29.2ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

Conflicting emotions and powerful instincts wracked his mind and he worried the problem. He could practically hear his animalistic hunger roaring in his ear, telling him to eat! eat! eat the prey!

"H-hey, hold on, there's another reason!"

Rain looked up and blinked.

"There is?"

"Yes! There was an old fisherman who lived by a lake."

"What."

"J-just listen. The old fisherman fished everyday, he fished and fished and he ate every fish that he caught. Now the old fisherman had a brother who lived by a different lake, that fisherman did not eat all of the fish he caught and instead threw back the pregnant fish and the young fish. One day the first fisherman went to the lake and fished and found that he did not catch anything. He put his head below the water and found that the lake was empty of fish. He then starved to death while his brother lived on because the fish in his lake kept making more fish. So, you see, you need to let some fish go to keep fishing in the long run."

"Or I could go to the brother's lake and eat him and then eat his fish."

"I- I don't think fishermen eat other fishermen normally, fishermen eat fish not other fishermen."

"Hmmm."

"I-it's a metaphor uhmm." She pointed at the pregnant Humans. "They're fish, see, and the dungeon is the lake."

"Hmmmmmmm."

He abruptly strode toward the Humans and crouched down in front of them. They obviously freaked out and tried to scramble away but his paw came out and clamped down on one's wrist like a vice. He dragged her toward him.

"Fish! She's fish! You can't eat her! Sustainable fishing!"

Rain brought her hand up to his mouth. The pregnant woman was hysterically bawling her eyes out by this point. Rain paused.

"Fish... Fine."

He dropped her hand and she scrambled back into the pile of dried grass.

The Elf-sheep let out a desperately relieved sigh of relief.

Rain wasn't actually sure whether the morality of it or the consideration for 'sustainable fishing' had let him overcome his currently screaming visceral hunger. Maybe the latter had allowed the former, he couldn't say, still, this felt like a turning point in better controlling himself, one where he could have gone down a different path. The Elf-sheep had led him here.

As if remembering something he suddenly stood up and turned back to her.

"You got what you wanted, but you seem to be forgetting something."

"I, uh, am?"

"You are clearly not pregnant." His eyes came to rest on her flat stomach.

She blushed once more. "That's something I was getting to! H-hold on!" she said as Rain took a step toward her and she quailed, her legs nearly buckling under her. "I'm not pregnant, but you need me still!"

"No, I do not."

"What do you think is going to happen to these fish!"

"I do not care."

"Sustainable fishing! Sustainable fishing!!" she cried as though it were a ward against him.

"Stop saying sustainable fishing at me."

"It's true though! Just letting them go in the middle of the dungeon is not that, they wouldn't last five seconds out there, without the tribe protecting them they are all dead dead dead!"

Rain glared at her. "That is... annoyingly true. What of it?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked." She gave him a winning smile and pointed at her chest with her thumb. "Expert danger navigator and avoider of monsters, well-renowned saver of persons and items. I am your best bet, and best value, for rescuing such things from places of peril as I have the legendary and famed Rescuer Class! My prices are quite reasonable and I have excellent reviews."

"You expect me to pay you to take food away?"

"Oh no no! Sorry sorry, force of habit, this will of course be pro bono."

"Hrmm. Avoider of monsters? I don't think you are doing particularly well at that."

"Hey, that's not my fault, that stupid witch had some kind of locating spell, they swarmed me before I could do anything!"

"I saw she could do that. Well, that's not something you need to worry about any longer. There's nothing left of her but a crater in the grass."

"Good! Stupid Spider-goblin. Come on, help me break their chains."

Rain watched silently as the Elf-sheep scooped up their chains and tried to fruitlessly pull them from where they were attached to the wall. After a moment he sighed and grabbed up the chains with one paw, with a grunt he pulled them both from the wall with a shower of splinters then put the ends in the Elf-sheeps hands.

"Yours."

"Thank you, just a few more places to check now!"

Rain stepped toward the next stall as the Elf-sheep encouraged the terrified humans to their feet. They reluctantly followed, keeping the maximum distance from Rain that their chains would allow. The next stall was empty of people, although talon marks marred the walls, including a crudely made picture of a pair of wings plus a crown, below which someone had written 'Harpy Reign'. In one corner was a shattered pair of chains, in the other was a pile of discarded clothing.