The Wounds We Heal

Chapter seventeen: Making A Splash

"So what was it like down there?" Rocky wondered, sprawling out on his towel, while the other pups all found one of their own to spread out for themselves.

"Wet, pretty, and we found a cave with gems in it!" Snowflake replied. She finished getting her scuba gear off, then kept drying her fur.

"How many were there?" Chase wondered, sounding more curious than anything. "Was this all you found?"

"No.. there were loads more than this.." Zuma replied with a shrug. "But we only wanted a little bit.. cause.. our little walrus friend was nice enough to let us in on his little secret hiding place."

"Well, at least you were considerate,.." Chester mentioned flatly. "'Can't say the same for some of us.." he finished letting his shameful gaze fall to his right with the turning of his head and flattening of ears.

"Chester, we've been over this," Chase almost complained. "You know what Boomerang would say.."

"Yeah, yeah, 'leave your mistakes behind and keep your focus on what's ahead.'" Chester recited, as though he'd heard it way too many times. Chase's expression softened, and he came over to nuzzle into his brother sensing that he needed it.

"Woah, this almost never happens!" Marshall whispered, trying not to let Chase hear.

"I heard that." Chase said, trumping this hope.

Snowflake finished drying off before wrapping herself in the towel.

"Woah!" the husky pup said as she tripped, the blue towel landing on top of her.

"I'm okay!" Snowflake said before starting to get out. However, her paws had grabbed the corners of the towel by accident, pinning her within the soft material.

"What?" Snowflake said as she tried to get up but couldn't. She groaned as she tried to free her paws, flailing about on her belly as she did so. This was not what she expected.

"Heh, Heh, Heh! Diving back in?.." Zuma chuckled.. "On the beach?"

"I tripped! Now I'm stuck!- Wait, diving back in? What are you talking about?" Snowflake retorted, confused by Zuma's comment.

"You look like you're splashing around in a small pool." The water pup smirked. "But on dry land!"

"Odd. Wait a minute..." Snowflake said before thinking about what Zuma had described.

Suddenly, she had an idea, and it could work in more ways than one.

"Zuma, once we're dry, do you want to do something else?" the husky pup asked kindly. She was starting to get free of the blue towel.

"Like what?" The chocolate lab wondered curiously.

"Air swimming. When you're ready, we can head back to the Lookout, and I'll show you," Snowflake responded.

"Sweet!" Zuma cheered, remaining on his belly. "I'm totally in!"

"I'm all in for that!" Rocky smiled, as the three pups began to pretend-paddle. "Haha, this is one kind of swimming I can handle.. other than swimming with Merpups."

The other pups laid down as well.. all becoming increasingly enticed by their three friends to join in.

Soon nearly all of them were fake swimming upon the blue towels, which they'd all set out for themselves in the light of the sunny, sandy beach.

Chase hesitated, but finally decided to join them. But it only took a couple difficult strokes to twinge his shoulder ever so slightly into getting up again.