aterat | video;

[The video call comes around twilight, and the phone seems to be propped against a rock or something. Drizzt is nearby, a low fire crackling in a shallow fire pit surrounded by rocks. Saddled up against the rocks is a small pot and steam can be seen rising from it.

More interesting is what Drizzt is doing as the feed starts. Perched on his gloved hand is a clearly adolescent Great Horned Owl. It's flight feathers are only just beginning to grow in, and Drizzt is feeding it strips of flesh from a rabbit carcass nearby.]

The wildlife here is not unlike my home. This one's parents were taken by predators before he was ready to feed himself, but such is the way of nature.

[There's no hint of sadness in his voice, but rather awe. Nature, is, in fact, a wondrous thing, even when seeing the darker side.]

I have a home in mind for this one, as he is approaching that age where training is necessary and while I am able to feed, I am no birder.

[He smiles fondly at the fledgling has he eagerly swallows the meat he's being given.]

Have any others here had success in rearing animals native to this place? I know of animals coming with arrivals, but I have not heard of successes with the locals.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Any would one handle then? Are they pets? A food source?

They are not commonly kept as pets; I suppose… More often than not, they’re caught for food. They’re quite delicious, I admit.

[ But his are friends, not food! ]

But they do make rather quiet but interesting company, in my experience.

I should hope so. They look damned difficult to crack otherwise.

[There are much more convenient things to eat.]

What sort of company do they keep?

That does seem to depend on the kind of lobster from my readings. Some are prone to hunt other fish and creatures nearby, or even each other, if not fed regularly. Then there are other kinds of lobsters that form relationships with other sea creatures, like starfish, for protection.

Then they are not dissimilar to creatures of the land, but I meant more what sort of company have they provided as pets?

Oh! Goodness, my apologies. [ He feels silly for mixing that up. ] They are quiet companions, really. They aren’t as hm… interactive as, say, dogs or cats, but I rather like to watch them wander in the tank.

[He frowns before responding. Creatures in tanks. It seems cruel.]

And they enjoy this fate?

Well, I can’t imagine they’d like it if they were in something small like a fishbowl. [ The bucket hadn’t remained long once he’d done some reading and harassed someone to help... ] But with enough space and things that mimic their natural environment, marine creatures like lobsters and creatures can be quite comfortable.

Comfortable and fulfilled are not the same things.

[People keeping marine animals in tanks and the like was not unknown to him, but it had always seemed cruel, no different from a person never being allowed to leave their home.]

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