Fox Hunt

Emiko reached out for others to join in a hunt for foxes. Not for their pelts but as familiars!

Emiko
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With the lush day, Emiko has had asked Nureha to ccompany her to do something she had planned some days earlier. Something she had mentioned during the duty the two did together: Trying to capture a compannion. Which in Emiko's case meant trying to capture a fox. Just a normal red fox. Vulpes Vulpes. Not the dire variant, not one of the magical variants like Nogitsune...

And for the hunt of course Emiko's waiting at the forest.
Nureha
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The first rule about fox hunt is: You talk about fox hunt.

"It'll probably be somewhere in the shade of these woods, but it might take awhile. With so many adventurers and the refugees from Ezzo, a lot of the critters have retreated from the noise and smells, just as they are programmed to do. We'll find a watering hole and settle down for a bit. It shouldn't be TOO long."

She smiles at Emiko, her clothes an unremarkable tattered grey robe over a green blouse and leather pants. She uses a staff to push away some of the greenery without disturbing it. "I used to take some of these trails, long ago. But nevermind.. what have you been up to of late, my dear?"
Emiko
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"Oh, I had done some crab training, and worked on some of my investments. I mean, I bought into the Miracle Network, and maybe that pays off soon. We could see some first successes already." Emiko notes, happily walzing along with Nureha, fennec ears swiveling over her head. Two foxes hunting ferral foxes.

"I think I had been in these forests as part of the introduction... but you know, things changed since the event."
Nureha
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"Yeah." Nureha mosies along without any particular destination in mind. As they stray farther into the woods, the sounds grow louder and more complex as they move farther away from civilized territories. "We'll have to keep an eye out for monsters, but nothing that spawns here should be anything too troublesome."

She flicks an ear at the nam 'Miracle Network' and asks. "And how is that going for you. This Miracle Network? I confess I haven't heard much about it." as they continue towards a small pond that is still a few minutes hike away from their position.
Emiko
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"Oh, we kinda trade in transport. Buy stuff here, sell there. A little like how under the Heian Court interprovince trade started to appear. There's only limited liquid funds at one time, but the volume of the trade should increase over time..."

Emiko chuckles, but then stops, pointing on some footprints. "You think those are recent? I am not sure, but they do look like fox..."
Nureha
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"Really? That's very forward minded of you. I wish everyone had their so much on the future as such an intrepid group. You must be doing very well for yourselves."

She slows down, looking down towards the tracks when Emiko points them out. "Hmm." She kneels down, careful not to disturb them. She follows a little pattern of scuffs and breaks in the foliage. "You certainly might be right. The pond's not too far off either. We should start looking around for rocky outcroppings or fallen logs.. crevices where they might have made their den."
Emiko
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"Or... shallow hills, right?" Emiko asked, carefully following the track, trying to be more silent now. Though, foxes were nocturnal, so in the noon should be mostly asleep. That's if they weren't different here.

"What did you do in the last days? Tried to rouse money?"
Nureha
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"A little of this and a little of that." Nureha says lightly. "Helped with the poor fellows over in Ezzo. Started some little side projects of my own. Mostly just taking care of my guild, making sure they have what they need. At least.. all that I can give them. "

She quiets as they follow the trail to the edge of the water and then make their way clockwise around the shore, the tracks more visible now in the damp earth but also more crowded by other animals and tracks.

She slows even further, looking back and forth over the scenery before picking her way forwards. "There." she says, crouching and pointing out a still somewhat distant point on an east-facing slope. "Theres a stand of dead trees over there. Some of them have already fallen. That would be a good place to bunk down, were I a fox." Nureha smiles. "..Well. Any more than already, I suppose."
Emiko
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"Nureha, you are a fox. Just like I am fox. Well, a little." Emiko chimes teasing, trying to get a little brush over the other Cait Sith's ears as they encroach on the little hill that might hold a den.

"If I'd be more foxy I'd hide in a desert though. hmmm, let's see... how did animal taming work back then... eh... the.... the thorn spell? I think I had used the thorn spell on that crab, and it worked. Then only had to KO it... but that was a sturdy crab, not a soft foxy... I hope I don't shredd it with the thorns..."
Nureha
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"Maybe just a little." Nureha agrees with a quirk of a smile. "And don't worry about it. The system delineates between Critters and Monsters. They have slightly different rules, but it's good to be careful."

She sits down on a rocky outcropping and sets to waiting. When they are quiet enough, for long enough, she murmurs. "I'm going to flush them out now. Be ready."

She murmurs a long sequence of sounds very quietly but in a studied, very rehearsed fashion. Vines rustle in the stand of dead trees, flowers growing across the ground towards a possible den. The flowers bloom into snake-like heads which make a loud 'HISSSSS' at one entrance to the den while leaving another unblocked.
Emiko
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As Nureha tells her plan to flush out the foxes, so they might trap them on the other side, Emiko nods, hurrying to get into position and readying the spell. It's just a quick cast that's needed, yes?!
Nureha
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YEET

The sound of a fox fleeing a number of vine snakes. Fox dislike vine snake. There is a flash of reddish fur in the underbrush as they drive out of their den, breaking left to avoid Emiko and Nureha and making a bee-line for the hills.

Thorns roil up from the terrain, glowing as they reach out gingerly for the critter. The fox manages to wiggle through two of them, ALMOST tasting freedom before a third loop catches their back leg, keeping them pinned as they thrash and chuff in fear. "Quickly. While it's still pinned."
Emiko
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Emiko nods as she speeds her steps after she had trapped the fox for a few moments. She jumped over, reaching to try to capture the poor critter at the neck, picking it up as she worked it out of the thorn cage. Just pck the yeeping and protesting critter up and then try to add a rather simple collar. "There there... you don't need to screach that loud." she told to the poor animal while her ears wriggled.
Nureha
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There is still a very unhappy fox, and they try to gnaw on Emiko's hands before their struggles begin to slowly subside. They are still wounded by the thorns and considerably frightened by the big predators around them.

Little by little though, as Nureha stays with Emiko, sitting on a rock nearby and offering a little tidbit of ingredient rat meat from time to time, the fox calls down and their status bar changes from 'Unaffiliated' to 'Bonded - Loyalty 1' "So.. What are you thinking of calling them?" Nureha asks as they start to settle down.
Emiko
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"Well... Kogitsune?" Emiko suggested, showing as much crativity as calling her new pet 'little fox'. Well, at least it wasn't *just* fox. "This went a little easier than catching the crab though. Possibly because of the lower healthbar and us not needing to almost clobber it to death... but then again, it did tame mid battle..."
Nureha
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"Critters are usually considered low-tier summons or 'companion' class animals. I'm glad we were able to get one for you." She smiles.

"Now. I'm interested about this Miracle Network. I may, myself be wanting to get raw materials in the future. To whom would I speak about that? Who heads this.. Miracle network?" Her eyes glimmer with interest.. and perhaps something else.
Emiko
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"Sure they might be considered baseline, but most rides are animals, right? And most of those that provide buffs for some reason, right?" Emiko noted, chuckling a little as Nureha asked about the network.

"You should ask Kaleido. He's the treasuremaster. I bet if you want something that he has found a contact for, he could dish out a route and contract to provide it."
Nureha
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"And some are just very cute." Nureha holds out a small treat for the beleagured Kogitsune, scratching them behind one ear before orienting herself in the forest. "Thank you. I will certainly remember that going forwards."

She smiles. "Let me know when you are going hunting again and I'd be more than happy to accompany you."
Emiko
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"Want us to try to catch you one too? I mean, they are so cute, and being nocturnal they surely can be trained to give alert. Or as hunting compannions. Or as they are fast, to carry messages. Not as fast as birds, but who'd suspect a fox messanger for anyone but Inari?" Emiko asked smiling as she picked the little one up as they started their way to the town again. "And of course I'll let you know!"
Nureha
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"They certainly do have their uses, don't they?" Nureha says as Emiko extolls the virtues of little foxes. "Sadly, I don't have the required Proficiency. I could try, but it wouldn't nearly work as well as you did, I fear."

She smiles. "I might commission someone to tame a bird for me at some point. I've been meaning to, but just haven't found quite the time."
Emiko
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"I could catch it for you to train." Emiko notes as she chuckles. "But why a bird? I mean, they are fragile and tiny and not as cuddly."
Nureha
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"Thank you, Emiko. I will definitely keep your services in mind when I go looking for a trainer. What would you say would be a fair rate for such a capture?" She seems to completely ignore the 'why' question, sidestepping it entirely.

"We're going to have to figure such things out. I have a suspicion that we will be here quite a while.. and learning how much things will cost will be the least of many questions."
Emiko
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"I think favors might be the best we have for the moment. I mean, you can train your prospect pet later yourself, right?" Emiko suggests, leading the way while fluffing the head of her new caught fox.
Nureha
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"Well. Barter will work in a pinch, but it can certainly become cumbersome after awhile. A favor is worth different things to different people."

Nureha smiles. "..But never mind. There I go again, talking about things I don't understand. It's a nervous habit of mine. You are quite right. It's one thing to capture and very much another to keep it." She mpushes some shrubbery to one side. "Now that you have the little one, what are your plans now?"
Emiko
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"Oh, I plan to train him and make him the best little fox I can! Maybe teach him how to make friends with monsters and make capturing those easier, if that's possible." Emiko answers with a chuckle. "a favor of equal size. I am not the godfather."