Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Stay away from me your crazy woman(1)
By the time the last basket was finished, the pile beside them looked sturdy and uniform. With wide mouths, reinforced bases and tight weaves that could hold weight without collapsing.
Una inspected them one by one, lifting each basket briefly, pressing the bottoms with her thumbs. When she was satisfied, she nodded once.
She was quite surprised Ningning got it right during her first try and her basket was probably the best one.
But she wouldn’t admit that.
"These are good." she said. "We’ll use them today."
The women perked up immediately.
"For what?" Meiya asked.
"To catch fish."
That earned excited chatter.
"The river? Is it what I think it is?" Puka asked, already on her feet.
"Yes." Una replied. "The big one."
Ningning blinked. The big one didn’t sound promising but before she could ask, the women were already gathering their baskets and setting off.
The path to the river wound downward through open land, the ground packed flat from years of use. As they walked, Ningning realized just how important this place was.
They passed other groups, women carrying nets, men with spears slung over their shoulders, children running ahead.
She also noticed other settlements, surprised at how advanced they were.
Reinforced huts, and then walls to protect them?
The fences weren’t that high but at least, it offered some sort of protection.
Ningning noticed figures moving along them, beastfolk from other tribes, their features different but familiar enough.
Some had furred ears instead of scales.
Some had tails thick and heavy, dragging slightly against the ground. Others walked barefoot with clawed toes, chatting easily as they passed.
Puka waved at a group of women ahead.
"Hey! You’re early today!"
One of them waved back, laughing. "The fish won’t wait for you forever!"
Ningning glanced at Xiaoli. "You know them?"
"Of course." Xiaoli said. "We meet here often."
The sound reached them before the sight.
The river spread out before them, sunlight flashing across its surface.
Dozens of people lined its banks and stood knee-deep in the shallows.
Voices overlapped, splashing echoed, and somewhere downstream someone shouted in triumph.
Ningning was surprised by the crowd, she honestly didn’t expect to see this many beastfolk in one place.
"It’s so full.." she murmured, taking in the view.
"It’s safer if it’s full.." Una answered as she placed her hair into a messy bun.
They walked farther along the bank, away from the loudest cluster, until the crowd thinned and the water narrowed slightly.
The current was gentler here, curling around stones instead of crashing over them.
Una set her basket down. "Here."
The women slipped into the water without hesitation.
Ningning stayed back.
She stood on the sandy edge—yes, sandy, she noted absently and watched.
Ningning had never fished before, but she didn’t think it was hard. She stayed at sandy edge so she could them and copy the method they used.
She found it funny, using a spear would be the most efficient way to catch the fish but they were using their hands.
Soon she realised catching the fish with their barehands made it more fun.
"I caught a big one. I will serve it to Jaren.." Puka smiled as she raised the medium sized, silver-grey fish thrashing in her hands.
Ningning squinted the fish resembled a Carp, but it was different from the modern carp she saw in the market.
"I wonder how many evolution it must have passed to get to where it was."
[The river carp is a much earlier strain.]
Doudou’s voice slipped into her mind, calm and pleased, as if this were exactly the sort of moment he liked.
[This species predates selective breeding. Its body is broader, its scales thicker, and its instincts simpler. It survives by numbers rather than speed.]
Ningning watched the fish in Puka’s hands more carefully now.
[Early carp favored slow rivers like this one. Shallow water. Soft beds. Plenty of plant matter. Over time, as rivers changed and predators increased, their descendants grew faster, leaner, and more skittish.]
"So this is the original version." Ningning murmured under her breath.
[Close enough. But these types are less clever and easier to catch. They’re most likely to survive in crowded waters.]
That explained a lot.
The women laughed and splashed as they moved, hands darting beneath the surface, bodies bending low when shadows shifted in the water.
The fish were strong, but predictable.
When startled, they bolted in straight lines, not sharp turns.
Xiaoli turned back and waved at her.
"Come. You can’t learn everything from over there."
Ningning hesitated. She really did.
The water reached their calves first, cool and cloudy, grit shifting under her feet.
She took a few careful steps, watching how the others moved, how they didn’t chase the fish outright.
"Don’t grab from the top." Meiya said, glancing at her. "They slip."
"From the side?" Ningning asked.
Meiya nodded. "And don’t be scared when it kicks."
That part came too late.
A shadow darted past Ningning’s leg. She reacted without thinking, hands snapping shut around it.
The fish thrashed immediately, the slim on its body made it impossible for her hold it.
And the more it thrashed, the more uncomfortable it.
It thrashed the second time and she immediately tossed to the side and straight into the Una’s face.
-_-
-_-
The women froze, even the fish in Puka’s hands froze.
"I’m so sorry.."
Before she could take another step, another shadow darted passed her leg.
It was close enough that she could feel the slime touched her skin.
She immediately shrieked, there was to use denying it as she felt goosebumps all over, she was afraid of the fishes in general.
"Are you afraid? They’re harmless, see.." Puka raised the fish towards Ningning as she took a step backwards.
"You stay away from me.."
Puka smiled as she took another step and soon it had broken into a full blown chase.
"Stay away from me your crazy woman!"
"The fish won’t hurt you, this is how we train the hatchling, I will train you as well.."