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About a week or so had passed before Phosphor was out on his own again. He had learned quiet a bit more about the pride from his grandmother and, while he found it very fascinating and he was happy to know he was lucky to be a demon lion, he still hoped he'd see his friend Ashta again. Slaves were good to have around for various reasons, but he didn't think he'd do any of the things his grandma had said to the white lion. Maybe another slave he could tease or beat up on days he felt angry...but not Ash! No way.

After a quick search turned up nothing, Phos decided he'd go play in the water of one of the ponds. He headed to the edge of the water once he found one and began to splash around, chasing little crayfish and tadpoles and other things that lived in the muddy bottom. He flopped down, laughing to himself as he rolled in the water. It was nice to cool off in! Standing and shaking, he dried off just a bit before resuming his chase. These little guys were hard to catch!

Oblivious to the eyes watching him, Phosphor continued to chase a particularly quick tadpole. He snarled at it as it swam away, further into the pond, and after just a moments hesitation he charged after it. The water stayed shallow for a few pounces and then...it dropped off.

Not expecting the sudden plunge, Phosphor went under and sucked in a decent lungful of water in surprise. Coughing and spluttering as he emerged, he splashed frantically as he tried to find ground. What might have been chest-deep for an adult lion was far too far for him to reach, and it was only by luck that he was managing to stay afloat.

"Help!" he called out, the sound turning to a gurgle as he sank back under, his paws having no rhyme or reason to their flailing. If he weren't so panicked he might have figured out how to do a crude paddle, but the constant sensation of water in his mouth and nose was too terrifying to allow him to think clearly.

Phosphor kept his eyes open, but all he could see was darkness. The lake was swallowing him up! He struggled a bit more when something gripped him by the scruff of his neck. Instinct took over and he went limp, coughing and spluttering as he was lifted out of the water.

Once he was on the land, he turned to his stomach and coughed up a bit of water, heaving to get a lungful of air. The voice that spoke to him was familiar and he rolled over once he could, two-tone eyes staring up at his savior.

"Ash!" he said weakly, pushing himself to his feet to flop over the slave's larger paws. He didn't care that he was supposed to treat slaves poorly. His friend had just saved him! He hugged his legs tightly, pressing his soggy face into the equally soggy fur of Ashta's legs. "You saved me! Thank you thank you thank you I thought I was gonna die!"

He coughed again, a bit of lake weed bothering him between his teeth. He picked it out with a claw but didn't move after that, still clinging to Ashta's legs like a life line.

Phos sat patiently as Ash cleaned him up a bit. Good...the pond was kind of smelly. And now he was smelly! Ew...but the slave was doing a good job making sure he was well on the road to smelling fresh again. He stood up and ducked his head just a bit, inviting the male to continue.

"Okay," he whispered back with a grin before proclaiming loudly, "Slave, I order you to give me a bath!" There was no one around, of course, but it was just in case. He flopped against Ash's legs again and turned to help him reach his chest, pulling more lake weed from his hind legs.

"That was really scary," he added after a moment, looking back at the water with fearful eyes. "I didn't know it got so deep so fast! Good thing you were there...I don't think I can swim very well." He frowned a bit and looked down at his paws. Rather than become afraid of water, he was determined to learn how to master it. Water would be at his bidding. He'd be the best swimmer anyone had ever seen!

Phos looked himself over and swatted at the tuft of fur on his head before nodding in satisfaction. "Well done Ash...I mean....Slave," he said, flicking his ears back in feigned annoyance. "Next time do it faster!" He gave his friend a wink to let him know he was joking, though. Joking because there wouldn't be a next time. He wasn't going to nearly drown again if he had anything to say about it.

Glancing at the pond once more his ears flicked upward. "That's a good idea...then I know when it gets deep," he said, gazing up at his friend with a grin. "I like that! But not today, Slave, I just got clean." That and he was still kind of scared of the water. A snuggle with Grandma would solve that, though, and the next time he felt the need for a swim he'd find Ash and tell him to come play. Er...come do his bidding. Right.

"Do you know how to swim really good?" he asked, pawing at Ashta's still soggy fur. "You didn't have to just now but can you?"

Phos flicked his tail back and forth in thought before giving a little nod. "Good. Then I'll come find you later so you can show me how. I don't wanna fall in another pond without you around to save me," he said, ears pressing back against his head at the thought. No, that was far too scary.

Standing and moving back, he lifted his ears and smiled at his friend. "Thanks again, Ash. You saved my butt," he said, true thanks in his voice. "I'll leave you alone now though, so you don't get in trouble." His grandma had told him it was very easy for slaves to be picked on, and he didn't want to cause his friend any harm. Maybe when he was bigger he could always be around him so he could keep him safe!

"I'll see you later!" he added as he turned to run back to his den, not wanting to get Ashta nor himself into trouble. His grandma had told him to come home early for one reason or another.