swimming? [★] TO BE THIS CLOSE

[Tena M.]

[div style="width: 527px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: justify; font-family: constantia; font-size: 11px;"]Tena Moonspinner —
Blue as the sky, sharp hues flickered and danced like the wary flame of a candle.  Small and crouched, the little feline lingered at the edge.  Salt in the air.  Mingling with a mountain breeze from above; rocks and snow, the taste of cold on an otherwise warming day.  The sun on her back, like a familiar shadow, watching out for her.

Deep and calm.  The clouds seemed to bounce off the gentle swaying waters, a perfect copy of the world above.  Illusion.  Soft paws dug into the wood beneath her, sharp claws piercing.  Balance.  Safety.  The flutter of butterflies in her chest, knowing she could jump and be submerged.  Easy.  One step process.

Who'd stop her?  No one, far as she could tell.  Who'd encourage her?  Did it matter?  The days passed by with such silence she thought her mind might explode.  Desperation.  Recklessness.  Restlessness.  It did not seem her chest was working.  No air. 

No air.  If you go under, you might not come back up. That made it dangerous.  Worth it.  A challenge.  You can't learn to swim if you don't take the dive.

Tena lingered on the edge, balanced on a wire thin as a thought.
[align=right]— I tell you this story, save your life, set you free

[lavi s.]

[div style="width: 450px; line-height: 12px; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 8pt;"][align=left]IF THE SKY COMES FALLING DOWN, FOR YOU —

"... Do you know how to swim, Te?" The scruffy mountain cat found his inquiry spoken unusually soft, even for him.  The sight of the sandy feline lingering at the edge made more anxious than he'd like to admit.  His chest felt oddly heavy and his stomach twisting.  She came from a land with virtually no water.  She came from a life where she had only what her masters would give her.  And what a deadly sandstorm they've inevitably unleashed upon themselves.  "..."

"My sister got rather good at it." Force, he missed Lessa.  "It takes some practice though." Are you planning to just... Jump in?  He fidgeted, paws shifting uneasily.  The real problem was, he supposed, is that he could not see the bottom.  "I've never gotten around to much swimming myself."  The water was, truly, beautiful, but he did not feel so safe in the thought of diving in.  Knowing Tena...

— THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS WORLD I WOULDN'T DO

[Straw]

  [font=trebuchet ms]Swimming was a way of life for the aquatic, a strategy for the semi-aquatic, and a fun pastime for the aquatically-inclined. Straw was none of those three things. While she knew how to keep her head above water, she wasn’t anywhere near as comfortable in the waves as she was in the trees. Moving through water was slow and awkward, like fighting a heavy wind current that resisted her every movement.

  Nonetheless, better to know how in case of emergencies, and this situation might very well become one. Sitting by the water, Straw silently watched Tena and Lavi, holding a paw to the edge of her mask. While she had no desire to take it off, if someone fell in and couldn’t get out, she wouldn’t have a choice.