Bounty: Odd Fishing Bait (Contains Adult Content, NSFW)

[Jonah]

Jonah

Dirk had officially talked Jonah into taking part in this hunt. This wasn't the type of thing Jonah normally did, but after telling Dirk that he'd come to Rhy'din to look around and see what kind of adventures he could find for himself, he couldn't really ignore the fact that Dirk wanted to literally do just that with him. This hunt idea was a bit cute. The lowest target seemed to be some fishing, the mid-mark were giant rats and the bigg'n was some kind of beastie Jonah wasn't sure he'd ever seen before. Either way, he didn't think twice on it. Dirk had the experience in Rhy'din that Jonah lacked so was confident in their abilities to at least do a portion of this hunt. Black and white high-top chucks, a pair of jeans and an emerald green t-shirt that had Simba from Lion King as a cub on the front. The dyed-blonde's hair was styled and up and he had a simple black backpack slung over his shoulders. With Dirk in tow, they'd found themselves a way into the Underground and Jonah had paused just inside of the entrance where they had decided to go. Well, if there was danger, they'd just have to deal with it. Taking in a deep breath, he looked around and with Dirk at his side, they'd venture in. "So which one are we going for first? Anything in particular or just looking for what jumps out at us first?"

Dirk

Being the country boy that he was, Dirk loved to hunt and fish. Whether in his wolf body or human, it didn't matter much. He was a product of his upbringing. So when the fliers appeared for the hunter's guild, Dirk felt that it was a calling to his true nature. And, as an added bonus, it would give him just one more thing that he could show Jonah about Rhy'din. One more adventure to tuck under their belts, so to speak. It didn't take long to convince Jonah, and the next thing he knew they were dressed and out the door.

He wore Timberland boots, comfortable fitting jeans, a purple t-shirt and light blue zipped up hoodie. They weren't clothes he really cared about, so if they got blood or mud on them, it wasn't a big loss. He carried with him a large tackle box in one hand and two fishing poles slung over his shoulder. Jonah's choice of a Simba shirt made him chuckle and shake his head. "Cute shirt for a cute guy," he snickered.

But once they were in one of the many entrances to The Underground, the levity wore thin. "Let's just walk for a while, see what we see. Just... keep your nose up." He lifted his own chin and sniffed the air as he took those first few steps. He could smell the rancid water that stood in a puddle filled with decaying things and trash. There were other scents, blood: fresh and decaying; flesh, also in the same state. Old tennis shoes and sex. "This way," he led.

Jonah

Oh, sure. When they were fully in there, the atmosphere was completely different and it was like a truck hitting his face. The smells from outside to inside were like night and day. Whereas the scents from outside were faint and telling, the scents inside once they were through the entrance and began walking was pungent enough to make the young lion's nose crinkle in disapproval. "Thanks. First movie I watched with my dad was the Lion King, used to watch it all of the time." There were other movies, of course, but that was a favorite, for obvious reasons. With his backpack hung moderately, not too low nor too high on his back, the blonde slid his thumbs along the inside of the shoulder straps until it was about halfway down before the sizing buckles and left them there as they walked. "So... Is this the usual kind of thing you do while in Rhy'din or is this just something that sprung up?" He didn't know if there was always adventures to embark on or if it was a lazy life. Especially since Jonah didn't think he'd be spelunking down in some tunnel underground and looking for things so they could do this hunting task/hunt/thing.

"Does this normally smell like this?" He was coming to the conclusion that this was pretty much the sewers of the city. And true to its word, it smelt. Though he wasn't sure where the sex scent was coming from given that this was pretty much like the sewers and... Blech.

Dirk

Dirk glanced over his shoulder and grinned. Jonah was so green that it almost hurt. "Yeah, sewers," he chuckled and then turned fully around to allow Jonah time to catch up. He was careful of the fishing rods, making sure that they didn't smack Jonah in the head. "And in this town, you never know what's around the corner, much less what crawls beneath it."

When Jonah did catch up, Dirk stepped aside and out of the way. "But don't let it scare you none. Remember, we're the stuff of nightmares, too." Though he had a teddy bear exterior, Dirk could be just as nasty and mean as careless as any monster made up in Hollywood. It was a side he preferred to keep hidden. "We're going to be just fine," he reassured.

Jonah

Jonah wasn't THAT green, he just didn't think that the Underground would be as... Smelly as it was. A shrug of his shoulders to shrug off the feeling in the back of his throat and nodded to Dirk. "What kinds of things are down here?" Now he was curious about that. And as far as being stuff of nightmares, he laughed. "I'm more the type to talk it out, not drop everything and go claw to claw with something." Thought to be fair, he'd never really had to. Not entirely, anyway. The thought of having to hulk out and defend himself was... Well, pretty foreign to him, he had family back home who did that type of thing.

Though now that he thought about it, he wasn't entirely defenseless and if he had to, he would go and do it. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, though!

"All right, so what are we looking for? Fish?" He asked, minding the fishing poles that were being swung around when Dirk turned and was careful not to whack him with them.

Dirk

"Lover, not a fighter, huh?" To this Dirk leaned forward to peck at Jonah's lips with his own before he turned to stroll down the dark tunnel. Being able to see in the dark never got old. "Not sure what's down here. Never been here, myself. I'm more of a sun loving kind of guy." He was keeping it light, for he knew that just about anything could be around the corner.

"Well if there's a fishing hole, we'll find it soon enough. If we come across some other stuff first, we've got weapons." He lifted the tackle box and gave it a wiggle to show that he wasn't completely unarmed. Dirk then spun around and jerked his head in the direction he was pointed in. "C'mon. There are things that go bump in the night to kill."

Sure enough, around the bend was a small pond, big enough for the albino sewer catfish to be found in. Hopefully.

Jonah

"Well, I think I've proven that I'm a lover!" He chuckled at that and went down the dark tunnel, looking for somewhere to find their intended target. "You've never been down here?" Well, that was slightly less reassuring to know. He figured they'd just have to take it one step at a time and see where they wound up. "And I definitely prefer to be in the sun." So did his dad and his brothers... Oh lord, that would be another bridge they would have to cross when that time came from him to meet all of them. Turning the corner, he blinked and looked in the direction that he was motioning for them to go. "We do?" Well that was reassuring... Or not, he didn't know, but at least Dirk had some kind of plan in case things went sideways. When they went around that bend, they came across the small pond that was there... And now for the truth of it all. "...So what do you do to fish for these fish? And you might have to show me how to actually use the fishing rod." And if Dirk looked at him to see if he was serious, Jonah would have a wide, innocent grin on his face.

Dirk

Dirk stared down at the water when they reached the edge of the pond. There was no light to shine off of its surface, nor a breeze in the tunnel to create a ripple. But it was there, the soft scraping of his feet against something moist was the first give away. When he tapped his foot and it slapped against the second, it was confirmed. He wasn't sure how deep the water went but he wasn't going to step in and find out. "Hmm..."
He then knelt to put the fishing poles and tackle box down, only to open the lid to the box. "Hell if I know," he chuckled as he glanced up with a crooked grin. "But I do know that fish and other things get spooked by too much noise. Shh..." he put his fingers to his lips. And then he was sitting on the ground, one pole behind his back as he attempted to bait the hook with some sort of flesh that looked like he'd gotten it from a butcher that morning.

Then by gesturing and actually throwing out the hook to splash into the middle of the pond, Dirk began the lesson. He held out the pole for Jonah to take before he started on his own. If Jonah should hook something, Dirk was ready to explain about reeling it in.

Jonah

Jonah was a complete city boy. He didn't grow up in the wild, or a forest, or on a farm. He had zero experience doing anything like this. He took care of kids, worked with kids, sold his body for money and lived a relatively calm lifestyle. He didn't really fish or hunt in the human aspect of hunting. So being told to shush, he blinked and decided he may as well listen to Dirk who had an idea, or at least seemed like he had an idea of what to do for fishing. So watching the silent lesson of how to fish without scaring them off, the blonde crouched down and tried to bait his own pole. After a couple of tries, he got it to stick, even if it wasn't perfect, now the hard part. Blinking, he tried to imitate what Dirk had done and cast the line out to the middle-ish of the pond and let it fall there. Blinking again, staring in the direction of the pond, then to Dirk, and again the pond, he took in a breath of the foul air and plopped back onto his behind and waited to see if either of them caught anything.

Dirk

It was dark and probably a little hard to see, but there was pride in Dirk's eyes when Jonah took the initiative to bait his own line and then cast. And once Jonah sat down, Dirk leaned towards him and whispered. "Perfect." There was a small kiss to Jonah's cheek and then Dirk straightened up to gaze out into the nothingness of the tunnels. He wasn't sure how long they'd have to sit there, but he was a patient man.

With one hand he reached into the tackle box and rooted around until he found what he was looking for. Bringing it forward the distinct sound of an aluminum can being opened with a "psst" sound and then Dirk nudged the beer in Jonah's direction. To a country boy, there was nothing better than a beer when the catfish aren't biting. "Hmm maybe a trot line," he murmured.

Jonah

Smiling to the kiss, he was happy about it. Was he an avid outdoorsman? Heck no and he probably never would be. But he didn't mind trying new things and making the best of it. "I know I am." Grinning about knowing that he was perfect, Jonah made sure to get himself comfortable while they sat and watched the pond that hopefully held their fish! As they sat, the sound of rummaging and then the hissing pop of the aluminum can had Jonah's emerald eyes sliding over to the source of the sound and then the can being nudged to him. Plucking it up, he sniffed it, not one for beer, but also not one to rain on someone's parade or snub tradition, he took a swallow from the beer and held it back out to Dirk to take the can of beer back. ....Then he was confused. "...Trot line?" He spoke quietly in return, not knowing at all what that meant.

Dirk

Dirk's soft laugh at Jonah's assertion of being perfect was more of a rumble in his chest and a slight shake of his shoulders. Still the smile remained, even after the sound faded. The beer was exchanged and he took a pull from the can before sitting it on the ground beside him. Jonah's inquisitiveness fit perfectly with Dirk's enjoyment of teaching.

"Mmm yeah," he whispered. "String it up over the water with hooks on strings dangling," he explained. "Catfish are bottom dwellers that like food that doesn't move too much. We might be too fidgety." Dirk knew that he was moving too much. He couldn't help it! Between the scents and sounds of the Underground, there was a very nice looking eternatwink sitting very close by. If he wasn't looking up or sniffing the air, he was sneaking glances at Jonah.

Jonah

Jonah was too busy staring at the pond like he was expecting the line to start twitching instantly... But... It didn't happen. "..What?" He asked as he was trying to envision it, looking up to thinking of the strings dangling with the hooks, but it made sense if they were hanging from the top and just like that instead of flopping from an angle at the side... But something felt off. He felt like eyes were watching him or someone was looking in on him and a casual glance to the side answered that for him. Catching Dirk glancing at him regularly, he grinned. "You keep doing that and nothing's gonna get done. Besides. I'm wearing pants now." Like that mattered at all. Speaking quietly, he stood, looking around to see if there was something they could set up so their lines could come in from the top and dangle downward so that the catfish could see the bait in a different light. "What do you think we should do?" Jonah asked, hands going to his hips as he looked around.

Dirk

Caught red handed, Dirk coughed and swiveled his head to be looking anywhere but at Jonah. But, he knew he was caught so he turned his head back around to grin at him. "Well, let's set up a trot line and then keep on walking. My butt's getting wet.' He closed his eyes and shook his head. He could just hear the jokes already. Dirk had stepped in it, and he knew it.

He reeled in his line and then put the pole aside. Making a trot line would still take sitting so he didn't change that stance. "Check for anything we can tie the ends to," he suggested as he pulled the reel of fishing line from the tackle box. "Yell if you see something." He didn't intend for either of them to be hurt, but they were on a hunt an in the Underground, anything could happen.

Jonah

Well, that comment made the younger blonde look to Dirk with a raised brow about his backside being wet. Blinking for a longer moment, he didn't need to say anything and he just smirked to himself and looked around for something that they could tie the ends of the line to so they didn't get lost in the water. "..Do you want something that can float or something to tie off above it?" He didn't know what exactly to look for that could help them out with it... But he did have an idea and rather than just letting it go, he figured... Why not? Adventure was adventure. Quirking his mouth to the side, he reeled in his line and sat the pole to the side and stepped into the water a bit, knowing he was going to be regretting this at some point and time. Instead of waiting, he reached out and plunged his hand into the water, inching out slowly a bit and seeing if he could just... Grab something.

Dirk

Yeah, Dirk knew the wisecracks were going to be coming for quite some time. He was grateful for Jonah's discretion at the moment. "Tie off above the water," he chuckled with a shake of his head. He was measuring out line, cutting it off, measuring more. Five or six strands should do.

Dirk was also watching intently as Jonah stuck his hand into the water. Dirk's eyes widened and he held his breath, hoping that Jonah's hand was still attached when he pulled his arm back. And then he thought to himself, why didn't you think of that, hmm? His hands were paused with a thin filament between them as he waited to see how this latest action would play out.

Jonah

"Hm...” Was all that came from Jonah. His arm could barely be seen moving back and forth in the darker water, hunting for something alive. "Ah...” He found something. Gripping it by what he assumed as the tail, Jonah flung it over his head and in Dirk's direction, spewing the filthy water all over himself and behind him. Whatever it was he threw over his shoulder, splatted to the ground beside Dirk and he glanced over his shoulder to see what it was. It was not a fish, but it was something that once used to be meat, seals in some kind of plastic and was rotten into a gelatinous substance. "Hmn.." Jonah mused to himself and went deeper into the water until his jeans were soaked with the stench-filled water up to above his knees, almost mid-thigh when he was reaching around and jumped. "Something's in here!" He said as he went reaching around. It didn't feel long and snake-like, so that was a good thing. No snakes. Worst-case scenario at this point, it was some kind of piranha or baby shark. Gently, he began to squat down until the water was literally soaking poor Simba on his shirt in filth and he carefully held his hand open, gently moving it around and waited for something to pass him by.

Dirk

Dirk's hands fell into his lap as he watched with piqued interest. Jonah was moving around in the dank nastiness of the rancid pool, and it was stirring up more of the nauseating fumes. Part of Dirk wanted to tell Jonah to get the hell out of there, that no good could come of standing in that mess. But the other part of him was curious as to just what would happen. And in the middle of this inner conflict, something was flung his way and Dirk flattened himself backwards to avoid being smacked. Whatever it was landed with a soft splutting sound, like a rotten melon being dropped from a second story balcony window. Splut.

Dirk then sat up quickly, the trot line forgotten for the moment, to inspect the bag. Oh, that's where he ended up. Or maybe it wasn't the he Dirk was thinking of. But it was surely a possibility. He poked at the bag with his finger, splitting it open and the liquefied and rotted flesh oozed out like a freshly sliced boil. "Ugh!" he grimaced as the scent slammed into him and very nearly bowled him over again. He turned his head and wretched as he tried to speak. "Good.... find." He was about to lose the contents of his stomach, including the beer. "Good... bait."

Dirk could stand the smell no longer. He jumped up and approached the edge of the pond just as Jonah was sinking down to drown Simba in the filth. Memories of the lake in Kentucky, skinny dipping and naughty fish had him covering his crotch as he began to wade in.

Jonah

Was it the best smelling thing in the whole world? Definitely not, but when you'd braved more than enough diapers whether or not they belonged to someone in the family, the smells didn't seem to be too bad. Okay, who was he kissing, they were bad, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from living at least a little bit. So as his head was turned up and away from the water a bit, his hand felt something that moved away! "Oh!" He exclaimed as quietly as he could and continued moving his hand through the water, trying to find some of the fish. Eventually, he'd paused when he saw Dirk wading into the filth that was the pond and Jonah's brow turned upwards as he watched Dirk do it.

"You don't have to be in here.." He laughed quietly as his other hand started searching as well. He didn't quite know what he was looking for other than the fact it was some kind of fish, but in the end, he didn't think it was going to matter. The fact that there were two of them now meant twice as much ground was being covered and the fish could only live for so long. "You owe me a bath after this, though." The lion admitted as he continued wading through it before making a grab at something that he thought was a/the fish, but it was nothing in the end.

Dirk

"And leave you to all of the fun?" Dirk chuckled, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. What he was going to do had worked with the crappy back in the lake, it should work in this pond. So he turned and made his way back to the bank. "Just... give me a minute." He then unbuckled his belt and opened up the fly of his jeans. He then bent at the waist to untie his boots and kick them off. His arms moved up, elbows above his back and with a push, those jeans were crinkled around his ankles. If Jonah was looking, he was treated to a big, snowy white moon, cracked in half.
With a sigh, he stepped out of the jeans, first one foot then the other, hip hopping between the two for a few minutes until the denim was left on the soft, moist ground. "Don't say a thing," he grumbled, warning Jonah that this was no laughing matter. He then stepped into the foul stench and waded in, hip deep. "Just.. Give it a minute. Always works at home."

Jonah

Jonah was completely curious as to what his counterpart was doing. Dirk was behaving oddly and Jonah didn't understand. Not even when he looked up and saw Dirk's backside completely on display and Dirk was telling him to not say anything. Jonah even stopped searching with his hands for the fish as now he had no idea what Dirk was even doing. "How can I say something when I don't even know what you're doing?" Honest to God, Jonah had zero idea what Dirk was attempting to do. Blinking, he stood upright and furrowed both brows in curiosity.

"...What are you doing? And why did you have to take your pants off?" Jonah was trying to think if there was something he was doing unique that Jonah hadn't been doing. Both of them were in the water, both of them were looking for the fish. The only difference was, was that Jonah hadn't taken off any of his clothes when he'd come into the water and Dirk had. Having not yet put that together, Jonah stared for a long while trying to put it together.

Dirk

Dirk moved into the little pond until just his neck, head and the tops of his shoulders were exposed. He thanked God that he had cut his hair not that long ago. Without a word, he started twirling his hips under the water. He couldn't go very fast as the water was much thicker than the fresh water of the lake. "Just be ready to grab it," he looked to Jonah with trustful intensity. "You will grab it, right?"

Dirk felt something brush against his thigh and he let out a yelp, his heart hammering. "It's close, I know it is!" But he kept moving, kept gyrating, hoping that what light trickled into the water would reflect off of the piercing. What he wouldn't do for a little adventure.

Jonah

Jonah was still confused as Dirk moved all of the way in until his neck and head was just above the water and remained there, otherwise motionless. The only motion he saw were the slight rippled in the water from the slight movement from the moving hips... And for Jonah, it still didn't click what in the world Dirk was doing, not until he was being told he needed to grab it and... There was that reflection, just the slightest of a glimmer in the water and Jonah nearly fell over and went head first into the water.

....Dirk was fishing all right, using quite the bait. The lion wanted to facepalm, but instead just chuckled to himself. "Maybe you'll fit in with my friends and family more than I thought." Again, silently chuckling to himself, he waited for a longer moment before stepping closer, just so he was close enough that once Dirk gave the signal, Jonah could reach and grab the fish they were supposed to be capturing.

Dirk

"Just catch it, ok? I'll let you know." And by letting him know, Dirk knew that he was going to lose all sense of dignity in the process. But, he was too competitive by far and he was wanting to win that trophy. Or, whatever it was they were going to get for catching this aquatic monster.

He brought his hands up, over his head, to lace his fingers and then placed his hands upon his head. So much for keeping his hair dry. Oh well. And every time that fish (or was it fishes? The thought terrified him!) bumped into his leg, he grimaced and let out a little grunt. "Getting closer," he whispered dry humped (water humped?) to make the piercing seem more enticing to the fish. Or, so he hoped.

And then it happened. Dirk's eyes flew open and his arms straightened so that his hands were over his head. He felt a slight pinch and then a searing burn as the fish took the bait. "GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" he screamed and wailed. "Get it OFF!'

Jonah

"Okay, I'll make sure I get it." It was hard for Jonah not to laugh over the whole situation, but if this worked, then it worked. Jonah also wanted to win whatever it was that they were going to be getting and not even for the fact of winning it. Just because Dirk wanted it at this point, so that's why he went for it. ...But that was when it happened, Dirk's eyes practically flew open and it seemed he nearly jumped out of the water when it did happen. The fish literally took the bait and he chuckled, moving in a bit more and reached out with both of his hands. It was the blind leading the blind for a moment while he tried to decipher where the fish ended and where Dirk began. Laughing the entire time he was grasping for the fish, he finally found the fish's mouth and pressed at the sides of the fish's jaws and pulled it open. It took some doing and some steady hands but he finally pried the fish away from Dirk’s... Bait. Laughing as he did, Jonah gripped the slippery fish with strength and even a bit of felinic help as claws extended from his fingernails and pierced the fish so he kept a firm hold on it. Holding it above his head, he walked the fish towards the edge of the pond so that way they could get out of the water and set the fish aside. Whether or not Dirk killed it or found something to keep it alive in would be up to him. Jonah just kept it from getting back in the water. "Is it the right one?"

Dirk

Oh, Jonah thought it was funny, did he? The moment the fish was pried free, Dirk sighed with relief and waded out of the pond behind Jonah. "Not. Funny. Man." he panted as he reached for the t-shirt to dry himself off. "Lucky I got this wolf thing, because I was allergic to antibiotics," he grumbled. Hard to be overly happy when your privates were throbbing for all of the wrong reasons.

Dirk wiped his face and then squinted down at the fish. It was the length of his elbow to the end of his middle finger and shaped like... well a fish. It had the whiskers and was more luminescent than Dirk's full moon with red eyes. "Yep, think that's an albin right there," his southern accent thickening with the sight of his catch. They were victors in the hunt. Didn't matter if it wasn't a twelve point buck, it was bringing Dirk back home. "Let's turn it in and get clean. I feel... gross."

Jonah

"That is definitely something my dad or one of my brothers would've done if they had tried doing it." Though they probably would have tried to take it a step further, but he didn't elaborate that much on it. "It was a little bit funny. What made you think to do that?" He asked as he made sure that Dirk was all together, or at least as together as he could be before he pulled up the fish and looked it over and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, we'll get you back and cleaned up and I'll make sure this guy didn't do any permanent damage." That or he could take him to New York and check him out there, but that seemed a bit overkill at the moment.

"So what do we have to do to turn this in? Anything special?" He asked and looked down to the fish that he was holding. Jonah, unfortunately, didn't have a towel with him or anything and had gone in with all of his clothes on.. He'd have to suffer with the smelly water all over himself until he too could take a shower.

Dirk

Dirk was going to be just fine, the throbbing already dulling to annoyingly achy pulses that were slowing by the second. And his posture showed just that. "They go fishing in Central Park?" Yeah, Dirk had been to New York before, but never for pleasure. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulder. "I've a lake house. The crappy are always nibbling when I go skinny dipping. They're just... much smaller with a lot less teeth." He grimaced as he watched the fish take its last breath.

"The flier said to bring it to Sephina at the Hunter's Guild," he shrugged and then crouched beside the fish. He gently wrapped it in his t-shirt, then dropped it into the tackle box. The rest of the tackle: hooks, fishing line cut up for the unused trot line and bait, were piled in and the box shut. "Shall we?"

Jonah

Oh dear God, Jonah didn't honestly know the answer to that question, and it showed when he paused to think about it. Emeralds lifted for a moment in thought as he tried to remember if any of them had gone fishing in Central Park to the last of his knowledge. "Not yet, I don't think... But I wouldn't put it passed them to try it... Or to go somewhere else and try it, either." Nope, he could see his dad out in the some temperate body of water, in some tropical area just fishin' away with his junk as bait. Shaking his head slightly, he looked to the fish as it was wrapped up and then put in the tackle box. “I don’t know who that is or where it is, so you'll have to lead the way." Jonah honestly didn't know where he had to take the fish with Dirk, but Dirk had at least some idea of the lay of the land, hopefully. So once Dirk was ready, Jonah would go with him and head on out.

Dirk

"C'mon," he jerked his head in the direction from which they came. He had gathered the fishing poles and they were resting on his shoulder. He left the jeans and boots to rot in the muck. No amount of washing or buffing would ever get the smell out of them. Besides, he had more clothes than he could shake a stick at. Perk of being a fashion model.

"I think you said you owed me a shower," he chuckled, turning Jonah's words around on him as he strode up and then out of the tunnel.

[Dirk Stevens]

The preceding post was inspired by Hunter's Guild Albino Catfish written by and between Dirk Stevens and Jonah Varic.