Aquatics 101

Knowing his daughter's enthusiasm to do any sort of activity with her old man, Maverick did not anticipate it would take long for Rebel to make her way over to the lake to join him. Sure enough, after only a handful of minutes had passed, Mav heard the rustle of nearby brush, followed by the emerging of his little Mini Me coming to a skidding halt before him. An amused, playful smirk spread across the father's lips. Though still very much a puppy, Rebel and her brothers were growing like weeds, and already it was obvious that the lanky, leggy child would grow to be a tall woman someday, much like her mother and no doubt just as beautiful as well. She did have both of their good looks, after all! "Hello, Trouble!" he greeted his daughter in turn, leaning down to nose and nuzzle at her forehead with a wide smile. She asked if he had been swimming and Maverick chuckled as he replied, "Guilty as charged. Believe it or not, your dad actually loves swimming when the water isn't covered in ice!"

Maverick was glad to see the excitement and eagerness shining bright in Rebel's amethyst eyes as she quickly put two and two together and realized why he had called her here. A knowing grin replaced the smile on the wily brute's lips as he glanced back towards the glistening surface of the calm lake, then looked back down to his daughter. "You wanna learn how to swim, Rebbie?" he asked her, already knowing what her answer would be. It was no secret that Rebel had been keen to learn ever since she had first been introduced to the lake. The winter had made it impossible for such lessons to occur then, but now that the summer heat was in full swelter, now was the perfect time to learn. Gesturing with a tip of his head towards the lake, Maverick led Rebel down into the shallow water, wading his way in until the water would come up to Rebel's elbows, halfway up her legs. "Swimming isn't very hard to learn. You just need to get the motions down pat, and then it's all a matter of muscle strength and managing your buoyancy against the current," he explained, wading in a bit deeper than her until the water touched his belly, a depth where Rebel would need to begin to paddle. "Calm waters like this are easier to manage than a river or the ocean, so it's good to practice here until you feel confident and strong enough to try more challenging areas."

With the basics introduced to her, Maverick waved a paw for Rebel to follow him in deeper. "As you go deeper, you'll feel the water begin to sort of lift you. That's your body trying to keep afloat. Don't fight it, relax yourself and let your weight go, then start kicking your legs like you're running in the water in smooth strides. Don't be afraid, I'll be right here to make sure you're okay, sweetie." Mav stood by and watched, observing Rebel's first foray into the water to make sure she didn't lose control or sink. They could go at this as long as she wanted until she got the hang of it.

WC: 548
Total: 1337 / 1500

"Maverick"