Traveler's Reprieve

Neat, meticulous, and all too perfect in its form, such places as the Springs always left Kleio wondering: just how natural were these spots, and how did they manage to come into being as they existed now? As she approached the bank, the femme found herself pausing in awe of the circle of trees about this newfound sanctuary, tracing with her eyes the wall of brush until her gaze left then returned to her own flank. A flick of her ear and a sampling of the air with her nose before she brought her attention forward again and continued forth, toward a spot of short grass.

It was there that she settled onto her belly with a sigh. Gingerly she dipped her paws into the steamy water, wincing at first as it rushed between her toes and shocked the skin...but after a few seconds, the soreness of her seasoned pads seemed to melt away, leaving her lying upright but somewhat limply upon her outstretched forelimbs. Once, twice her ears turned about, freezing abruptly upon hearing a faint rustling. Half-lidded eyes shifted toward the direction of the sound. Who had come to join her? Surely not one of her sisters, or she would have pressed past all the aches and pains in her feet to force closeness between them once again.

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