Muddy River — The Shape of Dreams

Swing and miss. His paw swished through the water but somehow Enya had evaded him again, only to emerge from the surface and give a little shake. She may have been wondering what sort of future they had, but Caedwyn was fully in the moment with her. His grin softened into a more gentle smile as he looked back to her, wondering if she had seen his leg slapping at her beneath the water or if it was merely chance that she had avoided him. He wasn't left wondering for long, as she lunged at him with a splash and her legs wrapped around his neck. He stepped back as the momentum of her weight pushed him in the water. He steadied himself as she spoke. Her words were teasing and his smile widened once again as she made fun of his grooming efforts. "I'm going to have to teach you how to properly groom your Queen." Oh really? his mind responded, despite only a chuckle and an amused expression coming out in response. That sounded like an interesting idea. He seemed to be doing all the work. It might be nice to have Enya show him how it's done. He had half a mind to tell her that but she continued, elaborating about the amount of work that went into keeping her scales looking their best. "Oh really?" he said encouragingly. "Or!" His words stopped when she spoke and pulled away. She had him hooked. He leaned in closer as she continued. "You were trying to get me to groom you! Oh, you sly dog." He couldn't contain his grin any longer. That was exactly what he was thinking. His jaws parted, letting out a guttural laugh and his eyes shut for a moment in enjoyment. Whether she meant it as a joke or not, it was true - and that was what made it all the more hilarious to Caedwyn. The water around him splashed with his laughter, so much so that he hadn't really noticed Enya's motions. He didn't notice her jaws part or her tongue emerge. It wasn't until the wet length of her snaked-tongue drug across his face that he realized. His eyes snapped open and his head flicked back over to her, laughter coming to a shocked halt. He blinked a few times as he stared at her in pleased, over-exaggerated surprise. He tried to hold a serious face as she exclaimed that they were evenly groomed, but his lip quivered again with laughter, turning into a grin before he started to laugh once more. His lips pushed together as he tried to choke down the laughter. "Oh, yes, what a fine groomer you are," he teased in return. "You've caught me. It was my dream, from when I was a wee young pup, to learn your secret ways of grooming." As he spoke, his voice became exaggerated as though enacting a dramatic proclamation. "Now I retire these old bones without regret." His eyes flicked over to her as he paused to look for a reaction from her before letting out a few more laughs. All that laughter was making him out of breath. He let out a pleased sigh and shifted his weight, moving his legs to carry them both through the water back toward the bank. As he moved, his eyes kept looking to her. He could feel her magic flow around them, through them. Pulling at that energy, he willed the water to move up from the surface into many tiny orbs and droplets. They sparkled under the moonlight, like little crystal tears rising above the water. He pulled at the droplets with his energy to land gently all over her pelt, brushing through her fur to carry the water and muck away from her (hopefully). His laughter had quieted as he looked at her with a more somber expression while he willed the water to groom her. "There, see," he spoke softly. "I just needed one of your lessons to help me out." He smiled again and gave a little wink, incapable of holding a serious moment too long. He let out another relaxed sigh and spoke again. "Now that my Queen is all cleaned up, perhaps she'd enjoy some food?" --- ooc. He's using mimic to borrow her water ability. If fail feel free to say something else happens. Also when he 'carries' her while he's walking, I assumed she still had her legs wrapped around his neck. Feel free to say she lets go or anything if doesn't want to be carried. Speech.