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Tikahn let out a slow breath as Ezen returned to the hole he had used previously. The smaller lion wiggled his toes before dipping his paw into the chilly water. He shivered just a bit but leaned down, trying to get a bit deeper than just the surface. There had to be something down here...oh! Oh, there! He pulled up sharply and a decent sized fish came out with his paw, flopping on the ice, mouth working for air that would never come. Smiling, he looked over to Ezen to see if he had noticed. The other lion's paw was down in the water again and there were now two fish beside the icy male, the strange colored one and another similar to Tikahn's own.

Tikahn felt his ears droop as he turned back to his hole. Great...he had some ground to cover. Dipping his paw in again, he felt something swim by his toes almost instantly, so he swiped and caught it by the tail. After lifting it out of the water, however, he found it to be hardly worth eating. It was so tiny and transparent he could see its little bones and organs! Feeling a bit badly, he set it with his other 'prize' and continued to fish around.

Ezen's luck had run out with the second decent fish. For a while there was nothing near his paw, so he switched holes. There were lots of little fish here but they were too fast for his movements, which was probably just as good. He didn't want little fish, he wanted big ones! Trying a third hole, he swiped quickly and brought his paw up, disappointed to find a tiny fish there. He tossed it in the direction of his other two and went back to work.

A half hour or so passed before Ezen sat back, glaring at his pile. The first two fish were fine specimen, but the last three he had grabbed didn't even equal the length of the second fish he'd pulled. Oh well...that first one was a winner for sure. He looked over at Tikahn who wasn't doing much better, which made him smirk. One decent fish and three tiny ones. He padded over to the other lion, watching him tremble as the ice cracked under their paws, the joined weight making the whole area groan.

"Well then? What's your last fish?" he asked. Tikahn swallowed thickly and closed his eyes, swiping his paw once more time. Ah, there! He yanked and tossed his fish onto the ice, scared to open his eyes. He heard Ezen make a soft 'tsk' noise and, curious, finally peeked. His heart sank at what he saw. It was a nice fish, to be sure, but not nearly as nice as Ezen's first grab. The winner was clear, if close.

"Ah...good job," he said softly to Ezen, to looked at the male in surprise. He was congratulating him? The larger lion stood in place, taken aback by the sportsmanlike conduct. Unsure of what to do, he gave a 'hmph' and scooped up his fish in his mouth to take them back to the island, leaving Tikahn alone. The smaller male sighed softly before picking up his catch, hoping it would at least feed a few hungry mouths later in the winter.

FIN
WC: 1091