. Combat is not my cup of tea.”

Leah looked perplexed. “But I’ve seen ya fight! Damn well, too! Whatcha mean it ain’t ya cup o’ tea?”

“I fight when I must – to preserve balance.” Poreen explained. “You’ll notice I take no sides in the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. I only participate in combat to protect nature.”

“But surely ya practice, so c’mon, let’s go!” Leah said enthusiastically. In her mind, there was no arguing with that logic.

“Actually,” Poreen stated, “I do not practice combat at all. I work on forging a deeper connection with nature, so that I may rely on my primal instincts to guide me in combat situations.”

Leah slumped her shoulders. Convincing her friend to do a simple warm-up sparring exercise was proving much more difficult than she thought it would be. This didn’t surprise her necessarily; Poreen was deeply analytical, capable of breaking down the bigger picture to view it in fine detail from every angle. It made discussions with her very interesting and arguments with her a nightmare. Leah did not often “win” against Poreen, still she wasn’t going to give up just yet.

“C’mon, Por, ya wanna preserve balance? Well, my ass is gonna be out o’ balance if I gotta ride wit’out loosenin’ up some.”

“Then do some stretches,” Poreen said stubbornly.

“It’s just for fun, nothin’ serious. Just humor me, mon. Pretty please?” Leah blinked her eyes in mock innocence.

Poreen rolled her eyes and sighed. “Well, since it’s obvious that you’re not going to let me be until I do this, I will concede just this once. Just promise me you won’t try to sleep with me afterward.”

An impish grin spread across Leah’s face. “Oh, baby, you be cute, but ya ain’t my type,” she replied, reaching to stroke Poreen’s large, velvety ear.

The druid swatted away Leah’s hand in agitation. “Remind me how we became friends again,” she said with a flare of her nostrils.

Leah cackled. “I don’t know, but whatevah it was, you be stuck wit’ me now.”

The two made their way to the stable master, where Leah picked up a simple wooden staff she’d left with Taj. Poreen insisted that she would not need a weapon. This puzzled Leah, but she did not question it. She and Poreen then rode the lift down to the ground below the Bluffs. Puddles from the previous night’s rain were everywhere, and some were quite large. Leah scoped out a slightly higher spot that wasn’t too muddy.

“Here,” Leah stated. “Everyt’ing around dis be pretty wet, but if we stay here, we should be good.”

Poreen surveyed the area and agreed. “Yes, this seems like as good a place as any. Should we give ourselves some distance?”

“T’irty paces be what I usually do,” Leah said. “You go fifteen, an’ I’ll go fifteen.”

Poreen and Leah counted out their paces and turned to face one another. Poreen called out, “I don’t suppose I can talk you out of this now, huh?”

“Not a chance!” Leah shouted back with a grin. “Ya ready?”

“I suppose I am,” Poreen replied.

“Alright den,” Leah said, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Let’s go!”

Leah made to charge at Poreen, but was suddenly blinded by an intense white light; a blistering, searing pain filled her body.

“OWWW!” she cried, sounding somewhat like a startled house cat. Leah dropped her stave to cover her eyes with one hand while clutching her chest with the other. “What de hell was dat?!”

“Moonfire!” Poreen called out. There seemed to be a trace of mirth in her voice.

“Thrall’s balls! It still burns!” Leah shouted.

“Yes,” Poreen stated matter-of-factly. “It will do for the next few seconds.”

Leah gasped and then exhaled abruptly as the sensation passed. Instinctively her hand shot to the top of her head. Relieved to find her hair had not been singed at all, the hunter began to look over the rest of her body and marveled that there was no physical evidence of her injury. However, amazement soon gave way to irritation at Poreen, who remained at her initial spot thirty paces away. Was - was she smiling?!

“Hey!” Leah called sharply, her eyebrows furrowed. “What’d you do dat for?”

Poreen threw up her arms in a shrug. “You said we were sparring!” she replied bemusedly.

“Not wit’ magic!” Leah retorted, gesturing vehemently. “I don’t be usin’ spells!”

Once again, the Tauren shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, my dear troll, you were not very specific, and in any case, should you need to defend yourself against a druid, you should be familiar with the discomfort our abilities can inflict.”

Leah sighed; as much as she may have wanted to, she couldn’t dispute that logic. “Fair ‘nuff,” she conceded. “Alright, let’s go again, but dis time, no spells.”

Poreen nodded her agreement. Leah turned and bent to pick up her staff, but when she turned around, Poreen was no longer there. In the Tauren’s place was a large, leonine cat. No sooner than Leah laid eyes on the beast, it rushed forward and began closing in fast.

Without much time to think, Leah decided to try an old hunters’ trick. She stood her ground and pulled herself up as tall as she could. She raised her arms wide above her head to make herself appear even larger. When Poreen was just steps away, Leah made a menacing face, stomped the ground, and let out the fiercest, loudest roar she could muster.

To her surprise, Poreen tucked her tail between her legs and bolted in the other direction. Leah let out a celebratory whoop and did a little victory dance. It was then she noticed that the druid was still running scared, right for a very large puddle. The troll tried to call out a warning, but it was too late. She watched as her friend stumbled straight into the water. Then, still in cat form, Poreen jumped straight up, hissing, spitting, and yowling. Her paws did not appear to touch the ground again until she was well away from the puddle. Leah thought she might die laughing. She doubled over, clutching her sides and cackling maniacally.

Poreen, however, was not nearly so amused. After changing back into her Tauren form, the druid huffed several times through her large nostrils and then slunk over to the edge of the nearby bluff. She sat down, pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her head on them. The cool afternoon air caused her to shiver in her wet clothing, and it looked as if she was about to cry. Immediately sobered, Leah’s smile faded. She jogged over and sat down next to the druid, who turned away from her.

Poreen sounded hurt and angry. “I’m not speaking to you. I told you I didn’t want to do this.”

“Oh, Por, I be so sorry,” Leah said, her brow furrowed in concern. “I honestly didn’t know dat would work. I didn’t mean for it ta scare ya so.” She scooted close, put her arm around her friend, and hugged her to her chest. Poreen did not resist, which Leah took as acceptance of her apology. The two sat silent for a while.

Poreen sniffled a little and then looked up at Leah as a sheepish smile spread over her face. “I bet I looked pretty funny running around like that.” Instantly, the atmosphere around the two friends shifted.

“I won’t lie, it was hilarious.” Leah chuckled softly as she looked at her soaking wet friend. “But ya know, if you be honest with yaself, it’s kinda your own fault for using magic again. If ya hadn’t turned inta a cat, I wouldn’t have been able ta do what I did,” she teased.

Poreen shook her head in denial. “It wasn’t magic. You wanted physical combat. I always fight in cat form.”

Leah raised an eyebrow at this. “Ya transformed inta a completely different creature, mon! How is dat not magic?”

Poreen looked as if she wanted to argue this point, but couldn’t quite find the words. “Okay, yes,” she admitted, “but in a way, you used magic too.”

“What?! No I didn’t!” Leah retorted.

“Yes, you did,” Poreen stated. “You once told me that all of a troll’s blessings come from the Loa, correct?”

“Well, yeah, o’ course,” Leah agreed.

“Then isn’t your skill with manipulating beasts a blessing from the Loa, and therefore a form of magic?” Poreen inquired.

Leah bristled slightly. She revered the Loa, but she wasn’t about to let them take credit for something they didn’t do. “Now, wait a minute, I wasn’t born knowin’ all dat. I be learnin’ on my own from my mama, de Loa didn’t grant me any special abilities!”

But Poreen stood by her position. “They gave you an able body and an aptitude for learning, did they not? So, you could say they blessed you with potential. Anything you use it for would be an extension of their magic.”

Leah opened her mouth to argue, but instead she just laughed. “Okay, now ya just messin’ wit’ me. You really be reachin’ wit dat one, mon, ‘cause even if we don’t admit it, every livin’ t’ing be born wit’ potential, not just us trolls.” Leah nudged Poreen playfully. “Don’t t’ink I don’t know you just be tryin’ ta turn my words around on me.”

Poreen gave Leah a mischievous grin. “Maybe so, but mark me, one thing I’m not messing with you about is that I will get you back for scaring me into that puddle.”

A loud guffaw escaped Leah, and she shook her head in disbelief. “I know ya be jokin’ now, mon. My sweet friend Poreen don’t do de whole revenge t’ing.”

“This is not about revenge; balance must be maintained,” the druid said, looking very serious. “You got me, and now I will get you. We must be even.”

Leah eyed her friend curiously. “Ya know, mon, sometimes I t’ink you just be makin’ all dis up as ya go along.” The troll then waggled a finger at Poreen. “I be onta ya.”

Poreen only smirked.

“What? What’s dat look?” Leah asked. “Dere be a t’ought behind dem eyes, I see it.” She got to her feet and extended a hand to Poreen to help her up.

Poreen took Leah’s hand, smiling as she did. “Oh nothing. It’s just… how is it exactly that we’re friends, again?”

They both laughed aloud as they headed back up to Thunder Bluff.

#leahsidhe #stories #fanfic #world of warcraft #leah stories

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returnerofthewrites · 4 years

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Alani Days: Ch3

"Oh, come on, you've gotta be kidding me! Another one!?"

Skylar glanced over his shoulder at the shout, his freckled cheeks rising into a grin when he saw a lavender, fish-patterned egg slowly rise out of the ocean, snugly hooked onto a fishing line. Twisting around a bit, he watched as the squirrel sitting to his left wrenched the thing off and shook her head, her unibrow furrowing in frustration.

"Hey, look on the bright side, Hazel," He replied, still grinning even as he gestured around in a lazy circle. "Maybe if we catch eight in a row, we'll get an extra life!"

"Aw, shut up," Hazel shot back, though a grin slowly curled onto her face as well. Reaching out, she gave the human a friendly thump on his shoulder before lazily throwing the freshly-caught egg over her shoulder. "I dunno what the heck CJ was thinking, holding a tourney right before Bunny Day."

"He's trying to challenge us, mush!" Turning to their right, both squirrel and human looked over at the red-furred cat who had spoken up, his wiry tail twitching with excitement. He eventually looked back at them with a smile, yellow eyes gleaming with vim and vigor. "It's like, if we can catch a really big fish even with all these eggs around, then it'll be extra-satisfying! Like running ten miles instead of five and then having a double-size protein shake!"

"I think you're the only one who'd call that extra-satisfying, Rudy," Hazel muttered, wiping her paw on her jacket and rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

Skylar chuckled as the pair continued to bicker, reaching up to run a hand through his hair as he looked around. A thin layer of clouds covered the sky, but the afternoon sun was still bright enough that it could shine straight through, dappling the ocean with faint sparkles. He, Rudy, and Hazel had headed straight for the pier as soon as the fishing tourney started, bringing along only a water-filled cooler and a portable radio for company. The latter cheered them on with a peppy blast of K.K. Bubblegum, while the former contained exactly one horse mackerel and four – well, five now – candy eggs.

Well, at least things could only get better from here!

Bending his knees, Skylar slowly got up, his sneakers scuffing against the wooden boards as he took a couple steps towards the end of the pier. Tightening his grip on his fishing rod, he carefully took the line in his other hand, letting the bobber roll around against his palm. A warm, tropical breeze blew across Alani's eastern coast, and he took a deep breath of the salty air, the hem of his aloha shirt waving all the while. Then, he reared back and swung his fishing rod forward, its hook glinting in the sunlight as it flew through the air and landed, with a plunk, into the sea.

To his surprise, the bobber only bounced around for a minute or two before he felt a slight tug on the line, and he smiled, a look of concentration crossing onto his face.

"Guys? I think I actually got something..." He said – only to gasp when something yanked hard, making him lurch forward. He awkwardly stumbled even closer to the water, digging his heels in to try and keep from falling over. "W-Woah-!?"

Skylar's sudden yelp was enough to shake Rudy and Hazel out of their friendly banter, and they looked towards him, then scrambled to their footpaws when they saw him wobble forward again. Both of them flung their arms around the human and did their best to drag him backwards, straining heavily against the strength of the unseen fish.

"Hang on, uni-wow!" Hazel cried out, digging her paws harder into Skylar's shirt and taking a baby step backwards, her ears wiggling in suspense.

"Yeah, we gotcha!" Rudy shouted in turn, his head hunched into his parka. "Pull, Skylar, pull!"

With his friends' help, Skylar finally found his balance again, and he shifted his weight to make it easier for everyone to move. He lowered his fishing rod just a bit, eyes narrowing as he waited for the perfect moment... and that perfect moment came just a second later, when he felt the line relax. With a heave, he hoisted the rod aloft, tugging with all of his might-

SPLASH!

-and together, the three of them tumbled backwards onto the pier, the water seemingly bursting as their prize leaped out of the sea.

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Alani Island – Mid April

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If there was one thing Isabelle could appreciate about working for Nook, it was his insistence on making sure they took care of themselves.

The morning after K.K.'s concert – first concert, she gleefully corrected herself – the tanuki had called her and Skylar together to discuss how he wanted to develop Alani in the future. While it mostly came down to focusing more on landscaping and pathing, he did take a moment to make some properly scheduled lunch breaks with her, so they wouldn't have a repeat of her forgetting to eat.

"Comin' at'cha with another quick update, chat! Nothing new so far, so mister Lopez still has the lead with a big ol' red snapper! But I got a good feeling someone's gonna come by soon to 'snap' the first place spot right up, though! Nyuk nyuk!"

Of course, even though she knew the fishing tourney was going on today, she hadn't expected to get roped into a conversation about 'seasports' and 'stream snipers' with CJ in the middle of her precious BLT sandwich.

"S-So, um..." Bringing said sandwich up to her muzzle, Isabelle took a small bite and hummed, her tail wagging as a wave of faint humidity washed over her fur. Gazing up at the overcast sky, she ran her free paw down her aloha shirt, smoothing the leafy pink fabric out somewhat. "How's Chip, CJ? It's been a long time since I saw either of you two."

"Aw, he's been doin' good! Thanks, missus Isabelle," CJ replied with a buck-toothed smile, tucking his Nookphone back into his fishing vest as he spoke. "I haven't seen him in a while either, since me and Flick struck out on our own after New Years. Last I called him, though, dad's still eatin' everything that he catches! Nyuk nyuk!"

Isabelle giggled at that, then looked out towards the coast and took another bite of her lunch, her gaze wandering all around the mostly-empty plaza. With everyone else out looking for fish, things were uncharacteristically quiet, and the shih-tzu took a moment to bask in the relative calm, feeling the stress of the morning's paperwork drain out of her. Veiled light warmed the bricks under her footpaws, the sun flag Skylar had designed fluttered atop the flagpole, and she felt a soothing breeze bluster past, ruffling her droopy ears and sending a jingle through her bell-hairband.

"Speaking of that, though, I didn't expect to run into you out here, missus Isabelle!" She perked up somewhat when she heard her name, turning back to look at CJ. With his hat and sunglasses on and his fishing rod confidently held over his shoulder, the youthful beaver looked like he wanted to join in the fun, and was barely holding himself back. "I thought you were still back in Greenoak!"

For a split-second, her face blanched. Then, she took a deep breath, had another nibble of her sandwich, and shook her head. The more she found herself talking about this, the easier she was feeling it get. "W-Well, Nook called me about coming to help him with building Alani up, so I took him up on his offer! I thought it was time for a change of pace, y'know?"

"Yeaaah, I know that feel!" CJ nodded, the lure on his fishing rod rattling. "I was hoping to do something like that with the fishing tourneys this month, but, uh... then all the eggs happened."

CJ's voice turned a bit sour as he finished his remark, and Isabelle half-smiled, half-winced, her bangs falling down her forehead when she nodded in understanding. "Mmhm. We've, um... heard some of the other towns and islands have been a little upset about that."

A loud, distant yell suddenly broke out to the east, and both animals glanced towards the noise with a jolt of surprise, ears flicking and tails twitching. A low whistle slipped through CJ's teeth, and he grinned excitedly, stepping over to the other side of the tourney tent and leaning forward to get a better look. Isabelle did the same, hastily munching through the rest of her sandwich before stepping around the beaver... and then her face lit up, a bright smile curling onto her muzzle.

There, crossing the bridge, was Skylar, Rudy, and Hazel, triumphantly laughing and pumping their fists, and carting a hard-plastic cooler along behind them. Skylar pulled by its front handle, while Rudy and Hazel pushed it from behind, water splashing and sloshing out of it every so often. Isabelle cocked her head at that last part, only for her to perk up when she saw the tailfin of something very big hanging out of its makeshift tank.

In fact, it almost looked like it was even bigger than the cooler was in the first place...!

"Ohh-hoho man, chat's gonna go crazy-!" CJ laughed to himself, pulling up the camera on his phone and aiming it at the trio as they strode towards the plaza. Isabelle brushed her paws clean of any lingering crumbs, then shook her head, smiling as the group's cheerful chatter got clearer and clearer.

"...still can't believe that it just pounced you like that-" Hazel's tomboyish voice was the first to reach her ears, the squirrel's short red hair looking rather damp and matted.

"Yeah, if it nearly pulled you over, I dunno what it would've done if it grabbed my rod instead, mush!" Rudy's voice drifted by next, wiggling unpleasantly for a moment before digging his footpaws in and pushing the cooler along. "I should up my workout routines!"

"I'm just happy you guys were there to help out!" Skylar twisted around to look back at his two friends, and as they all reached the edge of the plaza, Isabelle paused when she saw the human's rather disheveled appearance. His curly hair and puffed cheeks were as wild as ever, but there was a huge, wet splotch all over the front of his blue-pineapple shirt, and even going down to his khaki pants. And, as they got closer, her twitching nose picked up the... distinct, scents of saltwater and ocean fish. She felt more than a little lucky that she'd just finished her lunch.

"Hey, you guys! Looks like you got something snap-worthy in there!" CJ called out to the trio, his flat tail thwapping against his shorts as he closed the gap, taking photos all along the way.

"You bet!" Skylar replied, turning back and flashing the beaver a bright smile. His eyes flicked towards Isabelle immediately afterward, and he waved excitedly at her, his expression lighting up. "Oh! Hey, Isabelle! How's things going today?"

"I'm doing great! I'm on my lunch break right now... looks like you've been busy, though!" The shih-tzu nodded in response, her fluffy tail wagging back and forth as she stepped up next to CJ. Inside the cooler, their prize catch flopped around still, its tail going from one side to the other.

"Eh, not really! We found, like, five eggs before catching this thing!" Skylar laughed, thumbing towards the cooler as he spoke.

"Yeah, and if you don't help us lift it outta here, it'll jump on your face again, uni-wow!" Hazel chimed in. Rudy grunted in agreement, his paws clenched tight around the fish's flapping tailfin.

The squirrel's remark prompted Skylar to grin sheepishly and twist back around, and Isabelle bit back a giggle as she watched the trio struggle to hoist their catch out of the cooler. With more than a little work, Skylar, Hazel, and Rudy all lifted the fish up into the air... and Isabelle's jaw dropped open, her eyes going wide. Even CJ was impressed, slowly lowering his Nookphone and letting out another whistle at the sight of the hefty, vividly-blue, sword-nosed fish, still wobbling and wiggling against the trio's grasp.

"Hokey smokes, talk about a haul! Never would've expected someone to land a marlin with all these eggs around, though! Nyuk nyuk!" The beaver shook his head, reaching up and scratching at the tuft of hair that poked past his sunglasses. "Which one've you guys caught it?"

"It nearly caught us! If Rudy and Hazel hadn't helped, it probably would have pulled me and my fishing rod out for a swim!" Skylar answered as casually as could be, still grinning even as he gestured towards the water.

Isabelle recoiled slightly at Skylar's words – it was a little hard to believe he was smiling about nearly getting pulled out to sea! – but smiled when she saw him, Rudy and Hazel share a mutual laugh, hair ruffling, tail swishing, and ears twitching. She found herself quickly swept up in their excitement, her own fluffy tail wagging back and forth as she watched them carry the swordfish over to the tourney tent. As they did, CJ stepped around and lifted his own, larger cooler off the table and set it down onto the ground for the trio to lower their catch into.

"Now let's see here... so it was on your line, right?" CJ asked, giving Skylar a quick nudge with his tail to get his attention.

"Huh? Well, yeah, but technically all of us caught it-" Skylar started to say, shaking his head at the beaver. Before he could finish speaking, however, Hazel gave him a light shove of her own, and he twisted around to look at the red-haired squirrel.

"Oh no, you ain't being modest this time!" She shook her head right back at him, brushing her paws over her jacket as she spoke. "Yeah, Rudy and I helped hold you back, but you're the one who had hooked it in the first place, uni-wow!"

"Yeah, hahaha! And you've got a big ol' wet spot on your clothes to prove it!" Rudy added with a cheery laugh.

"Alright, alright..." Skylar relented, locks of his wild and curly hair falling down his face as he turned back towards CJ, a sheepishly-grateful expression on his face. "Well, I guess I caught it!"

CJ whistled again and offered the human a fist, which Skylar gladly bumped with his own, and together, the group transferred the swordfish from one cooler to the other, water splashing out onto the bricks as it continued to flail around. Droplets spattered everywhere, some catching the wind and going far across the plaza, only to quickly be wicked away by the warmth of the sun.

Isabelle smiled inwardly as she watched the scene unfold, and once the marlin had been put into CJ's cooler, she carefully stepped up to take another look, folding her arms around her aloha shirt. The plastic tub was big enough that the fish seemed to be relaxing – though not large enough to lay flat in – and as she watched as it took deep breaths through its gills, life slowly returning to its glassy eyes.

She turned her head, however, when Skylar let out a grunt next to her, and she watched as he grasped and squeezed at his own shirt, trying in vain to wring out the wet patches in the blue-pineapple fabric. The corners of her muzzle wiggled upward at the awkward smile on his face, and she giggled to herself, her droopy ears rippling ever-so-slightly.

"Cool! Now let's check this baby out-" The shih-tzu glanced back at CJ when he thought aloud, pulling a tangled tape-measure out from a box under the table and unfurling it. "Maaaaan, though, what a lunker! Too bad I couldn't have recorded you guys catching it! Nyuk nyuk!"

"You sure keeping it in there will be alright? I think it's big enough that you'd need to get a tank from the museum, hahaha!" Rudy laughed again, idly tapping his footpaws on the ground.

All of a sudden, Skylar froze, even as CJ, Rudy and Hazel all continued to chat. Isabelle cocked her head in concern, blinking when the human's expression slowly morphed into a thoughtful stare.

"Hang on a sec," He said quietly, dropping his arms back to his sides and drying his hands on his jeans. As he spoke, he stood up a bit straighter and gazed out towards the eastern side of the island, looking at something seemingly far away. "Have, uh... have any of us ever caught a marlin before?"

The others stopped talking and glanced over, confused looks adorning their faces. Isabelle did the same, clasping her paws to her skirt as a strange sense of anticipation came to life somewhere in the back of her mind. There was a brief moment of silence as everyone followed Skylar's gaze out towards the east... and then Hazel sucked in a short breath when she realized what the human meant, her bushy tail swatting from side to side.

"Aw, Skylar, no! You aren't seriously thinkin' what I think you're thinkin', uni-wow?" She asked as half of her unibrow quirked upward. When Skylar didn't reply, she planted her paws on her hips and leaned in. "Dude! With this thing, you've got the tourney in the bag!"

Rudy quickly picked up on whatever Hazel were insinuating, padding over to Skylar and giving him a quick pat on the back, his tail waving up and down. "Yeah, mush! Besides, if you bring it over to him now, he'll talk your ear off and you won't have as much time to fish with us!"

"Guys, c'mon! You know we promised Blathers that if we found anything new, we'd bring it to the museum so they could exhibit it," Skylar replied, his blue eyes furrowing as he turned fully towards his two friends, combing a hand through his messy hair.

Understanding washed over Isabelle, and she took a couple of steps back from the tourney tent, unsure of whether to say something or not. Her fluffy tail slowed to a stop and hung still, and her eyes flicked from Skylar, to Hazel and Rudy, and back again. CJ, on the other hand, went back to measuring the marlin, his enthusiasm only mildly dampened as he tugged the tape-measure taut from the tailfin to its sword-nose.

"Guys, if the marlin wins the tourney, Blathers is gonna find out about it anyway, and then he'll just be upset with all three of us." Skylar continued when his friends didn't reply, scratching at the back of his neck. "Besides, I already don't feel good about saying I caught it, since I wouldn't have caught it at all without you guys there to help out. So go on and keep fishing without me, alright? If I don't make it back until late, I can always try again during the next fishing tourney!"

There was a pregnant pause, tension hanging heavy in the air, the silence only broken by the whistling of the wind as it swept across the plaza again.

Then, after a few long seconds, Hazel let out a sigh, shoulders slumping and ears drooping.

"Fine..." The squirrel said, jabbing her paw towards Skylar afterward. "But you owe us another round of fishing, and soon, uni-wow!"

"You want us to leave the cooler with you, mush?" Rudy said, his voice having gotten a little bit quieter. Reaching up, the cat rubbed at one of his ears, smoothing out his reddish coat of fur as the wind ruffled it.

"Thanks, you guys..." Skylar smiled, then gestured at them to leave with a wave of his hands. "And nah, you guys'll need it if you catch anything big! You better get going, though! If you're worried about wasting time, then the sooner you get back to the pier, the better!"

"He's right, y'know!" CJ added, tossing the tape-measure onto the table before reaching into the cooler and lifting the marlin out, leaning back when it started to wriggle and writhe again. "The tourney finishes at 6 in the evening, so you've still got lots of daylight left! As long as you catch something and bring it back, the fans'll be happy as manilla clams, nyuk nyuk!"

Isabelle simply watched in silence as the group slowly went their separate ways, with Rudy and Hazel grabbing their cooler and wheeling it back the way they came, while CJ carefully passed the blue marlin back to Skylar. Skylar let out an awkward grunt – the weight of the feisty fish seemed to be a bit much for him alone – then glanced towards her, his freckled cheeks dimpling as he flashed her a cheery smile. Slowly, but surely, the human set off down the west road, his dirty sneakers scraping against the cobblestones.

The confrontation – as much as it could be called that, anyway – between him and his friends had lasted barely a minute or two, but the shih-tzu had found herself rooted to the spot the entire time. She'd seen some similar debacles happen back in Greenoak, but that was when she was helping manage the holidays spent outside the town hall, and they were so few and far between that seeing one play out right in front of her had caught her mostly off-guard. Not to mention, back then they hadn't happened in the middle of her lunch break.

As the wind kicked up, ruffling her bun of hair and jingling her bell-hairband, Isabelle found herself staring at the human's back as he awkwardly trundled away, visibly struggling to carry the hefty fish in his arms. It reminded her of the day they'd met, when he'd carted that giant bag of camping stuff out of Resident Services... except this time, the thought really made her want to go and help him out.

...though, actually... turning towards the Resident Services building, she looked up at the clock. She had the better part of an hour left, and she technically hadn't gotten to see the museum yet...

"Um... CJ?" Tearing her eyes away, she glanced over at CJ, who was fiddling with his fishing vest. "I'm still on my break, but if Mr. Nook comes looking for me, could you let him know I'm visiting Blathers?"

"Eh? Oh, sure thing, missus Isabelle!" CJ replied, his sunglasses slipping down the bridge of his muzzle as he nodded at her.

She smiled and nodded in return, then kicked into an easy jog, her pawpads tapping against the cobblestone trail as she ran after Skylar. He'd barely gotten past the first couple houses, and a flutter ran through her nerves as she got closer and closer.

"Skylar! Wait, Skylar!" Isabelle called out to the human, reaching a paw up and waving to get his attention. He perked up at the sound, then turned towards her, still smiling despite the curious glint in his eyes. Slowing to a stop, she paused to catch her breath... and then, once she had, she sidled up to him and grabbed the marlin's tailfin, the corners of her muzzle curling higher. "Want some help?"

Skylar beamed.

--------------------------

By the time they arrived at the museum, the marlin had settled down somewhat – which turned out to be very good thing, since Blathers let out a startlingly-loud hoot the moment he saw them carry it inside. He came back to his senses soon after, however, and pointed them towards the lobby's bathroom before taking the heavy fish off of their hands. Inwardly, Isabelle thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't picked up any sort of clingy, fishy smell, and once she and Skylar had cleaned themselves up a bit, they headed past a fish-shaped plaque and into the marine exhibit hall...

"Wow..." Isabelle breathed out in awe, her droopy ears sliding back and forth over her shoulders as she gazed this way and that, her fluffy tail swishing hard enough that she could feel the air wooshing past it. "This is amazing!"

The cold, formal tilework of the lobby had given way to smooth hardwood floors and smoother glass tanks: some were square, others were round, but each one was meticulously decorated with plants and logs to mimic Alani's rivers and ponds. Granted, most of the tanks were still empty, but the sight of them alone was enough to send a wave of excitement through the shih-tzu, and the few fish that were in tanks was enough to keep that excitement going. Instinctively, her footpaws took her from one placard to another, her eyes scanning over the names listed here and there. Sturgeon; crucian carp, dace, yellow perch; cherry salmon and char...

A light touch on her shoulder pulled her out of her trance, and she whirled around, her droopy ears swinging wide enough from the motion that they nearly smacked into Skylar. The human recoiled, taking a quick step back, and a bashful blush quickly flared onto Isabelle's cheeks.

"S-Sorry, Skylar!" She said, giving him an apologetic smile before reaching a paw up to silence her clinking bell-hairband. "I guess I got a little distracted..."

"Aw, no worries! The museum's just kinda like that," Skylar replied with an easygoing grin, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. "Is this your first time here? That's the same reaction I had once it was finally built and everything."

"Mmhm! I've been meaning to come visit, but there's been so much work to do still that I hadn't gotten around to it yet." As her embarrassment passed, Isabelle let out a sigh before looking around the room again, going from a large, empty tank to a modestly-sized koi pool built into the floor. Everything looked so simple, yet fancy... it was still a lot to take in. "Blathers did a wonderful job, didn't he?"

"Yeah!" Skylar nodded, leaning sideways and tapping his fingers against the railing as he stole a quick peek into the pool as well. "This place is way cooler than any museum I ever went to as a kid! It's always a lot of fun coming here to drop new stuff off, like today."

Isabelle giggled softly, stepping up next to him and watching the colorfully-spotted fish glide through the water. It was hard to argue the point, even though she didn't have much of a reference to go by – she didn't exactly have much time to visit the museum back in Greenoak, either, what with all the mayoral work she had to deal with. She made a mental note to thank Nook again for setting up a proper schedule for their lunch breaks... it was nice to actually get to look around, for once.

"So... did you, and Hazel and Rudy donate all the fish in here?" She thought aloud, turning and giving Skylar a curious glance. He blinked, then looked up at her and nodded, and she noticed that he had another slight sunburn on his face and freckled cheeks.

"Huh? Oh, uh... yeah, mostly! Every so often we'll go out hunting for bugs, or taking a fishing trip or whatever. Once Blathers arrived, we promised to bring him any new stuff we found while we were out and about." Near the end of his explanation, Skylar grinned sheepishly and brought a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. "I was always more of a surfer kid growing up, but I guess now that I'm older I can see the appeal!"

Isabelle did a double-take, her droopy ears twitching in surprise even as the human laughed to himself. "You know how to surf?"

"Yeah!" Skylar nodded again, his bright blue eyes gleaming at the mere mention. "I was never into the competitive side of it, but I picked up surfing when I was, like, seven! I haven't done any since last summer, though... maybe I should ask Timmy and Tommy to try and stock a surfboard."

"Huh... I never would have guessed," Isabelle admitted, a sheepish smile of her own crossing onto her muzzle. Reaching up, she fluffed her ears and combed her bangs a bit, letting out another soft giggle afterward. "You're full of surprises, you know that?"

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment!" He replied with another chuckle, one that echoed quietly off of the walls.

Isabelle's smile widened at the sound of the human's easygoing laughter, and as he slowly eased away from the railing, she stood up as well, following alongside him as they wandered further into the room. Heading around the large, empty tank, they soon found themselves in another short hallway, the bright lights gradually getting dimmer and dimmer. A slight chill ran through her footpaws when wood became tile once again, and slowly, but surely, they closed in on the next room...

The shih-tzu felt her eyes widen to the size of saucers as they emerged into the deep-sea exhibit, the sight of the massive, octagonal tank in the middle of the room taking her breath away. The lights of the freshwater exhibit had been replaced with deep, dark blues, and a whole school of littler fish swam through the water, occasionally intruded on by a couple mackerel or a few large tuna. Before she knew it, she had skipped past the rope barriers and made her way up to the tank, her bell-hairband jingling all the way over.

Pressing her paws up against the glass, she felt a wave of both excitement and amazement flood through her nerves. It was hard not to feel like a puppy again, considering the sheer scope of the tank in the room, and so she gave the swirling anchovies her undivided attention, watching as the mackerel and tuna both darted in and out of the group. Somehow, her tail started to wag even harder, to the point that she could feel her skirt shifting, ever-so-slightly, from the motion.

"Cool, huh?" Skylar said, and she glanced over her shoulder at him as he strolled over, slowing to a stop just next to her. He flashed her a friendly smile before focusing back on the fish in the tank, all too happy to watch them swim about. "This one's my favorite out of all the fish exhibits, heheheh."

"Mmhm... ocean fish are my favorite too," Isabelle hummed in agreement, her nose twitching as her breath blew against the glass and rebounded past her muzzle. "They remind me of when my brother and I would go to the beach, back when we were kids."

"Aww! You grew up by the beach, too?" Skylar's head whipped right back around to look at her again, his expression lighting up. It was very hard not to giggle at his sudden spike in enthusiasm.

"Well, we didn't live nearby, but we'd go sometimes in the summer. Digby would always build sandcastles, and I'd go swimming and look for shells to bring home..." She replied, thinking all the way back to when she was young, feeling the sun on her fur and the sand on her paws in her mind's eye. She let out a soft sigh, her gaze wandering up to the anchovies again...

...and then she gasped, softly, when a long, swordlike nose poked out from the group.

With a graceful motion, the marlin made its grand debut, its blue scales glinting faintly in the light as it propelled itself down through the water. Pushing past the smaller fish – which scattered away from it in response – it dove deeper, until it got close to the sandy, rocky base of the tank. Once it got to the bottom, it righted itself and slowed down... giving its stunned, wide-eyed audience a perfect view of it as it passed them by. Isabelle and Skylar turned their heads as the hefty fish went from one side of the tank to the other... and then it turned upwards and pushed into a swift swim again.

"Wow..." After a moment, Isabelle found her voice again, her paws still pressed right up against the glass.

"Yeah..." Skylar agreed, his enthusiasm having been swept away by a wave of pure amazement.

And without another word, they continued to watch the deep-sea fish, the conversation trailing into a comfortable silence.

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