Greatwater Lake i always thought i would sink so i never swam

@Astrid :)

After her strange run ins with a couple of males in the area Maera was quite ready to leave Neverwinter Forest behind. She headed out her small dug out den leaving the place as well as a now whitered dandelion behind. It was time to move.
Where to?
Didn't really matter.

Finally after what seemed to be an endless trek (maybe even a whole night), Maera found herself staring at her reflection in the surface of a lake. She watched the silhouette of her own nose contort and the hazel of her eyes melt onto her cheeks before jumping into the water.

Maera had never been much of a swimmer, she knew the basics. 
She knew how to stay afloat.
During her time with the Solstice, a pack -or rather group or rouges- she had learned to love to ocean. This was no ocean but it was what she had for now. Since she had arrived again to the Teekon Wilds she had not headed for the coast, in fact, with every day's travel she kept getting herself deeper and deeper into the heart of the Wilds.

[table width=80%][tr][td]It were high levels of stress that got the nimble Nyx back upon her traveling feet again - a nagging feeling that seemed to gnaw on her thoughts, ripping away her usual logical solutions to most problems. She did not know what had sparked it; barely wondered what in the name of Mephala had caused such a drastic, undeniable change in her thinking patterns. Perhaps horrors had finally caught up to her and now they made her pay for every wrong thing she had ever done. But, in her mind, it was all Nemesis - the woman whom had shamelessly claimed her as her daughter and had disowned her all the same. She blamed her genes - blamed that the twisted and wrong way of thinking was a product of the madness that came with being the child of a being so cruel - so malicious, that it made winter come faster.

The lake was often her place to escape to; it was her sanctuary in a way, since she had learned so much from carefully observing the night from that lake. It often acted as a mirror, the Night Mother flaunting her beauty from above or wherever she may be in her own reflection. And, of course, seeing the stars dance upon the ripples of the water was very beautiful too. Nyx crossed the blood-marked borders, breathing in the unfamiliar scents of the outside world with an expression that lacked emotion of any kind. Still, she was amused, strangely enough. A day for herself with not her mother nor any other member of the brotherhood there to claim her thoughts and vessel.

But, upon arriving there, an unfamiliar form had disrupted the smooth surface of the water - something that both intrigued and angered the young, beautiful woman. She scoffed soundlessly, pulling a face that, in turn, moved the constellations of her midnight-sky colouration and decoration. She inched closer to the lake, dipping her muzzle in the cool liquid to lap up some for herself. When she pulled her head back, the water dripped down her foxy muzzle and she caught some droplets with her salmon tongue. It was then that she stepped in the water, staying near the shore so only her tired feet were to get truly wet.[/tr][/td][/table]

Maera's feet were also getting tired.
The first couple of loops had been fun, but now, as she kept paddling she felt the muscles on her thighs getting heavier and her kicks slower. Then her tail began to sink, only her head remained above water with her nose pointed upwards as she tried to figure out which way to swim next. 

Finally, after a couple of seconds of simply floating, the fiery Sveijarn began to make her way back onto dry land. Quickly her feet reached something solid, with the water still at the height of her knees she stopped to give herself an energetic shake. Despite getting rid of a lot of the water that clung to her, she still couldn't get rid of something:  the feeling someone was watching.

Hazel eyes then found their mark. A dark silhouette with strange eyes that stood with its feet also submerged and watched her as if waiting for something. Maera watched her silently, two can play the waiting game.

[table width=80%][tr][td]She observed - consciousness seemingly slipping betwixt the small ripples of water drifting her way from the swimming, fiery orb of nimble grace. She had not seen a pelt like hers before; one that carried the rich hues of a setting sun or a forest fire, nor had she deemed it possible. Pelts were to have the colour of soot and ashes or the hues of fresh snow - not the same hues sported by a magnificent rain of dead leafs. Upon closer inspection, Nyx noticed the shadowy trails coming from the eyes of the stranger - weird lines that intrigued the one with a foreign tongue. Eyes were the windows to the soul, Nyx found - as did many others -, and that the stranger's eyes produced such shadowy trails... Surely it could not be good?

When the walking flame returned to shore did Nyx freeze even more than before - knowing that her pelt of stars was soon to be discovered just as quick as she had discovered her. Still, the woman did not speak and neither did the disowned daughter. Instead, she wanted to prove herself to this stranger. And so, She walked farther into the water until her feet no longer touched the bottom of the lake. She sputtered and struggled to keep her frame afloat but it ultimately resulted in lots of limbs flailing about as a gurgle sound escaped Nyx. She had never swum before, and it showed really badly.[/tr][/td][/table]

lol im sorry she's just like whats going on??? she'd suck on baywatch lmao 

Silence.
It was all done in silence.
The arrival to the shore, Maera's second time shaking herself dry, her sitting down. The stranger's movements, her slow entrace into the water. Somehow, this impromtu silent staring contest had turned also into a 'let me top that' competition.  Maera watched patiently as the dark yearling waded further away from the shore, at first keeping herself well balanced and coordinated but slowly, showing some difficulties.

Surely she wouldn't have just walked into the water without knowing how to swim, right? Maera refused to yet break the silence. She continued to watch the other, her eyes attentively glued to the flailing body while she tried to figure out if her struggle was real or this was some sort of display. Was this dark creature even real? She did have really strange eyes.

"um... you alright?" she finally decided to call out.

[table width=80%][tr][td]

No worries ♥

One paw after another flailed underneath the surface of the water, kicking and sweeping as if her life depended on it. And, in a way, it probably did. Slowly, her form began turning as she started moving her four limbs as a squid - propelling her forward ever so slightly to where she could stand again. As a stressed out cat she hurried out the waters, not noticing that the stranger had called out to her. She coughed up some water and remained in the shallower part of the lake, dripping wet and panting. Her ears drooped down, embarrassed by what she had thought to be easy at first.

I command you show me how you did it. Nyx called out, breaking the silence that, for her, had stayed there until now.[/tr][/td][/table]

Still trying to figure out wether or not she had forgotten to wake up and this was really just a very strange dream Maera watched the dark coated female splash and dog-paddle her way back onto the shallow part of the lake, where (visibly tired) she turned to face Maera once more. 

Even through the stranger opened her mouth to break with the eerie silence and give Maera more solid proof that this wasn't a dream, the fiery Sveijarn was more entralled with her eyes. They were unlike any she had ever seen before. Maera blinked as she listened to her. 

She had never been adressed like this before either.
The enchantment she had quickly developed for the girl dwindled. "first, drop the tone"  she barked, her tail rasing over her back to hint she wasn't having it. The rebellious, defiant streak that had tinged the Sveijarn's adolescence hadn't died out despite the years, plus Maera hadn't trained herself as a warrior just out of boredom.  

"you have to try to coordinate the kicks from your front legs to the back - get a rythmn" she then began, her stance softening slightly as again, the mismatched colors of the stranger's eyes absorbed her.

Drop her tone? What tone? She was near royalty, a child spoiled with time to grow up all alone. She had deserved her authority even more than Damien, for she had just been born into a line of royal blood. If Nemesis were a true royal, she wouldn't have let her only child able to bear her more offspring to rot, and Kove... Kove was weird. Her speckled tail lifted, a stiff pole the highest she could carry it. You are but a mere loner. Nyx reasoned.

A talented one I admit, at this floating dance. She added after the normal, verbal information that had been given. It did Nyx good to know that not all teachers were like Miraak.

Maera had too gone through the phase of thinking of herself as royalty.
A fiery princess.
Of course, how could she not? She was the daughter of Njal and Tuwawi, the Alphas of Duskfire Glacier, a pack they had like her and her siblings, created from scratch. Maera, in her teenage narcissism was convinced she was the legitimate heir of the Glacier once her parents had up and left. Maera was convinced the world was hers until she found out she had nothing in her world.

It was then she had had to swallow her ego.
This girl still had things to swallow. 

As the female's tail rose and she spoke with self-entitlement, Maera's own tail rose too over her back in a display of also self-entitled authority over the younger wolf. "Loner by choice, are you ignorant by choice as well?" she spat back with a quirk of her brow. 

"Try it again" she then commanded, her voice firm but her hazel eyes holding a small glint of patience. She motioned towards the water with her snout in case the girl wasn't getting her hints, and with slow movements she too began to walk back into the water.

Nyx hadn't been born into a life of ease. In fact, she had fought her way to the top. Her position, while relatively low, was earned and to be respected. If the simple loner did not spot her authority, perhaps Nyx wouldn't even be willing to learn to swim anymore. It was a weird thing, after all, and the woods did not open their arms to new things. That's who they were. I am judgemental by choice. She corrected with a jerk of her head, nearly scoffing at how the other's tail went up and high just like hers.

Nyx shrugged, midnight coat still dripping, as she slid into the arms of the water yet again. When she got to the deep part, her legs started kicking rapidly again as she tried to keep her head out of the water.

The little correction the younger female gave fell into deaf ears, Maera knew better than to engage in such petty argument. Besides, the fact that she didn't have a pack didn't bother the Sveijarn. While the dark coated female might hold a pack rank, a mere label, over her Maera seemed to have something she didn't: swimming skills. Though that would soon change if everything went well.

Noting the girl was following her into the water, Maera began to paddle, keeping herself afloat and then coordinating her kickinhg so that she could turn to the girl once more. "c'mon" she woofed turning back again and wading into deeper parts of the lake, where her toes could no longer touch the bottom even if she straightened her legs out. 

With slight hesitation did Nyx follow the fiery woman into the deeper parts of the lake; to places she'd never imagine she could go. She could not help but feel like she was flying every time her feet left the bottom for a second or more. It was a strange, tingly sensation in her gut that was hard to ignore. Amazing how the water felt like air - did the other do this often? If Nyc had possessed the skill sooner, she wouldn't leave the water very much, she imagined. How do I stay afloat? She then asked, before she completely followed the older woman to places where she could not be saved by the ground.

Maera hadn't learned how to swim long after she had left the Glacier. She had been slightly older than the girl that now followed her into the water. And she too had once thought swimming was like flying - or at least what she imagined that would be like. "by coordinating your kicks, don't stop moving or you'll sink" she barked, her hind legs propelling her fort as she altered her direction with the movement of her front legs. 

She turned herself to face the girl, her face tranquil in comparison to the trashing of her paws below the surface. "where are you from?" she asked then. Surely this was not the most comfortable activity to start small talk, especially for the girl who might be too busy trying to keep herself from drowing to respond, but Maera asked anyways. 

With the slightest of gulps did she follow orders, staying close to where she could still stand. Soon, though, the ground gave way underneath her and she was forced to do as the woman had instructed. Kick after kick, struggling yet more elegantly so, she got into a rhythm that allowed her to not drown right away. She was confident then in her ability to go a little forward, and she pushed the water behind her - every strike of one of her speckled paws enough to inch her onward.

The question was barely heard since Nyx was fixated on her kicks, but somehow it arrived and a little later came the meaning. Forest - not far... She struggled to keep afloat and talk all the same, but somehow she managed to utter a few words.

i know this is ancient, but could astrid tell mae a little about BFW?
be crude and scare her lol i want her to know about the type of pack they are so she can be like OH HELL NAW and never go

With her own paws rythmically moving to a non existent beat, Maera continued to swim ahead of the dark coated girl, her tail sometimes splashing water behind her as she tried to use it as a propeller as well. Maera was no swimming expert but she could at least teach others to stay afloat. "huh.. nice" she barked as the girl responded, though Maera wanted to know where exactly. So far she'd heard of the Moonspire and the Vale, but for some reason, none of those seemed to be the type of pack this girl came from, besides neither were located in a forest.

Though curiosity peeked through Maera's hazel eyes, she decided against making more questions - or at least as long as they were in the water. So with silence settling back over them, only to be interrupted by the sound of splashing and flailing limbs, Maera continued to swim for a couple of minutes before deciding she wanted to feel something beneath her feet. So with a quick  u-turn, Maera began to make her way back to the shallow end of the lake, her body finding itself just inches from the girl as she passed her by.

Once her feet found solid ground to stand on the Sveijarn turned once more, her eyes searching for the girl who she hoped would be smart enough to follow before getting too tired. Because honestly, Maera did not want to be a lifeguard as well.

Nyx isn't the type to tell about her home and it would be really out of character for her to try to scare a possible teacher with facts about it XD

Whether flying was easier than swimming could not be decided by her; all she knew now was that she could swim, but not very well. She flailed and splashed more in a panicky rhythm that wasn't nearly as calm and peaceful as it should be. She tried to let the water carry her; to float gracefully as an otter, but every time she did a mouthful of water came and struggled its way into her lungs to be coughed up later. When her teacher decided she had had enough, she followed until she could finally stand again.

Out of breath, she stood panting for a moment, having never been this dripping wet before. Swim... - Swimming is a true... Work out. She panted jokingly.