Now that summer had truly come, the waters of the cove were becoming... palatable. They were not nearly as warm and inviting as the tropical beach the Armada had once made home, but they were as warm this time of year as you could find in the north. The perfect time to teach the young pups the basics of water and to allow them to play and splash with a keen supervising eye.  To further help the temperature, she waited until the sun was high in the sky to seek out a willing participant. As Sirius had tended to lately, she chose the puppy at random. Pacing back and forth along the Col, Zee kept eyes peeled until she came across the first young one. Intercepting the pup's walk and offering them an opportunity for one-on-one bonding. "Want to go for a swim?" She invited them with a smile, leading them out around the mountain base until they reached the shore. "It might be cold at first, but you'll get used to it, I promise." "Speech"

I'LL BE SINGING "WE ARE FREE"- BUT WON'T YOU PROMISE ME; Meandering about the territory was surprisingly entertaining, there was always something to do or something to see! Today was no different, and the sun was warming his fluffy back as he toddled about on his pudgy little legs. He was still working on getting the sticks to cooperate with him, and every time he came across a real good one he would busy himself with carrying it around until he found the best spot to work on chewing it into a sharpened point. He was plodding about in search of just such a spot when his mother intercepted with a plot in mind. He stared balefully up at her as she invited him for a swim, which was way more exciting than stick chewing! He released his prize in his excitement, and was quick to go ambling after his mama until he caught up alongside her. The pair skirted around the base of the mountain, and the boy took a moment to look between his paws and his mothers as they walked. She moved a lot more gracefully than he did, even though, by all accounts, they had the same feet. Same colour, though hers were a bit bigger than his. As the beach reared up before them, the golden prince was prancing along beside his mother with excitement. She assured him that while the water was going to be cold, he would get used to it. "Okay mama," he said breathlessly, unable to contain his excitement for much longer than it would take to get the words out. Without further ado, the boy was off like a bullet from a gun- tearing down the beach with great zeal. Giggling and shrieking with delight, he plowed into the gentle waves of low tide without a single thought of the cold that was greeting him. He was up to his belly in the frigid ocean before it set in. Cold! Really cold! So cold! Oh no he just peed a little. Don't tell mama, she doesn't have to know. "Mama! Mama it's really cold!" he screeched with a mixture of shock and delight, unable to lose the earlier excitement even in the face of the freezing northern sea. "Is all water so... c-cold?" he shouted as he toddled one slow step after another, deeper into the water. Once he felt the next wave lift him, just a little, the giddiness was back in full force. Thrusting his little blonde chin over the surface, he splashed parallel to the shore in a goofy mixture of awkward swimming and good old fashioned splashing. "Come on mamaaaaaaa!" he cried, and then immediately inhaled the briny water he was trying to conquer. Now it was time to stop the splashing, and start on some spluttering instead. Ew! Why was this water so icky?! Icky gross! THAT WE WON'T EVER FORGET WHAT THAT MEANS? "speech"