Firestone Hot Springs lazing in the foggy dew, sitting on a unicorn

today, cam was giving the hot springs a second chance.

he had found a shallow pool and immersed himself up to the shoulders in it, relishing the heat. it was cooler than it had been, and he found the wind out here to be more cutting and abrasive than he was used to. the warm water helped, even though he knew it would be cold when he emerged. perhaps he never would. . .

the boy sighed and sank lower, idly blowing bubbles with his lips on the surface. the sensation elicited a giggle from the ever-tactile young man, and his tail wagged behind him, creating ripples underwater. like a motorboat (not that he'd know what that was) he continued to brrrrrrrrr, staring at the disturbance billowing out before him.

it smelled terrible, but if he didn't breathe too deeply, the stench was at least somewhat bearable. and the soothing quality of the pools mitigated the odor, anyway, at least in his view. elysium didn't even have this!

after his initial visit to the springs, okeanos finds he rather enjoyed the experience, and wastes no time in dragging ibis back with him. the pair soak together until she grows tired of the stench and heat and bids him adieu. he stays a little after she goes, enjoying the cloying heat, until at last he moves to leave. 

this is when he notices cam. he's not gotten a chance to talk properly with the boy yet--hasn't, really, at all since ibis first showed up with him. but if he's going to stick around (and it seems he will for now anyway), okeanos should probably try, right? with that in mind he approaches him, wuffing out a low greeting as he does. "it's nice here, yeah?"

the voice startled him, and he lifted his head, droplets sliding off his chin into the water. pit-pat-pit-pat-pit. . . sheepishly, cam nodded, ears swiveling atop his head in a mixture of curiosity and nerves. yeah, he agreed, his tail making another smooth arc through the water behind him. warm.

he rose from the pool, nose wrinkling at the smell that accompanied him onto dry land. he shook himself out, just as ibis had taught him—only to find that his spray was quite close to okeanos, if not hitting the older wolf directly. that. . .probably wasn't good of him to do.

erm. . .sorry, cam murmured, shifting his weight from forepaw to forepaw. he was growing more and more gangly with each passing day, a far cry from his formerly chubby infant self. trying for an expression a little more disciplined, he stared up at the other wolf, a query in his verdant eyes. how're you? he mimicked what he'd heard before.

okeanos smiles gently, not at all bothered by cam's errant water drops. he doesn't bother to correct the apology, not wanting to make the boy feel more self-conscious than he seems to already. "i didn't mean to interrupt," he says instead, voice gentle too, before answering his question. "i'm doing well. i've been, ah, seeing if the springs have healing...or i guess what i mean is, i like the springs, so i've been taking a lot of baths," he admits with a sheepish grin, his teeth briefly visible. if they do or not seems irrelevant at this point - they feel nice. let him have his silly indulgences.

more importantly: "how are you holding up?" okeanos asked, noticing at last the subtle differences in the boys appearance. kids grow so fast, it seems!

he gave okeanos a begrudging smile, not really sure what the older wolf meant by his remarks but knowing that it was supposed to be some kind of joke. 'healing' wasn't a word that was familiar to him; also, much like most young boys, cam hated baths. so. . .

erm, fine, i guess, he responded, shrugging. how else was he meant to respond? mummy's death wasn't something he wanted to discuss with people—not the emotional part of it, at least. ever since his breakdown in front of ibis and her brother, he'd kept all of the feelings close to his chest, loath to let them out. it was better to stay removed from it all, distract one's self with other things.

like the hot springs. or all the different animals that lived in the forest. lots to see, lots to do; no time to focus on lily.

it's quiet, cam continued, looking toward the perennially green woods. not a lot of wolves. 'leesium always had someone around. it was a blessing and a curse. always a playmate. . .that is, if they wanted to play with you to begin with.

okeanos gives him a sympathetic look, ready to retreat if cam pushes him away. he's not a therapist and he isn't trying to be, really, only he's a little concerned, is all. ah, though, he can work with this: "it is quiet, a bit, huh," he agrees. elysium had always been a flurry of activity, wolves coming and going as they needed, and oh, the parties. 

"i'm not sure if i miss that or not," he offers. "i mean... i'm happy i'm here, but it does feel a little lonely, sometimes." or worrying, given what they're trying to do, but he doesn't think cam needs that on his plate. he hopes mal's vision can be realized, but if it can't, he and ibis will find somewhere for themselves, he's sure of that at least. and hopefully -- hopefully with mal, too, but okeanos knows better than to take that sort of thing for granted.