The Trap

“Please, pretty please with berries and fruit on top,” the green iso begged, not quite on his hands and knees. 

The iso he was attempting to get help from didn't even bother looking up from her shopping. “And what exactly do you want me to do?”
“There’s nothing to it. You just need to sit by the fire and soak up the warmth. As easy as finding sand on the beach,” replied Horacio. 

Josephine glanced over her shoulder at him, with a raised eyebrow, wondering just how far he’d go if she didn’t acquiesce. “And why should I do this?” 

“Uh,” he shot her a guilty grin, “to enjoy a well earned rest?” 

“Mhmm…” she turned back to the stall filled with all kinds of fruit from the island.  

“Fine,” he shuffled closer to her side, pouting. “I wanna help catch the troublesome iso and the best way to do that is to lay a trap.” 

“And you want to use me as bait?” 

“Yes!” He grinned and nodded eagerly, ribbon ears flopping as his head bounced up and down. 

She shot him a glare.

“Wait, no!” He back peddled, eyes wide with fright, fear that she would hit him or fear that she would say no, either was a possibility. “What I mean to say is that I need backup and you're the best person I could think of to help me. If they see just you there they won't know they're outnumbered until we strike and by then it will be too late!” 

Her lips pursed as her narrowed gaze remained on him. Finally, after some thought, she nodded. It wasn't the worst of ideas. “Fine. I'll help you. If only because I don't want this troublemaker around either.” 

Horacio’s whole body slumped with relief. He grinned. “Thank you, Josephine. I knew you were the right iso to ask.” 

“Go fetch the stuff we need for the fire and I'll meet you later. I want to finish my shopping first.” 

He nodded eagerly. “Of course. See you later!” 

Josephine smirked as he hurried off, leaving a flurry of feathers in his wake. 

An elder iso who'd been watching the exchange shook her head in amusement. “You've got that boy wrapped around your claws,” she said with a soft chuckle. 

Josephine let out a soft breath of a laugh. “I suppose I do.” 

“Good luck on your hunt. I do hope you catch them. Harassing iso folk like that. Humph,” she grunted with a shake of her head as she wandered off. 

Josephine hummed to herself as she went back to her own shopping. The troublemaker did need to be dealt with. Progress like tools, crafts, runes and fire were all useful and helped improve their way of life. That meddlesome mischief maker had no right to ruin it for others. If they didn't like them then fine, they didn't have to use them, but leave the rest of them in peace. Causing trouble for others was not the appropriate way to deal with it. With a determined frown, she finished up with her goods and headed off to prepare for the trap. 

…. 

Later that day Josephine met up with Horacio on the beach, eager to catch the troublemaker. She trotted over to where he sat on the sand piling some wood into a fire pit. 

“So what's the plan, beyond build a fire and hope this iso shows up?” She asked. 

“Well,” Horacio pointed to the wood at his feet, “actually, that's kinda just the plan. We’re going to use the fire to draw the troublemaker in, since they don't seem to like fire. You'll sit over here, facing the fire and the water, making it look like you've left your back exposed and available for sneaking up on. Whereas in reality, I'll be hiding in the branches of this tree over here, ready to jump down and tackle them.” 

Josephine nodded. “Alright then, I suppose we'd better finish getting set up.” 

It didn't take them long to get a fire going and have a sizable pile of wood to keep it stocked. With that done, they just needed to wait.

And wait.

And wait. 

And wait. 

So much so that the sun was reaching towards the horizon, golden rays slowly fading into deep blues as the stars came out of hiding to sparkle across the sky. Josephine could hear Horacio grunt softly out of boredom, hidden away in the branches of a nearby tree. She just hoped he could hold it together before the troublemaker showed up. They really should have switched places, at least then he could move about without it being suspicious. 

Then she felt it. The tense stillness of a predator stalking their prey. Josephine smirked. They were here. She kept her posture casual, making sure that they didn't know that she was aware of their presence. All the while she sensed them creep closer and closer. Truth be told, they weren't very good at it. Worse than Horacio and his fidgeting. Their footfalls were heavy and loud on the foliage over the sand dune. They were even clumsier on the sand, if that was somehow possible. Nevertheless, they had no idea that they were the one walking into a trap. 

She really hoped that Horacio was paying attention, now was not the time to fall asleep. Now was the time they’d been waiting for. The time for action. The time to finally bring this troublesome isomara to justice. All their waiting was for this moment. She was looking forward to the pay off, isos being able to live their lives without having to worry about their things being trashed and fires being put out unexpectedly.

A branch creaked. The intruder stilled. Josephine tensed, muscles primed and ready for action. 

An almighty war cry split the night air. Horacio leapt from the tree towards the trouble maker. Josephine whipped around to see the shocked look on a strange iso’s face. She smirked, the game was on.