A VERY Long Swim

Writers: Ames, Heather
Date Posted: 28th January 2014

Characters: Shilara, Famell
Description: Famell and Shilara go on a long swim together as the start of their little adventure.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 5, day 6 of Turn 7

Their plans had been delayed a day by the arrival of Thread, but now
that all was in order, Famell found himself awake while the sky was
still dark. He'd packed his wet bag and had the food for their journey
prepared.

Pulling the bag onto his back, he flexed his shoulder a bit. It had
been far too long since he'd taken a trip away from the Hall on his
own. It would be nice to swim through the seas with Tafa again. That,
too, had been lacking too much in recent days.

His thoughts drifted to another, and an easy smile lit up his face.
Shilara. She brought a joy into his spirit that he found rejuvenated
him and made him feel like a young lad once again.

As he made his way through the Hall the quiet seemed to settle around
him. Very few were up and about at this early candlemark. Just that
thought made him feel young once more. He hadn't taken on such a long
trip without a ship in quite some time. It would be exhilarating.

He made his way to the front entrance and down to the sands where he
knew Tafa would be waiting. He hoped Shilara and Keyla wouldn't be far
behind.

Far behind? Shilara was already down by the water's edge in her swim
suit that ran the full length of her body. She _did_ have the skimpy
bathing suit packed but it wasn't built for long swims in the water
like the one that they would be making. Her specialty in the dolphin
craft was rescue and salvaging so Shilara worked often on endurance
swimming. When she heard Keyla squeeing a greeting, Shilara turned and
caught the welcome sight of Famell's figuring coming down the beach.
Oh yes, this was going to be a good trip. Just the outline of the
man's trim body was enough to send a delicious shudder down Shilara's
spine.

"Good morning." She called.

He grinned. She looked rather stunning in the tight fitting suit she
was wearing. He couldn't help but take a few moments to admire her
figure.

"Morning," he answered as he approached. "You ready for a nice long
swim?" It would take them quite a few candlemarks to make it to the
island Tafa had wanted them to visit. Famell hadn't been out there
with her in quite some time. They had visited it a few times since
their arrival in the south.

He turned and tugged on a small object behind him. It was a collection
of small logs tied together. It wasn't large, but it was enough to
hold their packs up out of the water. "I've found it much easier to
make the swim without having to wear the packs," he commented. He
wished there was a better way to make a flotation device than the
raft, but so far most of their experiments and tests had not proven to
withstand long trips or be able to be used for more than one trip
without sinking. He'd crafted this little raft to have slight sides to
help hold their belongings in without sliding off.

"Normally Tafa and I take turns wearing the rope, but with the four of
us it should mean we'll each have less time to drag the raft behind
us," Famell commented.

"That should be fine. I am use to dragging around a life preserver and
first aid supplies during rescues and salvaging." Shilara said, her
water proof pack still hanging from her shoulder. She knew from
experience that it was easier to get past the breakers before putting
the items in the raft, otherwise they would all just end up dumped out
anyway. "Keyla is very excited about this swim. She and I haven't been
out for an endurance swim that didn't involve a rescue in a long
time."

"Alright then, let's go. The sooner we get started the sooner we will
arrive," Famell noted the slight light that was just beginning to
appear in the sky overhead. The waves were much calmer at the moment,
another reason they had opted to get an early start.

Pulling his pack on and slinging the raft's rope tightly around his
waist, he began to wade in the water. Tafa was waiting for them in the
deeper part just beyond the spot they were standing. "Ready?" He
asked, looking over to Shilara as he started to make his way out to
the waiting dolphins.

Chill bumps spread across Shilara's body as they entered the water but
she knew that they would disappear once her body became acclimated to
the different temperature. By most standards the water around Dolphin
Cove was warm, far warmer than the Northern waters. "I'm ready." She
answered back with a smile.

The were soon out into the deep water, swimming beside the dolphins,
using the dolphins for support when they needed a rest or some extra
speed. It was a long journey to the island. About half way Famell
raised his hand to halt the group. Holding onto Tafa's fin he balanced
himself in the water and turned to Shilara and Keyla. "You doing
okay?" Truth be told, he needed the break. He yanked on the small rope
that held the raft and pulled it close to him. Digging in his bag, he
pulled out two bars from a front pocket. "Need a quick energy snack?"
The bars were specially made at the Hall to provide a lot of needed
nutrition in a quick punch to keep the dolphineers going during long
treks.

Shilara turned her head and spewed out some water that had gotten in
during their trek. She was slightly winded, but her body still felt in
good shape. "That would be great." The dolphineer tread water with one
arm while taking the snack bar from Famell with the other. Hooking her
arm around Keyla's dorsal fin, she allowed her body to float and rest
while she blinked up at the brilliant blue sky, "Perfect day for a
long swim."

"Oh, aye, it is," Famell replied with a smile. "You are a strong
swimmer Shilara. I must admit, I'm rather out of shape when it comes
to lengthy swims like this. Too much time behind a desk since becoming
Hallmaster it seems." He shook his head and made a vow that he would
have to get out for some longer swims more frequently. He surely
didn't want to lose his skills and abilities simply because he got
lost in a pile of hidework.

"Oh, I will help you get back into shape, sir." Shilara winked before
taking the rope and raft from Famell and securing it to her waist.
Keyla squeed, happy to be moving again, as Shilara turned her head
down and began the long, smooth strokes that would take them closer to
their destination.

~*~

Now Shilara's lungs were beginning to pound, she could feel the
pounding even in her temples as she stopped and looped an arm over
Keyla, her breath coming much more labored, "Almost there." She said
with relief as she caught sight of the island. They would only have to
do a bit more hard swimming before they would be close enough to shore
for the tide to pull them in.

Famell was pretty nearly spent by the time the island came into view.
He intended to flop down on the warm sands and simply rest once they
arrived.

"Almost there, Tafa. You can show me your special find after I rest,"
he murmured to the dolphin who had been supporting him more and more
as the journey continued.

"We can do it," he called to them all as together he and Tafa pushed
forward. It wasn't much longer before he felt the pull of the tide.
Tafa squeed with delight at the change. She left Famell's side so as
not to get herself beached on the sands. Now the work was easier. He
allowed the waves to propel him forward, farther, faster.

Finally, they nearly pushed him onto the shores of the island. Famell
didn't even try to stand. Instead he basically crawled out of the
water onto the sand with a sigh of relief. Turning he looked for
Shilara whom he knew would be washing up with him.

Shilara left Keyla out in the deeper waters and once she had swam in
to where the breakers were she stretched her arms forward, forming an
arrow with them as she bowed her head and let the breakers rocket her
up onto the shore. Riding the wave in, she put her hands down once the
rough sand began to scrape beneath her knees. Crawling up on all fours
beside of Famell, she panted and squinted at him through the sunlight,
water dripping from her hair, "Perhaps we should exercise better
before doing this swim again." She grinned.

Famell burst out laughing at her words, which only made his sides hurt
worse. "Perhaps," was his only reply. He lifted an arm up as a gesture
for her to simply lay with him on the shore while they both recovered
from the long swim.

Shilara complied, collapsing onto the sand beside of the Hallmaster,
her chest rising and falling rapidly as she blinked up into the clear
sky, now just beginning to turn a soft shade of violet as the sun
began its descent. They would need to make camp soon, and Shilara was
fairly certain there was only one tent. She smiled.

Last updated on the February 1st 2014

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A VERY Long Swim