Courtship

Opal sifted the cloth in the crystal waters of the river. It was an average day, cool spring air, a few clouds above. Today was laundry day for the inn. There was much to clean on these days, from sheets to worker apparel. Cawthorne worked not too far away, mimicking Opal’s motions, dragging the cloth across the specialized rocks, removing the grime of many days rest. Opal, seeing Cawthorne so focused, thought about how the river’s reflection sparkled across her fur. Her face heated, a thought crossing her mind; She’s kind of…cute… Opal hurriedly returned to her work, hoping Cawthorne hadn’t caught her staring.

Cawthorne worked her way through the basket she had, glancing over towards Opal often. Both Rexals avoiding each other’s glances by chance. Cawthorne wanted to ask Opal out for lunch, but was trying to think of a way to do it. Maybe she would like to go into town for some shopping and then go on a picnic, or maybe she wasn’t into that sort of thing? Maybe she would prefer to do something more…outdoorsy, would it be assuming too much to ask her out on a fishing date. Maybe she would prefer something more private, like something cooked at home? Lost in her thoughts, Cawthorne didn’t see Opal approaching. A soft paw touched her shoulder, causing her to jump and fall into the water. Grabbing for anything she could, Cawthorne accidentally dragged Opal into the river with her. Both splashed around, grasping for the land.

Once both out of the chilling waters, they looked at each other, bursting out with laughter.

“Oh Caw, I’m so sorry ha ha”

“No, no you’re alright, I should’ve been paying more attention.”

“Ha ha what was on your mind to make you zone out so much?”

Cawthorne’s mouth snapped shut, face heating up.

“I-uh, I wasn’t thinking of anything…” she said sheepishly.

“Really though, what was it ha ha”

Cawthorne shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Aww come on tell me, I won’t laugh at you, you know.”

“IWASGOINGTOASKYOUOUT...onadate”

Opal’s eyes went wide as her face heated up as well.

“I-uh, well actually…”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to startle you, I uh, I can leave if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

“No, actually you’re fine, I uh, I was actually thinking the same thing.”

“Oh!”

Both Cawthorne and Opal sheepishly shuffled their feet, neither one speaking for a few moments.

“Wo-would you like to go out…on a date…with me?” Cawthorne mumbled.

Opal smiled shyly, “I’d love to.”

The two Rexals smiled at each other, feeling the butterflies in their stomachs while they went back to work on their chores.

They’d made plans to go out together the next day they had off. It was a calm sunny day, with the breeze still flowing softly through the trees. Cawthorne had packed them a small lunch that she’d carry along with them on their hike. Opal would be meeting her at the base of the hill where they would begin. Cawthorne couldn’t help but be giddy with excitement as she approached the trail, seeing Opal waiting for her in the shade. She hurried her pace the last few feet before stopping near Opal. She gave a sheepish “hi” at the blue Rexal, giving her a small grin.

“Are you ready to go?” Cawthorne asked.

Opal nodded, bringing her own bags forward to show she too had brought some snacks and some towels for them to dry off once they were finished swimming. The hike to the lake was a relatively easy one, with a not too steep gradient and lots of shade provided by the trees along the path. The two conversed as they walked side by side. Not really talking about anything, but enjoying each other’s company nonetheless. Every now and then, they’d stop to look at some of the animals they’d come across, Cawthorne being especially enthralled by the giant beetle that was on one of the trees’ trunks. The hill sloped downwards as it neared the lake’s edge. The dusty trail gave way to soft sands and small gravel rocks. Cawthorne dropped off her bags near the trail’s entrance so they were covered in shade before galloping to the water.

“Race you there!” She called back to Opal.

Laughing, Opal followed suit, dropping her bags off first before running full speed to beat Cawthorne to the clear water. She splashed in ahead of Cawthorne by many strides, much to the green Rexal’s dismay.

“How are you so fast ha ha”

“Dunno”

Opal then quickly launched a wave of water towards Cawthorne, instigating a massive splash fight between the two once more, albeit this time was on purpose. She gave Cawthorne one last good dunk before swimming further out to where her feet didn’t touch the rocks below. She could see fish swimming about along the large rocks that remained from when the lake had been a river. She dove down to get a closer look. Rainbow trout darted about in the cold water around her. Flashing bright pinks amongst the other grey fish. Cawthorne finally caught up to swim with her, both excited to see the variety of the lake’s life. They danced underwater, swimming around in circles and diving deeper.

They spent a few hours in the lake, swimming quite a ways from where they had entered, but swam back as the sun reached the highest point in the sky. They pulled themselves out of the waves and onto the sandy shore. Cawthorne had Opal wait by the water while she grabbed their belongings. Pulling out their towels, Cawthorne helped Opal dry off, rinsing the sand off her legs before doing the same herself. Her fur stood up at odd angles, getting a small laugh out of Opal. Cawthorne layed out a clean blanket for Opal to lay on, settling down next to her while pulling out a soft horsehair brush. She slowly worked the brush through the damp blue fur in front of her, careful not to tug on any tangles. Opal closed her eyes as Cawthorne got to work. Combing through her mane, Cawthorne was careful to not pull too hard. The soothing motion of the brush reminded Opal of the lake. The sound of the lapping water and the Cawthorne's careful movements made her drowsy. Cawthorne carefully brushed the sand out of Opal's arm and leg fur, holding each paw gently as she worked with a comical amount of focus. She stretched out on the blanket as Cawthorne moved to work on her tail, chuckling softly as Opal rolled onto her back. Cawthorne worked out all the knots and sand from Opal's tail, leaving it smooth with a silky sheen.

After she had finished, Cawthorne gave Opal a small nose boop, smiling shyly as she turned away quickly to pull out the lunch she had made for the both of them. Sandwhiches with various meats and cheeses with some nuts was filling enough for the both. They shared some wine before packing up their meal.

The hike back down was easier given it was downhill and their bags had been lightedned from their lunch. They talked quietly, bumping each others' shoulders as they shared the trail. The sun was beginning to set when they finally made it back to the beginning of the trail, casting a red glow over the landscape. Opal paused, giving a soft smile to her companion.

"I'd like to do this again sometime soon. I had a lot of fun today."

"I did too, Opal. Today was really nice."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Of course."

They both touched their noses together softly before parting ways. The next day would be work as usual, but Cawthorne couldn't help but look forward to it. She trotted home, giddy with excitement and already thinking of other things they could do together for their next date.