This story is part of the Wanderer series.
“Here,” he casually motioned towards the back half of the canoe before turning back to the low branch.
Rin walked up to the water’s edge, looking at the canoe with uncertainty. Lifting a leg, she hovered it over the bottom of the hull for a brief instant before stepping down directly in the middle. The boat dipped a little into the water, but held her weight well. Stabilizing herself, keeping her knee bent but strong, she quickly brought her other leg in, landing her foot near the other to stand square. However, with her first foot planted in the middle, squaring up with her second shifted her weight to the docked side, tilting the boat. Flinching, Rin dropped down low, shooting her hands out to grab both sides of the deck as her dancing legs wobbled the canoe. She recovered herself quickly, only managing to rock the boat a bit.
Nozomi was following closely behind Rin before she saw her lose balance, pausing at the ledge. There was no alarm in her eyes. Only a mild interest, as if she was wondering if the boat was going to dump the red-haired girl back into the marsh. When it did, nothing exciting, she moved again, heaving a leg high into the air with a slight smile, looking ready to stomp down with great force.
Rin raised her head and hastily lifted a hand towards Nozomi, gesturing her to stop with an open palm. “Hey, hey hey. Step where I tell you, okay?”
Her smile dulling, Nozomi’s expression returned to idle curiosity as Rin shuffled back a little, towards the stern seat. The boat swayed as she did this, but not nearly as much as before.
“And go slowly. Over here.”
She reached down and pointed to an empty spot in the hull, about a foot’s width past the center, almost touching the spot with her fingertip. Nozomi followed her direction, but lunged her leg the last instant as it became harder for her to balance, stamping her foot next to where Rin was pointing.
“No, no. Right here,” Rin shook her finger, visibly frustrated. “Even further. Right over here.”
Clenching her toes, Nozomi wiggled her bare foot towards the exact spot Rin harassed her to stand on. Pulling back her finger, Rin then reached her hand out towards the girl.
“Okay, now give me your hand.”
But before Nozomi could react, Rin briefly dipped her hand back into the boat, pointing at a new spot on the hull. Her hand wavered between the girl and the boat one more time as she continued her instructions.
“And step over here, okay? Right over here. Remember it.”
Finally keeping her hand outstretched, Rin firmly gripped Nozomi’s hand once it connected with hers and carefully pulled her forward. Nozomi drew her remaining leg in, but the unsteady ground spurred her to once again abruptly stamp her foot down, far onto the port side of the canoe, lurching it towards the land. Rin, with a brief flash of panic on her face, eyes wide, brows raising, teeth gritting, stiffened as she instinctively lurched the other direction to try and save the boat from tipping over. Her right foot slipped out underneath and she fell back onto the stern seat, sharply pulling Nozomi in with her. They both uttered a short cry as they fell, the pink-haired girl falling onto her knees. Rin tightly gripped the side of the canoe with her other hand as it rocked for a good moment, gradually coming to a rest again.
The boy, having untied and fetched the rope anchoring the canoe, watched with round, curious eyes as the two girls struggled to board the canoe.