Swift River Bouyancy is Relative

Ooc: @Tobius

Laurel yawned and stretched, letting her form slink out of the den and Jaime's protective figure. When she had awoken, it was pleasant to be surprised by warmth and fur- something she hadn't gotten the chance to often do since leaving home. The air was still a bit brisk, seeing as it was early morning, but with her winter coat coming in, she didn't mind much. It flowed crazily from side to side as she shook herself, allowing the energy from the habit to make her that much more alert. Spying the river they had come upon yesterday, Laurel trotted up to it and peered into it's depths. It wasn't too deep, but in the middle it was just deep enough for what she had planned.

It was the entire reason she woke up early in the first place. Last night, she offered to teach Jaime to swim. And now was a perfect time- they still had to travel quite the distance, but neither of them knew the lay of the land. And if there was a bigger river that they had to cross, Laurel at least wanted to know that her companion could carry his head above water. Mentally going over things her parents had taught her, the dark female dipped her head for a drink.

I hope things will go smoothly... Looking at the river again, Laurel didn't see much reason to worry- there was ample space for practice, no beavers, and she doubted bears were up this early. Only birds singing in the treetops were as determined as she, on an autumn morning perfect for staying inside and snuggling.

Hehe, he's making a move(;

He awoke to the absence of Laurel’s warmth besides him. Stretching his tired muscles, he released a wide yawn before finally getting up and following where she had gone without him. His dreams that he had last night left many questions in his head. About how he truly felt about Laurel, or where he thought their relationship could lead, but he casted them aside momentarily, blaming his tiredness on such things. Though, those thoughts still lingered in the back of his mind. He traveled to the river, where he assumed she would be this early on such a beautiful autumn day. Where they should still be in the den, stealing each other’s warmth still, but Laurel had other plans for him.

As he came up behind her, he tried to quiet his steps in order to quietly sneak up behind her. Coming up closely besides her, his next words came out as a surprise to him. ”You look lovely in this light,” he whispered in her ear, before his mind caught up to what he actually said. Internally, he was freaking out about what he just said to her, but it confirmed his thoughts that where no longer sitting in the back of his mind. Right now, those thoughts where speaking for him. Perhaps she will just brush it off and forget about it. But, he knew he wouldn’t, especially when it was true.

Her fur glowed in the rising sunlight and the shadows of the trees littered her coat. The way she stood, relaxed, but confident on the bank of the mighty river, was so beautiful. Gorgeous was the right word. He could see himself with her, but did she? Though, he didn’t want to rush things, he couldn’t help but smile and think about the marvelous future they could have together. But, what would she think of his past or the fact that she doesn’t even know his real name. He knew that once his real name came out, she would probably lose all trust in him, but he couldn’t keep the truth from her if she wanted to have a future with him. He longed to hear his name on her lips, but would they be said with poison or love?

Laurel jumped at little, not expecting to hear his voice in her ear. Outwardly smiling, she turned to him- "I was just about to go wake you." Inwardly, the dark beauty was having a panic attack. What does he mean by that? When since have I ever looked- Laurel didn't by any means think she was lovely. Pretty maybe, but not lovely. Lovely was a word reserved for the likes Willow, Marigold, Rose, and Glory with their brilliant gold eyes, and light faces of brown and grey. Or Blackberry, whose Boughinn black markings littered her form more gracefully than she. Maple was above lovely- she was majestic dappled brown, with very little imperfections.

It was probably just a compliment. A really nice one...what does it mean when someone tells you something like that? She might have known if her life hadn't changed for the worse before she turned two. As it was, Jaime's comment had her confused, and a bit perturbed. The way he said it, the way he whispered in her ear-

Before she spazzed, Laurel took a moment to breath and reminded herself why she- they were out there in the first place. "You remember what I said last night, right? I figured we could give you some rudimentary lessons before heading out." She excitedly hopped off her feet and into the water, making a good sized splash. Where she stood, the water came up to her ankles. "Come on!" the invitation came out as a good-natured yaff as her tail wagged lazily from side to side.

Ooc: In other words, dense Laurel is dense :/

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2014, 04:14 AM by Laurel.)

He's such a scardy cat :3

He began to feel better inside when she didn’t really address his compliment, but at the same time it worried him. Did she not think of him the same way? Was she not interested in him at all? She had snuggled and slept with him last night when he offered to sleep outside, but she would have none of it. Was she just trying to lead him astray? Gosh women are so confusing, he thought to himself. One minute she wanted to be snuggled right up close to him and the next she was uninterested. Part of him wished it could all be black and white and she would just tell him if she liked him. Though the more he thought about it, he was doing the same thing. Humph, maybe he was more female than he thought.

Shaking the ridiculous thoughts out of his head, he listened to what she had in store for him and he instantly wished she would have rather be still sleeping in the den. He groaned inside at the thought of learning to swim. He had agreed, but he thought that maybe, just maybe she would forget and they would move on. But, of course not. Damn, women. As she hoped excitably into the water, he retreated backwards like a cat away from the water. With his head back and a grimace on his face, he looked to Laurel. He really didn’t want to do this, especially with it being fall and the water becoming colder and colder. Couldn’t they wait until summer to do this? ”Do we haavvvveee to?" He whined, as he looked behind him quickly. They could be getting a head start and make up for the time they spent in the mountains if they left now. Looking back to Laurel, he pleading with her with his blue eyes like a little pup. He really wanted to just go back into the den.

Laurel steeled herself against his mind-wavering eyes, amused and slightly annoyed at his resistance. "Yeeeeeess, we haaavvvve toooo." Mimicking Jaime's tone, she put her foot down- "The water is only just starting to get cold, and I would rather do lessons here than try and teach you while you're drowning. I'm not strong enough to carry you by myself, so we have to at least make sure that you can hold your own!" Her voice got softer, "I don't know what I'd do if you drowned...."

Laurel didn't want to think about it- not only would she be alone again, the guilt would crush her. Knowing that she could have taught Jaime to swim and didn't take the opportunity- she had to squelch the probability of that happening here and now. If he died in the water, then she most likely would die trying to save him. If he died and she lived, then she'd die a little more on the inside. So she stood firm, determined to help Jaime, even if it took all day to get him to where he should be.

"First things first-" Laurel continued on, oblivious to any objections her friend might have. "We use these-" she waved her paws one at a time- "to swim. We don't use these-" her ears flicked back and forth- "or this-" her tail wagged- "And we never, ever open our mouths!" She clacked her jaws together for emphasis. "You take in water that way. Instead we breathe through our noses." The basic guidelines for swimming instruments done, Laurel took a step back to encourage Jaime's approach to the river.

"Now come here and repeat what I said back to me."

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

As he looked upon the dark woman with pleading eyes, he hoped that she would give in and they’d go back to the den perhaps or even get moving once again. However, she wasn’t a push over. Putting her foot down, she scolded him, telling him the water wasn’t even that cold. His ears folded back, until her voice soften and said some words that perked his mighty ears right up. She didn’t know what she’d do without him if he drowned. Now she was playing with his heartstrings. However, he fell for it and set his mind on learning how to swim for her, for them.

As she continued on, he probably would have laughed at her display of instructions, but he was focused. He wasn’t playing any more games. He nodded at every step, soaking everything in like a sponge. She wanted him to learn, so he was damned if he wasn’t going to learn it for her. Listening carefully, she finally told him to come to her and repeat the instructions. Now was the time. It was either sink or swim time. Do or die.

At first when he looked down at the water, he was reluctant to step in. He knew where he was going to go eventually, deeper into the water where he’d have to swim. However, his will to please Laurel won over as he forced himself into the water and where Laurel waited for him. ”Use paws, not ears or tail. Breathe through nose and keep mouth shut. Got it.” He repeated as he looked up to her for more instructions.

She smiled, pleased with Jaime's bravery. "Good! Now I'm going to show you the basic movements for swimming-" Hoping that she wouldn't look too silly, Laurel raised her snout a tad, imagining that the water was at her neck instead of her paws. Then she moved her legs with wide sweeps making sure to tuck them under her- that bit was important for pushing herself up while submerged. Then they shot back out and made yet another round back under her body. She kept her toes together and moved quickly in a semicircle.

"That's what you should strive for when you're in the water. Of course you won't be touching the ground-" Saying these words towards her companion made the Boughinn think of her parents- they way the pranced before she and her age-mates the very same way. Willow had laughed, thinking the display funny at the time, but it really did help the pups when it was time to test their mettle. "-but the movements are similar. When swimming, you want to keep your toes together, and keep an even breathing pattern-"

Laurel paused as she noticed Jaime's posture. It was determined, focused. He was serious all right- but he also looked scared. And it bothered her heart to see him forcing himself, even if it was for his own good. Swimming wasn't just essential, it was supposed to be fun. This was a part of herself that she wanted to share with him.

Stepping up to Jaime's larger figure, Laurel swiftly touched her nose to his with a cute grin in an effort to make him laugh- "And relax! The water will carry you better if your body is relaxed and loose!"

(This post was last modified: Oct 16, 2014, 02:15 AM by Laurel.)

His eyes were careful, focused on the way her body moved and showed him the right and proper way to survive in the water without drowning. However, he couldn’t resist having his eyes linger in places as she taught him all that she knew and was taught herself. When he finally caught himself, he instantly stopped and paid attention to what he was supposed to be, not the way her body moved gracefully with every movement that she made, even when she wasn’t meaning to. He had to admit that when she had a unique gracefulness that made her just feel free. She was a free, honest, and playful soul that only wanted the best for everyone. She was a true gem and Tobius was glad that he was able to discover her and her beauty.

He intently listened to her words, soaking them in like a sponge. She then approached him with a silly grin before touching his nose with hers. "And relax! The water will carry you better if your body is relaxed and loose!" She told him, a smile forming on his lips. “Alright, I think I’m ready…” He said, his words lingering slightly as he looked to her grey eyes, wondering if there was anything else she needed to tell him. Without any more hesitation, he moved closer to the water, his blue eyes looking down at it for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he took a step into the watery depths, his fear spiking slightly. What if the current was too strong and neither of them knew it? Laurel wouldn’t be able to help him by herself, but he needed to get over this fear for her and especially for himself.

Shaking his fears and doubts away, he took another step and another until he was halfway submerged into the water. It didn’t take long until the water was up to his neck and he was barely touching the ground anymore. His fear began to creep up again as he thought about kicking away, making his body go ridged and tense. Laurel’s last advice reminded him to relax and keep his body loose. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves and his body soon relaxed and before he knew it himself, he was no longer touching the ground.

At first his movements were rough and choppy as he tried to apply what he learned from Laurel. His body began to sink and his fear came back again, but he continued to kick with all his limbs and his head soon rose higher and his body relaxed again.“LAUREL! LOOK! I’m doing it!!!” He yelled with joy as he swam in a circle to face her again, a giant smile on his face. “Look! I’m actually swimming! Oh, Laurel!”

Her heart jumped a little in fear as Jaime bravely stepped forward into the deeper part of the river- Laurel hadn't really expected for her friend to so quickly test the things he had just been taught. In fact, her first lessons took hours before she was even ready to approach swimming depths. So it came as a relief when Jaime proved to be somewhat adept for his first try.

Swimming out to him herself, she chimed in on his joy: "This is great! You're swimming!" Despite her own teachings, Laurel's tail wagged in the water, slightly disturbing her coordination. She couldn't help it- she was so happy! "Don't forget, practice makes perfect! Let's try to swim for a little while." Quite honestly, Laurel wanted to swim for a long while- she wanted to engage Jaime in bouts of Water Tag, Merco Palo,- a splashing war would make the day perfect.

But he's just starting out, the dark female reminded herself, I can't push him like that. He's come so far compared to how he felt, and to try and teach him the more advanced things would be unfair. So she convinced herself to be content with swimming at his side. Her happiness was interrupted by just a small bit of worry, though. For all his great progress, Jaime still had half a foot to compensate for.

Feeling a bit awkward, Laurel prodded with curiosity- "That is, unless your foot- I mean, if you don't feel up for it, with it- well- half missing and all...." With a sideways glace, she questioned quietly: "Does it hurt?"