Firestone Hot Springs hanging in my infant air, waiting

She wanted to be an explorer. It came to her overnight, maybe in a dream (it wasn't clear come morning if the feeling had rooted itself because of some fantastic event she'd made up, or what), but it was clear to her now. Scouting had been fun, being a messenger more so, and the adventure to hunt down Mal with Okeanos had thrilled her more than anything she'd ever done - but she didn't feel content now, satisfied. They'd found him, and his forest. It was a beautiful forest within which she could really build a home, study some of the plants, maybe become more like her mothers in that way — but the itch in her paws hadn't ceased.

She wouldn't leave Okeanos. They'd finally reconnected and there was no way she could ever leave him now, or go on her own adventure without protection. The most Ibis could handle were day trips and that was precisely the thing she needed to clear her head - some sort of mini adventure. Maybe along the way she'd come to a conclusion for herself.

The girl headed east at first, then north, following the good weather. It looked clear and bright further north from the forest, so that urged her to explore that way; as she went, Ibis noticed the growing mist that thinned across the grassland. The closer she got the more foul the air became, blanketed by a white fog that smelled strongly like rotten eggs. She scrunched her nose and paused in her stride, considering that she might've made a mistake - then, she heard a splash.

Curious of this - and naive enough not to fall victim to the instinct of a fear-based self preservation - Ibis pranced through the haze and came upon a myriad of little pools. One of them had a dark shape on the edge, and it looked like it was alive -- as the fog shifted, she got a clearer view; it was a child. Hello? the girl called as she drifted closer, Are you -- oh, you're all wet! And very smelly! But she couldn't say that.