SWDnovel Chapter 5 Catching Fish
Chapter 5 Catching Fish
"Don't be afraid, it's safe here... for now," Will whispered to reassure them. He himself was starving, but getting food was the top priority right now.
He had to try fishing while there was still a little daylight left and his strength had just recovered.
There was no net, no harpoon, not even a decent branch.
Will had no choice but to rummage through the garbage again.
He wasn't too unlucky; he found a piece of hemp rope that was badly worn but still sturdy, as well as several rusted iron bars with one end worn relatively sharp, their original purpose unknown.
He rubbed the iron bar hard on the stone, removing the outermost rust and revealing a dull metallic luster. Then he tied it tightly with hemp rope to a short wooden stick, about the length of an arm, that he had broken off from an abandoned pier, making a pitifully crude "harpoon".
He took off his tattered shoes, which were practically just strips of cloth—they were worn through anyway—and stepped barefoot into the shallow water on the bank.
The mud was cold and slippery, reaching above my ankles.
He held his breath, tried to move as quietly as possible, raised his homemade harpoon, and stared intently at the shadows swimming beneath the surface of the water.
The first thrust was too hasty; the harpoon grazed the edge of a small gray-backed fish, only stirring up a cloud of turbidity.
The fish were startled and scattered instantly.
Will calmed himself and waited patiently.
The fish quickly gathered back together, searching for food scraps that might be found among aquatic plants or garbage heaps in the shallow water.
He spotted a slightly larger, slower-swimming one and stabbed it again!
"puff!"
This time it hit, but the iron bar wasn't sharp enough; it only pierced the side of the fish at an angle and didn't penetrate.
The injured fish struggled wildly, splashing water everywhere. Will tried to lift it up, but the slippery fish body and the flimsy harpoon made it difficult for him to exert any force.
The fish was about to break free—
"hiss!"
A sharp cry came from the shore.
It's Shadowflame.
It had stood up at some point, its small body tense, its dark gold vertical pupils fixed on the struggling fish in the water, and the dark red spark in the center of its pupils seemed to brighten for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, a faint, almost invisible stream of pale red air, carrying the smell of burning sulfur, spewed out from its slightly open mouth. The range was very short, less than half a meter, and it struck the water surface precisely next to the struggling fish.
"Sizzle!"
A small patch of white steam rose from the water's surface in an instant, and the temperature of the small area of water directly hit by it suddenly increased.
The injured fish seemed startled by the sudden high temperature and shock, or perhaps slightly burned, its struggling movements abruptly froze.
In that brief moment of stalemate, Will let out a low growl, exerted force with both arms, and finally lifted the fish, along with the flimsy harpoon, out of the water!
The fish writhed in vain in the air, its scales shimmering faintly in the twilight.
Will frantically slammed the fish onto the rocks on the shore, stomped on it, pulled out the iron bar, and smashed it several more times until it was completely still.
He was panting heavily as he looked at Yingyan.
Xiaolong remained standing on the rock, his mouth slightly open, two almost invisible wisps of smoke escaping from his tiny nostrils. His dark golden vertical pupils gazed at Will, then glanced at the motionless fish on the ground, and he let out a gurgling sound from his throat that was both ambiguous and somewhat satisfied, yet also a little tired.
Contract Dragon: Shadowflame.
Status: Newborn dragon.
Satiety level: 55% (slowly decreasing).
Body length: approximately 0.4 meters.
Abilities: Weak Dragon Might, Basic Fire Breath, Scale Armor Defense, Sharp Claws and Fangs.
Intimacy: 18
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The satiety level has decreased a bit. Although that breath attack was weak, it was clearly a drain on the newborn dragon.
The intimacy level increased by 3 points, indicating that the shared "hunting" experience, even in its simplicity, strengthened their bond.
A warm feeling welled up in Will's heart.
He walked back to the shore and picked up the fish.
It wasn't big, not much longer than his palm. It was a common grey-backed fish found in the Braavos waterways, with coarse flesh and a strong fishy smell, but in Will's eyes at that moment, it was no less than a delicacy.
He used the relatively clean tip of his harpoon to scrape off the fish scales, cut open its belly, and took out its entrails, throwing them into the water—immediately causing a small commotion as several smaller fish darted over to snatch them.
He rinsed the fish in the relatively clean water and then looked at Shadowflame.
Yingyan had already walked over, her small nose twitching as she stared intently at the fish in his hand, her dark gold vertical pupils revealing a clear longing.
Will tore off a relatively thick piece of fish belly meat and offered it to Shadowflame's mouth.
Without any hesitation, Xiaolong bit down, its fine, sharp teeth easily slicing the fish meat before swallowing it.
It ate with gusto, even pawing at Will's hand with its front paws, indicating that it wanted more.
Will himself was already starving, but he forced himself to eat it and tore most of the fish into small pieces to feed Shadowflame, leaving only the fish head and a small portion of the thorny back meat for himself.
Shadowflame needs meat to grow, far more so than he himself.
He, on the other hand, simply ate it raw.
The fish meat was cold and slippery, with a strong earthy taste and a faint rusty taste. It was a bit difficult to chew and had quite a few bones.
But the satisfaction that comes from meat entering an empty stomach is real.
He forced himself to gnaw off every last bit of meat, not even letting go of the fish's eyes and brain.
The small fish was quickly devoured.
Shadowflame seemed to want more. He licked his lips, nuzzled Will's hand holding the fishbone with his head, looked at him with his dark gold vertical pupils, and then looked at the water.
Will smiled wryly. A fish was nothing to either of them, not even enough to fill a gap between their teeth.
Shadowflame's satiety level probably didn't increase much, and his own hunger was only slightly relieved.
"Wait, there's more."
He took a deep breath and walked barefoot into the icy water again.
With the experience from the first time and the "assistance" from Shadowflame, the efficiency of the second and third times was significantly improved.
He observed the fish's movements more patiently and chose targets that were easier to hit.
Shadowflame seemed to have mastered the rhythm, no longer easily spewing out energy-consuming flames. Instead, it kept its eyes fixed on the water's surface, and at the moment when the fish was most fiercely struggling after being pierced by the thorn, it would let out a threatening hiss, or scratch the water's surface with its claws to create disturbance. Occasionally, it would spew out a weak stream of scorching air to deliver the final blow with precision.
Despite their rudimentary tools and somewhat clumsy coordination, the human and the dragon—one relying on human patience and skill, the other on the dragon's intimidation and its extraordinary fire talent—surprisingly formed a primitive yet highly efficient hunting combination on the edge of this remote waterway.
When it was completely dark, with only the faint light from the scattered lights of the distant city and the dim starlight, five fish of different sizes were already lying on the stone at Will's feet.
The largest one was as long as his forearm. It was a greedy catfish that was stunned by a slightly stronger breath from Shadowflame before Will forked it up.
He climbed ashore, exhausted. The icy river water had made his legs numb, and his fingers had become pale and wrinkled from holding the rough wooden stick for so long and being soaked in it.
The stinging pain intensified when the wound on my back was soaked in water.
But he felt a long-lost, real sense of accomplishment.
Lighting a fire is impossible; it would be too conspicuous.
He and Shadowflame could only continue eating raw food.
This time, Will can be a little more generous.
He kept two medium-sized fish for himself, and gave the other three, including the largest catfish, to Yingyan.
Along the riverbank, where twilight and darkness intertwined, came the faint, continuous sounds of tearing and chewing.
Yingyan ate with great focus, the sound of her fine teeth cutting through the fish flesh was exceptionally clear.
It even tried to hold the big fish down with its claws to make it easier to tear it apart.
As he ate, Will could clearly feel the satisfaction and warmth transmitted through the contract increasing. The scales on the little dragon seemed to become more lustrous, and the dark red patterns occasionally shimmered in the night.
Will slowly ate the cold raw fish, and the fishy smell didn't seem so unbearable anymore.
He watched Shadowflame devour its food, its slightly bulging belly, and how it occasionally raised its head. Its dark gold vertical pupils, like two warm, molten gold dots in the night, seemed to hold something new in them when it looked at him—not just assessment, but also a hint of approval.
Even the slightest bit of trust?
He reached out and gently touched Yingyan's neck, which was slightly bent over as she ate.
The scales are hard and smooth, carrying the body temperature that rises after eating.
Shadowflame emitted a low, almost gurgling tremor in its throat. Instead of dodging, it nudged a piece of torn, relatively boneless fish belly meat toward Will's hand with its nose.
Will paused for a moment, a warmth spreading through his heart.
He took the piece of meat and ate it.