Stavanger Bay you’ll be in my heart

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Pleased with her eagerness, Szymon grinned down at his little tiger shark. “Not even I or your Uncle Skellige could take down some of the truly big fish,” he intoned with a chuckle. “Did you know there are fish bigger than the Stone Den you sleep in? We’ll have to see what the Sea provides for us today.” He led Julep to the tidepools nearby, peering down into them. “Be careful around here, small one,” he cautioned her. “Some of the rocks are slicker than others.” He motioned to his manner of walking — a bit gingerly, his weight settled on his hindquarters as he gauged the next step’s stability, rocking his weight forward onto his forequarters to place his hind legs. Naturally, Szymon normally walked a little quicker than this, but after Julep’s Drop he wanted to be extra careful that she took her time. The Sea’s kingdom was her birthright, and the young father believed she would regain her love for it in time.

“When I had my Drop,” he reminisced, “I was the same age as you are now, and your Uncle Skellige was the same age as I am now. I was smaller than all of my littermates, and everyone thought I would die — and I thought I would die — but I did not, because I fought.” He drew his tongue across his jowls as they walked, turning to face Julep with a serious expression. “You may always be small, Julep. Your mother is small and I am not a large wolf. You may have to fight twice as hard as a larger wolf, but you will always survive. The Sea has blessed you, but on top of that, your mother and I are fierce fighters.” He nuzzled her cheek with the wet of his nose.

Then Szymon turned to a nearby pool. “What do you see in there?”

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