The silver fish eyed the worm suspiciously as it wriggled, helplessly, in the current. The fish nudged it cautiously twice, then slowly circled around it. What was this worm doing here, out in open waters like this? There didn't seem to be any reason for it. Experimentally, the fish nibbled at the worm's flesh. It was plump. Juicy.<i>Delicious</i>.<br/><br/>"<i>It's bait</i>."<br/><br/>Kital yawned, her mouth wide, as she watched the fish from within a little cluster of roots and weeds. The fish paid her no mind; it was just a fish, and her words were as meaningless to it as they were to humans. It bit down on the worm.<br/><br/>On the shore, an elderly fisherman in a straw hat let out a whoop of joy as his line went taunt.<br/><br/>Kital rolled her eyes as she watched the fish's desperate struggle begin. "<i>See? What did I </i>just<i>say?"</i>The Matsuba let out a little sigh, then pushed herself out of her little hiding-hole. She wriggled for a moment, shaking a layer of dirt, then coiled like a spring and looked towards the surface.<br/><br/>The fisherman was treated to a brilliant flash of red and gold as Kital leapt high into the air, the afternoon sun gleaming off her scales. His head followed her upwards to the apex of her jump, one hand holding his hat in place, his mouth agape; and then she looked down, their eyes met, and she smirked.<br/><br/>Wait. What kind of fish<i>smirks</i>?<br/><br/>Kital sucked in a deep mouthful of air, her cheeks swelled, and the fisherman's eyes went wide. He released his rod in a panic, both hands now devoted to the duty of retaining his hat. A moment later a powerful stream of water blasted forth from Kital's mouth. It fell short of actually striking the fisherman, instead landing right where he'd just been standing, but it didn't much matter; in his haste to get out of the way, the fisherman's foot caught on an exposed rock, and he fell, backwards, towards the ground. He was forced to release his hat in an attempt to catch himself, and it bounced from his head, rolling off somewhere into the bushes. Kital laughed to herself as she fell; she caught a last glimpse of the fisherman, sitting up, shaking and his fist, and cursing profusely before she splashed back into the water.<br/><br/>The silver fish hadn't gone far. Freed from the fisherman's hands, the rod had soared off after the fish into the water. Now it was wedged between two rocks, leaving the fish just as trapped despite its desperate struggles. Kital let out another sigh, and swam over to start nibbling her way through the line. Within moments the fish was free, and shot off like a rocket, hook still in its mouth, with not even a word of thanks. A bemused Kital watched him go, then scooped up the rod in her mouth and set off in the opposite direction.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>"<i>I got another one!" </i>Kital called out, proudly, in a sing-song voice as she swam into the inlet. She dropped the rod safely behind a jutting rock, where a good half-dozen other fishing rods in various states of disrepair and rot were already lying in wait. The Matsuba nodded to herself, and then looked around expectantly, awaiting a response. None was forth-coming, and after a moment her smile turned into a pout.<br/><br/>"<i>Honestly, is she out hunting </i>again<i>?</i>" Kital shook her head softly, and after only a moment's indecision, set back out into the river. She had a rough idea where Morsel might be, and the sooner she found her, the sooner she could tell her about her catch.