My chest naturally puffed out a bit at his continued compliment, knowing it to be genuine and not something simply to appease me. That was something I could always count on from Haziel - he was never disingenuous with me. Or at least, not with his words. It was his actions that sometimes confused me. But today he was here, with me, commending my skills and concerned about my wellbeing. So I chose to focus on that as much as possible; after all, it didn't seem that his sister had tagged along with him today. It was just us.

He accepted my offer for a portion of the kill, but my head cocked slightly to the side at his words. Lack of assistance? I hadn't been leaving him parcels of meat lately, assuming that Nahal's closeness to him meant that she was filling that void. But if she wasn't....had she left again? Inwardly I was a bit abashed that my tail began to wave back and forth at the possibility. Nahal was his family, I shouldn't be pleased that she was gone. Then again, my family had scattered to the four winds long ago, and none of us had ever been as unnaturally close as he and his sister seemed to be. My thoughts were refocused when he mentioned the pups, though, and I snapped back to the present.

"It's a fairly large male, there should be more than enough here to feed the mothers, pups, and more." I lifted a paw, placing it on the carcass and pulling at it slightly to get a better look at the size of him. I would be happy just to eat a few of the choice innards - the hunter's reward - and forgo taking any large pieces of the kill if it meant that Haziel would be well off for a while. Letting the carcass roll back to its resting point, considered severing a haunch and bringing it to him. Yet the overwhelming desire to make myself more presentable had not abated, and I glanced towards the sea, then up at the sky. The storms had abated to allow for a successful hunt, maybe they would stay at bay long enough for Haziel and I to enjoy more than just a shared meal.

Looking back to Haziel, my ears pricked forward and I stepped around the capybara's body to draw me a hair closer to him. "I was going to wash off before bringing the meat to the mothers' dens - would you care to join me for a swim?" Back when we had first bonded, he had become comfortable with being in close contact with me so that I could guide him when necessary. We hadn't been that close in years now, but I hoped he would still trust me enough to guide him into the water and ensure his safety in the foreign world of the sea. While I knew he could swim, I was also aware that he had little sense of direction without familiar soil beneath his paws. If he would let me, I would gladly take up the role of his guide once more.

I waited for his response, turning towards the shore and waiting for him to come alongside me before moving into the water. It lapped around my toes, and I pressed forward, always ensuring Haziel was okay before fording deeper into the water until it lapped up over my back and I could no longer stand. Blood seeped from my fur into the water as I paddled out, trying to keep myself close to Haziel so that he would not lose his sense of my presence.