Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn welcomed the arrival of autumn despite the fact the coolness of the past summer had been like autumn and winter combined. Still, there wasn't much she could do about the weather and at least today was a beautiful day. She worked her way through the east as the sun shown down through the forest, eventually arriving at the hot springs a loner had told her about. A perfect place to warm up the bones. Nestled in the heart of a deciduous forest, five pools stretched out before her, going two by two to the larger pool at the top of the stair-stepping pile of rocks. A few green plant grew here and there but most of the beige rock was bare. Steam rose from rich aqua blue pools and of course Jynn had to work her way to the top of the half moon pools. Peering down she could see more pools on the otherside.

Here he was again, back at the hot springs just beyond the safety of the mangrove. Mask firmly in place on his head, and Bug clinging to the back of his neck. The young male wasn't satisfied with his last trip, and now he was back to see what else he might find there. Breaking through the treeline, the bright light of day cast upon the opalescent sheen of the slick stones. He wondered to himself if the ground here was limestone, but the colour wasn't quite right. There was a strange hint of fumes in the air, barely noticeable. He hadn't been paying as much attention before, but now that he was drinking it all in he wondered how safe these pools actually were. The steam was broken up with rays of light, though the thin cover hung quite low over the water today. This gave him an unobstructed view from the edge of the trees, and this was how he noticed the large auburn canine at the summit of the pools. The figure wasn't quite right to be a wolf, but it certainly wasn't a fox, despite those large ears. Some of the colouring matched up with a fox, but the tail was so short. Cautiously, he scented the air for more clues. There was none of the distinct musk that came from a male, and the overall scent was more canine than anything. A female of.. some kind.. perhaps. "Back, turn back." Bug croaked anxiously into his ear, crawling along the nape of his neck to avoid raising his voice and drawing attention from the much larger creature. With a snort, the swamp dweller took a few steps forward. He wasn't certain he needed to be afraid, not quite yet. Who or whatever she was, she seemed just as interested in the scenery and landscape as he was. " 'ey," he barked, taking a few more steps towards the incline between the half-moon pools. "find anything cool around here?" "speech" thinking "others"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn examined the pools, noticing that there were various depths. She looked up a moment to gaze around at the large trees that helped the area feel safe and secluded. She crouched at the edge of one of the shallower pools and carefully stuck a paw in to test the water. It was nice and warm and she made note of the location of this place. A warm soak in the winter months would be greatly appreciated. She heard a frog croak but paid little attention til she heard paw steps.

Jynn turned to see a boy with a strange mask approach. She smiled and nodded lightly. "Well, just some nice warm water so far. But considering how cold its been lately thats a good find. What's with the mask? I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

When the taller canine turned to face him, he was struck with the familiarity he found with the contours of her features. If his vision were poorer, he might have just mistaken her for a very leggy yearling. The dark nub of his tail twitched reflexively, trying to wag an absent appendage. "Well, just some nice warm water so far. But considering how cold its been lately thats a good find. What's with the mask? I'm not interrupting anything am I?" she spoke in a language he could understand, which was promising in itself. As though seeking to verify her claim, the young wolf sidestepped so he could dip his forepaw into a nearby pool. Sure enough, the waters were still notably warm, just like the last time he'd visited. When he looked back to her, he blinked a few times before remembering her last question. "Oh, it's mostly for my sake." he admitted with a shrug, and lifted a paw to slip the muntjac skull from his face with a practiced motion. The thick leather hooked around the zygomatic arches caught the skull as it dropped, allowing it to bump against his chest and hang there, horns framing his neck. "I'm not the best fighter around, so I feel better having it on, that's all." he flashed her a small smile once his features were on full display, verdant eyes crinkling at the corners. "Do you know what's causing the water to stay warm like this? I thought I caught a bit of a sulphur smell earlier." he asked next, taking a few steps away to squint into the pool he'd just dipped a paw in. He thought he could see something moving near the deepest part of it, and he was fairly certain it wasn't a fish. "speech" thinking "others"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn watched curiously as the yearling slipped the mask off and explained about fighting. She nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, I see. Yea, I was never much for fighting myself. Well, real fights. I like to spar and tussle but I hate when things get violent. Much prefer exploring." She settled sphinx-like by the nearest pool, stretching her front paws into the water. "Well, I don't know the specifics but I think it has something to do with the springs being near a volcano." She gestured toward Mount Volkan. "I think there's something about the volcano's insides that make this water warm but don't quote me on that." Jynn chuckled. She really wasn't the science sort. "So do you live around here?"

"Ah, I see. Yea, I was never much for fighting myself. Well, real fights. I like to spar and tussle but I hate when things get violent. Much prefer exploring." It was always much appreciated when someone was able to express understanding and empathy with his plight. After all, he was a tiny wolf by comparison to some of the goliath's that fought for the local packs. When those massive dire wolves had invaded during that horrific winter, the swamp dweller had found himself uncharacteristically grateful for his small size and the safety of his mangrove. When the tall stranger settled onto her belly with her front paws in the warm water, he found himself taking another moment to stare. Her ears were really big. She must be great at hunting- can probably hear everything coming from a million miles away. the thought arose without much prompting, and it took a moment for him to realize he was judging the nice lady for her appearance for absolutely no reason. What was he doing that for? "Well, I don't know the specifics but I think it has something to do with the springs being near a volcano." Just like that his attention was drawn back to the present, and up towards the volcano looming nearby. "I think there's something about the volcano's insides that make this water warm but don't quote me on that." she added, and all at once he felt like an absolute moron. He chuckled softly, a blush rising to his cheeks. "I guess that makes sense, not sure why I didn't think of that." he replied bashfully. At least she seemed to be as unsure as he was, with a good sense of humour about it. "So do you live around here?" the woman asked next, and he bobbed his head lightly. Bug shifted his weight against the nape of his companion's neck, croaking anxiously to himself. The wolf pointedly ignored the quiet warning, knowing full well that the frog was being too cautious for his own good. What was the point of adventure if he never made a point to meet new friends? He joined the woman in lounging by the water, dipping his own forepaws in beside her. This was fine, they were just hanging out. No one was making any sudden movements or saying anything dicey. "I was born and raised in the mangrove to the southeast of here, I've only just started trying to see new places." he admitted, lightly paddling his forepaws in the water to stir up some waves. He liked watching the little ripples bounce back from the opposite edge of the water. "I'm Bog, by the way. Do you live nearby, too?" "speech" thinking "others"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn spread her toes, pawing lightly at the water and enjoying the warmth. It would be good to warm her paws up a bit before she continued on her journey. Jynn looked up as the boy explained that he'd been raised in the mangroves. He introduced himself as Bog and it suddenly dawned on her that she hadn't introduced herself. "Oh gee, I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jynn! I don't live anywhere in particular. I'm a nomad so wherever I happen to be is home."

Jynn shook the water off of her paws and stood back up. "Say, I'm headed out to the Kamui Delta, its along the river southeast of here, right next to the Mangroves. Have you been there before? Would you want to join me?"

The auburn woman mirrored his gestures, similarly pawing at the water to create little ripples that travelled across the top of the pool. "Oh gee, I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jynn! I don't live anywhere in particular. I'm a nomad so wherever I happen to be is home." she announced gleefully, and to go with her name she offered up her unique lifestyle. Bog wasn't certain he could ever spend his days without a den to return to each night, but the idea did intrigue him. No sooner had he begun to roll the notion to and fro in his mind, then Jynn got to her paws again and gave her damp toes a little shake. "Say, I'm headed out to the Kamui Delta, its along the river southeast of here, right next to the Mangroves. Have you been there before? Would you want to join me?" her questions produced a strange lightness in his chest that he wasn't quite familiar with. He was being invited to join her on a new exploration! Did that make them friends, or just travel buddies for the day? Either way, he was already excited by the prospect. Shuffling back to his feet, the moss-dappled yearling was reminded of just how small he was in comparison to this leggy explorer. "Sure! I've only been there for a few minutes to look for shells, I didn't get to really look around. It would be nice to get to check it out for real this time." he replied with a grin, already shifting his attention to the treeline as he tried to puzzle out the route. "Lead the way!" --Exit Bog w/ Jynn?-- "speech" thinking "others"