-

At last, Cougar's hooves struck sand, and he pulled himself up to a sand bar, shaking off his coat and waiting for Marble. The water brushed his underbelly with each wave, but he could at least stand and rest. He caught his breath while he waited for Marble to swim over, watching her intently.

-

"You alright?" He asked hesitantly in a concerned tone. He nosed her neck, trying to check on her. "Its just a little farther to shore.. Can you make it, or do we have to stay here for a bit?" He waited patiently for her to respond, his heart rate and gasps for breath starting to slow. He was patient, seeing how hard she was breathing.

-

"Of course." He said, dipping his head in a nod. He waited patiently for her to catch her breath, staring out at nothing in particular. The waves ebbed against him, but he stayed grounded, resisting their pull.

-

"Alright." Cougar said, starting to walk back into the water. It got deeper pretty quickly, and he dropped back into a swim. It wasn't long before his hooves found shallow ground again, the sand slowly sloped towards shore. He walked until he safely stood in the stand, looking back at Marble.

-

Cougar approached her and nuzzles her, happy that both of them had made it back safely. He moved away to shake himself off, before returning to her. He didn't know if she wanted to stay on the beach and regain strength or head back to their clearing. He didn't press her about it, knowing he'd already asked quite a few questions during their swim.