Firestone Hot Springs enthralled

"Oh - sorry," said the male, biting back a chuckle. He did feel bad for possibly hurting her, but her laughter was infectious, and her good mood, intoxicating. When she pushed him, the laughter broke free of its cage, unsteadying him enough that unpleasantly warm water went up his nose when his head dipped briefly under the surface.

He emerged sputtering, but with a wide grin on his face. "Clearly, I need to stick around for this," he replied, his voice a bit gravelly from coughing up water. He cleared his throat but quickly fell silent as she began to describe her own home. While it sounded lovely to hear about, the male felt something twist up in his chest. Free spirit, whispered a fearful voice in the back of his head. "Sounds like you miss it," he noted. There were no longer places that Grayday missed like that. Home was wherever his family was, and his natal packlands were only a distant memory.

When she asked about the cuesta, the male found himself hesitating, for some reason. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "Yeah, the younger three. My first litter was born near it, though. We were in another pack, then."