Slowly, the chattering fell quiet. Verai returned his attention to the water- The way it rippled against him, the rush of the fish underneath. He could feel the shift of kelp and grasses, and the phantom sensations of creatures weaving between them. He hear another of the cats sigh, heavily. Verai worked to tune them out again.

He felt movement, sharp and by his ankle, and he dipped- hands grasping around something slick.

He heard the cats scamper to the edge of the water. But no one moved any closer. Verai huffed, waiting, ears twitching- and he lunged again, water splashing violently. "Come- here!" He snarled, trying to get a better grasp, the eel-like thing writhing just as violently.

<Bite it!! BITE IT!!!> Kitten cheered, hopping.

<Yeah!!! Get him!!>

Verai swore, trying to dislodge the creature. It just growled at him, writhing as it sunk down its teeth.

<NO! HEY!!! NOT YOU!!!!> Kitten yelled, fur bristled out.

Verai grabbed the creature by the head, finally prying it off of his hand before it flipped backwards, and twisted back down into the water again. He hissed, pulse throbbing in his palm. Was this even worth it, for a- whatever it was?

Kitten was throwing herself at the dratini. She was biting the creature's tail, with Kitty slapping a paw at the dratini's crest. Tama scrabbled between the two of them, swiping towards the dratini, but ultimately not doing much damage.

Verai let out a heavy sigh, sitting on the grass. The bite on his hand wasn't life threatening... but it hurt. That was annoying.

Verai moved over to Sphinx. "Was that kind?" He asked. Sphinx flicked a tail, and ignored him. "You could have hurt your companions. Is that what you wanted?" Sphinx just huffed.

The cats, meanwhile, had resumed their harassment of the dratini, Kitten having gotten the tip of dratini's tail in her teeth, and tugging ineffectively, like she was tearing apart a giant gummi worm.