[PRP] Just Keep Swimming

[SilverLutz]

It was a beautiful day for sunning, Kicheko decided. The sun was out but there were large, puffy, white clouds in the sky that offered a bit of respite from time to time to keep one from overheating. And, with her great position by the sea, if she did get too hot, she could always slip in to the water to cool off. The rocks she had picked for her sunning were above the high tide line, meaning there were no painful barnacles to lay on, nor slimy seaweed. The rocks had been warmed all day by the sun and the air was fresh and pure, offering the best sort of napping one could ask for.

The lioness shifted her position a bit to lay on her side rather than her stomach, dark brown eyes peering sleepily towards the forest at the edge of the beach. She kept one ear alert in case someone came upon her. She wasn't one to ignore someone after all. Kicheko was as social a lion as they came. Something did catch her attention and she lifted her head to see who was there, but the adolescent male was too far down the beach to warrant getting up to see.

---

That male was Cetus, a lion who was aptly named after a sea monster. Ever since he was a cub he had loved the sea and, although he hadn't been allowed in it, it hadn't stopped him from daydreaming about swimming and practicing in the larger tide pools. Now he was old enough to go in the ocean, and he took every chance he could to do just that. Today was no different, and after a little pause he walked forward into the water. He waded out, letting the waves wash over him with a grin on his face. He may be a land animal, but he felt at home in the water, fur wet and curled from the salt.

Once he was shoulder deep, he stopped to let the water soak into his growing mane. It made his head feel heavy, but it was something he'd have to get used to. That was why he was here today: to get used to the new fur on his head.  

[mouselet]

Kicheko wasn't the only one to look around and appreciate the beautiful day for what it was. Not even the only lioness in her immediate family to do so. Sarcire had to smile as she saw (one of) her young sister(s) soaking up the sun.

The older female's heart was lighter here, by the ocean, than it was on the landward borders of the pride. She still didn't trust the Kizi, no matter what anyone said. Not after she'd seen them kidnapping cubs with her own eyes. That whole incident had also put paid to her inclinations to travel and see the world. Now she stuck with the adventures she could have without leaving the pride.

Though the pride was larger these days, what with the islands and all. It still took a strong swimmer to get there, but they were certainly considered to be part of the Bahari'mtoto.

The grey and blue lioness stopped not too far from her sister, her eye falling upon the young male sporting around below them in the water.  

[SilverLutz]

Kicheko was busy watching the dark male enjoy the water, a little smile on her face, and didn't notice her older sister approaching. It wasn't until there was a change in the sea breeze that she realized she wasn't alone. Turning her attention away from the young male, she blinked and grinned when she found Sarcire only a few paces away from her.

"Hey!" she said with a laugh, rolling to her stomach to face her older sister. "I didn't even hear you! Sneaky," she added, wiggling her toes on her paws, a pleased grin on her face.

---

Down in the water, Cetus finally allowed himself the pleasure of going under water. He waited for a large enough wave before picking his feet up, his head going under as the wave rolled over him. He felt it pass and, once it left his tail, he set his feet down again into the soft sand. Lifting his head from the water, he shook his now soaking wet mane and grinned. Ah...this wasn't so bad. He waded out a bit further now that he knew the weight of his new mane until he could barely touch, letting the waves lift him off his feet as they passed.  

[mouselet]

Dark eyes tinted with humor glanced over at the younger lioness and Sarcire smiled. It was good that Kicheko was so happy and carefree - it always helped the older female to calm down and relax.

"Hey yourself," she replied. "It's not my fault if you're so close to asleep that you can't notice a herd of elephants going by," the lioness went on, teasingly. Then again, certain of her siblings appeared to be able to sleep through anything and everything. Not so for Sarcire, who'd slept even lighter since she'd decided not to leave the pride.

Most of her attention was still on the dark male below, watching him relax in the warm salty water.  

[SilverLutz]

Kicheko laughed warmly and reached out to swat playfully at her sister's paw. Even though she was an adult now, she still knew how to have fun! Laughing and teasing her siblings were some of her favorite pass times. "I wasn't sleeping, you goof! I was just resting my eyes," she said, batting her eyes at the older female. "You know how the sun makes me. I'm a delicate flower that needs to lay about and relax every now and then."

That could be further from the truth, of course. As a den digger, she loved being active and was almost always moving. It wasn't common to find her napping, but she was a lion. She had some basic instincts when it was a perfect day for dosing.

---

A large wave pushed Cetus back a bit and he chuckled, walking next to the rocks the two lionesses were sitting atop of. They were much higher than he, though, and he still didn't know they were there. The waves were always bigger by the rocks, and he enjoyed riding them back to shore. They weren't quite that big today, though, so after a few waves he walked out until he couldn't touch the sandy bottom any longer. He needed to practice swimming with this heavy mop of fur on his head now, after all.  

[mouselet]

Sarcire shook her head at Kicheko's youthful response. She didn't remember being so young she'd have done that to an older lion (since her litter didn't have older siblings). Then again, it might simply be a difference of personality. Sarcire probably wouldn't have done that at all, even if their positions had been reversed.

"Right. As delicate as a lobster," the older lioness retorted, rolling her eyes. Undoubtedly there was some foolish young male who'd fall for her sister's act. But Sarcire had seen it far too many times to be anything but immune.

The young idiot below seemed to be doing just fine. Sarcire was somewhat worried by how far out he was going, but the best way for him to learn was to do, and she couldn't protect him from that.  

[SilverLutz]

Again, Kikcheko laughed. "A lobster...so delicate," she said as she flopped her head down on her paws. "Oh...that's a good one," she added, tail flicking in amusement. Lobsters were pretty graceful in the water, she supposed, but on land they were very awkward. Things that were born in the ocean tended to be graceful in the water and horrible on the land. Loins weren't as awkward as some animals in the water, so she felt like they had a slight advantage as far as 'awesomeness' went.

"So, sis, what brings you to my kingdom of rock?" she asked, suddenly putting on a serious face as she lifted her head to adopt a regal position.

---

Down in the water, Cetus was finding it a bit hard to keep his head above water. Frustrated with himself for being bogged down by his own mane, he kicked a bit harder to lift himself up in the water a few inches, taking a breath through his nose so he wouldn't get seawater in his mouth. He turned his paws back in the direction of the beach, deciding he'd need to practice in the shallows more before he went out this far.  

[mouselet]

Sarcire waited out her sister's laughter with a patience born of so many similar incidents. Well, she'd intended it to be an entertaining line, but the older lioness didn't think it was quite as funny as Kicheko obviously did. Oh well.

"Nothing really," she answered the question vaguely. "I was walking, and saw you here. That's all." Besides, did she really need a reason to spend time with a sibling?

Hmmm...the youngster below seemed to have had enough for now as he was making for shore. It was always good to know one's limits.  

[SilverLutz]

"Fair enough," Kicheko said, twitching her ears in thought. "I suppose I can allow my wonderful sister to join me on my throne of rock." She dropped the act then and shifted to sit rather than lay down and turned to gaze into the water, following her sister's gaze. "Oh...keeping an eye on him?" she asked, tilting her head as she watched the lion paddle. He certainly looked to be a strong young male, but something was off.

"...huh...doesn't look like he's going anywhere," she murmured softly, nose twitching just a bit as the wind blew over her face.

---

Cetus noticed that he wasn't moving around that time as well. He frowned and paddled harder, but the shore wasn't getting any closer. In fact, it looked to be getting further away. His instinct told him to keep paddling, but he knew that wasn't what he should do. Cetus knew about the dangers of the ocean, after all. The Bahari raised their cubs well. But for the life of him he couldn't remember what to do...how to escape the tug out to sea.  

[mouselet]

Sarcire declined to comment on Kicheko's bizarre statement. It was, after all, a daily fact of her sister's life to be slightly weird. Fortunately for her piece of mind, the younger lioness seemed to be redirecting her attention towards the youngster below.

Unfortunately, it seemed like things were getting worse on that front.

"No...he's not," Sarcire agreed. "I think he may be in trouble..." The question was...what were they to do about it?  

[SilverLutz]

As the dark male began to move backwards, Kicheko's playful air turned into one of concern. "He's caught in a rip tide," she said, moving to stand. "Surely he knows to swim sideways..."

She waited, but the lion continued to try to swim straight ahead. That would only exhaust him, though. Chewing her lip, she glanced at Sarcire nervously. "We can't go save him...we'll get sucked out with him," she said, her voice anxious. "Do you think he knows what to do?"

---

The funny part was, Cetus did know what to do. He'd been told countless times. But now that it was actually happening, his mind was going blank and instinct was taking over. Swim harder! Swim faster! You can get out of it if you go harder and faster and-

A wave caught him by surprise from behind and he went under. He rose a few moments later, coughing and spluttering, his form gone, paws flailing in the water to try to right himself.  

[mouselet]

"Even if he knows, he may not remember right now," Sarcire chastised her sister. She knew better than most how your brain could shut down entirely when you panicked. And she refused to let it happen to someone else, especially a youngster, when she was in a position to do something about it.

"You have to swim with the shore at your side!" she called down to the young lion in the water. Hopefully he heard her. She couldn't be certain, however, given that his ears were likely inundated with the sounds of surf.

The older lioness began to hop down the rocks, intent on at least getting to the shore where she might be heard more easily.  

[SilverLutz]

Kicheko was left on the rocks for a few moments before she realized Sarcire had started to head down to the sand. She was quick to follow, tail bobbing about to keep her balance as she followed her older sister. Trotting beside her, she watched the young male anxiously.

---

Cetus was growing tired fast. His mane was weighing him down and his fear was starting to take a toll on him. Something caught his attention, though, and for that split second his training kicked in as he heard a few words. 'Swim' 'shore' and 'side' had reached his ears, and he remembered what to do. Turning himself with a bit of difficulty, he began to swim parallel to the shore. He felt the riptide tug him faster now that he wasn't fighting it, but after just a little bit of swimming the intensity began to taper off.

Once he didn't feel the suction anymore he turned towards the shore, this time making good time. He dragged himself through the surf, toes finally brushing the sand. He walked out of the sea with shaky legs and laid down once he was clear of the water, a soggy, exhausted mess.  

[mouselet]

Sarcire had almost made it to the shore when she saw the boy begin to recover. She paused long enough to breathe a sigh of relief and a few more to catch her breath. Also to let Kicheko catch up. Then she went on to where the youngster was now coming up out of the water.

"I'm glad you made it in safely!" the older lioness exclaimed as she drew near. "That was a close call!"  

[SilverLutz]

Kicheko caught up with Sarcire a few moments after the male dragged himself to shore, a relieved look on her face. "That was close," she said quietly to her sister before perking up her ears to hear a reply.

---

Cetus coughed up some water and raised his head, looking to the two adults not far from him. "Thank you," he said between breaths. "I...I just...lost my head out there." Which he felt horribly silly for. He loved the ocean and he knew its dangers, but...perhaps it was because he felt invincible where the sea was concerned. This had been a 'friendly' reminder that he was just a little lion and the sea was huge and unforgiving.