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Hoku laughed, "No more or less funny looking than I am! You ready? Geronimoooo!" and with that, he shot under the water with a strong heave. Diving straight down through the current, Hoku latched onto some water-grass that was waving up from the bottom. He looked around carefully, taking care not to thrash around too much and scare away any fish. Within moments, a rainbow-tinged fish the size of a teen dragonfly wriggled by. Hoku thrust forward with practiced ease and hooked his claws into the crevice right below the trout's dorsal fin. The fish, of course, began to struggle, but with a slight applied pressure it began to swim upwards.

The trout obviously thought it was getting away, but Hoku was actually herding it towards the surface. As it burst from the water, Hoku shoved up powerfully, throwing it up into the air. The fish arched, glistening in the sun, and then began to fall. Hoku lashed out with a front paw, cutting through the creature's head, almost decapitating it. They were now close to shore, With another thrust, Hoku lodged the fish into the sand bank on the edge of the river and began to drag himself out.

... It was just at that moment that he remember to check if Sabriel was still on his back...

Hoku stiffened in shock as he realized that she wasn't on his back anymore. Whirling around in panic, Hoku yelped, "Sabriel! Hold on! I'm coming!" and he dove into the water. It was a blessing that it was so clean and clear, because he could immediately spot a glimpse of white and purple in the current. Thrusting towards it, Hoku tried to grab onto Sabriel's scruff, hoping to pull her towards the surface, and then to shore.

Hoku stood there shaking, looking at Sabriel as she gasped on the ground. Taking a moment to get over his shock, Hoku wuffled and started to go over Sabriel with his nose, checking to see if she was alright. He began to lick the water out of her fur, mumbling to himself, "Stupid stupid stupid stupid..." furiously trying to keep the little female warm. Pressing his body against hers, he lay his tail across her protectively and glared at the water, as though it had wronged him horribly in some way. He continued to mumble incoherently, things like, "Shouldn't have happened... hanging on... almost gone..." and other phrases of the like.

Hoku shivered and curled up tighter around Sabriel; he felt exhausted and energized at the same time, as though he wanted to sleep and run a mile. Feeling her tongue on his chest calmed Hoku down slightly, though that only served to make him even more tired. His shivering began to die down and his eyes drooped as the energy spent swimming with Sabriel on his back and then dragging her out of the water took its toll on his body.

The fish could wait, for now all he wanted to do was take a cat nap. With an enormous yawn, his pink tongue curling out followed by the gently click of his teeth as his mouth snapped shut, Hoku rested his head against Sabriel and sighed, "I'm glad you're ok... but... can we stay like this for a bit? I'm... t...t...t..." He yawned again and mumbled, "... tired..."

Time passed and the sun moved through the sky. Sunset was coming on quickly when the pair finally began to stir. Hoku blinked open his eyes, and yawned widely, the setting sun glinting of his perfectly white teeth. He kept them scrupulously clean, always priding himself in such shining white canines. Looking around himself, he tried to remember why he was sleeping next to the river, and why his hair felt damp. Then, it came back to him in a wave. Looking down at the small form he was curled up around, Hoku smirked; ah yes, a cute new lady had stumbled into his lap. "Wakey wakey my sweet little button... sleep is for the dead..." he laughed at his inside joke and pressed his cold-wet nose into her ear playfully...

Hoku stopped and tilted his head in confusion, gasping indignantly, "Dad...?!" Laughing richly, he watched in amusement as Sabriel realized who he was, and that he wasn't her father. Quirking an eyebrow, he replied, "Hey, take it easy kitten, why would I want you to leave eh? We were having such a nice snuggle too... c'mover here and let me groom the water and cold out of that pretty fur of yours..." He flashed her his prizing winning smile, really hoping to have her warm little body near his again... Hoku was getting cold without her!

Hoku chuckled and shook his head, "If I didn't want you here, you'd know, trust me. I've analyzed this from all angles, and having you with me is the best possible outcome..." He smirked as she settled down next to him and he began to rhythmically run his tongue over her head, murmuring, "Ladies deserve to be treated like princesses, don't worry about me... just relax and enjoy the sensations..."