Thorn had followed the castle wall, heading in the direction that would match where his room was inside.  The view from their bedroom had the ocean.  The water was an impressive sight from the window but now he would soon see it without the window stopping him from getting any closer.  

The scent of salt grew stronger as he neared it and eventually there it was.  Thorn ran to the water's edge, an excited grin stretched taught across his face.  Slowly he neared it, finally putting a foot in the water, little bits of gravel under his feet.  The water was moving as he had seen it move in the castle but the waves didn’t seem overly angry today.  It was amazing though, watching as each wave came close and pulled back.  Thorn stepped in a tiny bit more but still, little more than his paws ever got covered in the water.  The boy could feel how the water tried to pull back what it touched.  Did it get stronger the farther he went in?  With how he’d seen the waves from the window Thorn imagined they might be pretty strong if he kept going.

"Thorn Carpathius"

Bowen had watched Thorn creep from the castle. Curious as to what the young pup could possibly be up to, she followed like the dutiful aunt that she was. Bowen had been more than a little surprised at just how quickly she'd become attached to her brother's children. She'd never seen herself as a puppy person. However, she fell in love with every single one of them instantly and was determined to be the best aunt that she could possibly be to them.

Viridian eyes watched as Thorn stepped out into the water, tentative, but curious. The cream and copper fae came up beside the black and blue boy, not trying to hide her pawsteps as they crunched in the sand. "Interested in the ocean, are you?" She could weave tales of the ocean for ages if that would interest him. "The ocean is a pretty thing, but you have to be careful. It's very dangerous. You have to learn the currents, the tides. That knowledge could save your life some day. It's saved my own a time or two." With a smile, the small woman leaned in and placed a little kiss upon her nephews head. Such a darling boy.

"Speech"

Thorn turned his head as he heard the steps.  His small tail swished back and forth seeing his aunt bo, bits of sand being kicked up as it got disturbed. “Aunt Bo, hi!” Glancing from her back to the waves and again back at her.  “I use to watch it from the window in the morning.  Especially when the waves got really white on top and moved faster.  Seems like it must go on forever.”

So it was dangerous! “It feels like the water wants to pull you into it.  I mean, not all that strong right here though.  So you know all about currents and tides?  How big is it?”  His mind backtracked to her knowledge having saved her life.  That meant her life had been at risk! “What happened?  How’d it save your life?  Were there any enemies involved or was the water really that dangerous?”

Stories were certainly a thing that could entice the boy, at least if it involved dangers to overcome. He wanted to see the world and be a mighty warrior someday.  She might have stories that would suit his imagination perfectly.  

"Carpathius Family"

The boy was clearly excited at the idea of his aunt being in danger and Bowen chuckled at the expression on his face. Instantly Thorn launched into questioning her and Bo sunk down in the sank on her belly, close enough to the water that the lapping waves would touch her toes with each undulation. "I used to sail the ocean on a great ship," she informed the boy, pulling him in close with one paw so that he was near her. "Once, during a great storm, our mast, that's this thing," With one toe, Bowen drew a ship in the sand and drew the tall pole to which the sail held fast. "It snapped and we were stranded. We didn't have supplies to fix it, so I had to take a smaller vessel and find land."

Bowen motioned to the water before them. "The water is much, much deeper than you can imagine. Much deeper than a wolf could ever dream of diving." Deep and dark and colder than ice. She'd touched that cold once and never wanted to do so again. "Deep waters are dangerous. The currents can pull you under, spin you about and you never know which way is up. Always be careful with water, sweet boy." Bo placed a kiss to Thorn's crown. "When you get a bit bigger and stronger, I'll teach you all about it. You have to be strong to be on the water safely."

"Speech"

Bowen certainly had a captive audience watching her as she lay down.  Thorn wasn’t going to miss anything she had to say.  Storytime apparently was going to come with being pulled in to lay with his aunt.  Happy to stick close for a story anyway Thorn shifted to push his back up against her side, squirming a bit until he was sure she had become a good plushy brace for his back.  

Aunt Bowen had actually been out on the sea instead of just watching it from the shore. His eyes shifted from her face to the sand, watching her paw draw out the lines of a ship.  The image of the ship itself was wonderful but then he learned long straight structure was called a mast.  His brow furrowed taking in all the information.  “So the mast is what makes the ship go forward?” After that she got a smaller one and went to find land.  How big had the first one been, and the second?  The word ‘we’ was also part of it Thorn realized a moment later.  His mind tried to sort out where to begin on questions.

Still, the questions waited as Bowen continued on, speaking of how deep it got.  Diving underwater? Woah, that sounded like a great idea.  Thorn couldn’t imagine spinning about underwater and he was fairly certain he didn’t want to understand it.  The boy’s tail paused at points as he soaked in details but then it what swat back and forth, thumping against Bowen’s coat.  The information ended with a kiss and a promise to teach him more when he got older.  That meant it was question time!  There were so many though to choose from.

“So, who were you with when you went on the ship? Was it others in the pack?  How big were the two ships?  You actually swim under the water?  What sort of stuff is under the water?” Uh, there were other questions but he should stop for answers and try to remember each question that seemed to bring about others. “When can we go swimming?  How big do I gotta be for us to do that?”

"Thorn Carpathius"

Thorn was enraptured by Bowen's tale. Even if he had tried to hide his expression, his tail wouldn't be able to lie. The pups tail whipped back and forth furiously as his aunt told him of the sea and ships and the dangers of the world. She knew that he would have a million questions and, when the time came, he launched right into them.

The black and blue child spewed several questions at once and Bowen laughed aloud, her green eyes lifting as she smiled down at him. "Well, sweet boy, it takes many paws to make a ship sail smoothly. The wolves that work together on a ship are called a crew. And no, they weren't from our pack. I was alone then." She wouldn't get into that part. No one else needed to know those details.

Thorn then questioned about two ships and Bowen shook her head. "Each ship should have a small boat or two in case of emergencies. It was one of the little boats that I took. We might have one around here somewhere. I'll have to show you sometime." Bowen thought she remembered seeing a small, wooden vessel at some point, but she could be mistaken. Either way, she could acquire a boat easily. "As for what's under the water," she began, pulling the pup close against her once more while directing his gaze out over the rolling waves, "There are fish and giant sea creatures longer than ships. There is long lost treasure under the water. There is beauty and there is danger. The sea is many things." Then, as she expected, he asked when they could start swimming. "We could start right now, but we'll start in a pond first rather than the ocean. Much easier to learn that way. "

"Speech"