<blockquote>All he had needed was to hear Triell's support. Not quite bearing the courage to make his own decision, Kinis was more than happy to go along with his brother's recommendation. If a second try was on the cards, then so be it.
Enormously comforted as Triell came to stand beside him, Kinis smiled contentedly and gave his sibling's nose a quick lick. Tail wagging slowly behind him - he was excited, for now, now he felt like he could <i>do it</i> - he began to step towards the centre of the pool, nerves tingling as the water quickly reached higher and higher up his legs. To ease any trepidation, he took a few seconds to practise the 'swimming walk', which cheered him up and put him in good spirits.
Unlike last time, he didn't feel the need to just plunge in. This time, he took the depth as it came, until, suddenly, his front paws could no longer touch the pebbly ground whilst not straining his neck. Taking a few deep breaths, he retreated just one step, now at the boundary between safety and the unknown.
Could he do it? Was he capable?
Triell's mere presence answered 'yes' and 'yes'.
The water lapped gently at his chest, his fur gently flowing this way and that with the ripples caused by the waterfall, and he thought it wasn't so bad. Resolving himself, ears high and eyes hard with determination, he pushed his body forwards, not reaching for the pool's bottom but letting his front legs remain suspended in the water, moving endlessly, as if he was running in slow motion. It was a cheat, for his hind legs were still planted on the ground, but it did absolute wonders for his confidence; realising that Triell's strange walk actually made a lot of sense, now that he thought about it, Kinis worked to keep his head above water without panicking. Repeating key pieces of his brother's advice like they were a mantra - <i>don't think; smooth, not stiff; stop trying too hard</i> - actually helped to take his mind distracted from what his legs were actually doing, and, as such, instinct was finally allowed to take over without his life needing to be in peril. It was only a few moments after he had been keeping his shoulder afloat that he felt an urge to move forwards, and carefully 'stepped' forwards with his hind legs, leaving the safety of solid ground for the world of water.
Small thrills of panic and concern ran up and down his spine as the recent memories flashed in his mind, but Kinis fought very hard to ignore them. He refused to give in again. It was not a simple matter to get his shoulders and hips in sync, but it helped that his front legs already had a rhythm. Once more, he recognised the merits of Triell's walk - <i>you move one side of your body and then the other</i> - and though it was far from confident or skilful, Kinis suddenly realised he was really treading water with minimal fear. Little gasps of instinctual worry were unable to be helped, but there was significant improvement. He didn't really know how to turn around or move forward with any great speed, and his eyes kept closing for fear of being splashed, but his ears swivelled about to try and locate his brother. He partly wanted the moral support, but also Triell's feedback; he was being Mr Miyagi to Kinis' Daniel, after all.</blockquote>
<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>