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“Dog,” said Fish. “You say that you owe me your life. What if I teach you how to be as clean as Cat is, as quiet as Cat is, and as smart as Cat is, in exchange for a favor?”
Beneath the waves, Dog’s tail began to fervently wag. “Oh, thank you, Fish!”
From that day forward, as soon as the brilliant blue sky became awash with the subdued shades of sunset, Fish would cautiously emerge from his cove and meet Dog at the edge of the jetty in order to teach her how to swim.
Throughout the entire length of the night, well until the faintest gleams of dawn poked holes into the blanket of darkness that had once shrouded them, Dog would traverse the monumental tides with as much might as she could muster. All the while, Fish remained faithfully by her side, shouting encouragements and instructions alike over the resounding roar of the waves. Whenever Dog faltered– even if it were for no more than a fleeting moment– Fish would dart out, hook his fins underneath her front legs, and drag her back up to the surface, just as he had on the day Dog nearly drowned.
"Fish," panted Dog on one such occasion, her tongue lolling limply out from of the corner of her mouth, "Perhaps we should stop our lessons. I cannot seem to swim as well as you or Cat do, no matter how hard I try to. Maybe Man was right; I will never be as smart as Cat is."
"Ha! What does Man know?" Fish laughed. "Man says that you are too messy, too loud, and too dumb for him. Does Man see how your coat now glistens in the sunshine? Does Man see how the creatures of the sea scatter at the very sound of your presence? Does Man see how you have visited me each and every day, eager to be taught and eager to learn?"
Dog tilted her head, pondering this. "No, he does not."
Fish nodded. "If Man had not thrown you into the water that day, I would have never left my cove again. Because you are here with me during the night, the creatures of the sea no longer try to attack and eat me. I feel safe, thanks to you. I am safe, thanks to you. Does Man see this?"
"No, he does not," Dog answered. "But neither did I. Thank you, Fish."
"I am the one who should be thanking you," insisted Fish. "Because tomorrow, you and I will be teaching Cat a lesson."
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