Moonspear thanks, bathtub barracuda

Relieved to hear that a bath was in his immediate future, Aesop followed. Slipping and sliding gracelessly along in the mud, Aesop managed to get a little muddier before they arrived. But arrive they did, to a little stream that came from the rocks above. Floki dipped his paws in, but Aesop was not so dainty. He flopped right into the water and began to lick and nibble at his paws to rid them of the mud. The water that flowed away from him was a lovely brown.

I'm thinking I'll start my own herb stash in there, he said. Someday I'll make it big enough to be a proper den, maybe even big enough so I could keep patients in there. But it's good for now. He paused, then wriggled in place a bit, feeling the water work its way to his skin and loosen the mud. Oh yeah, that's the stuff.