Sun Mote Copse the frumious bandersnatch!

When Sugar looked back at Bronco, it was just in time to watch him topple into the water. Honestly, the sight was hilarious. The little Blackthorn tittered, then spun and splashed over to him. He appeared fine, though he was coughing and spluttering as well as laughing. Thoughtlessly obeying a subconscious impulse, Sugar raised a foreleg and patted him gently on the back.

"Yer head's not on fire anymore," she informed him once his breathing was closer to normal. Sugar's lips twitched into a playful smirk. She swirled her feet in the cool shallows, which were a respite from the day's heat. She considered inviting her cousin to a splash fight next.

But then Elwood's voice rumbled from the nearby bank. "Hey, Suge, it's about time we head back." He turned his head toward Niamh and added conspiratorially, "It's N-A-P-T-I-M-E." He smirked in his paternal way and then climbed to his feet before looking expectantly at his daughter.