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Dagen Waterpaw, a strong male otter in the latter days of his youth, looked around as he stepped on the sandy bank of the River Moss. The sunlight reflected brilliantly off the water , forcing Dagen to look away. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, so it was too early for any other beast to be at the river. It was the middle of summer, and already the day was hot, making the cool river all the more enticing.

Still looking around for anyone else who had risen before the sun, Dagen slipped into the cover of a willow tree, its long, drooping branches isolating him from the outside world. Moving quickly, he removed his tunic and breeches and placed them into a hollow portion of the tree. Dagen was an exception among otters, who were normally comfortable going around without clothes. Winifred, the current Skipper of the Redwall otters, hardly ever was seen clothed, but Dagen always felt too vulnerable standing around with everything visible. He had been naked around others, of course, swimming in the Abbey pond and the streams and rivers of Mossflower Wood, but he always stayed in the water unless nobody was looking. As such, he had started coming to the river early on days when he didn't have to work, so he wouldn't be seen by anyone.

Peeking out from the concealing branches of the tree, he looked once more for anyone who had shown up while he changed. Seeing no one, Dagen emerged from the tree and dove into the river. The water was glorious! The heat of the day vanished as the soothing current ran over his back. Grabbing a breath, Dagen dove to the bottom of the river and examined his surroundings. He saw plenty of water weeds and fish swimming around, fish that would make an excellent lunch later. Deciding not to fight the current, Dagen turned and started swimming downstream, shooting past logs and boulders with the speed of an arrow. He spent most of his time underwater, returning to the surface only to grab a quick breath.

After spending a few hours swimming, Dagen grew tired and decided to drift with the current. Using his arms to keep himself afloat, he continued to drift downstream. As he rounded a bend in the river, Dagen heard his name being called. Turning his head to find the source of the noise, he saw a group of three otters standing on the bank. Sighing, Dagen turned to swim toward them. He really didn't feel like talking, but it would have been rude to ignore them. As he got closer to the shore, he was able to see which otters from Redwall had called him.

The tallest of the group was Prit, one of Dagen's cousins. He was the one who had called to Dagen, but was currently occupied in the arms of Birch, the girl he had been courting for most of the summer. She and Dagen had known each other since they were kids and had always been friendly, but had never really been close. Standing off to the side of the two lovers was Brooke, Birch's sister, who likewise had never been particularly close to Dagen. When Dagen reached the bank, he didn't come out of the water. All three of the otters on shore were unclothed, and Dagen was afraid of being awkward. He has seen them all naked before, of course, when they were kids, and even when they were older and allowed to venture to the river by themselves, but something about seeing the girls naked always troubled him. As he talked, he tried to focus on their faces and not their more interesting bits.

"Hi guys, you're here early."

"So are you," Prit said, smiling from the embrace Birch was giving him. "Sam said that we didn't need to help in the orchards or gardens today, so we all decided to spend the day on the river."

"We were going to have an early lunch before swimming down the rapids," Birch added. "Would you like to join us?"

Of course, I'd love to. Dagen wished he could say that, but crawling out of the river all wet would expose him more than normal, and it would be too embarrassing. "No," he lied, "I'm not that hungry, so I'm going to keep swimming."

"Are you sure?" asked Birch. "We have plenty of shrimp."

"I'll be fine," Dagen replied, "I'll see you later." With that, he pushed off from the bank and entered the main current of the river, floating like a log. As he turned away from his friends, he saw a blur of motion and heard a splash. When he looked behind him, he saw that Brooke had jumped into the river with him.

"I'm going to swim with Dagen," she called to her sister, "I'll get something to eat later." She swam up alongside Dagen and smiled. "You looked lonely swimming alone, and I think my sister wanted to be _alone_with Prit, anyway."

"They're serious about getting together then?"

"I think so. When Birch isn't with Prit she's always talking about him, and whenever she sees him in the orchard she drops her pail. He's your cousin, isn't he?"

"Yes," Dagen confirmed, trying not to stare at Brooke's beautiful form as she twisted through the water, her powerful rudder allowing her to keep up with him. "Prit and I have been almost like brothers. He's a few seasons older than I am, but we always played together when we were younger, but I guess when you have to choose between me and a beautiful maiden..."

Brooke giggled. "You're funny," she smirked, "and you're cute."

Dagen temporarily forgot how his arms worked and sank beneath the river. After taking in a lungful of water, he shot back to the surface, coughing and sputtering.

"Are you okay?" Brooke asked, concerned.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Dagen choked, "you just caught me off guard."

"Sorry," Brook apologized, "I didn't expect that to happen."

"It's not your fault," Dagen said, still coughing. "You just surprised me."

"I'm sorry," Brooke repeated, "but you are cute though."

"Um...Thanks. I'm not sure how to respond to that. I've never been good at taking complements, especially such... personal ones."

"That's okay. Do you know that oak tree at the edge of the river, just before the rapids?"

"Yeah, I've been there a few times."

"Wanna race? Whoever touches the tree first wins." Brooke said, grinning.

Dagen smiled back. "Sure. Go when we hit that bend?" he asked, indicating a curve in the river.

Brooke nodded and turned her head to focus on the starting point. Dagen readied himself as well. Both of their bodies tensed as they drew closer to the curve. When they felt the current slacken, they both surged forward and dove underneath the water's surface. It quickly became apparent both otters were remarkable swimmers. They had traveled almost a quarter of a league before they broke the surface for breath. Both swimmers curved and rolled with the current, using it to gain speed and save strength. As they rounded a final bend before the rapids, Brooke began to pull ahead of Dagen, and he realized just how beautiful she was. Every curve of her body enamored him, from the slope of her shoulders to the graceful curve of her breasts and round bottom which smoothly pulsed as she twisted her rudder. When he realized he was staring at her, Dagen shook his head and put his strength back into swimming, but Brooke was still faster. As she got close to the shore, she dove to the bottom of the river and pushed off from the bottom in a massive burst of energy, flew out of the water, and landed right next to the oak tree. When he saw that he had lost, Dagen, slowed down and gently cruised into the sandy bank.

"You're fast," he panted, looking away from her. He didn't want to catch himself staring again.

"Thanks," she gasped. "That really wore me out; let's rest up here for a while."

Still looking toward the water, Dagen shook his head. "I'm fine resting in the river."

"You'll never feel rested if you have to keep fighting the current, come up here and rest on the sand."

Dagen shook his head again and looked across the river. "I prefer this; I like..."

"Is there a reason you won't look at me when you talk?" Brooke interrupted.

"Well...I...um...I don't...that is..." Dagen stuttered. He felt nervous. He really didn't want to explain his shyness to Brooke right now, but how else could he explain it? He took a deep breath. "I really don't like be naked in front of other creatures. I know it's unusual for an otter to be that shy, but I'm just uncomfortable having my clothes off when I'm not in the river. I'm also uncomfortable seeing others naked, especially females. I'm sorry if I've been rude, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable by staring. If...if...if it's any consolation, I think you're very beautiful."

Brooke was silent for a moment. "Oh Dagen, I'm sorry. I didn't realize...If you want to stay in the river that's fine, or I can cover up if you want, or I can join you in the river."

Dagen shook his head. It's alright. I'm going to have to deal with this at some point. I can't keep hiding forever. I've already seen you naked, I guess it's only fair if you see me." With some effort, Dagen pulled himself out of the river and sand down on the beach, using one of his legs to hide himself. Brooke came and sat down next to him, not staring or scrutinizing him, but resting her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes, Dagen began to feel less awkward, in fact, he was feeling quite happy. Taking a chance, he took his arm and put it around Brooke, pulling her closer. If Brooke had any objections, she didn't express them, but leaned into Dagen even more. Feeling tired, Dagen slowly reclined, brining Brooke down with him. Pulling herself closer, Brooke rested her head on his chest. Dagen closed his eyes and smiled. The sand was so warm, and Brooke was so soft.

The next thing Dagen remembered was waking up to someone shaking his leg. He opened his eyes and saw Prit sitting at his feet, grinning like a madman.

"Looks like you two really hit it off, you sly riverdog."

Birch, who was sitting behind Prit, smacked him on the head. "Don't be so vulgar, Prit. I'm sure Dagen was a perfect gentlebeast."

Dagen softly shook Brooke by the shoulder. "Wake up, Brooke. Prit and Birch are here."

Sleepily, Brooke raised her head and nodded to the two new arrivals. "How long have you two been here?"

"Just a few minutes, but it's past noon and we'll have to fight the current to get back, so we should probably start swimming soon."

Dagen nodded. "You guys have clothes where we met up?"

"No," Prit shook his head, "we left them at Redwall. You?"

"Less than a mile north from where you were."

"We'll go with you and walk back together, then."

Dagen stood up and stretched. "Are you ready to go, Brooke?"

She nodded and stood up, coming alongside Dagen. "Let's go."

The four friends entered the river and started the journey against the current. Both couples stayed close to each other. Every so often, Brooke would bump into Dagen playfully, and he would return the gesture, all the while smiling. He had never felt so alive. He wanted to spend every day with Brooke and do everything could to make her happy. He felt warmer and lighter just looking at her. He wanted to be with her. He wanted her. Dagen shook his head and smiled sadly. One step at a time, lover-boy.

By the time the four reached the willow tree, the sun was already falling and their shadows were growing longer. Dagen stepped under the tree and grabbed his clothes but didn't put them on. Being the only clothed one would have been strange. Leaving the shelter of the tree, he rejoined the others and they started their trek toward the Abbey. Without planning to, Dagen and Brooke managed to stray away from Prit and Birch but stay within eyeshot. Brooke put her arm around Dagen's and held him close, giving him a small kiss on his cheek. Dagen smiled and turned to her.

"You know I meant it when I said you were beautiful," he said sweetly.

Brooke smiled and turned to him. "I don't know why you hid for so long; you have one of the biggest I've ever seen."

"Um...." Dagen froze, his ears turning red, "thanks?"

Brook laughed. "You are cute, especially when you're embarrassed." Brooke continued to laugh as she pulled Dagen along with her.

Dagen laughed a little. "I'm working in the kitchen tomorrow for breakfast and lunch, but do you want to take a dip in the pond with me tomorrow evening?"

Brook turned to him and smiled, her damp fur shining in the sunlight. "I'd love to."

The two joined arms again and continued toward the Abbey, not knowing what the future held for them, but content to be satisfied with the moment.