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You know, I was never a huge believer of that whole 'New year, new you' stuff that people always talk about whenever a new year rolls around. If you had told me a few days ago that if that would be a literal thing that happened, I probably would have laughed at you for it. However, in this case, there really was some truth to that idiom.

I do feel like I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself, though - I'd be spoiling the story if I were to say any more, so maybe we should start at the very beginning...

~~~~~~~~~~~

It all started when I found a surprisingly large parcel at my grandmother's house. Thankfully, she's not the type to open my mail. I took it up to my room so I could open it up. To my surprise, inside was a magnificent looking plush of a seal. It looked realistic enough that one could even tell the species, and yet it was stylised enough that it did not resemble taxidermy. On its neck, there was even a mark of somewhat like two stylized hummingbirds.

I was so taken by the plush that I took the seal into my arms and gave it a hug. No, her. Something told me that this plush was female. She felt so soft - somehow softer than an actual seal, while much much squishier at that. After several minutes of me simply hugging this plush like a baby, I looked to see if there was some kind of identifying information about who sent this seal plush. A letter, a card, some kind of catalogue, something. After taking another look through the packaging, I did find a letter hidden behind one of the flaps of the lid. I took it out and looked over it, seeing that it was from an old friend of mine.

"Hey there, Donavon! It's been a while, hasn't it?

I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get back in touch with you, but with everything that's been going on, stuff kinda got lost in the shuffle. There's a few other people I need to get back in touch with as well, so trust me, you're not the only casualty on that list! ^^;

Anyway, with Christmas coming up, I thought it'd be neat to send you a little gift... well, not little in this case, it's closer to four feet than anything else! I can't tell you how hard it was to find a plush seal that looked somewhat realistic, I thought you'd prefer that over one of the typical 'button-eyed' or 'soullessly staring' type. This wasn't that cheap, but you know me, I'm always willing to go all out for my friends! Also I remember from the last time we were talking that you were trying to write a story that had a seal as a main character, so I thought hey, this might help give you some inspiration!

Even if it doesn't help clear the mental block, I'm hoping that this plush will at least lift your spirits a bit. I'm hoping you have a very merry Christmas, and here's to hoping that we'll cross paths in the new year!

Best wishes,

Shade"

I went and gave the seal another hug. She was so soft and squishy! This plush was huge - perhaps almost as tall as I was. That night, I fell asleep with her in my arms. Perhaps that was one of the best sleeps I've ever had, especially with the anticipation of Christmas coming around the corner.

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, the plush still cradled in my arms. I must have kept a good grip on it - most times when I sleep, anything I'm hugging whilst asleep tends to be on the floor by the time I wake up. "Good morning to you!" I said to her in a playful tone - I knew I wouldn't get a response, but it was just for fun. "I honestly don't remember the last time I slept that well... Maybe I might try and work a little bit on that story later on, you'd be more than welcome to watch!" I chuckled, petting her on the head. "For now, though, I better get some food!"

As I returned to my 'workstation', I gave the plush another smile. I had positioned her so she could practically watch me work. As I took a look, a wave of inspiration washed up. Like a piece of glass that would be gradually weathered and glazed, it took form. I booted up my writing program.

I had thought the story would be about a human befriending a seal, just like the one that was watching me write the story. After what felt like only a few minutes, I looked over at the seal plush, as if looking to see what she would have thought. I double took, thinking I saw something... very off. Almost like she had actually blinked at me, or like her eyes were following me. I looked at the plush more.

"Oh, you liked what I was doing?" I asked her.

The plush did not respond. Caring little for how ridiculous this looked, I walked over and picked her up. Trying to balance her on her fins, so she could look over my shoulder, I relaxed the plush on my back, holding her fins over my shoulders. Like I was wearing some kind of a cape, I sat back on the chair. Hopefully, because of how tall she was, she would be able to sort of 'stand' on the ground.

I let go of her flippers, letting her weight sort of relax on my body. I glanced towards the seal plush as her whiskers tickled my head. I got back to work, except within a minute, the plush rolled off of my back. I looked behind me to find that she had rolled off of my shoulders and onto her back.

I stood her back up, so she could be positioned to look over my shoulders a bit more as I wrote. Within moments, she fell back down again. I even tried to pose her so that her rear fins would serve more as a 'base' for her to 'stand' on. But she still fell down again, this time falling on her side. The only way I could truly get her to 'stand' in such a way was either if I was hunching forward in a way that hurt my back within seconds. Or if I was holding her fins against my shoulders. Unfortunately, doing that meant that I couldn't exactly write.

"Hm.... I suppose this is somewhat of a problem," I said to the seal.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I almost seemed to 'feel' her nodding in agreement. Seals were not meant to stand on their hind flippers, and were quite awkward on land. I am sure you have seen the videos where they slide along or limply pull their bodies on the ice.

"Eh, I'm sure I'll figure out some way for this to work!" I said before an idea popped into my head. I headed downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing the footstool that Grandma used to reach items on the top shelf - she didn't have any immediate use for it, so no harm was being caused by doing this. I returned to my room and plopped the stool down next to my chair, placing the plush seal onto it. It didn't reach up as far as I had hoped, but it still, at the very least, gave the plush some view of the monitor. "There we go, that'll do for now!"

I sat back down on my chair, looking back at the monitor. "Now then, where was I?" I asked myself, taking a look at where I had left off with my writing - I didn't get as far as I thought, given the task of trying to keep a seal plush balanced so it could watch me work..

~ ~ ~

Now, I have to explain - this part I actually wasn't there for - as I was unconscious. Despite what an anime will have you believe, you can't actually remember things when you're unconscious. But the first sign that something was up with the seal plush happened at night. I dreamt that I was actually being snuggled by a seal myself - one identical to the plush.

While that was happening, the seal's flippers were moving over me in real life. The stuffed animal seemed to be able to move, like a real animal. She actually made a few noises, before then whispering into my ear.

"Hello Puget."

According to her, I rubbed my cheek up and down against her own in my sleep.

~ ~ ~

That next morning, I woke up with the seal's flippers wrapped around me - as much as they could, mind you. I didn't know what happened. But I had a word that was within my mind.

Puget.

I tried to think about what it meant. Perhaps it was some kind of sound. Puget. Wait a minute. Puget Sound. I went over to my computer to look it up.

Puget Sound - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Puget_Sound

Puget sound from en.wikipedia.org

Puget Sound is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of ...

Water volume: 26.5 cu mi (110 km3)

Max. width: 10 mi (16 km)

Max. depth: 930 ft (280 m)

Etymology: Peter Puget

?Region · ?South Puget Sound · ?Puget Sound AVA · ?Sound (geography)

Hm, interesting.

"It actually sounded like a nice name."

That wasn't me speaking. I looked around. It wasn't my grandmother who spoke. I kept looking around.

"Over here."

I found myself drawn to the plush, who was now lying on her back, looking over me, upside down. Wait a minute. I didn't put her in that position before.

"Hello!"

I jumped - her mouth moved! Her whiskers twitched! That voice came from her mouth. She spoke to me! I stood up and walked over to her, hesitantly. She seemed to move her neck around just a bit.

"You... no way..." I said, "Am I dreaming?"

"Pinch yourself," the seal spoke, "This is very much real."

"You're... talking to me?" I brought my nails into my cheeks, feeling pain as the nerves signalled that yes, I was awake. "How... is this?"

"See?" The seal raised a flipper and repeatedly slapped her abdomen. However, it sounded much more fluffed, quieter. I stared at her slapping her abdomen, both with one flipper, then with two. Just like a real harbour seal.

I found the sight quite humorous. Ordinarily, a seal slapping their belly sounded more like clapping. You could even see their blubber and fat jiggling as they did so. However, I was watching a stuffed animal acting in such a way.

"What's so funny?" She asked, as the seal rolled onto her side, so she could look at me from the right-side up.

"J-Just... the way you slap your belly. Ordinarily, it sounds more like this."

I raised my shirt, and repeatedly slapped my own abdomen. While it was a little hard to tell, the seal even seemed to give a smile. I took my hands away, then plopped down on the bed.

"It'd be nice if you were a big seal like me, it looks so... strange to see a hew-man like yourself doing that," explained the seal.

"Heh, well, not nearly as funny as you," I said, "How... are you really alive?"

"Just as you are. I think, therefore, I am, right? I think it was something like that?" The seal asked, as she gave me a 'boop' with her nose.

I raised a finger and booped her back. I held my finger at the boop, watching the seal stare back at me with a smile.

"Do you... have a name?" I asked, "It seems weird to call you a Seal plush."

"Argent!" The seal gave an excited 'oorf' like sound.

"Nice! You can call me Donavon," I answered.

"I like the name I gave you better, Puget," Argent arfed.

"Puget? Like... the water?" I gestured to my computer.

"It's easier to say with my mouth," the seal tried to climb into my lap. However, she is nothing like a small dog, or a cat, or even a ferret. The seal practically engulfed me under her mass.

"Yourf in my fath," I grumbled through the soft velvety fluff.

I felt her flippers on my back, as she tried to hug me. I hugged her back - though I had to put her aside. I do need to breathe, I'm not able to hold my breath that long.

At least, not yet!

~ ~ ~

After that, we had spent the good part of that day getting to know each other, sitting around the house as we conversed. I was still questioning just how the plushie was alive, as well as wondering where the last three or four hours had gone, but eh, she had a LOT to say for someone who's only been alive for the last day - well, that was to my knowledge, anyway, for all I knew, she's probably been alive for a few more days than that.

After a while, we made our way to the living room, sitting in front of the TV. We hadn't turned it on yet, as we were still talking.

"So I have to ask, Argent..." I started. "Just how did you get to be this way? I mean I've never seen a talking plushie outside of cartoons and movies!"

"You're only really getting to that now?" She tilted her head. "I mean I know you asked how I was alive earlier, but I thought that would have been the immediate follow-up!" She giggled.

"Well, you did kind of crawl into my lap and buried me with your mass," I pointed out.

"...I did do that..." Argent responded.

"When you are practically smothering me, I have other things on the mind!"

She let loose a nice bark-like set of giggles. Strange, it seemed somewhat more realistic than before. (As realistic as a TALKING PLUSH, I know.)

"Say, you know that story I've been writing?" I asked, remembering something else, "Your name. I didn't put it together."

"What do you mean?" The seal inquired of me.

"I named the seal there Argent. Remember when I had you propped over my shoulders and then placed where you could see me work? Was it like... did you see it?"

"A bit, it was like I was asleep and could feel some things being moved around."

"Huh... well I guess that's better than no answer, anyway." I shrugged. "And that probably was me trying to ensure that you could see it through several failed attempts at keeping you propped up or balanced!"

"I'm a bit of a heavy sleeper, what can I say?" She tried to joke - all that was missing from that was the rimshot.

"Eheh... I guess now that you're actually awake, you'll be able to watch me when I'm adding a bit more to the story. I'd love to have some real-time input and feedback, given the subjects involved!"

"I can't say that I'd be the best subject to ask, I've never read anything before barring a few brief glimpses of your work whilst I was in and out of lucidity, but I'm sure I can provide a few bits of seal knowledge here and there~" Argent proudly held a fin to her chest.

"Yeah, can you help a bit out?" I asked.

Argent tried to pull herself off of the bed, only to land flat on her face on the floor. Her plush nose squished into itself, not just like a real seal, but even more like a plush. I stared as she rolled over and fell onto her back, face un-squishing.

"...Little help?" Argent asked.

"...Forgot, you seals have all the graciousness on land of a Walmart Land-whale."

~ ~ ~

At night, I often found myself hugging and snuggling the plush of Argent. She's so soft, I can't help it. Just hugging her made me think about that one movie about the Skagway railway. The narrow gauge one. I could only imagine what it would be like, especially if the seats on the train were just as soft and plush as this seat...

"What do you mean?" Argent asked, taking me out of my stupor.

I didn't realise that she seemed to have read my mind - in fact I didn't even know if I was talking to her or not.

"Oh, it's about how different Skagway becomes during the summer. It would be so cool if you could go up there. Hey, I actually got the movie on my drive."

I went over to my computer to load up the movie. It buffered, but I actually stopped and went to bring Argent with me. I tried to set her in my lap, she was big enough that I could practically lean over and relax on her belly. I found myself giving her a kiss, as the movie played. I had Argent in my arms, and against my body like she was a baby in my lap. She didn't need my help to see the screen now.

"This is beautiful," Argent said.

"Yeah, it made me think of Washington State again. Skagway is actually in a rainforest," I said, giving her a chin nuzzle, just where she loved it.

"Oh really? What's Washington?"

"Where the Puget sound is. Hey, I got another idea."

I loaded up a totally-legit-movie-download of Free Willy. She could see the orcas.

"Watch this, it's something that I feel shaped my life."

I fell asleep to the movie, and woke up with my head just under Argent's chin, as if I myself were a seal pup and she were my mother. It was, however, quite an awkward position for me. It was a good thing that as soft and squishy as Argent was, I was able to straighten my back enough so that I didn't fall asleep hunched over like I was in school again.

~ ~ ~

That was sort of what the next few days went - I'd try to have Argent holding onto me with the story and providing pinniped knowledge. She felt warmer and warmer with every day, and just as soft. She also seemed to be a bit heavier. The second time she tried to roll off of the bed, I went to catch her, yet it seemed that she weighed quite a bit more.

The night after this, I fell asleep hugging her again. But I woke up after hearing a creaking noise. It seemed to be my bed. I actually saw a greenish glow, and there she was, seemingly watching me - but then I saw something else. The green seemed to fade for a moment, before reappearing. Several times, the green faded.

"...Argent, are you awake?!" I asked.

"Of course, I am now," I heard Argent's voice.

It actually sounded a little different. I reached over and felt the seal. She seemed much much warmer. Not just from having absorbed my residual body heat, but as if she was actually generating her own. The seal plush felt much much firmer as well. Less squishy, yet I could still squish into her mass a bit. I felt her nudging me again, and this time, her warm breath accompanied her.

"Wait, Argent? Are you real?!" I asked.

"Only thanks to you, Puget," Argent said, her whiskers twitching.

I took a glance at her body. It seemed as if her movements were more constrained. Like there was more weight behind her movements than simple cloth and stuffing. I gave her a 'boop', feeling warm breath from it. I could still push her nose in, just like as a plush. But now, this was a flesh and blood seal.

The events of the past few days made more sense to me. Why she seemed to weigh more, and why she seemed to look a bit different. That was when I realised it, the seal in the story was named 'Argent' too. She was the character from the story! And in that story, she had a-

My thoughts were interrupted as I felt a 'finger' giving my own nose a 'boop. I could see her whiskers vibrating as well, moving towards me as if she was trying to grab a fish. And then came the nudge. She gave me a nudge with that sensitive booper, and nuzzled me. I couldn't help but give my own nuzzle back.

"This magic? How did... I do it?" I asked, too consumed in the moment to wonder how the heck we would get her to the water next.

"I think... we did it. I want to try something too," She said, "If you can make me real, could I... make you a seal too?"

"But... how?" I asked, bringing my own face close, looking at those emerald green eyes. Even though it was dark, our eyes were locked.

"I'm... not sure, I just have a feeling, maybe it's exerting will into reality?"

"What if it hurts?" I whispered, "My grandmother may be a heavy sleeper, but if it hurts then..."

"I want it to be painless, it should be so," Argent said, as she gave me a 'smooch'. Her eyes glowed, and then I felt a strange buzz through my body from head to toe. Then, my body felt heavier, like I had taken a big puff of nitrous oxide.

Well, how else would you describe it? I could feel my body getting lighter, yet at the same time I was also feeling like I was sinking. My muscles all relaxed. From underneath my nose, I felt piercing sensations. Then itches. I pulled away from Argent's kiss, lying on my back, finally moving up to my face. My muscles tingled, as I brought my hands to my face. I felt multiple needles against my hands. They twitched as I commanded them to, then seemed to move up, down, forward, backwards, and vibrated. Whiskers. Seal whiskers. Thick, wirey seal whiskers.

My own pajamas suddenly felt much MUCH tighter against my body

"Amazing..." I couldn't quite believe it, and a small part of me still thought that I was dreaming, but the way those whiskers felt made it all too clear that I was awake. Still, part of me was tempted to test that theory by plucking one, but that'd probably hurt like hell if I did so. The growing tightness of my clothes was also a good indicator of this being all too real. Not only that, but there was now a small, subtle itchiness spreading all over my skin, followed soon after by a prickly sensation, as if something else was growing alongside me.

I scratched at my chest through the pajama top, but all that did was make it feel more irritating than anything else. In doing so, I noticed what looked like a few fine, fuzzy hairs poking through the fabric.

The seams were stretched tighter and tighter as my mass grew. Especially at the legs of my pajamas. I kicked my blanket off to the ground, and my leg felt quite strange. It felt heavier and heavier. I wiggled it just a little, only to feel my knee seeming to lock in place. I tried to lift my other leg, only just like that, it was locked in place. I tried to bend my body just a bit, so I could 'sit' up.

However, my much much larger paunch was in the way. My pajamas started ripping and tearing from the growing mass. I glanced towards Argent. Wow, she seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. No. I was getting bigger. My toes suddenly extended.

Argent meanwhile tried to give me a hug with her own flippers and gave me a nuzzle.

"It is working!" She said, surprised, "You'll be handsome when you're fully Puget!"

"You think so?" I asked as Argent nuzzled me again, still trying to get used to the fact that she was now flesh and blood, yet the nuzzling felt as soft as ever. My pajamas still clung to me in some areas, my modesty preserved for the time being, though the real concern was with how tight they were tugging against my chest, hopefully they'd tear completely before they became too constricting and caused me any problems.

"Why wouldn't I think so?" She responded with a cute giggle, the growing fur becoming more noticeable thanks to the colors steadily shifting - they started off looking not too dissimilar to human hair, but the hue was changing more to a silvery grey, a few black splatters here and there, at least from what I could see along my arms. "I mean maybe I'm slightly biassed because I'm a seal myself, buuuuut~"

Soon, the hair grew thicker and thicker. I noticed that it was starting to point in one direction. Just like a seal's. I knew from various research - and Argent - that when you rubbed it the 'wrong' way, it would be completely dry. Despite how 'wet' it would look, giving us - I mean seals - the impression that we actually were kind of hairless creatures with smooth skin.

My toes felt as if they were being pulled on. My smallest toe in particular. They felt almost like a set of hands themselves. No. Flippers. Webbing connected my toes together. I wriggled them just a little bit. Wow. I tried once again to see them, only for my belly to get in the way. It was... huge. Wow. I could feel the massive size of it, my own hands unable to even touch each other. No, it wasn't just me getting fatter. I was getting wider.

Argent's own flipper touched my own arm, as if we were holding hands. Underneath her flipper, I could feel my own humerus - humerii? - shrinking. As if they were being pulled into my shoulder sockets. And yet my hands themselves were growing. I could feel webbing between my fingers. Just like my toes.

I clapped my now flipperized feet together. I wouldn't be walking on land, that's for sure! I'd be dragging myself. But in the water, I'd feel quite skinny. Claws poked out of my toenails, small ones, but claws nonetheless. My own fingers felt a piercing sensation.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Just like her.

~Creeeeeeak~

"Hoo boy..." I thought to myself upon hearing that noise - whilst the bed didn't seem to have any trouble holding the combined weight of me and Argent before, my body was still piling on the pounds by the second, and it was now struggling to keep supporting us. Maybe we'd get lucky and by some miracle, it'd survive through this.

What didn't survive, however, was my pajama top, splitting down the middle, my increasingly flabby pectorals bouncing free. I let out a sharp exhale as that happened, a sigh of relief, if you will, no longer having to worry about any complications from failing to outgrow them. I must have been even bigger than Argent at this point.

My pectorals lost all definition, as new muscle and fat spread over it. Seals didn't really have those, did they? The bed creaked more and more as I gained more mass and fat. I felt my neck seeming to elongate, as if someone had pulled on my spine.

I felt a tugging at both ends. My tailbone uncoiled from inside my body, and then unfoiled. Where once was nothing now was a little stub-tail. Just like that of a seal's. I felt a pressing behind my face now. I felt an urge to sneeze, yet all I was doing was just breathing in. I even started making vocalisations, somewhat like I was about to sneeze.

And yet no matter what, I just could not sneeze! As I inhaled more, my nose cracked, poking forward like a pig. Or a dog's. Or more accurately, a seal. My skull swelled out, and with it, my tongue also followed. I felt myself opening my mouth, as if I needed to sneeze. But it did not come.

My canines elongated. My own incisors sharpened, two new ones growing out of my expanding palate. Several more seams formed in my growing teeth - teeth for eating and chewing fish. My ears seemed to vanish as more and more mass grew from my expanding neck. Finally, with a tickling sensation around my neck, I let loose a seal-like "ARF!", rather than a sneeze.

CREAAAAAAK!

BOOM!

My bed gave way beneath us. If seals could blush, I'm pretty sure both of us would be.

"...It's a good thing my grandmother is a heavy sleeper," I murmured, a much deeper voice coming from my throat.

"Heavier than both of us combined?" Argent asked.

I looked towards her now, then glanced over my own body. Holy shit! I was a seal!

"I'm going to take the stunned silence as a yes!" She chuckled, rolling off of the side of what was left of my bed, the mattress springing back up ever so slightly as her weight was removed. "Huh, at least it seems that the springs survived the trauma!" She added, trying to bring me back from my shocked state.

"Huh, what are these springs made out of?" I asked, trying to take one into my fins. Well, my fins didn't have much for manual dexterity. I found that I would have had a hard time grabbing them and trying to manipulate the spring. Well, I had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

"Uh, how are we going to get out of here?" I asked, "I mean, you saw how... well... hard it was. We don't exactly have anything to slide upon or glide towards. Argent, do you suppose your magic can help?"

"I think so," She answered, "Just an area to-"

"Wait!" I said, "Uh... I think we should at least let people know what happened? At least like say, leave a note?"

"Hm.... how're we going to do that?" Argent asked, leaning against my much larger frame.

"...Maybe use your magic? Visualise a note?"

Argent closed her eyes...

~ ~ ~

The rest was, as the saying goes, history. We wrote a few things down, but now we decided to send you this letter. You probably wanna know what happened next. It's been quite a busy year for us!

After Argent visualised the note that you had just read, explaining what happened to me back when I was a human named Donavan, she gave me another hug. Remember how she visualised an area? Well, after that, she brought us into our own element - something very much like my namesake.

Swimming around in the water felt so SO nice. I made sure to give Argent a nice hug, no longer feeling like a beached whale. But despite this, I still climbed out of the water, onto a nice rock. Argent and I gave a nice kiss and a nuzzle, as we began the first of what would become a morning ritual.

Watching the sun rise over the sea. It is hard to describe, but let me - and Argent - give you an idea of what it was like. There is the yellow sun, but the clouds turn a beautiful shade of pink and purple as it rises. The clouds above contrast with a shade of blue, very much like the ocean. Every morning, we relax...

Well, there was one morning - actually, a few - where Argent was having a bit of trouble in regards to trying to relax. In fact, one morning I woke up, and she wasn't there by my side. She thankfully hadn't gone too far, and was just looking out to sea, an expression etched across her face that indicated that she felt that something was missing from her life. I didn't quite know what to say to her, outside of thanking her for everything up to this point. She seemed a little worried about if I was really happy with my new life, but I reassured her that I was indeed happy with everything she had done, and that I wasn't going to leave her side any time soon, and that was a declaration that I had sealed - pun intended - with a kiss.

Argent was beyond relieved that I wasn't going to be going anywhere, and pulled me in for a big hug. Her attitude changed slightly as well, she was shooting me a few coy looks and was telling me that she had found a good spot, away from prying eyes, where the two of us could spend some quality time together. It took me a few moments to process just what she was hinting at, and I was a little on the shy side about doing so - I mean, it'd be our first time, after all, but she really, REALLY wanted to see just 'how much of a lover' I was, so I guess if that's what she wanted, it'd be rude to decline her advances. I'd tell you just how our first time went, but that's a story for another time - that and we're trying to keep this family-friendly, after all!

A few months later, the two of us had settled down in a nice little cove in an isolated area of the beach, away from prying eyes and virtually unknown to anyone outside of us. It was the perfect spot for us to focus on other things, and not too long after, we had been blessed with a pair of seal pups. They were both adorable, and whilst I felt tempted to say that they were more adorable than Argent, that would be a lie in and of itself - that and I'd probably get a fin across the face for doing so.

~ ~ ~

Within her talons, Shade read the last page of the note. The last copy that had depicted the seal pups. She looked over the scene. An isolated area near the Puget sound - isolated enough that Shade felt less of a need for a disguise here. The raven took a look over the ocean, feeling a reminder of that one time, all those years ago.

And there, she saw four figures. A much MUCH larger blob of pinniped mass, holding a fin with a smaller blob of seal. The raven's own corvid eyes could even make out the birth patches that were on both the seals' necks. The other two figures were smaller - much smaller. These were the seal pups. The adorable balls of fluff. Good thing that Donavan, rather, Puget, had practically spelled out that this was their morning ritual.

Shade herself took a look over the sunlight. Just as it was described by Donavan, the sunrise depicted a beautiful canvas of colours all across the cove where the seals now loved, as well as the sound in general. That plush she had enchanted had definitely done its mark. She made sure to mark this particular location down in her mind, it'd be worth checking up to see how these seals were doing.

Speaking of canvases, she spotted a familiar winged figure in front of a canvas. She raised an eyeridge, taking a look at the colours of the sunrise... including the four seals that were visible just on the bottom of the picture. Haimogwen of all people....

"Well, you've come a long way with learning how to paint, I remember when you just drew stick figures and a frog because that was all you knew how to paint," Shade remarked.

"At least the seals are staying still long enough for me to paint them," Haimogwen said, trying to add more and more shades of grey to the four figures at the bottom of the painting.

"Normally it's you who has trouble staying still~" She said with a giggle, taking a look over the anthro bat's work. "All any of us has to do is just mention anything that takes your fancy and you're off like a rocket!"

"Hey, I can have some form of self control every now and then!" He responded with a laugh, putting the finishing touches on the painting. "Besides which, I think your first attempt at bringing an inanimate object to life went really well!"

"Well I'd be lying if I said that was the FIRST attempt, there were a few flubs beforehand." She smirked. "Remember, my magic is more effective on living targets, after all!"

"Maybe that might explain the unholy screaming I heard when you said you were going to do a few test runs..." He paused - he didn't sleep well that night, and he was normally the type who'd sleep for a week straight if he was allowed to do so.

"Still, it all worked out well in the end, and that was the important part!" Shade cawed happily. "Though for now it's probably best that I continue using living targets, just to spare you any more nightmares!"

With several splashes, the seals splashed into the water below, as they went off to hunt for their breakfast - and so Argent in particular could teach hers and Puget's pups how to catch their own fish! But before they left, Shade spotted something from the water.

"Say Haimogwen, look."

The bat looked up from his painting. The seals all had their heads poked out of the water. Argent and Puget both raised a fin and waved. Shade waved back, as did Haimogwen after a few moments.

With that, the seals dove back into the sound - now off to hunt for breakfast!