//------------------------------//
// Chapter the Twenty-Sixth: Even Ground 
// Story: Failure, Eternally Retold, Part One: The Human Element 
// by Kiernan 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy had spent the entire afternoon with a needle and thread, hoof stitching a new linen shirt for Nikolas. Kai and Twilight had slowed down significantly, so the smoother ride kept her from sticking herself. By the time they'd stopped for the night, She'd already made two button-up blue linen shirts. She would start in on the pants tomorrow.

As they disembarked, Nik was pleased to find that they were near the river, just as Kai had promised. "Remember what you told me earlier, Kai?"

Kai nodded. "Of course I do. I don't make a habit of breaking my word."

"What did you promise him?" asked Twilight, having unhitched herself from the wagon.

"He's going to teach me how to fish," answered Nik.

Kai nodded. "With any luck, he'll be catching his own dinner tonight."

Twilight furrowed her brow. "What about Fluttershy and myself? Don't you usually gather for us, too?"

Kai shook his head. "I can't do both tonight. You'll have to use that book I gave you on wild forage of the area."

Twilight opened up the book Kai had given her earlier that day. "I haven't had a chance to go through it yet."

"Take Fluttershy with you. She's well-versed in a fair amount of edible flora. If you're unsure, I'll double check when you come back. I've spent a lot of time with that book during my forage sessions, so I know a fair amount of the plants already."

Twilight was about to retort, but Fluttershy spoke first. "We'll have it done in no time," she said, pulling out their tent supplies. "Whoever's done first can set up camp while we wait for the other team. After all, we can't always rely on you to feed us. What if you end up sick or injured?"

Kai frowned. "That won't stop me; I've worked through worse. Still, you bring up a good point. If we were to be separated, whichever team doesn't have me needs to have some way of feeding themselves."

"I suppose you make a good point," Twilight conceded. "We should all be capable of taking over each other's jobs in the event of emergency."

With the jobs now decided, Nik and Kai waded into the river. Nik took off his socks and shoes, and rolled up his pants to keep them from soaking in the river. Once they were situated and Kai's horn lit up the river in front of them, Kai reiterated all the points he had gone over earlier that day.

"The most important thing to remember is that your spearhead is offset from your shaft in this case. Aim lower than what feels like it should work. This isn't a fishing spear, so don't be too upset if you keep missing. Just be patient. That's the second most important part."

"I was always told patience was the most important part," said a confused Nik. "You put the worm on the hook, drop the line into the river, then sit still for a few hours."

"The fact that you were waiting several hours didn't tip you off that there may be a problem with your technique?"

Nik reached back and rubbed his neck. "I haven't been fishing since I was ten. I have to wonder if my dad was just really bad at it."

Kai nodded. "Always a possibility." He turned his attention back to the river. "I saw some brown trout in here when we stopped this afternoon. Look for brassy brown with a yellowish underside and a white belly."

Nik looked, but among the brown rocks, he couldn't see much. He was about to ask Kai if he had seen anything when he spotted one. "Is that what we're looking for?" he asked in a hushed tone. 

Kai looked to where Nik was pointing. Sure enough, there was a decently sized brown trout swimming gently against the current. "That's it. Keep an eye on it, I'll try to bring it closer." Kai's magic pulled over a small twig from the shore. Gently, he tapped against the water's surface, trying to convince the fish that there was something tasty up there. It took the bait, swimming closer. 

Kai gave his glaive to Nikolas. "Remember, aim low. Strike upward, from a point three inches below where your target looks to be. Skewer it, then rotate the handle so that gravity keeps it on the blade. Whenever you're ready."

Nik took a deep breath, then another. With his third exhale, he plunged the blade into the river. He was so shocked by the fact that he'd succeeded in spearing it that he almost forgot to pull it out of the water. He would have lost the fish if Kai hadn't grabbed the other end of the shaft and twisted it upright.

"I caught it," Nik gasped. "I can't believe it. I caught my first fish!"

Kai reached up and patted Nik's back. "Congratulations. Let's go cook it."

Kai set up the firepit while Nik prepared the fish. Since Kai had been doing all of the cooking, he'd been the one keeping all of the spices, but not anymore. Nik finally had a say in their meal, and he was determined to cook a tasty fish. It felt so very nice to contribute again. All he'd been able to help with thus far had been setting up and taking down the tents. Now he could do more. And if the girls continued to forage, he might even be able to eventually move on to stewing or frying, given the right equipment.

After the fire was lit, Kai moved to the tents while Nik started cooking the fish. Right as Kai pounded in the final stake, Twilight and Fluttershy came back with their forage.

"That book was very comprehensive," Twilight announced. "Everything I could want to know about the plants was right there at my hooves."

"Sorry we're late," added Fluttershy. 

"Don't even worry about it," smiled Kai. "I don't mind being the one to set up camp."

"Even though it took longer to set up this time," added Nik, "We were trying new things. I'm sure that we'll be better suited to each task as time goes on."

"Right," confirmed Twilight. "Practice makes perfect, after all."

"And we certainly have the time to practice," chuckled Kai, looking over their forage. All of it was safely edible, though some parts would need to be cooked first. "Most of this is safe to eat as-is. Good job, girls."