Quests

A quick pink figure darted through the brush as fast it could move , flashes of pink and brown feathers flaring in the air as the figure hopped quickly around rocks and kicked up dirt. The medium figure soon stopped to catch its breath as a snout sniffed the air. It was a utahraptor by the name of Peony and he was on the hunt for water but not to drink for something entirely different. As he caught his breath from his quick dashing around he leaned down sniffing the dirt trying to find the sent of the nearest river, he had a hunger in his stomach that carved a certain prey and that was fish although he wasn’t sure how he was going to get the fish out of the river due to not knowing how to swim good, but he had that type of prey before when other utah’s shared it with him and he wanted more but now it was about him getting it all by himself. The sound of water could be heard faintly in the distance as he honed on it before taking off once more towards the river jumping over branches and twigs that stuck out of the ground.

“I can hear the river this way it should be close” Peony mumbled to himself as he kept pace darting in and out of the brush that covered the forest floor, he had a keen hunger for water wildlife such as fish and he knew the river would be a good fishing spot for him it was now just getting to the river was the task and with every footstep that hit the dirt he was getting closer and closer soon halting to a stop as he burst through the tree line that stopped at the river edge. His pink eyes scanned the river as it rushed down between the two sides rocks and derbie flowing down it, water was always a curious thing to him but he knew how dangerous the water could be even if it was a small river but the need for fish and his hunger on the line it pushed away his worries.

“The river seems to be rough today, but there is fish” he mumbled to himself carefully positioning himself on the rocks that sat on the side of the river, one small slip for the utahraptor could be fatal or very dangerous for him. Peony kept his arms close to this side as he ruffled his feathers looking down at the river closely watching the shadows in the water as they swam upstream, it was fish and lots of them trying to make the journey to the ponds on the island from the oceans, the utahraptor keen on catching one or more if he could get his jaws on them. It was Peony’s first time trying to fish he had seen the fish eaters of the island do it from afar but they had the arsenal to do so since they lived mostly in or near the water so this could be tricky for a dinosaur like him as he wasn’t very good in the water to begin with.

“I must be careful , the river can be dangerous if I make the wrong move. It's slippery everywhere” he growled frustrated “and I don’t really know how to swim great” he added before hovering over leaning down as close as he could to the water without falling or feeling off balance. Peony watched in silence as he saw a quick moment to snag a fish diving his jaws into the water his eyes closed to avoid getting them wet but when he pulled out his jaws nothing had gone in them first attempt was a big fail, a low growl left his jaws as he sighed before setting up once more unmoving once again. The first one was a miss but there was always next time and this time he made sure he wasn’t going to miss even if he had to sit here for hours unmoving and quiet, as a large shadow made its way up the river, a large red fish was on the move and coming right under Peony’s jaws without knowing it.

“This time I won’t miss” he mumbled before getting ready, his claws gripping the rocks he was standing on. The fish kept its pace fighting the current splashing to get further up the river, once it breached the water's surface Peony lunged feeling the scales hit his tongue as he clamped down on the large fish it starting to fail about in his jaws causing the raptor to lose his balance due to the slippery wet rocks he was standing on. His pink eyes widened as he felt water overcome his feathers as he landed in the river making a large splash, he was now in the water and soaked but it seemed like the river wasn’t to deep where he had fallen so the fear of it being dangerous left his mind as he sighed with the fish still in his jaws flopping around as it fought to get out of his jaws.

Wet and soaked Peony climbed out of the river shaking off his feathers as he held the fish in his jaws, he was soaked but the fish was in his jaws as it stopped flopping around its life coming to an end. “I did it! I caught the fish” he said with a gleeful cheer as he jumped up in the air, flapping his arms before landing and putting the fish on the ground. It was a large red fish and it was huge. It was time to enjoy the meal he had caught but a thought popped into his head. Why not fish for more? 

Peony turned around putting the fish in the grass just off the bank of the river before turning back towards the river taking post on another set of rocks his claws gripping tightly, watching the fish continue to leap up the river grabbing the ones who couldn’t make it back into the water in time before he caught them, chucking them in a pile as he kept catching more and more as they kept leaping. This was a good food source for when times were tough and he should have done it sooner but the fear of the water being dangerous always held him back from trying it out. Always watching the more water built dinosaurs fish all the time but never sticking close to the water's edge they always made it look so easy but Peony wasn’t of the water build he was covered in feathers and claws for the attack followed by jaws to latch on not to swim or fish but it always had him curious in what they were doing.

Peony had jumped back over to the bank now standing in front of his pile of fish he had caught a big smile across his snout “Look at all these , why would I waste time getting hurt trying to catch prey when I can just fish” he said “Plus they are just as good!” before digging into one as he ripped the meat off the large fish swallowing the large piece of meat whole licking his lips afterwards. Fishing was going to be on the menu for this Utah as it was way easier he may not have flippers or special fishing jaws but he had made it work for a way for him that allowed him to catch these fish he just had to use his brain a little more.

As he devoured the rest of the fish he soon headed back to the large pile and scooped the rest in his jaws and claws looking around as he darted back into the brush following the path he had taken to get to the river dashing just as quick but to be sure not to drop his fish he had caught. Would the other utah’s think he was weird for fishing over hunting as it was easier and not as dangerous that was something he would just have to deal with when the time came, it was time to get back to his den to put his stash away and enjoy some more fish in a safer place along with being out there was other predators that could possibly want what he had and Peony wasn’t in the mood for putting up a fight over it. The utah soon approached a run down den that was hidden off the path and darted inside setting down his prize as he dusted himself off by shaking his feathers ruffling them out plopping down beside the fish , still soaked from falling in the river he definitely needed a lot more practice if he was to keep fishing but he did pretty good for his first time looking over to the pile of fish and picking one up before picking at it eating little pieces, but for now this would do for him a new skill learned in hunting and it was fishing!