+5 Exercise to gain strength

Sand was something he was very familiar with. Although, he was finding there was a difference between desert sand and coastal sand, but it wasn't big enough to be any kind of interesting past the initial realization. Until he'd found the black sand. Zaahir had paused at the edge, where paler grains transitioned to something new and strange, amazed by the difference and the contrast of the ocean against the coal-black beach.

The sand itself seemed otherwise normal, only the color special or unusual, and he soon found himself trotting merrily along the edge of the waves. A trot which soon became a jog as the sands shifted under his paws in a semi-familiar way (still different from the dry shift of the desert), and then a run which soon had him moving up to looser and less saturated areas where he could feel his muscles really starting to work. It took more effort to run on loose sand than a more solid, compact, surface, and he'd always found it to be both a great workout and a satisfying way to burn off some excess energy.

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THERE'S A DEAD CANARY IN THE COAL MINES
+5 Exercise to gain endurance (excluding spars)

It was so hot out that she didn't really want to do anything. She could have just gone back up the mountain to where it was cooler and hung out around the pride, but her father had told her to go out and find something to do and so she had.

She'd been tempted to go down to the pit and try to find a spar or something along those lines, but instead she found herself on the shoreline, swimming about in some of the shallows. The waves pushed and pulled at her as she continued to tread water, trying to keep herself in one place. It was, at least, a workout and it gave her something to do.

She heard something up the beach and slowly turned in place in the water like a cork to watch the yearling running along the sand. At first she thought he must be running from something, considering she didn't see anything ahead of him, but there seemed to be nothing behind him either, so she was simply confused.

@Zaahir ♔

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+5 Exercise to gain strength

It was a refreshingly familiar feeling, the way his muscles worked against the soft surface. The way he had to adjust for the way the sand moved under his paws as he ran. Growing up, it had been second nature, but months away from his desert home had left him out of practice and he could feel the difference. Probably not a form of exercise that would remain effective for too long, but it was good in the moment.

He skidded into a sliding turn, kicking up a small cloud of sand, as he switched directions to head back the way he'd come. He'd keep up the same pattern for a few laps, before the burn and fatigue in his muscles began to slow him. Zaahir would dip into a casual flop about halfway through his final lap, to lie on the sand and catch his breath.

It was only then that he would notice the figure bobbing in the water, his head popping back up. That definitely looked like the upper half of a lion out there, he hoped the rest was still attached. His expression split into a friendly grin, "Hey!" he called out in greeting. Swimming was probably a great workout, too, wasn't it?

@Sariel

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THERE'S A DEAD CANARY IN THE COAL MINES
+5 Exercise to gain endurance (excluding spars)

She kept up her treading, now having to work harder to keep herself pointed in the right direction. Her muscles were starting to burn, and she would have to stop and take a break soon, but that was fine because that was the point. It seemed like that was the point of what the other lion was doing, judging by the way he kept going from side to side and then flopped down.

He noticed her then, likely because he was no longer focused on keeping his footing, she figured. At any rate, she dog paddled (lion paddled?) her way forward a couple of feet so she could rest her paws on the ocean floor and not have to keep swimming, because she was starting to get out of breath.

Hello! she replied, hoping she didn't sound too winded (or too anxious).

@Zaahir ♔

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Okay, yep, definitely another lion out there. Zaahir rolled back to his feet as her voice reached him, trotting down the shore to flop back down just shy of the waves, belly to the sands, limbs sprawled, front toes kneading the ground, and that grin still on his face. "I've never tried to swim like that, is it hard?" The ocean had been something new and novel, only heard about in stories before he'd come here. He was more accustomed to a sea of sand and shifting dunes than water. It looked exciting, though, all shifting and unpredictable.

She sounded a little out of breath, so he'd assume it was, indeed, a good workout. Maybe, once he had a bit of a rest, he'd wade in and try too? It didn't look that hard to keep one's head above water.

@Sariel

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THERE'S A DEAD CANARY IN THE COAL MINES
Oh dear, he was coming closer. She probably should have expected that, but her paws still worked at the sand underneath them nervously as he did. At least it wasn't as noticeable, them being underwater and all. She began to make her way out of the surf, pausing once to shake herself off so that her fur wasn't as heavy and she wouldn't soak him in the process.

It... usually isn't, but out here it's deeper than I've seen before and with the water moving like that it can be harder, she replied. She hadn't anticipated it being as good of an exercise as it was, and had really just wanted to cool off the first time she'd gone in. It had been a good thing to figure out, though. Now she had something she could do that would help keep her fit and hopefully help with her fighting training, whenever her father had time to pick it up again.

I feel like your running is harder overall though, she said. It had certainly seemed like it would be exhausting.

@Zaahir ♔

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Probably the most swimming he'd ever done was splashing around in the occasional small water source his family had happened upon while traveling. Certainly nothing so large or deep that his paws couldn't find the bottom with his head still above water. So, to him, it seemed much more difficult than running on sand, which was something he'd been accustomed to before he'd spent a few months exploring far more solid ground.

Zaahir rolled to his side, indulging in a full-body stretch against the sand, "It's not so hard once you get use to it," a beat, then a chuckle, "Well, that's probably true for anything isn't it." He finished his stretch and continued his roll until he'd rolled completely over and popped back up to his feet. A second was spared to shake the loose sand from his pelt and he sat, "Mostly you just have to get used to the way it shifts with each step."

@Sariel

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THERE'S A DEAD CANARY IN THE COAL MINES
Oh, yeah I guess so, she agreed. Things did get easier as you got used to them. She'd found that out herself once she'd started making herself attend the pride hunts and was slowly growing used to being part of a crowd. She still wasn't totally at ease, but it was better. To the point where she was able to actually have this conversation and wasn't a total mess.

Yeah, it's not exactly... stable, she agreed. It's kind of like how the water pushes you around. Which... I don't really know why it goes in and out like that. It's weird. There was so much she didn't know about the lands and why things happened the way they did. She felt like if she could figure it all out, maybe she wouldn't feel so scared all the time, but it was a lot of information. And, maybe it didn't really matter why the water did what it did. At least running on the beach, you don't have to worry about something touching your toes! She'd had that happen a couple of times, and had been thankful no one had been around to watch her run shrieking out of the water.

@Zaahir ♔

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Yeah, he'd never even seen an ocean before coming to Amaryllis. So the mechanics behind the moving water were forever lost on him. At least in ponds and lakes there was usually some sort of creature to blame for the movement of the water, right? Actually, the ocean was probably full of creatures, too. Hmm.

His head tilted, "Maybe it's 'cause of whatever lives in it moving around?" Did that mean whatever lived in there was big? Like, elephant big? Bigger? He'd like to see it, whatever it was. Even so, it was a mystery he never expected to solve, so it was quickly shelved in the back of his brain where he might mull it over later, or just let it simmer until it popped unexpectedly back into his thoughts.

Speaking of toes - his kneaded the soft sand. "Yeah, that's true." A beat, "Well, except scorpions. In the desert. Almost stepped on 'em a few times." Close calls that had ended with a very annoyed arachnid and a very relieved youth. His pale gaze shifted to scan up and down the beach, "Or those weird sideways-running things with the pincers like scorpions but no tail, here." He'd seen the scuttling little things from a distance, but hadn't managed to get too close yet. Of course before he'd arrived here, he'd never seen a beach, and thus had no idea they were actually called crabs.

@Sariel

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THERE'S A DEAD CANARY IN THE COAL MINES
Her head whipped around at his suggestion to stare at the water, eyes widening like saucers as she considered the implications. Maybe swimming in it wasn't the best idea if whatever lived in it caused its movements. After all, whatever made the waves had to be pretty big, right? Big enough to eat her, or even her father. But, hadn't he said before that he used to live on the beaches, and he had survived. Well, that's a terrifying thought, she commented regardless as she resolutely looked away from the water before she could think about it too much more.

Scorpions? she asked, because she'd never been out to the desert and therefore had no idea what sort of creature he could be talking about, but could guess it was a bad idea to step on them just from context clues. Oh yeah, the crabs, my dad said he's gotten pinched by them before and it's not fun. She imagined it wasn't, with their massive claws. I think sometimes they hang out under the sand too, but hopefully they couldn't react fast enough with you running over them.

@Zaahir ♔

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