Big Salmon Lake A thousand years

He ducked too slowly away from the splash, ending up with water dripping down his face. Raindrop was pleased with herself, of course — and, truthfully, Valiant couldn't complain. He made a few half-hearted snaps at her as she pranced, but his tail flicked through the water in quiet mirth.

"We might've scared 'em all off," he pointed out, looking speculatively through the muck they'd stirred up. "Let's move down the shore a ways. I'll be good this time."

He winked at her before turning and sloshing toward shore, heaving himself up a slight embankment with the added weight of his absorbent pelt.

"Y'know, your girl reminds me a lot of you," he told her, pausing to pull the fishing hide over his shoulders for transportation. "She stares out at the water just like that. 'Cept when she's done she's always got somethin' smart to say. 'Do you think fish get cold in the winter?' or, 'How do the birds know which way to fly for winter?'"

Valiant had been able to answer some of her questions, but the majority had been thought experiments that carried them through days and days of travel. The girl sure had a lot on her mind — and, though Valiant admired her for it, he was glad for a bit of a break.