Kaimana watched as Comet went back in and demonstrated that they could learn phenomenally fast!
"Wow!" Kaimana couldn't help but marvel.
"You're a natural!" She smiled. Comet's next idea sounded a little daunting, a rather overconfident leap from one step to the next. Kaimana wasn't sure how well that might so over.
"Ah, I wouldn't try that yet, even if you are a fast learning swimmer. You've only just begun! Swimming for a little while is easy once you've got the hang of it. What really requires practice and training is your endurance. Swimming from here to that island, or to any island in these waters, means you need to be able to last a while." It would be especially dangerous for a child like Comet, who looked nowhere near fully grown yet.
"How about we try some smaller distances? Here, I'll go out passed you into the water, and you can swim to me." Kaimana would glide back into the lake and begin to do just that.
@Comet
Kaimana began to chuckle a little as the child came up and passed her! Incredible! Kaimana felt an even greater swell of pride within. She hadn't been teaching this student for very long, or any student for that matter, but she was already finding it a very rewarding experience. "Excellent! Well done Comet! Let's go back to shore and take a breath, then I'll swim out again." Kaimana didn't want Comet to tire out too fast. Often in the water it was hard to notice how tired you were getting. She would swim out another distance once they'd rested, if Comet agreed to do so. The jaguar wanted to see the point in which the student would begin to have difficulty.
Once Kaimana made it back to shore, she shake out her pelt, take a few deep breaths, and swim back out. She swam as far as she dared to go, as far as she would expect the young one to be able to swim without being far too tired to reach.
Kaimana could see very plainly that the child wasn't ready for the distance yet. That was alright!
"Let's go back to shore Comet! You can rest for as long as you need to. I think I gave you one easy test and one hard one, so I'll give you a medium one when you're ready!" Her head had nearly dipped under in the midst of her saying that.
She swam back to shore. Even Kaimana was getting a little tired now. Teaching was hard work! But it was fun. The idea of doing this kind of thing with the owner of the stone slowly regrowing in what was essentially 'her den' for the moment made her feel a special kind of bliss. She hoped they would enjoy this too, whoever they turned out to be.
This time, Kaimana took a longer rest. The moment she felt ready, she was back out in the water. It was important not to rest for
too long when exercising! She would actively try choosing a distance this time, one that she hoped was a midpoint between her first and second distances. Unfortunately for Kaimana, her estimation would be off, and she'd end up at a medium-easy level of distance.
@Comet
Based on Comet's reaction to her next test, it would appear as though endurance really was a problem for the child. Kaimana didn't blame them, absolutely not. She would've struggled too had she been that young. Comet was doing amazingly well for a first time swimmer actually! She hoped Comet was proud.
"Let's take a break then!"
They'd both swim back to shore, and this time, Kaimana would allow far more time for relaxation. Maybe even conversation, to help pass the time.
"So, Comet, you've been doing really well! Endurance takes much time to learn, and this is your first time swimming! You should be very happy with your progress. I can't help but wonder, what brought you here looking for swimming lessons?"
@Comet
"Oh? Water magic?" Kaimana's ears perked up at the words
'water magic'. The concept of magic sounded... vaguely familiar. Kaimana herself didn't really delve into such things. She wasn't even aware of her
own water magic, as it was rather weak and slim.
"Water magic makes it a necessity to know how to swim?" Sounded bizarre, honestly. A good kind of bizarre. Kaimana didn't doubt for a second that magic was
real. She'd seen it many times, probably. Just the identification of it was something she lacked. She wondered if Comet had learned about their water magic as quickly as they had learned how to swim.
@Comet