I Spy, With My Little Eye...

**This thread is using liquid time. Takes place before the brothers go to the crypt.**

Ricin is watching over Chade’s sleeping form as his brother takes his shift in dream land. They had found a hollowed-out tree that served as a perfect place to sleep. After Chade had built his alarm system, he had crawled in the tree to sleep first. Ricin sits outside, keeping watch. Every small sound has Ricin on high alert as he sniffs at the air to test for predators. There are no scents of… well anything. This forest seems eerily uninhabited and it is very unnerving for the lighter brother. Crimson eyes watch Chade’s sleeping form for a moment before Ricin stands.

Since there seem to be no animals nearby, Ricin needs to determine what is making noise out there. Quietly, he moves away from his sleeping brother and sets off to find the source of the strange noise. Paws pad along silently as Ricin circles their camp before slowly starting to widen the circle. Unsure which direction he should strike out in, Ricin opts to clear the forest by slowly widening his circles. The dense canopy of trees blocks all sunlight and Ricin wonders how things can grow under it. Leaves have fallen from the canopy, decaying on the ground and creating the perfect breeding ground for fungi.

Mushrooms sprout from the forest floor, some normal while others have the same blue glow that the ones in the cave had. Ricin moves carefully, trying not to disturb any mushrooms as he gazes around. Old, dead trees mingle with the live ones, offering a place for moss and lichen to grow undisturbed. The vibrant greens of the moss and darker tones of the lichen paint the landscape a beautiful green as Ricin spies some orange mushrooms and glowing crystals peeking their heads out from under the green. Ricin is always awed by nature and he smiles as his eyes continue to inspect the world around him.

Vines warp around tree trunks and work their way up, circling around and around until they reach out toward a neighboring tree to entwine with the vines there. Ricin smacks his paw into a rock that the low fog had been obscuring and he bites his tongue to keep from yelping. Lowering himself to a sitting position, Ricin shakes the stinging paw and grumbles incoherent words softly. Using the time to take a small break, Ricin inhales a deep breath and notes the moisture that clings to the air. It seems to weigh it down, making it feel thick and wet. As Ricin pulls another breath in through his nose, he tries to identify the scents that linger on the breeze.

Eyes close as Ricin tries to match each scent with an animal he has seen. That one is a fox but it seems to passed through her a day or so ago. That one there is some kind of feline. Not big but smaller and it likes to climb trees. What had Chade called it? An ocelot. That was it. And there are sloths around, probably hanging in the trees above with the monkeys. There are lizards and spiders and frogs… Ricin’s thoughts trail off as he opens his eyes and furrows his brow confused. Why hadn’t he smelled any of them before? Standing, Ricin swiftly moves back toward where Chade sleeps to find his brother still in dream land.

Testing the air again, Ricin finds that he can no longer smell any of the animals he had found just a few moment ago. Instead, there is a thick scent that gags him and blocks out all other odors. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Ricin moves back the way he came, observing when the overwhelming scent lessens the further away he gets from Chade. Stopping, Ricin turns toward a large grove of trees west of where Chade is sleeping. Slowly, Ricin makes his way toward them, carefully steeping over fallen branches and brittle leaves that would give his location away. The nauseating smell thickens, gagging the pup and making his eyes water. Determined to keep this foul thing away from his sleeping brother, Ricin carefully makes his way closer.

A curtain of vines blocks Ricin from the source of the stench and he pauses, looking along the curtain to see how far it extends. Eyes lose track of it as trees obscure his line of sight but Ricin has a feeling this place is big. Looking toward the vines in front of him, Ricin steadies his nerves and moves through the vines, jostling them as little as possible. He doesn’t want any predators to hear him but the thought is lost as his stomach rolls at the full strength of the scent. Eyes blur with tears and Ricin has to blink furiously to clear his vision as he stops his movement.

When they clear, his crimson eyes take in the sight before him. Steam rolls off a pool of water that bubbles and gurgles in the center of a vined in area. The scent comes from the water and Ricin moves closer to it while still inspecting the area. Rocks line the edges of the pool and disappear under the bubbling surface. Grass grows right up to the edges of the rocks, green and vibrant from the water that splashes out onto them. Ricin sees signs of other animals, flattened grass, scat, and tufts of fur around the closed in area as it appears that many different animals like to come here. Luckily, he is alone for now.

Stepping to the edge of pool, Ricin dips his still stinging paw into the water and immediately recoils. The water is warm! Trying to understand this strange phenomenon, Ricin looks at his damp paw and realizes the warmth had eased the ache that was there. Suddenly it clicks, this is a hot spring! He had heard adults talk about them before! They are stinky but warm. This one seems to be a secluded paradise within the forest, hidden from most eyes. Excitement floods Ricin as he decides to tell Chade about this place with he wakes up. With one last look to the bubbling waters, Ricin slips out from the hidden oasis and makes his way back to Chade’s sleeping form.

The hidden hot spring will offer a short distraction for the brothers blue.



WC: 1052
(Count does not include ooc words)


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