[Chayden]

But gradually she got comfortable. She was able to swim confidently. Eamery didn't have to watch her feet to go along. It was easier, in fact, to just look ahead. The island was close. She was about half way there.

[Chayden]

Eamery kicked a rock. Ow! Her eyes watered in pain and surprise. Since when were rocks violent?
"I thought they lived on land, too..." the Chimerantula murmured sadly. She sucked on the little foreleg that had been hit as she glared at the offender.
"Stupid rock!" she cursed. She had to resist temptation to kick it again.

[Chayden]

Eamery got over it. She stood upon the rock and blew a raspberry at it. That oughta teach it! She kicked off of it, propelling herself at the island. The water was getting deeper quickly... It was easily over her head. She was really small, and a first time swimmer, surrounded by ten foot deep water. It was frightening, to  be honest!

[Chayden]

The Chimerantula was panting by now. This swimming business was tiring. Her legs were getting slower... She began to sink. Her chin dipped into the water, and that shocked her into speeding up. She only hoped that her frantic movements would not attract any hungry creatures!

[Chayden]

Eamery breathed deeply. She steadied herself. Then she continued on. There was only a short stretch of water left before she reached dry land! She kicked it into overdrive, working her legs like crazy.

[Chayden]

At long last, Eamery made it to the island. It was quite a bit bigger than it had appeared. The sand there was finer than that on the shore. There were less pebbles and rocks to trip over. The Chimerantula collapsed there, gasping for breath. What a workout!

[Chayden]

It took her quite a while to regulate her breathing. Eamery was not used to such strenuous activities. After all, she was only a child. Children should not be expected to do so much work, even if they started it of their own accord.

[Chayden]

After a while, Eamery regained control. She was able to sit up and really enjoy the view of the island. The leaves on the trees were lush and light. The water looked especially jewel-like and clean. If she hadn't known any better, she would've said that it was because of some sort of magic.
But that wasn't possible, now, was it?

[Chayden]

Eamery was hungry. She reached up and speared a broad leaf with her foreclaw. It was bitter, but felt good on her throat. Swimming was thirsty work! Especially since the sun was so high in the sky. It reflected off of the water and shone directly into the girl's eyes.
"All that work was worth it, though!" she exclaimed happily.

[Chayden]

Eamery found that there was not much to do on the island. She stood up and looked around. She didn't really get much from that. She only found that there were more trees over here. She decided to plunge into them. Perhaps she'd find something exciting!

[Chayden]

The first thing she saw was a little stream. The water in it was very clear. It made the Chimerantula thirsty. She bent down to drink. It was delicious! It probably tasted even better after exercising so much.

[Chayden]

Eamery continued on. The shade of the trees dimmed the heat of the sun. It was much more comfortable here. The sandy dirt was cool beneath her feet. She was still panting, though. Trees could not hold back all of the summer's warmth.

[Chayden]

The little girl could no longer see the sun glinting off of the water. She missed that. There was no water to look at back home. She should be out there enjoying it while she still could! But she did not want to swim back just yet. It was too tiring. She thought that it would be best to sit for a while.

[Chayden]

Eamery, being only a child, got bored quickly. She wanted to explore! But that would be unwise. Her muscles still burned from the first crossing. She wished that there was some sort of halfway point where she could rest.

[Chayden]

An idea struck her. She could CLIMB across! There were a few trees whose branches dangled above the water. She could inch to the ends of those, then drop in and swim the rest of the way. It would be much easier than trying to go all the way across the pool again! Eamery decided to do just that.