Without another thought, I swam over to Kopa as fast as I could. He was flailing his legs in every direction, trying to stay afloat to no avail. With all my strength, I pulled him, choking and sputtering, out of the water, and dragged him through the water to the shore. I was too terrified to think about anything else.
When we reached the shore, the other cubs had noticed what had happened, and had formed a crowd on the edge of the water. I pushed them aside, and let Kopa down. He was now lying on the shore, limp as a fish. I stood over him, my heart pounding as I waited for him to open his eyes. I bent over him and whispered, "Kopa, wake up."
His eyes fluttered open, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. "What happ-"
"You almost drowned." I said. I thought for a minute, until I couldn't keep back the tears, "Kopa, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for you to almost drown! O gods, this is my fault! I'm so sorry; I'm so sorry; i'm so-" I stopped because he was clutching my paw tightly.
"It's all right, Vitani." he said, looking up into my eyes kindly. "I know you didn't mean for it to happen." I knew that, but I was still sobbing; and I never sobbed before. He looked up into my eyes, and my vision was obscured by a stunning flash of amber. After a few seconds, I realized it was his eyes, so full of kindness and forgiveness. To my embarrasment, I felt a wave of heat erupt in my face. I turned away, so he wouldn't see my face (which had just turned bright red). To cover up my embarassment, I said, "You know you can let go of my paw now." To my surprise, he also turned a bright shade of scarlet, and turned away. I felt a light fluttering in my stomach I was sure wasn't normal.