[Takk]

Prompt 1

Aranea was out for a hunt; a demon hunt to be specific. It was only her third hunt as a rogue knight trying to make coin for a horse so she could travel west. The bitter nature of China had worn her down, especially having her name shamed across the country. She was lucky enough to get paid for her work, but she didn't complain. Making her way through the bamboo forest, her ears flicked at every sound as she tracked her beast.
It was said to be a bear like creator, twice the size of a normal panda rampaging through the hill side and injuring wild animals and kalons alike. Red eyes and fur as black as night, she had a feeling it was a demon summoned by loss or bad spirit towards another. No matter, all demons were the same. Drive her lance through it's heart, when she found it, and banish it back to the underworld. The heart was always in a different place which was the hard part, but she found out quickly.
Almost after three hours of walking on this windswept plateau, there was a roar nearby and she broke into a run. It wasn't the normal roar of a tiger, but it echoed in a demented, dark way that only demons did. Bursting into a clearing, she noted the bamboo in this area had been cut, reaching only about her ankles in height. It appeared to be chewed, the ends jagged and uneven. Aranea wasn't distracted long as a rush of wind came from behind her, followed by a harsh blow to the back. She tumbled forward, struggling not to fall to her knees, pulls out her lance and twists around to face her enemy.
A large panda for sure, it's eyes burning red but there was something off about this demon. It seemed more like a black shadow cloaked around it, the being itself hidden underneath.
Shaking off the silly thought, she rushed forward meeting it's long, sloth like claws with the sharp sound of metal against metal. Her tail whips around, her spiked armor cutting through it's lower leg. It howled in pain and the strangest thing followed... Golden blood. Where it stained the green grass, small flowers began to groom. Aranea froze for a moment, having not seen anything like it before. This was no demon at all...
Leaping back suddenly as it lashed towards her, she knew she couldn't kill it with her demon slaying lance. This wasn't just any demon, it was corrupted nature spirit, an animal of luck and good fortune. It shouldn't be killed, it needed to be at peace with whatever was bothering it. It attacked again, it's claws swinging heavily and missing each time as the slender kalon jumped back and forth unable to simply will it away.
"What has angered you good spirit?" She demands, but it continues to try and attack her. The bamboo in this area had been destroyed but bamboo was this lands fruit for many animals... If it wanted to help another, it was ignoring her help. A small idea came to her head, a picture in a book she saw. An offering to the gods with a prayer? Leaping a good distance away, she quickly digs through her bag and pulls out an acorn, something she'd collected in her past hunts to remind her of the land.
Getting to her knees, she lay her front paws on the ground with the acorn between her paws and dips her head down. "Please spirit... I have acted out of fear and see now you're in pain. Take my offering and please tell me how I can help you..." It's paws stopped before her, those red eyes burning down on her before it roared loud enough Aranea had to fold her ears back. However, it didn't attack. It growled at her, it's dark shadow fading slightly as it turns around and begins to stomp away. Leaving the acorn, Aranea stands and begins to calmly follow the spirit. Rather than kill what she thought to be a demon, she instead had to find the source of it's suffering.

[trans]

❝ tell about a time your kalon had to use a creative solution to solve a problem. ❞
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[ 🌼 ] it is not often that the power goes out in penelope's home, after all, the town rarely gets thunderstorms, and even when they do, they rarely cause the power to go out, even the worst of storms. and yet... that is exactly what happened one year on halloween, when all the lights in the neighborhood went out after a particularly loud boom and crash. with just a glance out of one of the windows in the living room, penelope could tell the whole neighborhood's lights were knocked out, and likely would be for awhile.

"how are we gonna trick-or-treating now?!" mavis asked, clearly distraught, and though her sisters said nothing, penelope could tell when her daughters were worried. she would love to reassure them more than 'i'll come up with something.' but truthfully, she wasnt quite sure how to do that just yet. yet, however, was the key word in that sentence.

it didnt take long for the optimistic kalon to think of a plan, and she immediately headed upstairs towards the attic, an idea fresh in her mind. her family only looked at her in confusion, but she wanted it to be a surprise, and so said nothing as she sped up the steps. once found, she pulled the ladder to the attic down and climbed up into the small room. she immediately began pulling out boxes, searching through each one with an attentiveness akin to those studying for their finals. however, it was as if the thing she was looking for was nowhere to be found. surely they still had it, right?...

just as she thought this, she noticed a small box she had yet to pull out, and ducked under a diagonal beam overhead to crouch low and pull the small box from underneath an old dresser. opening it up, she was happy to find what she was looking for; glow stick necklaces and bracelets. she carefully put the individual boxes back inside and took the whole box in her arms, making her way out of the attic and back down the stairs. settings them down on the nearest end table, she carefully pulled the small boxes back out, and began handing them out. as the other kalons in the room began removing the packages around the glow stick jewelry, their faces became considerably lighter and relaxed. mavis, amaretto, and priya were very eager to put them on, setting their flashlights down (cassidy must have given them out) to put on quite a few bracelets and a necklace each.

the rest of the night went quite well, in penelope's books. her daughters and wife had fun on halloween, and although it was dark, they had the light of several a few glowsticks and flashlights to light their way through the neighborhood. others seemed to have the same idea, as they passed several kalon families who glowed brighter than a lighthouse on a clear day before disappearing into the foggy darkness beyond their range of light. when they finally went home, the girls had managed to all get almost 3/4th's of their bags filled with candy, and were already sorting through them to trade or give away what candy they didnt want.

overall? a very good night indeed, penelope thought, as she stirred sugar into the warm cup of tea in her hands.

[skywalker,]

ＰＲＯＭＰＴ ＯＮＥ ！
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Kalons used ;; Rosemary and Nikolai
They'll be described as anthros in this story !
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Lanterns shone brightly in the darkening streets, red banners and streamers everywhere, making the plaza seem warm and welcoming. The buzz of the other kalons walking around the market purchasing silks, fabrics, cards, candles and sweets filled the air, and Rosemary smiled happily, her blue eyes reflecting the light of the lanterns. Her paw was wrapped warmly around her boyfriend, Nikolai's, paw. He looked nervous, glancing around at the other kalons laughing around him and exchanging gifts. Rosemary looked up at him after feeling his paw tighten around her own, and feeling him pull her a little closer to himself. She frowned slightly at his anxious attitude "Are you okay, Niko?" She whispered, and he quickly looked down at her, his four green eyes blinking in hidden panic, "I'm perfectly fine, R-Rose", He muttered, his deep voice cracking slightly. Of course, Rosemary thought, he was scared of the crowd.

Guilt suddenly welled up in Rosemary's stomach. She had asked him to come to this event, knowing full well he was terrified of public places and what people would think of him, and even though she had seen the reluctance in his eyes she had gotten him to agree. She flattened her ears slightly, feeling Nikolai jump a bit beside her as children ran by him laughing joyously with red streamers in the paws. She didn't like seeing her beloved so tense, when he was usually so calm and collected. She thought quickly, before an idea snapped into her mind, "Come with me, Nikos, I wanna show you something", she hummed, and he nodded hesitantly. He was trying hard to contain his fear, and she felt her heart clench. She pulled him along the lantern filled streets, and as the market and it's noise started to die down, Nikolai started relaxing a bit. Rosemary smiled up at him as she pulled him along, and he watched her, his four ears twitching slightly, "Where are we going Rose? We're leaving the market."

She just laughing happily towards him, "I know! We're almost there, promise", She said, and walked with him down a path with lush green grass blowing beside them on either side, dragonflies floating about above it, blinking and twinkling with joy. Then soon reached a cliff that overlooked the ocean, the waves crashing down on the rocks below and sending some sea-spray up on the ledge they were standing upon, the wind having picked up a bit. Rosemary soon turned and grasped both Nikolai's paws in her own, spinning around with him, "I'm sorry I dragged you to the market, Nikolai. I know you don't like crowds but I still made you go. I remembered seeing this so I decided it would be the perfect place for a little date", She said, and Nikolai watched her, before splitting into a toothy grin.

"Thank you, Rosemary. It's beautiful here", He hummed, pulling her into a hug. Rosemary giggled, and they sat down in the grass, fireflies winking around them as they sat in each others embrace. Rosemary glanced at Nikolai to see him staring up at the stars, the sound of the ocean and the blowing wind in their ears and ruffling their fur. Nikolai looked so happy... Rosemary smiled, and leaned her head on Nikolai's shoulder. She felt happiness bubble inside of her at her partners content face, and knew she wouldn't want to be anywhere on earth but here.

[Sandstorm814]

Tell about a time your kalon had to use a creative solution to solve a problem.

Kalon used: Melody

Melody gazed at the river ahead of her. Of course. One of the constants in this recurring dream, she was forced to cross it. Sometimes there was a raft or canoe nearby. This was not one of those time. The river was far to dangerous to cross by swimming, which she had learned from experience from an attempt where she had leapt in. It didn't end well, and she woke up moments before going down a harrowing waterfall. She sighed, wondering what sort of scheme she should come up with this time. Last time she was without a boat she had walked around till she found an old dead tree, and she used it as a makeshift bridge to get across when she moved it. Melody sat down on the riverbank, pondering a more creative and entertaining method. It was then she came up with the idea of making a raft out of the mound of fruits conveniently placed by the tree. The worst thing that could happen to Melody was waking up if it failed. She built the raft using pineapples and watermelons, tied together by some rope that was also conveniently placed by the tree. Melody never grew tired of the irony in the placing of valuable objects at convenient places in this dream. She placed the thing that hardly resembled something that could float, out on the water. Miraculously, it didn't sink. Melody jumped on the boat, squashing a pineapple underneath her paws, in the process, and couldn't stop laughing as the raft drifted toward the other side. Really anything was possible in dreams, it seemed. That was before the raft abruptly faced the reality of the situation, and promptly sunk, taking Melody with it. She struggled underwater for a short time, before waking up in a cold sweat back in her bed.

word count: 306

[Unleashed Squiid]

Prompt 1:

When he felt his foot slip, the first thing in Ember’s mind was not to grab onto his sister but it happened anyways out of instinct, perhaps. Luckily though, Glim was a quicker thinker than him, so she whipped out her fishing rod and used it like a grappling hook.

[.paris.]

lunar new year

[prompt 1] | [caroline] | [.paris.]
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xxxxxcaroline had always been good at science. it was never a question. her science teachers in grade school constantly praised her, her professors in college always encouraged her to change her major to their branch of science, publishers always clamored for her work. she basked in the green limelight and never got enough of it. she ached to solve the puzzles, to know the unknowable, to be the best in any field she could. she balanced equations with ease and took hard problems head-on. she loved a challenge.

xxxxx however, the most difficult problem for her to solve had surprisingly little to do with science at all. it actually was an ethical dilemma, a moral question that she never expected to have to deal with: a question of what to do about her little white mice.

xxxxx caroline never had a real problem with eating meat. she didn't really care to conform to other people's beliefs; she'd gladly order a filet on a date and not bat an eye. however, her mother growing up was vegetarian, and occasionally, those beliefs would permeate her world view and confuse her. most notably, when she had to look at living things. she'd look into their eyes and they'd become less of bundles of molecules to her and more living, breathing things. she'd eventually have to look away and she'd spend a week in crisis mode until it finally slipped her mind.

xxxxx because of this, as much as she loved biology, she tended to avoid working with live animals, because the protocol for them was, typically, to euthanize them afterwards due to the nature of her facility's research. however, there was a time when she was forced to work with white mice to develop a new cancer drug, and, ever ready for a challenge, she accepted the project.

xxxxx she went into the lab hesitantly, and at first, she tried her best to ignore the mice by prepping the syringes and labeling charts. however, of course, she eventually had to confront the tiny elephants in the room, and so, she walked over to the cage where they were housed.

xxxxxmost of them looked up at her when she approached, tiny whiskers twitching in nervous apprehension. they blinked rapidly and scuttled around, but caroline couldn't help but think they were cute.

xxxxx not cute, caroline. just subjects. you have work to do. she scolded herself gently, and grabbed the first mouse to test.

xxxxx she went through the tests rather quickly, almost rushing just to get them out of her hands. however, she soon became distracted by the mice when she realized that the drug was, for all intents and purposes, actually working. the numbers were lining up and she couldn't believe it.

xxxxx her spirits wre momentarily crushed, though, when she realized she now had many infected mice that she had to euthanize. they didn't seem any different externally; they were bouncing around and squeaking in their cage but caroline knew they were infected with radiation that would eventually kill them.

xxxxx she felt silly for even hesitating. most of her colleagues would euthanize them and be done with it, but for whatever reason she couldn't bring herself to do it. they were too zesty, too full of life, and she just couldn't do it. part of her wanted to smuggle them home, but she knew that wouldn't work, either; her dog would eat them and the radiation could make her sick anyways after prolonged exposure. it seemed the only option was to euthanize them.

xxxxx and then, like all good scientists, she had an idea.

xxxxx for the next week, caroline traveled to every cancer hospital she could to gift a pet mouse to a cancer patient. seeing their faces light up with delight when presented with a mouse they could love, and one that had gone through the same treatment as them, was so worth the strange looks from her collegues. she knew it was a temporary fix, but the happy faces on both the patients and the mice was well worth the ridicule.

xxxxxshe saved lives for a living, she knew that--she just didn't realize until then that it meant all lives. mice included.

[spirit • daydream]

Mina - Private Detective

Mina had lost her culprit. She didn't know how it happened, though she blames herself for leaving her partner in the middle of everything. She thought she could handle it. The next day came and she hadn't wanted to go to work. She got up and quickly raced to work anyway only to find her office door slightly open. She could have sworn that she closed it the day before. She slowly reached down to her hip on impulse only to realize she forgot her weapon. She opened the door more and looked into the room slowly, but she had seen nothing. Slowly opening the door she walked around the room searching if anyone was there as quietly as she could. Then her door opened wide and she jumped, turning around to see who it was. She saw her partner standing there with an unsmiling look on their face.
"You left. You lost." He crossed his arms in disappointment and Mina nodded sadly.
"Sorry....I didn't think I needed backup." To that she heard him scoff.
"You didn't think. That's all. Next time, you bring me. Automatically. No questions." Mina nodded slowly in agreement as he left. She sat down at her desk and noticed a small sheet of paper. She opened it and all that read was;


"You lost me.
You lose, but if you want a chance.
Come find me.
You know where I mean. ; )

P.S. - I have people who will see if you bring someone. Don't make everything harder for you."

Mina growled and reread the note over and over again. She quickly got up. Strapped on her weapon and grabbed her jacket. She stopped mid flight realizing that she couldn't bring her partner. She cursed under her breath and thought as quickly as she could and grinned once again. After a few seconds she had left in a rush and raced to her car. She bumped into her partner and voiced a small "sorry" and raced hurriedly away.

She walked down the piers quickly as she held her weapon in front of her just in case. She heard laughing and tensed as she listened closer.
"You came. I love looking at your face. Did you know that?" He appeared. The scoundrel who got away.
"Just come back to the office with me and everything will be better." She hissed through her clenched teeth. She wanted to bring him in so badly. He had made a fool of her and she hated it.
"Ah ah ah," he teased, "You may take me after we play a little game." Mina rolled her eyes. As if she was going to play a game with someone like him.
"Alright here are the rules. Catch me and I go with you. You give up, I get to go, free of charge. I want to see you struggle." He grinned and she winced knowing that she most likely couldn't catch him. She was about to say no until she saw his face. He was some crazy person who wouldn't take no for an answer. So sadly she nodded for the deal to start.

It had been almost 2 hours of running and she still couldn't get him. He had been jumping from shadows to scare her and it was making her nerves jump. She knew she couldn't handle this much longer and she slumped her shoulders as she walked around slowly. Listening to his echoing laughter. She saw movement and once again she was in pursuit. His body raced swiftly as she stumbled after him breathing heavily. Suddenly they came onto a pier and he suddenly stopped as she tripped.
"Oh, do you give up?" He grinned as his almost joker laugh pierced her ears. She growled a "no" and tried standing up.
"You really should take a break." She heard a voice from behind her and she looked up to see her torturer's face get angry. She turned and saw her partner who grinned and winked down at her. She smiled and pulled herself up with his help. She had started to bleed from the scraped knee and from her hands because of her fall.
"Well, that was exciting. So, now that you are caught you will come with us." Her partner held her up to make sure she didn't fall and hurt herself again. Mina was so tired that she could have passed out then and there.
"What are you talking about? You are over there, while I am free to run in any direction I want to!" With that he raced away from them and Mina tried to follow.
"Nope, you stay here and watch." She was held in place as multiple car lights came on and surrounded the runner. He was shocked that was all she could see.
"What? Does that mean?" Mina looked up and saw her partner laugh.
"Yep, got your note. Kind of hard to figure it out at first as I didn't know why you would have given me scribbles. Showed it to the rest of the guys and they understood immediately."

Mina had run into her partner and whispered a "sorry" and quickly left. however, not before slipping a note into his pocket. The note read;


"- . . . . . . - . - - .XXXX. - - . - - - . - . . . . . . - . .
XXXXXXX↓
- . . - - - - . - . - . - . . ."

He had no idea what the scribbles had meant so decided to throw it away. However he felt that they were important somehow so decided to ask someone else. Immediately they knew what was going on.

"So, Morse Code huh?"
Mina only shrugged, "I have loved the idea of Morse Code ever since I was little. My note was the only way I could have thought of without getting caught. I'm glad that someone was able to understand it."
"Well, that was pretty interesting. I don't know if I would have done that." Her partner laughed and helped walk her to the group of cars.
"Next time, stick to your detective stuff. Don't bring the guy in, just tell someone who can bring him in. Geez, some day you will get hurt because of that." Mina smiled.
"That's why I have you." Her partner punched her softly as they walked past the angry man.
"I told you! You were being watched! How did you! I will figure out how to get you back! Ahhh!" He was shoved into the police car and they quickly drove off. Mina smiled and finally relaxed as she stepped into the car.
"So....you hungry? Because I know I am!" Mina laughed as she spoke to her partner as they quickly sped away from the docks.



"- . . . . . . - . - - .XXXX. - - . - - - . - . . . . . . - . .
XXXXXXX↓
- . . - - - - . - . - . - . . ."

"Being watched.
XXXXXXX↓
Docks.


This makes no sense, but whatever. I'm tired rip.
EDIT: APH Siantia --> For Finding Post

removed toyhouse links

[Madziu]

Prompt One
Tell about a time your Kalon had to use a creative solution to solve a problem.
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Arunika and the sick kids.


"But mother!" One complained loudly between coughing.
"They taste disgusting!" Complained another voice, just as loudly.

Rika sighed as she slowly mixed the herbs at her desk, trying to concentrate on getting the doses right. The last thing she needed was to add too much lavender and really knock her kids out. She stopped for a moment and stared at the vial before shaking her head. As tempting as it was she just couldn't bring herself to do that. Rika pulled out two spoons and holding the mixture in her other paw, made her way back over to the two little ones sick in bed.

"I know it doesn't taste good, but you need to have some. It will help soothe your throat and help you sleep..." She said to them while thinking, /And me!/

"No! It's yucky and I don't want it!" Artemis shouted before pulling the covers up over her head, coughing while at it.

Erin shook her head and did the same. "I-I'm feeling better, I don't want it anymore."

The pink Kal gripped the bowl tightly and took in a few deep breaths. "Well...if you don't take it, then you can forget about coming with me to the castle anymore. The last thing we need is for you to pass on your sickness to the prince."

"But Mother! You promised you'd take us!" Both of them poked their heads out from under the covers in disbelief. "That isn't fair!" They shouted in unison.

"Well, then you'll have to take your medicine." She scooped some up with a spoon and held it out.

Both the kits stared at the spoon for what seemed like an eternity. "No." And back under the covers they went.

Rika sighed out of frustration. What was she going to do with these two? It's been well over a week and their coughs just kept getting worse. The irritation was starting to build up. With other kits the parents just forced them to open their mouths and that was it. She couldn't do that with these two. Not when it was two against one. Slowly she made it back to her workstation and set the bowl down and rested her head on the table. It was certainly going to be a long night again. If only...she could make it taste better without ruining the properties of the plants.

"Lemon balm...they always ate my entire supply of it!" Rika sat up and rummaged through her plants to find a few leaves left. "Hm." Slowly she set the leaves down and soaked them in the medicine. She hoped the sweetness of the plants would mask the taste of the medicine enough that they would eat it. Adding in a few more leaves she had managed to mix in the rest of the medicine and dried it up before making it back out to the girls.

"Alright dears. How about some of this instead?" She asked and handed them each a plate with some of the leaves.

"Is this?" Artemis took one and started to eat it. "Mmm.." Erin quickly followed suit and soon enough the leaves were gone from the plate.

Of course, Rike never told them about it. Though she was happy that she was finally able to get a good nights rest in a while.

[Kyar]

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Kyar - Prompt 1 - Endeavor - 445 words

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Footsteps echoed against the cold marble, the ancient stone of a familiar temple. Home.

Endeavor turned to the horizon, to the setting sun, watching as the rays that cast bright flashes of white and yellow across the pillars turned to pink, orange, red. And slowly, the glistening star disappeared below the horizon, the faint stretch of light billowing and fading into the night sky.

It was quiet here. His mother, his father, both gone into town for the rare occasion of spending an evening together. The young kalon was to spend the night alone.

Familiar walls turned ghostly in the isolated shadows. Bursts of wind curled through the empty halls, whistling and moaning as tree branches in the surrounding forest creaked, rustled. It was terribly, violently, lonesome.

Endeavor turned, the faint light of his halo an ever-leading beacon through the shadowed halls. He hadn't turned up a single lantern. He could. His father had shown him how. But he didn't.

He climbed, very carefully, to the top of the staircase that led to the roof. He waited, closing his eyes for a few moments, letting the darkness find him. His heart stirred, and he stepped outside.

Empty. Once again, the rooftop was empty. He remembered a day, so long ago now, when the whole family—not just his mother, his father, himself, but his sisters, his brother—all of them—stood together here, on this rooftop. He watched them take off, one by one, their last gift, their amulet, tucked against their fur. It had been so long. So long.

Endeavor cleared his throat. "Hello," he called out to the stars. They glistened back like daybreak was just around the corner. There were so many stars.

He settled into the same nook, the same worn bit of stonework, that he always had, every night he was alone at the temple. "How are you?" he asked, his paw running carefully over the amulet around his own neck. "I wish I knew where you were."

He had to wonder. Did his siblings ever hear him?

A paw raised, and he traced their images, the images he'd always found in the sky. He connected with the tip of his toes, the dots of light, somewhere out there, that could piece together the faces of his lost siblings. He wondered what they looked like now. But even as he said it, each night, it seemed, the heavens would change. Just a little. And he watched them grow up, even if it was from afar.

"I miss you," he called into the night air, closing his eyes as the wind whispered back the stories of the siblings in the sky.

octopus

[master of spaz]

Glendetta - Prompt 1 - master of spaz

When I was 15, and my experience limited, I was taken to Florence, Italy. Being from the small town I was, Florence, the cultural hub of arts and architecture, the metropolitan city of dreams, left me in wonder. My excitement was uncontainable, and I spent the many weeks on land looking out as the landscape changed, and nights turned to days. The trip remained amicable most of the journey, and my party learned to enjoy itself, stopping every so often in no particular order or hurry and consideration to the weather. O'er hills, and 'cross rivers, they sang, and we went and it was many merry days over the terrain.

It was then, one morning, only a few miles away from destination, did we come across our first misfortune. As we rattled on loudly, there was a sudden snap, and the wheels on our cart suddenly gave in. All four crushed down itself, and the horses reared up in sudden alarm. Our band was sent flying back, and all our wares tumbled out.

We were forced to send a man out on horse, hoping to reach the closest tavern and borrow more horses for us all to ride to Florence. Unfortunately for us, this task would certainly take hours if not an entire day.

I was left with the dilemma of proper sleeping arrangements. Now that all our provisions had been broken, and the tents were torn to bits, we had no proper accommodation to sleep, warm and away from danger. It was then, in either sheer desperation or fear of the wild animals that would surely maul us in our sleep, that I noticed the only wares we had left that were not completely destroyed, were many large barrels of rum we had brought with us.

I emptied out the alcohol, and filled every wet, damp barrel with dusty blankets, and our party was ordered into each a barrel, which we connected together by rope, one by one, which was then put to drift softly on the water so we could sleep in peace, away from the woodland animals and whatever else roamed.

Only twice that night did anyone flip into the water.