Row Left! No, Your Other Left! (Ana)

[Amos Freeman]

Amos squinted out at the lake, which was sparkling with nearly blinding mid-day sunlight. He wasn’t much of an outdoors person in his own body; he usually got most of his exploring done in the mind of other animals, and he wasn’t entirely convinced that this sort of activity was truly good for him. He scratched his lightly sunburnt nose gingerly and turned to Ana.

“Okay,” he said, trying to sound confident. “Um, which one looks best to you?” They were standing in front of a row of about four standard-issue aluminum canoes. They looked pretty much the same, but he felt like it was polite to ask, anyway.

He walked over to the modest wooden dock, picking at the edges of his criminally orange life vest as he went. It was squeezing his chest uncomfortably, but he figured it was better squished than sorry.

He didn’t know Ana very well yet, but she had joined the Environmental Awareness Club of her own free will, and Amos had been so touched by this act that he was determined to become friends with the 5th member of his fledgling association.

[Analeigh Monroe]

Ana stared with utter fear in her eyes at the sparkling water before her. She was petrified, ears flattened to her skull and tail flicking unnaturally, rigid and irritated. The retreat was a nice idea and she was glad that she kept her grades up, no matter how much she wished she could run from the school when she sneaked out those nights. Yet, she was terrified of how the public would react to her if she left, thus, Ana stayed.

After joining the Environmental Awareness Club, Amos seemed to be interested in making friends and Ana didn't have a problem with that, until he asked her to do this. She had tried her best to keep her fear of water under wraps but it was beginning to unravel for her.

Now, Ana stood here, looking at canoes with a large orange life vest strapped tightly to her chest. 'I'm gonna die...' she thought to herself as she began examining the wooden boats. They all looked the same to her but one seemed sturdier to the rest and she practically pounced on it. "This one!" She exclaimed. Her fingers clung desperately to the frame of the canoe and brought it over, letting its bottom sink into the water. The paddles were all inside and Ana looked at Amos, trying to hide the panic building.

'We're safe. We'll be inside a boat. The water can't get me...' She repeated this in her head continually until it was time to get into the canoe. She didn't trust it and her tail curled around her quickly. She bit at her bottom lip and looked up at Amos with large blue eyes. "You first..."

[Amos Freeman]

Amos gave his companion a nervous sideways glance; she didn’t look very eager, and to be honest, he wasn’t all that keen on his idea either. But they had walked all the way here, and he hadn’t put on this stupid vest for nothing.

“Yeah, that one looks good,” he obliged, clearing his throat and looking awkwardly at Ana. He grabbed the hull of the canoe, which bobbed uneasily, and he made a face before climbing into it.

“Um, I’ll steer, so I have to sit in the back,” he explained, relaying all the information he knew about canoes from reading and watching nature shows on television. “You can crawl over me and, um, sit in the front.”

His pale grey-green eyes met her round, nervous blue ones, and he offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. It was probably just awkward.

“It’s pretty roomy in here, actually, so… I mean, it’s not so bad. It just wobbles a bit.”

[Analeigh Monroe]

Ana walked him crawl into the canoe and she felt her heart skip a beat when it wobbled in return. Was it sturdy? Could it actually hold both of them? Would it capsize?! Ana swallowed hard, barely listening to what Amos was saying, though she heard it. Racking up all the courage she had inside of her, Ana gave a small nod before taking a reluctant step into the canoe. She felt it begin to move and she let out a startled squeak and practically launched herself to the front of the canoe so that it could remain balanced and not topple over.

Ana had her eyes squeezed shut and froze for a few moments as the boat began to settle. She could feel the waves hitting the side of the canoe and already, Ana felt slightly sick. She opened her eyes and looked at Amos, trying to give him her best smile though she knew it faltered.

"Alright.. Let's.. um... Row?" She said, taking hold of one of the paddles and gripping the handle with all of her strength. She dipped the end into the water and nearly cried when she felt the tug of the current pulling it. What if he got pulled in? No, it wasn't strong enough for that.

"Which.. way? Straight out?"

[Amos Freeman]

“Yeah,” Amos agreed, picking up the paddle awkwardly and giving it a test-swish through the water. The canoe gave a slight sideways twitch. He grimaced at the effort, sighing, then pulled the paddle to the other side and paddled that way, too. The tip of the boat straightened up.

“Um, yeah, it’s probably best if we get away from the shallow water, so…” he remembered instantly her fear of water, and regretted what he had said. “I mean, not that it gets that deep, probably,” he offered, trying to assuage any resulting fears. “But, yeah. Um, try paddling once on each side. We should go straight then.”

The canoe glided slowly but surely towards the center of the lake, and Amos heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d thought it was going to be.

“Which way would you like to go?” He called up to Ana. There was plenty of lake on either side of them, and both parts cut through a peaceful-looking grove of trees.

[Analeigh Monroe]

Ana was beginning to second guess herself. She wasn't so sure she wanted to do this anymore. Then again, she never wanted to do this in the first place. The only reason she did was because she the prospect of a friend was something she couldn't pass up. Ears flat to her skull, Ana gave a small stroke with the paddle at the same time Amos did. She stifled a screech as it moved sideways though somehow it straightened out. She turned to look at Amos who paddled on the other side.

"Not.. too deep?" Ana looked to the dock, judging how much effort it would take for her to leap off and land on it. The possibility was slim and she swallowed hard, turning her attention back to the canoe. As long as they both focused, they wouldn't topple into the water... right?

Ana nodded and began to paddle, once on each side. It was slow, but that was fine with her. She didn't want to go too fast in case anything were to happen. In fact, she much preferred this. It was actually kind of nice. The water was beautiful with the sun reflecting off of it.

When they reached the center, Ana looked out to her left and to her right. She wasn't sure which direction would be best but in the end pointed to her left. "Left alright with you?" She asked timidly.

[Amos Freeman]

Amos gave Ana a look that was half-apologetic and half-exasperated. He could have taken her bird-feeding, he thought to himself lightly. It might not have gone over great for the birds, but it would have taken place on land. He could have gone hiking, even though he couldn’t even walk half a mile without getting out of breath. Considering that he was generally well-known for his solid thoughts and his uncanny (and sometimes inconvenient) ability to be three steps ahead at all times, it chafed him a bit that he had come up with such a terrible idea.

There was very little noise apart from the gentle movement of paddles through water, the clink of wood hitting the side of the boat, and the occasional squeak from his companion. He squinted left and then nodded.

“Yeah, that looks good to me, too,” he replied, attempting to be as gentle and non-threatening as humanly possible. He heaved his paddle out of the water on his left and placed it on the right side instead. His arms were tired; they would probably be sore tomorrow, he noted with a hint of added grumpiness. He hadn’t exerted this much physical power in months.

He paddled to the right, and the back end of the boat choppily drifted a few feet at a time until they were facing left.

He pulled the paddle out of the water again, sweaty and short of breath. He attempted to lift it into the boat, but his arms didn’t fully cooperate, and his paddle made a loud, clattering sound against the side of the canoe as it toppled into the water and promptly began to sink.

He jerked a bit, taking some of the boat with him, but the water was murky and the paddle was already past his point of vision. He stared blankly into the lake. The lake stared back at him.

“Okay, um, don’t panic,” he called up to Ana. “Um… just… um….” His mind was racing in an attempt to compensate for his physical mishap. “Just… let me sit here and, um, think for a minute.”

He looked back at the shore, which was a startling way away (had they paddled that far?!). There was nobody in sight. It was still incredibly quiet, which was now more ominous than relaxing.

[Analeigh Monroe]

Ana nodded though she wasn't so sure that Amos could see it since he was concentrating on steering. She remained silent and tried to maintain her breathing. Everything seemed to be going alright. Nothing bad had happened and it was pretty out on the water. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Her muscles started to relax a bit and she leaned back slightly to admire the water and the trees.

It was the clatter of the paddle on the boat that caused her to snap out of the relaxation mode she had actually drifted in and a small, startled yowl escaped her quite similar to a surprised cat. She whipped around only to find herself clinging to the opposite end of the boat, screaming when Amos tried to go after the paddle.

"WHAT?! WHAT?!" In her own panic, she had let go of her wooden paddle and now it joined Amos' at the bottom of the lake.

Ana's tail began to twitch nervously and she found herself hyperventilating. Eyes scanned the shore (which seemed awfully far away from them) for anyone who could come and get them. No one.

"AMOS! Why did the paddles sink!? AMOS! The paddles were WOOD!! Why did they sink!? They're not supposed to sink! AMOS... AMOS!!!"

[Amos Freeman]

“Uh,” Amos offered, pondering this for a moment. Magical water? Magical paddles? Meta-human tomfoolery? Aliens? He wasn’t really sure. “I’m not really sure...”

He was trying to remain calm, but her shrieking and hyperventilating was contagious, and he found himself shaking lightly and trying to keep the blood in his head.

“Um,” he was getting desperate now; the current wasn’t very strong, but it was still enough to make them drift uneasily towards the covered part of the river. “I think we might have to…” he didn’t want to say it. He knew it was going to go over badly. But she was part canine, too, wasn’t she?

“Can you, um, doggy paddle?” He asked hopefully. Please don’t claw me to death, he prayed silently to no one.

[Analeigh Monroe]

Ana couldn't control the panic that was rising within her. The oars weren't supposed to sink like that! Then again, they felt rather heavy for paddles. What if they had been filled with lead or something similar to that?! What if they had been sabotaged?! Her thoughts began to create a plethora of scenarios of people trying to force her into the water. What if it was that trainer from before? The one who had forced her into the water, who had pushed her down, forcing her to breathe with non-functioning gills.

It was when he asked if she could doggie paddle that caused her to finally break down into sobs. "I c-can't! I.. I can't.. D-Don't make me.. P-Please..." She cried, trembling with fear. She was practically curled up in the corner of the canoe, shaking horribly. She wanted to scream for help, though she wasn't sure anyone could hear her... unless... she started howling. She could grab attention that way. Maybe then someone would come to save them.

Ana tried to calm herself, swallowing hard and trying to focus. There was an aching in her throat as her vocal cords began to change and soon, she sounded animal like. She let out small whimpers of fear before letting out a a panic filled howl that echoed over the lake. She bellowed out howl after howl until her throat began to ache.

Turning to look at Amos, her eyes looked hollow and filled with terror. There was no way she would get into the water unless she was forcibly put there. Even then, she would panic and would most likely be unable to swim.

[Amos Freeman]

“Okay, okay, um, you’re right, that’s a bad idea,” Amos said hurriedly, not sure if it was safe to reach out to her. “Um, please calm down. It’s alright. I’m not going to make you, um, get out of the boat. Just, um…” his words were drowned out by the girl’s earsplitting, forlorn howls. It sent a shiver down Amos’s spine.

“I’m sorry, please don’t, um…” cry? Amos thought to himself, rather perplexed. It was a weird time to attempt to be politically correct. “Okay, don’t worry. Just a second. Um.” He looked down at the lake, which was brown and cold, and he steeled himself.

“Okay, um, do me a favor and, uh, close your eyes, okay?” He peered over the edge of the canoe, sighed, and made an awkward sideways crawl into the water. The canoe jostled a bit as he left it, and he found himself floating oddly by his life vest.

“Oh wow that is cold, um, okay, you can open them now,” he breathed in a hurry, closing his eyes tightly and re-opening them as though he was trying to adjust to a very bright light.

“I’m going to, um, try to push.” He informed her, paddling around to the end of the boat. “Not over,” he said hurriedly, worried she might misunderstand him. “Just, like, gently. You know. To the dock. If I can steer well enough.”

[Analeigh Monroe]

It seemed her howling did absolutely nothing except receive a few howls from wolves hidden amongst the trees further out in the wilderness. Perhaps that was all the humans thought it was. She found herself sinking back into the canoe, staring at her lap where her shaky hands rested. They were stuck, nothing that either of them could do. Her ears sunk on her skull and she bit down on her lip. Ana was not liking this one bit.

It was when Amos spoke that she finally turned to listen. Why did he want her to do that? Either way, Ana nodded and squeezed her lids together. She didn't like the sudden darkness with the feeling of the current hitting the sides of the canoe. It made her feel sick to her stomach.

The jostling caused her eyes to shoot open and a violent hiss to escape her as she clung to the opposite side. Amos was now floating awkwardly in the water and Ana stared at him with a guilty look. If she could have just been calm and not afraid, they'd at least still have one paddle to use. She swallowed hard as he mentioned steering the boat and she looked around for something that she could use to help. Of course, their was nothing and she felt ashamed. Even reaching over the edge to use her hands as paddles risked her falling in.

"I-I'm sorry.." She managed to choke out.

[Amos Freeman]

“It’s not a big deal,” Amos assured her. “It’s, um, not that bad, really, so… I’ll just….”

It was a lie, but kind of a white lie, Amos justified to himself. There was no point in making her feel worse than she already felt – the girl was obviously petrified and this was all his fault anyway and there was no way he was ever getting in a canoe ever again.

He braced his thin, pale fingers on the edge of the canoe and gave as much of a push as he could muster. This resulted in the boat going jerkily, very slightly forward, and Amos drifting about two feet away. He paddled over to the boat again and repeated the motion.

“Slow going, I guess,” he panted, laughing. He wasn’t sure why he laughed; it wasn’t particularly funny, and he wasn’t exactly having fun. “Um, I’m really sorry too, by the way. This is all completely my fault.”

He pushed again. They were slowly getting nearer to the dock.

[Analeigh Monroe]

Ana felt horrible for making him do this. She could feel the debate inside of her on whether to jump out so that he didn't have to push her and then he could just swim for himself. She took deep breaths, grabbing her knees and bringing them tightly into her chest. What should she do? He was obviously lying. That was what pained her. She didn't want people to feel they had to lie to her.

Finally, Ana turned to face him. "S-Stop..." She said. She stood up a bit, balancing as best as she could. The tail helped with that though. She looked at the murky water and swallowed hard before inching closer to the edge. She gave Amos a small smile before letting out a squeal as she jumped into the water.

Panic immediately set in and her arms began to spread out as did her legs. She splashed frantically, but the pull of the life jacket brought her to the surface and she gulped down air as if she had been deprived of it most of her life. She managed to calm down quite a bit and looked at Amos with frightened eyes. "Whatever you do.. don't. touch. me." She hissed this, wet ears pushing back against her skull. She didn't mean to sound so angry, but the water scared her horribly and now that it seeped into her clothes and to her bones, she wanted to attack anything that was near her.

"Let's.. g-get out of h-here..." Her teeth chattered. The was was colder than she expected. Ana focused on her legs and felt the muscles tighten as she began to push forward, doggie paddling.