Take a Chill Pill, Dude!

The hallowed lands of Ruina's territory were well protected today, allowing Elias the peace of mind to take a stroll through the east and investigate any surrounding territories. He had been spending his week adamantly securing their land, building their borders, and hiking up and down the mountain terrain to adjust his body to swiftly navigating across it. The underside of each pawpad held healing cuts and scratches from their dutiful work of carrying his heavy weight along the sharp teeth of the Maw, and the muscles of legs hadn't held a radiating soreness to them like they did on this day in quite some time.

It felt like the hard training days of his youth when he and his siblings would compete and test their strength and stamina throughout the lands of their home under the safety of his father's kingdom. That same feeling was what he was building here, and he was lost in pride over every aspect of it- including this radiating soreness.

The stone titan moved with a leisurely stride today as he neared the hot springs, the humid air that surrounded them clinging to his nose and building condensation there. Mist clung to his fur the deeper he came in, the warmth of it inviting him in from the autumn air and blanketing him in a feeling of relaxation, of comfort. His short fur welcomed the heat, his hackles prickling slightly to allow the warm mist to invade and nest along his skin. The steam was thick enough that it was hard to detect other scents and other sights in the area, but as he neared the pond holding the girl- the gentle sound of her disturbance of the water honed the predator in on her.

Bloodgem eyes pierced through the mist as they saught her figure out in the water, taking note of her intricate swirls and pattern near immediately. His long-taloned toes splayed out as he moved, gripping the earth as though he were ready to launch himself at any moment if he needed to. His ears rotated like searching radars as they listened for any other nearby sounds. Did she have company, or was she alone? He brought himself to the edge of her pool once he felt confident that she was alone and squared out his stance, each limb slightly wider than shoulder and hip-width apart. His ears were tall and attentive as his crown lowered, thick neck aligning with his shoulders as he brought himself lower to the waters so that he could observe her. "These pools are poisonous, you know." They weren't harmful unless ingested, the volcanic toxins the earth leaked out into them very minute and hardly anything to worry about... but he was curious as to how she would respond.