The Ocean's Song (pt.2)

~23~

Shark froze, his cheeks immediately turning rosy. "N-Naida, did you fall asleep?" He chuckled.

Naida slowly lifted her head and let out a big yawn. "Wh- ahhh... what?" She looked up at him, then at the white sand bay surrounding them. "Oh, we're here!" She smiled and pushed herself out of Shark's arms. She paddled her arms to inch herself forward in the water since she was pretty useless with her tail at the moment.

Lionfish laughed lightly. "Okay Naida, before all else, you need to learn to use your tail." He swam to her side and took hold of her wrists to stop her. "Put your arms out to the side to balance you, then position yourself so your tail is a little behind you, and keep a straight back, but not too straight or else you'll get a backache." He instructed, posing her limbs accordingly.

He backed up a little and observed Naida's awkward form. "Now go on, swim. Move your hips to the same beat as your flipper, and put your arms in front of you if you want to go faster, and put your arms to your side if you want to be more agile." Lionfish added and waved his hand, signaling for Naida to start swimming.

"Lionfish, I believe this is the most awkward pose I've been in; there is no way I can swim like this," Niada complained.

"Naida's right. The positioning seems a little excessive. She has a tail, she's a half-child of the sea, swimming like this should come naturally to her, she just needs to keep trying." Ray urged and placed a hand on Naida's shoulder, and she loosened up.

"No no no! If she's gonna learn to swim she has to do it right or else she'll be sore after every trip!" Lionfish argued and flailed his arms, rushing to Ray and Naida.

"It doesn't matter how she swims as long as she gets going! She just needs to practice." Ray disagreed, shaking his head.

"Maids, maids, you're both pretty, now settle down," Shark grumbled and split them up and pushed them away from Naida. "Just... angle your torso the direction you want to go and move your tail up and down. I don't know how to explain proper swimming if I'm being honest, it's like you trying to explain how to walk right." Shark chuckled.

"I don't understand how you guys do it in the first place!" Lionfish, who had been eavesdropping, added and approached Shark and Naida again. "You have two legs, but in order to walk upright, you can only use one at a time? It seems so precarious! How do you keep your body balanced?"