As she had started to pull on him, Heath had done something funny. He was making a game out of the whole thing. At first, he stood still, her eager tugs on his arm not budging his strong form even an inch. Her plumed tail wagged even faster as she giggled at her mate's sarcastic question, "Yeah! Come on! Come on!" she replied, her petite form struggling against the weight of her mate to try and pull him towards the door. Then, shortly after her response he gave in, allowing his body to slouch in her direction, letting her pull him. His mock annoyance made her giggle, and when he joined her with laughter of his own, the sound tickled her ears. She loved hearing her mate audibly express his happiness. His laugh was one of the many things she absolutely adored about him.

As they made it outside, Ruri heard Heath whistle shortly after which he scooped her up in his arms. She couldn't help but squeal playfully, interlocking her hands behind his neck to help support herself in his arms, though she knew he was more than capable of carrying her light frame. Stark neared, and Ruri turned to face the sound of his hooves. "Hello Stark! Did you miss me?" she questioned playfully. The gentle, brute of a horse was always glad to see her, so it only made sense that he would be glad after not seeing her for two weeks. She couldn't wait for Heath to help her up onto the steed's back, then she could give him a proper greeting. For now, though, she simply enjoyed the feeling of her body against that of her mate as he carried her the short distance from their porch to where the stallion now stood. Though the day was more than half over, for Ruri it was just beginning. She and Heath still had lots to do, time to try and reclaim. One thing was for sure, by the time they were done they would be so tired that making it to their bed would be a chore.

Soft, alabaster hand felt the touch of the stallion's nose against it and immediately responded. She loved the feel of Stark's velvety, soft nose. That seemed to be his sweet spot, for he always relaxed whenever she pet him there. The blind collie was still grinning, ecstatic that her horse had been so excited to see her that he greeted her vocally. He didn't do that very often."That's a good boy, I'm happy to see you too," she whispered affectionately as she continued to run her fingers over the pale, dappled fur. Ever since she had learned to brush him, she was always paying attention to his fur. At the moment he felt clean, and the petite femme suspected that Heath had brushed him before coming back to the house. Of course he had. Why did she doubt it? She scolded herself inwardly for a moment only to be snapped out of her thoughts by Heath's strong hands clasping her waist and lifting her atop the horse. "Thank's darling! I don't think I could get on him by myself, without the steps anyway," she replied, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around Stark's muscular neck as she waited for her mate to get on behind her. Now was the time for fun, time to get themselves drunk on happiness and each other.

When her mate mounted Stark, she leaned agaist him for a moment, gently nuzzling him. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. Her gesture of affection complete, the silver and ivory woman sat up, ears perked forward, ready to ride. "Lets go, Heath. Down the beach! I think there is a small inlet further down where the current isn't as strong and we can go swimming!" She encouraged, bouncing slightly in anticipation. This was going to be fun, and she wanted to experience it all to the fullest. The sad, depressed Ruri was gone for good and she wanted to taste life again.

At Heath's urging, Stark had started down the beach, increasing his pace from a slow walk to a gentle trot. At such a pleasant clip it would not take them long to reach the swimming spot. Sure enough, it was only a few minutes before Heath whispered in her ear that he thought they were there. The lack of the sound of crashing waves led Ruri to believe that Heath was correct. "Well, let's get in the water," she replied, waiting for Stark to come to a halt, dismounting the horse was also difficult for her, as she could not really tell how far it was to the ground, or what she would be landing on. She'd wait for Heath to get off and let him help her down. One might have called it a simple excuse to have Heath hold her, which it partially was, but the fact that Ruri needed help could not be denied. What difference did it make whether she enjoyed letting Heath help her or not?

Ruri had not been swimming in a matter of months now, having only discovered this area of calm water just shortly after the pack formed. Before she had been given the opportunity to really use it a lot, the weather had cooled and swimming became a potential health hazard. Frigid ocean water surrounded by chilly wind would have spelled a blue merle, Border collie-cicle. Today, though, finally recovered from her grief, Ruri was back at this place to engage in one of her favorite activities. While she did not often swim strenuously, the delicate Dauphine had learned to at least tread water at an early age. Having grown up around docks and ships it had been a necessity to learn how to keep oneself afloat in the event that she ever fell overboard. So, her love of swimming was yet another aspect of her life that she owed to Jac. It had no doubt been an interesting sight watching a one armed dog trying to teach a fragile, blind pup how to swim. It had been especially difficult to learn as a pup because she could not feel where she was going, without bumping into things. After learning to shift, however, swimming became altogether easier. Gaining the ability to feel around with her hands had made swimming much simpler. The fact that she and Heath would be swimming in relatively shallow water would be a plus as well. The ocean breeze was now beginning to play with Ruri's hair, almost welcoming her back into the real world that she had left for these past couple weeks. As she sat there atop Stark's strong back, waiting for Heath to find a suitable stopping point, Ruri's smile only grew.

Ruri's dismount from Stark was slow, deliberately slow. She took her time swinging her leg over his back, enjoying the feel of her mate's hand on hers. Then, when she was finally ready he lifted her up and down to the ground, her lips curving in a smile as he did. The blind girl noted the longer amount of time that Heath held her, in fact she leaned into him to prolong a bit more. Milky blue eyes met his for a moment as they searched for his face before allowing her face to turn towards the water. The Marshal led her towards the ocean, and the lautari gauged how close they were by the feel of the dampening sand. Just as the water began to tickle her toes, Heath paused. Ears perked inquisitively, Ruri turned again to face her mate. "I hope you're ready," she laughed before slowly backing into the water, her two soft furred hands on Heath's, slowly leading him deeper into the cool, soft current. The inlet wasn't very deep, only about five feet at the deepest point. Ruri only walked far enough for the water to be just to her chest before releasing her grip. Catch me if you can!" she called before dipping under the water and swimming for the far edge of the natural pool. She knew Heath would be able to catch her, for she would have to stop and come up for air upon reaching the edge in order to get her bearings. It was the thought of making it a game that made swimming more fun. The roughly circular inlet extended about 50 feet out from the shore and stretched about double that length down the beach, not very big at all, but Ruri liked it that way. Swimming in such a small secluded area gave her the advantage of being able to generally know where the large obstacles were from memory. Granted the ocean was an everchanging entity and it was doubtful that the inlet would always be this way, but for now the blind woman could swim comfortably beneath the surface without any real fear of bumping into anything.

Upon reaching her destination, Ruri indeed popped up for air, her white muzzle breaking the surface. Her feathery fur now clung to her slight form, making her appear even more slender. Her long, soaked mane moved with the current as only her head was out of the water. Her slender right hand was placed on the nearest rock, giving her time to catch her breath. She knew Heath would likely catch her any second now and she'd start giggling again, so catching her breath was fairly futile at this point. The border collie girl felt at home in the sea, and having finally gotten the opportunity to swim after such a long winter made her feel like she had found a long lost friend.

The cool water felt wonderful to the blind girl, the gentle lapping of the soft waves rocking her slight form ever so slightly as she stood in the water catching her breath. Milky blue eyes blinked back tears brought on by the salty water. It was obvious that Ruri had not swam in awhile, for she was taking much longer to catch her breath than usual. She knew it would take a few more times before she was back to her old form. However, the amount of time it was taking her to refresh herself was just enough time for her mate, splashing as he swam, to come and catch her. She heard him coming long before he got to her, but she was more than happy to wait for him. She even went so far as to squeal in mock surprise when he caught up to her." It seems that I'm not the only one who hasn't been swimming in awhile. You made a lot of waves with all of that splashing," she teased, trying to goad him playfully into continuing their game. If he tried to get her to catch him, she doubted it would be too hard, what with all of his splashing. Hopefully, they would be able to play for at least a little while longer, despite the fact that the day was slowly coming to a close. With the setting of the sun the air would get cooler, making swimming in the chilly water difficult for the both of them. Then they could go back to the house and eat, for Ruri's stomach was already starting to beg for food as it had for the several days she had been glued to the couch by her depression. She would need to get some nourishment, and it was more than likely that Heath was hungry too. Then they could end their evening together, something that she had denied her mate for far too long.

But that was for later, right now Ruri's nightingale voice sang out with her giggles of excitement she continued to try and wiggle free of Heath's gentle grip.

"Well call it what you want, it was funny," she laughed playfully as her squirms to free herself were met with little success. Now Heath was starting to splash her, albeit gently. In fact it was more like he was trying to just make some more of the waves he had sent her way with his splashing. As Heath continued to hold her delicate form, the lautari finally ceased her playful struggling and spun, as best as she could with his arm around her, to face him. Then without warning she cupped his face in her hands and gave him a small peck on the lips, milky blue eyes bright with playful excitement. Such an open display of affection was only one of many more to come as the night wore on, but this one had an ulterior motive. If she managed to surprise him with her kiss she would slip out of his grip and take off swimming back across the inlet. Even without sight, playing such a game of chase was not all that difficult. Being in a familiar place was all she needed to make sure she was safe. Knowing where the potential obstacles were meant that going about her life, or such games as this one, were fairly easy for her. Her ease of maneuvering through places like this inlet was just another reason why it often took time for people to notice her blindness.

Long silver mane clung to the back of her head as the couple rocked back and forth in the tide. Not one to ever do anything halfway, the Dauphine wanted to give her strategy the best chance of working. With that thought in mind she had chosen to prolong her kiss, for a few seconds longer. The game would continue if she had her way. She was not ready to be done, not just yet. The dropping air temperature continued to signal that the day was over and night was here, but the fragile collie ignored as best she could, for now anyway. It would not take long before her teeth were chattering and they would need to head back to their house. But as was the case with most water loving creatures, she would only be leaving when she had to.