I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Morning hovered on the horizon as Natha and Lyulf worked their way south. A soft pinkish glow was just starting to color the sky and the stars were beginning to fade one by one. She strode along the coast, enjoying the cool breeze that blew in off the ocean and also enjoying that the ice was starting to fade and her paws were once again on solid earth. Ahhh it felt good. Something caught her attention and she pranced over to a large hole in the ground full to the brim of water.

"Huh, I wonder what's up with this." She leaned over a bit farther, trying to see how far down it went. She had heard a loner mention something about a giant geyser that lay dormant in the summer months. In the water she could see a number of cirrus clouds in the sky. She sat down and gazed up looking at the cirrus clouds for a moment as she analyzed the weather.

His pace was slower than that of the more agile cat, holding his spine rigid in an attempt to not slip on the ice under his paws. He had done so once before, a rush of heat flooding towards his cheeks at the memory. Of course he had to do so when a stranger was within spotting distance, chewing at the inside of his cheek to suppress a whine that threatened to sound. Lyulf's attention was called off his inner thoughts as they walked deeper towards the south, the air around him starting to warm. Blinking his emerald eyes, he glanced away from his paws and at the horizon, letting out a soft gasp as the sky slowly came alive with pink hues of morning. It was a beautiful sight, slowing his steps even more as he lagged behind his new companion. Realizing that he had fallen behind again, he trotted to catch up, feeling as the ice melted away to a more solid surface. The sharp contrast made him wince softly, his toes spreading as he felt around the new texture. Heavy paws crunched through the snow, long fur at his hocks grasping to the flakes. Nose wrinkled upwards at the familiar feeling, welcoming it with caution. Memories of his home life bubbled to the surface, but the male quickly shoved them back down, this was not the time for thoughts like this. Shaking his head to and fro, he scanned ahead of him to see that Natha had paused, looking down at something on the ground. Lyulf's head fell wayside out of curiosity, his stride widening as he rejoined her at her side. The lynx sat beside a hole in the ground, filled with glacier water. He blinked, leaning down to sniff at it, like that would tell him what it was. It reflected the awakening sky above them perfectly, but that didn't stop him from slapping it with the underside of his paw. It was normal water, no little glowing creatures or anything reacting to his touch. He still held up his now damp paw, tilting his head from one side to the other. It was nearly a perfect circle in the ground, what the heck was it... He looked up to see if he could catch the feline's eye, only to see that she was staring up at the clouds. He shrugged his shoulders, not bothered to bother her, going back to slapping the water with his outstretched paw. That would solve all his problems, right? Why was something this simple so amusing? "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha's gaze returned to the strange, deep pool of water. She paced around the edge as she tried to get a closer look but she also didn't want to fall in. The water smelt strange, a little bit like sulphur. She leaned down and sniffed at it before wrinkling her nose. Lyulf caught up with her and reaching out a paw he slapped the water. Her ears flicked forward as she gazed at him then back at the water. Nothing happened. Ok, so there were no strange glowing creatures in there. "Huh, maybe it's just a big hole in the ground that filled up with water over time? It smells a bit… I don't know, like minerals? Like sulphur?"

Her gaze turned upward again as she analyzed the clouds. Cirrus clouds were a good sign. It meant the next 24 hours would be fair weather for the most part, maybe even the next 48 hours. That would make for good travel. She glanced back to Lyulf who was slapping the water again and she grinned. "Well, I take it it doesn't burn then, that's a good sign." There was a nice breeze going, coming down from the north, clear and cool. It looked like it was going to be a nice day. She bent her head to drink it but immediately recoiled. "Ew, yuck! It tastes weird."

The slapping of the water paused when Natha spoke, stating that it could have been a hole that filled with water over time. The wolf hummed thoughtfully as he rocked back onto his heels, nose wrinkling as he remembered the smell when he took a sniff at it as well. His green eyes scanned the horizon, taking in everything else that was covered in ice and snow. "It's not frozen though," he stated, squinting as he carefully leaned in to get a closer look. He didn't see any ripples of water, looking like the water was completely still. If it was being fed from the ocean, it would be too salty to freeze over, but he couldn't detect salt water in the air. "It doesn't seem to be fed by flowing water..." It made his tan marked brows pull together, concerned at this random hole in the earth. As he kept on slapping it, Natha seemed amused and stated that it wasn't hot. He nodded, letting his paw rest along the top for a moment. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. That thought made his face scrunch up further, looking up to meet the cat's gaze as she took a taste, telling him of its foul taste. "I'm not sure, something doesn't seem quite right about this..." As if on queue, the earth below them grumbled, shaking the ground that Lyulf stood on. His blunt claws clung to whatever they could as he darted backwards and away from the hole, worried that he would fall in. Worry pulled at his features, making sure that Natha was unscathed by the whole event. Never before had he felt the earth groan like that, not unless there was an avalanche. "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha frowned and nodded, he had a point. The water wasn't frozen, though it was summer so perhaps it was just warm enough that the water wasn't freezing. Still, it didn't quite explain why it tasted the way it did. She'd had water with various amounts of minerals in it before but nothing so revolting as this. "Yea, I got to be honest, its giving me the cree-" Before she could finish her sentence the ground began to shake. Natha's fur stood on end and she scrambled near Lyulf looking around wildly. Suddenly, a burst of water shot up out of the ground. Natha screamed and darted behind the nearest available boulder. She didn't know that the geyser was typically dormant in the summer, nor did she realize that the after math of the volcano still had it going more regularly than usual. Either way, Natha was not fond of the sudden spout of water.

It suddenly stopped, the bubbling fountain disappearing down into the earth like a sleeping monster. "Oh… ok… well… a geyser." She took a deep breath, focusing on the cool feel of the air and the lovely weather, the sun on her back until she felt calmer. Natha's heart was still hammering though. She looked at Lyulf. "Can we go? I don't like it here."

Both of them had the right idea, that feeling of dread that something wasn't quiet right about this landscape. Despite the relief of the warmer area, the rising sun and stunning horizon, there was a heavy feeling that pressed down on his shoulder blades. He shifted his weight from paw to paw, backing up slowly with a whine. It was just in time for the rumble of the earth, eyes darting back and forth until he spotted Natha hunkering down beside him. He flattened his form against the stones below, quaking with each rumble that threatened the earth. His eyes flew wide as a burst of water shot up from the hole, sending both feline and canine scrambling for cover. Lyulf leaned heavily against Natha, both for support and to offer her some as well. Ears clung to his skull as he squeezed his eyes closed shut, praying that it would all be over soon. Moments past and the world grew silent once more, but even then the male waited several moments before daring to lift himself ever so slightly to peek over the rock that hid them from danger. Water still trickled over the edges of the hole, and he heard Natha state that it was a geyser. He could feel the lynx shaking beside him, letting out a soft whine in hopes to comfort her. Dropping back down to where she was, he tentatively nudged her shoulder with his nose a few times. Comforting and being overly friendly weren't things that Lyulf was used to doing, but he felt a pull at his heart in seeing the cat shake like she was. He didn't notice that he was doing the same thing as well, writing it off to the still trembling crust below them. All too eagerly he nodded when Natha suggested leaving, rising to his paws as best as he could. "Anywhere but here is fine with me..." Lyulf whispered, his voice quaking as he shot a wary glance towards the settling geyser before them. Whatever the quickest way out of here was good for him, no matter where that would lead them. Leaning back towards Natha, he gently nosed her scruff, soothing the both of them - hopefully - before all too gladly trotting off in a random direction, eager to put this area behind him. "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Normally being nosed by a canine would bother her but under these circumstances she was grateful for Lyulf's gentle nudging. She leaned into him, reaching out to rub her head reassuringly against his frame. They were ok, they were safe, out of the reach of the geyser but either way she was ready to get the heck out of here. Natha got to her feet and shook herself out. Her legs were still shaking a bit but with each step her stride grew more sure as she trotted further south. To heck with this land, she wasn't going to come back here. Loud eruptions of water at random intervals? Forget it. She could see now why the place was called the 'devil's' spout. She slowed and turned to glance at Lyulf to make sure he was alright and following. He was clearly shaken as well and she wished she knew something more comforting to say but at the moment she just wanted to get away from here. They could talk after they put some distance between themselves and that freaky fountain.

-exit-

It had been awhile since he had been comforted, let alone touched, by another creature. Reaching out to Natha had been hard, but a welcome reprieve in his usual stoic life. She returned the favor by rubbing her head against him, bringing forth a gentle hum from the male. They had made it, despite how close both of them had been to the spout before it blew up. He didn't even want to think what would have happened if either of them had remained at the edge. Lyulf stood with the feline, shaking himself out when she did to try to rid the creeping feeling that pulled his hackles upwards. Neither of them said another word as they took off in a random direction, not sparing a moment to look over his shoulder at the area that nearly killed them both. He merely made a mental note of where this was, vowing to never come back to this place. Suddenly grateful that he was no longer alone, he matched Natha's stride when she turned to check on him, feeling better as they quickly moved further south. -exit, end thread!- "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn