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.