Reos World Fair 2023: The Fish

Cicadas hum and fireflies dance above the grass as two Vayron slowly make their way towards the busier areas of the Reos World Fair. They’ve already had a busy night; they’ve been given a tour by Gwen herself and had a go at sparring in the arena. However, the night is still young, and the warm glow of magicked lanterns beckons.

They are quite the mismatched pair. One is a massive crimson-coated puller, his coat striped in darker hues, with splashes of white on his muzzle, chest, and paws. His legs are fringed in longer fur, and a thick equine tail flicks at any insects that get too close.

The other is a sturdy chaser with a dense, scruffy coat mottled with the colors of the desert stone. His short ears are lopped and bounce with each jaunty stride, and his tail is barely more than a nub.

Rearing up on his hind legs to gain extra height, the chaser, Buck, blinked in surprise as something caught his eye in the distance. “Is that a pond?”

Red, his puller companion, turned to follow his gaze. It certainly was water - it was gleaming under the light of the moon and lanterns. But it was out of place, a perfect circle, surrounded by various Fair booths. He looked down at his smaller companion and shrugged, the dense muscles in his shoulders rolling with the movement.

Buck landed lightly back on all fours before trotting forward, stubby tail wagging. “Come on Red, we have to check it out! I love water! Maybe we can swim!” The last was called over his shoulder as he took off at a lope.

Chuckling, Red trailed after him at a steady trot towards the lake, pond - whatever it was.

It turned out to be a wide, shallow stone pool filled with crystal clear water. It was quite large; at least several body-lengths in diameter. Dozens of brilliantly colored fish swam lazily in the cool water, their scales glowing with what had to be magic.

In the center of the pool a large, flat rock breached the surface of the water. On it was sprawled a lithe Vayron, a runner, her green coat ribboned with black. She sat up as they approached, tail slithering off of the rock to touch the surface of the water, causing some of the fish to scatter in alarm.

“Hello!” She called out, across the water. “My name is Anaconda, and welcome to the Marvelous Fountain of…” Her muzzle wrinkled in consternation and she groaned, tail lashing the surface of the water. “I can’t remember. Something absurdly flowery. Look, I’m just here for the fish. If you catch a fish, you get a ticket. The more fish you catch, the more tickets you get. Tickets mean prizes.” Finished with her spiel, the dark green runner dropped her head back to the rock with a huff.

Buck and Red exchanged a long look before the massive puller tentatively asked, “How exactly are we supposed to catch the fish?”

“Teeth, claws, it doesn’t matter,” Anaconda responded, baring hers in turn as she mentioned them. “They aren’t even real fish - you can’t hurt them. They’re magic. Oh, you can’t use magic though. Someone tried that. They explode.”

The smaller Vayron winced beside him as Red slowly nodded, digesting the information. “No magic. Got it.” He dipped a claw into the cool water, testing it, only to get drenched when Buck hurtled into the pool.

Red sputtered, mane hanging in soaked strands in his eyes, still standing outside of the pool. Buck, however, was laughing in unrestrained glee even as the luminous fish dodged his outstretched claws over and over again.

Heaving a massive sigh, a grin breaking across his muzzle, Red bunched his haunches beneath him and leapt. He landed with a massive splash, earning an indignant screech from Anaconda and an answering cackle from Buck.

The puller and chaser bounded through the water, chasing fish that never failed to dart between their grasping teeth and claws. Finally, rib cages heaving with their efforts, they paused. Red looked at Buck. Buck looked back. They narrowed their eyes, broke into grins, and nodded.

Starting on one end of the pool Red stomped forward, driving the fish towards a still and silent Buck. When they got close, the panicked fish milling in a tight school and about to bolt — Red stood up on his hind legs, spread his forelegs, and came splashing down right in the middle of the school.

Dozens of gleaming fish went flying into the air, caught up in the splash caused by the massive puller. Buck’s claws flashed and, by the time the water had settled in the pool, the two Vayron were back on dry land with a flopping pile of several fish.

“Congratulations,” Anaconda drawled, as she flicked water off of her whiskers. “You two managed to… Catch nine fish. That’s nine tickets. Please, take them and go.” With a quick twitch of her paw the fish in front of the two Vayron disappeared, and instead nine gleaming, metallic tickets drifted slowly to the ground in their place.

Buck grinned and scooped the tickets into a pile, before proffering them between two hooked claws. “So, want to go check out the prizes?”

Red returned his smile with one of his own. “Absolutely!”

Turning away from the pool and its rather damp and grouchy keeper, they made their way deeper into the Fair, in search of what else it had to offer.