Gyrfalcon's Keep Don't sneak up on a danger noodle

She could hear the sounds of him moving more than just walking forward; multi-tasking, she assumed, ears twitching a little with curiosity. Or maybe she was mistaken? His comment about her name was met with an absent-minded nod, though she froze briefly a moment later. That wasn't really an issue, though, she reassured herself. Being literally blind to just who she was following was a little nerve-wracking, but there were few among those searching for her who actually knew her nickname, so it was only a moment before she was following him.

And then tripping over her feet a little when he called it 'cute.' No one had ever called her cute before, or at least not since she'd grown into her paws. Not that she looked like she had at the moment, righting herself easily enough but imagining the whole thing with a lot more of the mental flailing she felt. It wasn't that weird, though, right? Right. This whole situation was totally normal.

She knew she was really out of sorts when she didn't even notice the sound of waves until Priest started instructing her. She perked up and nodded, turning toward the sound and stepping slowly and carefully toward it until she felt her paws get wet. She could feel the waves against her forelegs, and ducked her head down until it was submerged. She wasn't precisely familiar with the process of rinsing her eyes, but shaking her head beneath the water seemed a simple enough method. She didn't open them until she'd pulled her head up, and the burn immediately started up again before the water actually started dripping into her eyes, and she stuck her head back into the ocean.

She came up again blinking her eyes to clear them, and let out a low whine. I really should have expected it to hurt. And, lower under her breath, Get a grip, Essie. She was fine.

Everything was fine.