< tomorrow comes >

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With dawn urging the shadows of the midnight skies to dissipate, Aurora and her close friend headed home, with a hare gathered in each maw ready to devour before resting the morning away. There were now paths in which they both followed; pancaked blue and purple flowers serpentined through the beautiful forest, where they would routinely head back and forth to their favorite foraging spots. But as Aurora took a habitual turn, a reflection by the unforgiving suns' rays, caught the nether sides of her left eye. She stopped in her tracks and pursued the hypnotic dancing of light.
Unable to communicate with her mouth occupied, she pointed her nose in gesture toward where they were now heading, to her companion.
And there, in a clearing, was a hidden gem; — a secret of the purple forest, a pond.
She walked up close to the water's edges and placed her kill beside it, before dipping the tip of her velvet nose in the serene waters as if to test if it was real and not a hallucination from their long night of hunting. A baby ripple then spread its growing ring to its perimeters, as she pulled her wet nose away.
The balletic lady turned to her friend wide-eyed, ‘Look at this!’, her poetic voice gasped, now watching her friends' reaction to their new find.

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+1 Discovery Points

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 For the snake and the wolf, it was a time just like any other. It was the wee hours of the morning, after their hunting trip where they would head back to their dens and sleep the day away, after eating of course. The Whisperer could scarcely believe how they'd filled out since running into their very dear friend. The shine had returned to the snake's coils and the wolf was sleek and filled out quite nicely. It seemed as if life was good for all involved. Quiet. Peaceful. Wonderful.

 They could hardly wait to settle in so that they could tuck into their meal... except. Something had caught their companion's attention. The bronze wolf made a couple of steps past the pale maiden before realizing that Aurora had stopped. They would turn their heads, eyes curious as the other gestured to what had caught their attention.

 The Whisperer would turn and follow their companion to the lovely clearing to see the large pond of water. Around the edges the purple flowers created a scene of gentle tranquility, draping around the water like some dream. The wolf would let out a soft sigh and a dreamy expression, pleased by the beautiful scene and happy that Aurora had found something like this. Would they no longer have to travel to the lake south of them?

 The snake would hiss softly, twitching their coils to communicate words in their shared language. The wolf would step forward, heading dipping down so that the snake could ease from the canine's fur and into the water where they would begin to swim. Being a water moccasin, the creature loved the water dearly and since the snake loved the water, so too did the wolf.

 The Body's golden eyes would watch their Soul swim around before lapping at the water just as Aurora did. The wolf would turn to smile at Aurora, tail wagging softly to express their joy at this new find. In fact...

 The Whisperer would take a step forward, one paw in the water and then they would look back with their head canted gently to one side. Their eyes spoke everything that their voice would not. Join us?

---

+1 Discovery Points

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Violet blooms bordered the pond in a protective aura, with only a small opening to guide the local fauna to it. The decoration of lilac and blues complimented this charming pond, with shrubs and flowers alike surrounding it, keeping it secluded, and gave a reason why the explorers hadn’t yet reached it. How deep it was though Aurora was not certain and she was unquestionably not going to find out.
She watched in awe as the snake glided so agilely into the waters, its body moving seductively from side to side, swaying as it silently enjoyed the pristine waters. And then the mahogany wolf looked tempted, as they too stepped forth, a smile dressed their lips and in turn Auroras own spread in warmth. But as they indicated toward the water, her smile fell abruptly and ears fell flat to her head.
’N-no, you go on ahead though!’, she point blank would refuse, she didn’t realize her friend was fond of water, but they hadn’t crossed this so-called bridge yet in their friendship - finding a water source deep enough to swim in.
She then gently lay down at the ponds' edge with just a shy toe peeking into the water, perhaps to concrete her decision, but more so to enjoy the pair swimming together.

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 Her hopes were dashed like the ripples against the shoreline as their friend declined to join them. No swimming? Did they not like the water? Or could they not swim? The wolf would look back towards the water, eyes tracing The Soul as they swam around in a graceful pattern and then disappeared under the surface briefly. Nothing alarming, they were likely just immersing their entire body for a moment.

 Then, the wolf would look back at Aurora, pausing, indecisive. They would walk further into the water until all four paws were just immersed... and then they would turn back and lay down with head on paws and muzzle partially in the water as they attempted to lay in front of Aurora. Their amber eyes were soft and round, the classic example of a "puppy-dog-pout". A soft whine would escape their throat... pleeaaassseeee. This would be accompanied by a very soft tail wag that disturbed the water, rippling it and scattering droplets all around.

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It all did look rather… inviting, dare she think? The way the golden glow of the early morning light dimly lit the water's surface, now buoying ever so slightly as the mass of the other wolf pressed down. Alas, she herself, never took to water, or so her mind perhaps fooled her into believing so, without being able to recollect a memory that would stunt this.
Her ears regressed further into the confines of her fur atop her skull; her friend begged with those big gold eyes of theirs, and Aurora echoed the very same whine, but in protest. She projected her discomfort at the notion.
But after some moments (and the continues, determined bug eyes from The Whisperer), she raised the paw that traced the water's edges’ and stretched it further, sinking her forearm into the water.
The crisp freshness enveloped her senses, she was now fighting inwardly at the alarm bells telling her to abort this meaningless exercise, but she swallowed the fear. Lifting her second leg and hesitantly too, placing it into the pond. She looked up to her friend, and gave them a small smile, waiting for their judgement if she was doing alright so far.

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 The Whisperer's whine would stop when their friend's would make their way out into the air. Their ears would press forward, curiously and then one would fidget backwards apprehensively. Had... had they been too forward? Was their friend in some discomfort now due to her reckless want of something to happen? In the silence that followed The Whisperer would just wait there, wondering if they should leave Aurora be and go to the water with their Soul.

 But then something amazing happened.

 Their friend would venture forward with a paw as if testing the ripples of the water. Whisperer would lift their head, eyes on their companion hopefully. Was this it? Was this their admission that they would try the water out? They would eye their friend, noting the discomfort.

 They didn't like that at all.

 Gently, tenderly, when Aurora's other foot would touch the water, The Whisperer would extend their head to gently nose the other's leg in a comforting gesture. Then their tongue would rasp out to add on another layer of said comfort and encouragement, if allowed. Then, they would inch backwards to give the other more room to venture out into the cooling waters in the beautiful golden morning. Beams of light illuminated Aurora from behind, turning their coat into a ray of sunshine.

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Baby steps, baby steps, she kept thinking. A mid-surge of energy then spurred her on as the encouragement of her friend was received with open arms. Her breathing was a little more rapid now, whilst she dug both outstretched paws in the water, anchoring them and then pulling herself along the floor. Her body now slowly getting deeper and wetter, dragging herself into the water. All but her tail now was in the pond. She let out a series of whimpers, the horror that unfolded before her as the well-kept fur was completely and utterly doused with the, certainly, unhygienic water.
She readied herself again, with long back legs the only part of her physique stabilized; and gave one last push into the water, propelling forward so that she was… swimming? She was swimming!
Whining again, with very mixed emotions, she was elated she was managing to swim but at the same it, it was so cold.
She daren't speak, in case she muddled her movement up and sunk below air level. She just kept kicking on, with no sense of direction at all. She would just hope her brave friend was close by to aid her.

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 Slowly but surely Aurora would come further into the water. The Whisperer would wait, never rushing, never wavering. The wolf was a mountain of patience and would never try to impose or rush things to make the other feel uncomfortable. Or more uncomfortable with the water.

 As more of the pale wolf would become immersed in the water, Whisperer would move towards the side of their companion to offer a flank in case they would need it.

 With one final push, their companion was completely in the water. The Whisperer let out a happy woof and wagged their tail as they swam next to their companion. There for moral and physical support, if needed.

 Sensing their companion's elation, the snake's head would pop up as they glided through the water. The creature was on the other side of Aurora with one eye casually on their friend. With two sets of eyes watching the canine it was unlikely that anything would slip through and allow their friend to fall under.

 The Body would let out a few hisses and chatters to the snake and then the snake would say, "You are doing well... Thank you for joining usss here." In such a wonderful pastime that they enjoyed.

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Each paw would rotate in the water repeatedly, somehow managing to keep herself moving and more importantly, her head above the water's level. She wasn’t too savvy in which direction to go, and she thought she was about to entangle herself in the hands of some weeds as they brushed her flank, but the familiar vocals were of which the coils belonged to; giving her confidence and the mild panic subsided. The longer the balletic female ungracefully paddled, the more she began to master the art of swimming.

She found herself able to swivel towards her friend(s) and smiled at them in delayed response, after some minutes of her trying to stay afloat.
‘Gosh, it's quite technical, is it not? I think I’m getting the hang of it!’, and with that said, she sunk her head beneath the water, kicking on toward the Body of her companion and aimed lightly and playfully, a nip at a floating paw, if she was successful and they hadn’t moved in time, that is.

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 They would allow her the silence, not wanting to distract further from her learning how to navigate the deep blues of the water. The Whisperer would focus on keeping both flanks covered to make sure that their compassionate friend did not fall victim to the waters around them. As they swam alongside the pale maiden, they noticed the gentle brushes to their legs and scales of the tiny fish that inhabited the pond. Or perhaps it was tadpoles, either way it did not matter. The life that swam in this place had every right to be here enjoying the solitude and peace.

 Their friend would finally swivel around towards them, gaining some confidence in their ability. Whisperer would smile back, happy to see things were coming along nicely. "Soon it will become sssecond nature..." The snake reassured in that whispering hiss as Aurora dunked under.

 For a fear-stricken moment, The Whisperer thought that they'd grown tired and had started to drown but then they realized that it was simply a jest as their friend's fangs nipped at their paw. The Body would let out a surprised --but amused-- squeak before turning and rasping out a laugh at Aurora. However, there was a mischievous light in the wolf's eyes as they took off after their friend in an attempt to nip at their tail. The snake would circle them, keeping an eye on Aurora --just in case-- while The Body frolicked with them.

---

+1 Discovery Points

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There was definitely a sense of freedom in this serenity, a sense of letting go. More so letting go of the fear of tainting her pretty fur with blemishes of dirty water. But here the balletic girl had nose-dived to play chase with her friend, receiving a taste of her own medicine as they caught her tail very quickly. She spiraled right after and aimed for the waters' surface to refill her lungs, kicking madly to get there.
When she gasped and giggled after she broke the surface, she bobbed around to find her friend, both body and soul.
Aurora allowed herself to indulge in the freedom a little longer, as she waited for them to join her. And if they did, she would paddle rather unrhythmic to the side of the pond, sighing as she looked at her companion. A wide smile adorning her sweet lips said it all, ‘Thank you for that…You’re both, body and soul, brilliant swimmers. I never knew'.
She glanced around them, feeling so full of wondrous joy at the little haven they’d found. ‘We shall definitely come again, and you can teach me to swim longer. I can already feel my muscles aching from my lack of strength in the water’.
Though the gracious girl was blessed with nimble long legs to run for days on end, she wasn’t sure if they would aid her in swimming, but perhaps her friend could give her some laps and lessons.

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 What a wonderful feeling it was! Swimming about in the water with someone who was near and dear to her heart. The wolf would follow the graceful wolf to the surface of the water and then would spend the rest of the time just enjoying themselves with their friend. Both of them were as happy as they could be... When was the last time they'd felt so? Surely before their mate had perished at the paws of their pack. Ah, but such things could not be dwelt on now. The past should stay in the past, the present was here and now with Aurora.

 The wolf would smile back at her while the snake would enunciate their thoughts after a brief exchange of words. "There are things we are good at..." It was difficult to detect in the serpentine hiss but there was a hint of amusement there. "Is isss a promise. You will swim as gracefully as usss before long..." The snake hissed. More time in the water would be beneficial to their friend's muscles and beneficial to the pair's mood overall.

 They would head towards the shore, ready to leave with their friend so that they may continue the day curled up in their den. Then when night arose, they would continue all over again.

 Nothing made The Whisperer more happy than this.

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There was a mild overall feeling of alleviation as she exited the water. Shaking off all the excess droplets as much as she could as she listened to her companion, a smile adorning her lips as she grasped at the fleck of humor within their words.
‘You excel at many things’, and this was true. Their hunting had become more fine-tuned since the first day they met, and their herb searching was becoming another skill acquired as they both became more familiar with their new abode.
Aurora slinked over to them and gave a head butt of appreciation to their kind words, along their neck, before moving away, over to the kill she’d left at the side of the pond.
‘I’m starving now. Shall we go enjoy these back at home?’, referring to the two hares they’d hunted only an hour prior.
She bent down and grasped at the meal before turning to her friend and waiting for them to do the same and then heading off in direction of their den.
Lots of refreshing thoughts passed Auroras' mind as she silently walked back to their home, of the unusual feeling of the water, of the fact they just found another lovely little spot in their quaint forest.

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exit

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 The wolf would smile at their companion, warmed by the show of affection as they too would move to collect their own kill. It was time to move out deeper into the territory where their den lay. "Let'sss..." The snake hissed from around their companion's neck. Mouth and heart full, they would follow Aurora back towards their home. The sunlight filtered through the branching leaves of the trees, warming both snake and wolf as they moved along the flowered trails.

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+1 Discovery Points

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