Snowflakes came down in droves. What had started as a wintry mix was now the first true storm of the season. Theory had completed a wider patrol of the eastern coast after hearing reports of strange weather activity and odd behavior in prey animals. There was something in the air that had everyone on edge, herself included. As she loped towards Firefly Lake to give it a quick look and then circle back towards Abaven territory, the strangest thing began to happen. The storm began to part before her, as if she was suddenly under cover from the thickest forest canopy. Theory slowed to a stop and craned her head to stare up at the sky. Stars winked back at her from between the parted clouds above. A stripe of darkest night stretched behind her, crystal clear and uninterrupted by the storm that raged at either side of her. Taking a deep breath and trying to quell her racing heart, she continued on through the eye of the storm. It was more like a passage. Leading straight towards the lake. Theory flattened her ears against her head as she made her way towards the lake's shore. When she arrived, the passage opened up into the true eye of the winter storm: the entire lake. On all sides of the lake, it looked like the storm was being held back by a thin pane of ice. She sat down slowly to marvel at it. Was it a miracle? Or something more sinister? After their months and months of never-ending winter, it seemed like miracle and sinister seemed to go hand in hand. "Speech"

Snow drifted down... a lot... like... drifting wasn't even the right word for it anymore. How did winter hit to hard so fast? Sparrow felt like they had JUST gotten out of winter to begin with. With last winter being so long, this one had everyone up in arms and on edge. Or maybe it was Mercury in retrograde or something else. Not that Sparrow knew astrology or even astronomy. The stars twinkled above between the clouds, looking like glowing claw marks through the cloudy sky.

Through the snow, Sparrow saw a familiar form and jump-crunched through the snow to catch up. She didn't notice the eerie eye of the storm, simply just thankful the snow stopped for a moment. She came up to Theory, unobservant of her awe-struck state.

"Weird weather, huh?"

She was struck dumb staring at the strange calm over the lake and didn't hear Sparrow bounding through the snow drifts until her cousin was almost on top of her. "Guh!" she sputtered in surprise, almost tumbling forward into the dark waters. It was sure to be chillingly cold. The way the snow swirled in lazy circles at the informal boundaries of the water was already chilling enough. "You can definitely say that again. Look at that - it just stops around the lake. What would even cause that?" As she ruminated on it, her hackles began to rise almost involuntarily. The whole thing creeped her out. The few snowflakes that fizzled from the barrier and crossed over the water seemed to blink out, as if wiped clear out of reality. Poof. Gone. Just like that. The center of the lake began to slowly move as if a stiff breeze had begun to pick up across the water, but the air remained impossibly still. "I really don't like this..." she murmured. Theory peeked out of the corner of her eye at Sparrow. "What brings you here? Regular pirate nonsense or particular pirate nonsense?"

Theory said something about the weather stopping around the lake. Sparrow spared her a laugh, but the woman seemed really shaken. Fineee. Sparrow gave the suggestion a thought and then she observed for herself. "Well I'll be damned!" The weather really did stop around the lake. Theory asked what would cause that and Sparrow thought for a moment. "Uh, maybe there was a really powerful geyser here and we missed it." She shrugged. Seemed plausible, right?

The snowflakes that hit near the lake just vanished. "Uh... maybe the water is still hot... wanna test it?"

Theory said she really didn't like it and Sparrow rolled her eyes, ever the skeptic. She also asked what brought Sparrow here. Honestly, Sparrow wasn't even sure, but she moved to stomp forward towards the lake if Theory didn't stop her.

"God called me here to prove my dumb cousin that this is just a normal hot lake thing."

Of course Sparrow wanted to investigate this in the most hands-on way possible. A shiver crept down Theory's spine. "Um... I don't think this lake is ever hot. We're headed towards the north this way. It's usually one of the first things to freeze over during the winter, but - " It wasn't frozen yet at all. The center of the lake suddenly began to churn as if someone had pulled the plug on it. "A geyser?" she sounded doubtful. "Maybe. I suppose we're close enough to the volcano for some strange things to occur with underground heat." She didn't like thinking about the volcano, but it did effect the ecosystem around it whether she acknowledged it or not. "Still. I just wouldn't go in it. But I'll stand watch if you want to," Theory shrugged.

Theory

You feel uneasy. You also find 2 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Sparrow made a big show of rolling her eyes at Theory, "Oh rapids are fine, but one haunted lake is too much for the big alpha?" She flashed a smile so Theory would know she was joking. She stepped closer to the water, silently sucking an a breath. One paw in, and then Sparrow threw her whole weight in, trying her best to sink to the bottom for several long moments. When her lungs burned, she kicked up and surfaced with a large breath. "Ahahahaha! Got you!"

Had she really gotten Theory with her fake drowning? Maybe not. But she DID get herself when she noticed the water around her glowing, small blue orbs wafting upwards towards the sky. "Uh... does this count at a geyser?"

Sparrow

You find a flower that seems to reflect the glow of the moon. You also find 3 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

She rolled her eyes but offered Sparrow a gruff laugh in response to her joke. At least the rapids were comfortable and familiar! This whole area was completely unsettling. Nothing was acting in accordance with nature, which was supposedly life's great equalizer. "Alright, your fun-" Sparrow disappeared under the water with a great crash, making Theory jump. "funeral?" she finished, perplexed. Was she about to plan a pirate funeral? A watery grave would match the rest of her persona... "Okay, this is just a joke. Has to be a joke." Theory started to pace nervously at the edge of the lake. Sparrow surfaced again, gasping and splashing. The water shimmered around her in response. "Next time I'll drown you myself!" Theo shouted, but her heart wasn't in it. Sparkling orbs drifted up towards the sky, some lazy and some passing by quicker than a blink. "It's... definitely unusual," she whispered. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"