5 feet apart

The steam rose toward the sky slowly as Ludovic padded through the rocky forest terrain. It was winter, and yet the air here did not have the stinging bite of cold. It was relaxing, but he hadn’t even thought of taking a dip yet!

The sulfuric hints in the air tickled his nose, though not enough to drive him off. He assumed something molten was at fault for the warmth, but if it was a danger his instincts didn’t label it as such—therefore it was safe. Logical. As he moved deeper into the main event, the sound of bubbling sang softly to his auds, but daylight was dimming and he didn’t know if there was much more to see here.

Ludo hopped up, paused on a ledge, mismatched eyes peering into his chosen spring. A smile tugged at the corners of his muzzle, tail lashing as he looked on. Peaceful, he thought.

Stretching his stiff muscles out, he moved on with a measured stride, making his way down toward one of the larger pools. His paws found purchase on slick rocks, taking the opportunity to reach down and slip a paw in to test the temperature. Oh. That’s nice. "Not too shabby." he murmured to himself, the words rolling off his tongue with a satisfied growl. Maybe he had time for nice soak…

"speech"