Swiftcurrent Creek We’re going to need a bigger boat

Just- earlier, She responded absent-minded to Akavir as she moved swiftly along the banks of the creek, searching for any sign that her boy may have emerged somewhere along its banks. The water was dark and deep, the stillness of its surface a hint of the strong current that pulled well below the surface. Today, She said, trying to be more helpful though she was so frantic that her thoughts were jumbled. 

When was the last time she’d seen him, and where?

I ‘ad all four of dem, I am sure of it. Dey were playing, an’ I call dem to say we be goin’ back to de den, an’ I counted dem, I counted four- until we settled in. Hadn’t they been further inland? It still remained possible that the boy had turned back for a drink after they’d set course for the den. 

Somewhere in the midst of it all, he’d slipped away. And whether he’d meandered along the riverbanks with clean feet or had been swept into the current, it was impossible to tell. 

We came ‘ere to get away from de water! She croaked, this time to Arlette, eyes welling with tears. She listened tearfully to Etienne’s advice and leaned heavily against him for support.