Firestone Hot Springs hotdog

Kaihra jerked as a shaft of steam erupted at her packmate's side. The Theta felt the fur along her spine bristle as hot mist swamped the humid air and masked her dark packmate from sight. Flattening her ears against the crater’s harsh hiss, she tasted the air for the scent of her packmate and found nothing but the wetness of whatever spewed from the crater’s depths. Her stomach lurched and the woman swayed her head from left to right, searching this way and that for any sign of the yearling's shape. Only when she caught sight of her packmate’s fur did she let her shoulders relax. After the ground vomit bubbled to a stop, Kaihra let her legs unlock upon seeing the yearling still stood with ears, eyes, and fur intact.

Her packmate must have felt her stare, for at that moment their eyes locked. Hesitation met glowing excitement and the dark yearling wasted no time in trotting closer to where Kaihra stood. Kaihra herself remained rooted in place, content for the girl to move closer to safety and further from the scalding vomit of the ground. She tried to count the craters that lined this part of the flatlands but quickly gave up. Her ears twitched backward, lopsided, and her mouth remained a grim line. Maybe this hadn't been the smartest idea.

A nod was all she could muster in response to the yearling's question, which Kaihra took as an overflow of the young wolf's suppressed excitement more than an inquiry looking for an answer. Kaihra wondered how the yearling felt excited at all, given she’d nearly become a cooked dinner. Still, the Theta let her shoulders drop, though her gaze remain hesitant as she eyed the crater nearest the young wolf, as if waiting for it to spew its hot contents over them both. ”What are they?” She raised a paw and let it hover in midair, but made no motion to walk any closer. She would keep her distance until she knew what they were dealing with.