The days all seemed to be blending into each other lately, and Hark felt themselves rolling around in the sand with muffled groans as they rolled to and fro with a strikingly lethargic undertone. The desert was so hot, and most of their days seemed to be spent in a constant siesta until the weather cooled down. The Ahza River was nearby, and swimming was a popular afternoon activity, but sometimes Hark didn't want to spend hours afterward picking sand out of their fur! Maybe there would be less sand in their fur if Hark spent less time rolling around in the dunes, but that was for logical elnin... not kittoms!
The desert sun was setting over the sand dunes in the distance across from the river, and with it came the cool, late afternoon temperatures welcoming evening. It was was a huge relief after the waves of heat that scorched the area all afternoon and it signaled to fishernin of this town that it was time to head back out to the river to utilize the cooler temperatures for some pleasant fish hauling. Their absence from the town would give Hark the opportunity to set up the best prank ever!
With everyone distracted, the grey and white kittom quietly tried sneaking around the sand dunes of the oasis town with a mischievous smile across their face as fishernin headed back toward the river with nets in paw. Hark would dart behind barrels as elnin came up toward their view, and watched them with amber eyes with curiosity as they carried on with their day as if there wasn't a kittom frequently darting in and out of their view.
Hark felt so proud of themselves by the time they reached their stash hidden behind a cactus cluster behind a few houses near the edge of the town. They had made it all this way, and no one had seen them! Everything was going to plan! In their stash was their fishing rod, and with it was the extra fishing line and net they had. The fishing line was a key part of their plan, and a stupid grin fell upon their face as they began to "sneak" back toward the river with the fishing line in tow.
The closer to the river they were, the more erratic their motions got. They would suddenly dart behind a building! They would suddenly make a barrel roll behind a barrel. It was really no wonder that the kittom was constantly covered in sand and dirt. They shook their head and sand fell out of their hair and ears.
Their goal was in sight!
The cool wind coming off of the river was so alluring, rewarding Hark's efforts and drawing them into their final destination. The fishernin were all distracted loading the day's haul into the barrels that no one actually noticed Hark as they tried to sneak up to them. If it weren't for the fact the fishernin were all making a huge ruckus, they would have heard Hark because they weren't very quiet in their sneaking. Everything was going according to plan, and somehow Hark was able to hook their fishing line into one of the fish in the barrel. From there, Hark simply walked away from the fishernin, leaving a fishing line trail behind them as they made their way toward some shoreline cactus and hid behind it.
The timing was perfect. Hark only had to wait ten minutes before the fishernin began to head back into town. It was time to strike!
Hark tugged on the line as the fishernin stood next to the barrel discussing something. Suddenly one of the fish "leaped" out of the barrel and moved toward town from the fishing line attached to it. It got the attention of the fishernin and they quickly began chasing the fish on the line as their prey escaped them. It didn't take very long before the two adults realized what was happening and started to get very dramatic about it.
"Oh no! Our fish! It can swim on land!"
"Oh no! How will we ever catch it? It's so fast!"
The sound of Hark giggling could be heard from behind the cactus as the kittom rolled around on the sand as their paws held onto their stomach. Hark laughed, and the two fishernin retrieved their fish and hauled it back into town with the rest.
Hark was so pleased with their prank! It was a success!
