Blue dipped a cautious toe into the swirling water, withdrew her foot, then simply hopped over the bank, landing shoulder deep in the dark depths with a sparkling little laugh. Then she was gone, darting beneath the surface and cutting a swift line towards the other shore, some twenty or so yards away. She didn't come up for air until she reached it, blowing out her breath and throwing back her dripping hair.

The current in their swimming pool was flowing, but not too strongly; very little silt was present in the mostly clear water. There were several very surprised perch and bream in the pool, skitting away from the new threat to hide beneath submerged rocks and fallen trees. Blue spied two or three turtles, also disappearing into crags along the shore here and there.

But that didn't bother her in the slightest; she simply swam and cavorted as she liked, splishing and splashing with almost childlike abandon. The moon was half-full, shedding more than enough light for raptor eyes to see by, and the entire world was filled with silver light and the sounds of the night and the river, rolling on past.