The trio were greeted by a farmer in a straw hat, a green tark'ee with sharp ram horn. "E-yup, right this way," she gestured, leading the travelers down an overgrown trail. Two had come from Xitlalmina–Tezcatlipoca, the black-pelted swindler with a face marked like a skull, and Xochcatl, a tan-and-blue tsabhua with a strict eye for everything around them. The last of them was Shenzi of the sea-cucumbers, an armless tsabhua with a dark pelt like a savannah canid. They were here with a purpose in mind–one that had beady eyes, a wrinkly snout, and folded ears.

((Lumen turned them past a red barn–or at least, a barn that had once been red–and under a canopy of giant mushroom trees. Tezcatlipoca glanced up and grinned at the wide array of colors; red-caps, brown-caps, even one bright purple mushroom that felt like something from out of this world.

Shenzi's nose turned up, though, as they approached a fenced-in mud-pit in the backyard. "It smells like…" She grumbled–"Nukaps," Xochcatl answered in a purely serious voice. Scattered xiunari swine rolled around in the mud, while another group swarmed a feeding trough. Tiny versions of the larger mushrooms grew rampantly around–anywhere they hadn't been crushed, anyways.))

"They're domesticated," Xochcatl pointed out in a disappointed tone. She crossed her set of small arms. "Of course," Lumen snorted, "You just said you were looking for nukaps, right? So why does it matter?" Tezcatlipoca shrugged, while Shenzi the hyena slumped. "I prefer a more… Fair hunt," the later complained. "Ha!" Lumen laughed, "We'll see about that–you don't know anything yet!" She slapped her knee, finding their naivety rather funny. Xochcatl rolled her eyes–she felt like she was dealing with a second Tez.

"Yeah, just one question," Tezcatlipoca grinned, "You got some oil or something to make this even more challenging?" A 'greased nukap' competition was one commonly practiced by L'Hatzif tribes, especially at festivals. They'd slather a young nukap with oil, butter, grease, you name it, and then let it loose in a pen for whelps to chase after. Shenzi eyed the prey, taking the farmer's advice more seriously than Tez did. A few nukap whelps feeding on some mushrooms at the edge of the fence would make an easy target.

"Oh, they'll give you a hard enough time as-is!" Lumen agreed, jovial. "So don't you mind me, I'm gonna sit up on this here back porch with a fresh lemmy-nade and watch!" Shenzi stretched, cracking a few bones and readying herself. "Let's do it," she agreed. "Which one's up first?" Xochcatl asked, dead-pan set on their mission–despite whatever games Taz might be trying to play.

"Ooh, what about that guy–he's a big one!" Tezcatlipoca pointed towards a mud-splashing boar. Lumen had already perched herself back in a white rolling-chair. Now, she almost fell out of it from laughter. "Ya sure you don't want to start with one a wee bit easier?" The farmer winked in challenge. "Let's get that nukap!" Xochcatl barked, not one to be made fun of.

And so, following her order, their three dark pelts flew across the muddy pen. Shenzi got her foot stuck when it sunk into the thick ground, while Xochcatl and Tezcatlipoca pushed the boar into the corner from both sides. That is, until its eyes turned red, it beat its hoof into the mud, and charged, tusks a-blazing. Mud flung high onto the white picket fence, the sound of nukap–and frantic tsabhua screaming–filled the valley. Shenzi's thick pelt rushed up after them, but against that kind of bulk, even that was barely any use.

Lumen laughed and laughed! She kicked back her feet as the three best hunters across two tribes tried their hand at something new–a world of pig-squealing, mud-flinging, and frustrating attempts at hog-tying. Just when Shenzi had the legs of one nukap pinned and Tezcatlipoca pulled the rope tight–they realized it was attached to Xochcatl instead! "No Siree," Lumen smiled and took off her sunglasses as she faced an invisible camera. "Domestic doesn't mean a lick easier to catch!" That is–unless you had a rotten apple in your pocket. But she wasn't gonna tell them her secret!

"Ugh, stop, stop!" Xochcatl called out, furious. She snapped the ropes off her legs and stood up, mud-covered. "We need to regroup and think of a better strategy." She stared past Shenzi and Tezcatlipoca at that boar with rage in her eyes. It might need some work–but she'd have her revenge!