After the second awkward encounter with the boy from Ashen, Grimshaw was more than happy to take a breather and enjoy some time to himself. He had spent a long day training, scouting, doing rounds, and even doing a little work to his den to make it more comfortable. Skinning some of those strangely colored animals was making for a comfortable place to sleep and with his tired, aching bones and muscles every night, he enjoyed the soft bed.

Before bed, however, he decided to take a stroll on up to the hot springs and enjoy a nice soak in the warm waters of the autumn air, surrounded by the eerie air of the ever present moon. It hardly phased him now, but still made him feel a bit uneasy at times. He was used to coming to the hot springs now though, just these new happenings were making it strange. He could make the trip with his eyes closed, though, so he wouldn't let a few weird bugs bother him.

What he didn't expect, however, was to see that growing within and on top of the stones separating the different pools of the hot springs, blue glowing crystals grew. Some came from the waters edge, others from the middle, and in many places there were large clusters that covered the entire area. Grimshaw stopped in awe, watching how the pulsing, glowing shards illuminated the water of the hot springs.

It was a beautiful sight really, and with the ache in his muscles, he really didn't believe some crystals could change the water and in turn do something to him. So with that stubborn thought, Grimshaw eased his way into the warm waters with a relieved sigh and sunk up to throat as he worked his way into the middle of the pool. He sunk his head in only for a moment, just to rise and move over to the largest cluster of crystals that he could reach within the pool he chose to check it out.

"Speech"

If Malachai had been annoyed by the fireflies before now he was really annoyed. The boy stomped and thumped his way through the near-endless night. Why did every damn thing need to be so damn bright. He hated it. He grumbled his way past the borders of Ashen not really having a path in mind this time but as he walked he picked up the trace of Grimshaw, a grin splitting his face and the boy dropped into a hunter's crouch, his tongue flicking over his lips and he tracked the other boy. He snuck up on the hot springs and had to stifle a chuckle as he noticed where his friend was. He rose to his full height, unleashed a feral yell, and ran full tilt towards the pool Grimshaw was in, at the last minute he launched himself into the air, landing with a splash in the same pool. A laugh pulled from his lips as he waded through the warm water towards the other boy. "Whatcha doing?" He asked, pulling up beside Grimshaw to peer down at... A glowing outcropping of crystals... Great.

Art by Shirohoru

Grimshaw was peacefully minding his own business, scooting around the pool examining the crystals that lined the edges of the stones. He wondered if there were crystals underneath the water, down at the deepest parts of the pool. He'd never had tried to hold his breath long enough underwater to see anything, but was curious nonetheless. Until his peaceful soak was interrupted, however, by a certain someone launching into his warm pool.

Didn't he say he was fine by himself? Was he doomed to always be in the company of the same punk from next door for the rest of his life? Thankfully, he didn't have much time to think about how he really felt about that thought with Malachai landing in the middle of the pool. As the water rose up around the yearling from next door, Grimshaw sunk into the water up to his eyes as the water fell around him. Scowling at the boy, his eyes narrowed as they approached and asked what he was up to. Well, he was minding his own business, thank you!

Grimshaw sighed and rose up from the water only enough to speak. The warm water did feel good after all. Catching the boy's mismatched eyes on the crystal cluster between them, he studied them himself briefly. "Soaking." He said bluntly, silver eyes flashing from the crystal to the boy for a moment. "And wondering about the crystals. And if they're underwater." Grimshaw looked out into the middle of the pool then, curious.

"Speech"

Someone more emotionally intelligent or just more concerned about the feelings of others might have been aware of the way Grimshaw reacted to being suddenly intruded upon. But luckily for Malachai and unluckily for basically everyone else he was about as emotionally intelligent as a rock. So he didn't even really notice the glare being shot his way, he just continued on with the same swagger and cockiness he always did. His expression fell slightly as Grimshaw told him what he was doing and Malachai rolled his eyes. What was so special about these dang crystal anyways? They were gaudy and bright and constantly popping up everywhere, enough so he had to be careful he didn't step on any and cut himself.

He sighed and turned around suddenly then shoved his face into the water. After a moment he lifted it again, the hot water dripping down his face and he looked at Grimshaw and announced in a very matter-of-fact tone: "There's one on the bottom of the pool just there." He gestured with a forepaw, swirling the water as he didn't quite lift it enough to pull it above the surface.

Art by Shirohoru

Malachai hardly seemed to care about intruding upon him while he was taking a private soak. There were plenty of other pools to dive into, so why pick this one? Grimshaw was still annoyed, but relaxed his features and rose back above the water finally. When Malachai rolled his eyes at his reasoning, Grimshaw mirrored his response himself. He wasn't sure what was so special about them either, but anything he could take back to Sirius, he intended on doing. He had the thought of dunking under water to investigate himself, but Malachai beat him to the punch and rose a moment later. The strange feeling he had returned again and he quickly looked away, down to where he was swirling his paw in the water in the direction of the crystal he mentioned.

"I'm uh, I'm going to go see." There, that would take him away from the feeling, right? Pushing himself off of the wall, Grimshaw dove underwater and towards the crystal Malachai had mentioned. He saw it glowing before him, but it was deeper than he thought. No wonder he couldn't see the glow from above the water. As he got deeper, his heart rate began to slow from the frantic pace it had just a second ago. Once at the bottom of the pool, Grimshaw positioned himself to grab at the crystal and push off it's base in an attempt to bring it back up with him before he runs out of breath.

Grimshaw

You push and push, and slowly the crystal seems to shift ever so slightly though it refuses to get looser. You give one more big shove and you feel heavy very suddenly, as if it's sucked all your energy from your body. Uh-oh, suddenly your lungs scream for air and a thrill of panic goes through you as you feel the weakness in your limbs. Better swim fast!

"Speech"

Whatever desire Grimshaw had to "collect" one of these crystals Malachai absolutely could not empathize. He stood awkwardly for a moment as Grimshaw dove below the surface to go and get the stone Malachai had pointed out. Then with a huff, he pushed his face back under the water, squinting through the water to try and spot the other dark boy and see how his attempt was going.

It was easy enough to spot the crystal as the light it gave off seemed to pierce the murkiness of the water but less so to get a good read on Grimshaw so he focused on the stone and it's brilliant glow instead.

Art by Shirohoru

Malachai

You find the murky pool becomes easier to stare down into the longer you look, as if the crystal's glow is clearing a way for your vision and entrancing you. A faint ringing begins in the back of your skull and grows louder with every passing second.

As hard as he tried, the crystal just wouldn't come loose. The more he tugged, the more tired he got and suddenly after a change in decision and deciding to shove it, his body suddenly felt very heavy. He had no energy left and to make matters worse, all the air had also disappeared from his lungs. He began to scramble now, his legs feeling as if he were moving through mud instead of water. He had no other choice but to ditch the crystal at the bottom of the pool, butt no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get to the surface.

His lungs pained for air as he struggled, his body fighting a losing battle it seemed. It wouldn't be much longer before he lost.

"Speech."

Grimshaw - It Continues...

Huh? It doesn't seem like anything happened... Well, maybe that's for the best...