March 31, 2015, 11:11 AM
She was pushing herself, putting as much distance between herself and the caldera as possible. Magpie didn't have much time— you couldn't see the world in four days if you were standing still— and she wanted to see as many of the sights as she could before her time was up and she needed to head back. All the while, she was mentally noting where particular herbs might grow, where it was likely that prey would rendezvous. While Magpie definitely had ulterior motives for this trip, she couldn't return to Fox or Peregrine without some kind of information.
But night was falling, and her over-extended limbs were sore and tired. Oddly, it seemed to grow warmer as she moved north— usually it grew colder at night— but as a haze that seemed to float above the earth became clearer, the yearling recognized the territory for what it was. Hot springs. She had never actually seen them before, but Magpie had heard of them; the Corvidae would migrate to known sites when sickness ailed the pack. It would help bodies fight off illness, something to do with the heat, and even those that weren't sick had praises for such wonders— it was excellent, they said, for tired muscles.
Figuring this would be the perfect place to spend the night, then, Magpie wove between the steaming pools, in search of one that was shallow enough that she wouldn't have to tread water, but deep enough that she could sit with the water reaching near to her shoulders.
But night was falling, and her over-extended limbs were sore and tired. Oddly, it seemed to grow warmer as she moved north— usually it grew colder at night— but as a haze that seemed to float above the earth became clearer, the yearling recognized the territory for what it was. Hot springs. She had never actually seen them before, but Magpie had heard of them; the Corvidae would migrate to known sites when sickness ailed the pack. It would help bodies fight off illness, something to do with the heat, and even those that weren't sick had praises for such wonders— it was excellent, they said, for tired muscles.
Figuring this would be the perfect place to spend the night, then, Magpie wove between the steaming pools, in search of one that was shallow enough that she wouldn't have to tread water, but deep enough that she could sit with the water reaching near to her shoulders.