It's bedtime now.
Time to snuggle into bed and let your eyes softly close.
Let's take three deep breaths together.
Ready?
Good.
Notice how warm and safe and comfortable you feel.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Allow your mind to travel with the sound of my voice.
The day is dawning.
You slowly blink your eyes open to see the gorgeous pinks,
Purples,
Oranges,
Reds,
And yellows of the rising sun.
The colors glint off the water all around you.
You are gently rocking side to side as ripples of the sea move past you.
Though you are comfortably floating on your back,
You are not floating freely.
Rather,
You find that your paw is intentionally entangled in a long piece of giant kelp.
Anchored here in the kelp forest,
You are able to stay with your raft of friends and family.
The piece of kelp that you are holding belongs to a dense forest of giant kelp plants.
Just like a forest of trees on land,
Kelp plants provide a diverse habitat for many animals.
Some animals swim in the tops of the kelp called the canopy.
Others live on the fronds or leaf-like parts of the kelp.
Some live between the stipes or rope-like branches.
And even more animals live in what's called the holdfast,
Or the base that anchors kelp to the hard surfaces at the bottom of the sea.
The sun is up now and you are feeling ready for the day.
You decide to let go of your anchor line and go for a swim.
Your streamlined body glides easily through the water.
Your tail and fore-webbed feet propel you forward gracefully.
As you dive to the bottom of the cool water to find some breakfast at the holdfast,
You notice that your thick fur is helping you to stay nice and warm,
And the air it catches is helping you to stay buoyant.
Your large lungs allow you to stay underwater longer to find your favorite foods.
As you dive,
You notice the beautiful colors all around you.
The kelp is bright green and dark green and even brownish in some parts.
The fish swimming around are different shapes and colors and sizes.
The water of the sea's clear and light penetrates the surface,
Creating pockets of sunlit beauty.
There they are!
You can see the balls of purple spikes attached to the rocky bottom.
Sea urchins are your favorites,
Although you also enjoy eating crabs,
Mollusks,
And sometimes fish.
With breakfast between your paws,
You swim to the surface and float again on your back.
You crush the sea urchins with your fore feet and teeth.
Drinking a little bit of salt water to wash them down.
When you eat sea urchins,
You are able to help the kelp forests from being consumed by them.
When you find shellfish,
You usually use rocks as tools to break open the shells and scoop out the tasty treats.
You can also use aaggerilla if you want to get the chill out of your shellfish respectively.
Shelf time.
Over these weeks,
You Break open the shells and scoop out the tasty treat.
Now that you have had your breakfast,
It's time to clean up.
You have to take good care of your coat so that it will remain waterproof and insulated from the cold sea.
You twist and turn in the water and use your teeth and paws to groom your coat.
This grooming has made you a bit sleepy so you decide that it's time for a little nap.
Once again you wrap your paw in a thick piece of kelp and float gently on your back.
You start to feel a deep sense of relaxation come over you.
Your chin is tucked,
Resting on your light brown chest.
The water laps around the dark brown fur of your coat.
The muscles in your limbs and back and tail and face relax.
Your eyelids become heavy and you gently let them close.
Your breathing becomes soft and deep and effortless.
You are completely comfortable.
Resting in the canopy of the kelp forest,
You let the sounds of the water gently lull you off to sleep.
Good night little sea otter.
