Firestone Hot Springs friends and liars don't wait for me

finding the hot springs was a bonus after a rather weird stretch of luck. it had been both good and bad lately, somehow balancing out an internal conflict scale that lakhos barely registered. he was getting weary of the cold and the snow but lacked the energy to keep wondering whether or not it was going to get over with any time soon.
so in reality, the hot springs were definitely refreshing. he'd take the warmer climate it threw off over the howling winds that came rolling right down the mountains to go across the plains. the damp was tolerable where the snow didn't cling on for dear life.
but he wasn't brave enough to try and dip his toes in the warm waters there. some of them threw off enough heat that it reminded him of asphalt in the dead middle of summer, where the sun beat down on the earth until it wanted to dry up and shrivel away into dust. others may as well have seemed like lukewarm puddles that had been pissed in.
which led him to the smell of the place—damp, dank, watery, whatever, but distinctly sulphuric in its nature. pretty stinky. worth it though, if only for the warmth. he wandered along one of the larger springs, not quite ready to settle. it was quiet here, save for the biting wind he still felt on his ears but given his lacking run of solitude, he didn't think he'd be alone forever.
because honestly, who wouldn't wanna hang out somewhere warm?

@Benry

benry blinked slowly from his spot, half submerged in the hot springs. he'd loafed around here ever since he found it, blissfully absorbing the heat, both out of desperation from the winter storm and from cat-habit. he made a strange figure, his head the only thing poking from the sulfuric depths. he was a pretty good swimmer, though he'd rather not plunge into the icy depths of the rivers and lakes.

he knew he wouldn't be alone; the hot springs were a hot spot during the winter storm; he hoped this wasn't the normal weather. he looked up at the wolf....uh....no, they were too small for a wolf. what was the other canine? oh, coyote. sometimes coyot, sometimes coyoteee. he didn't know which one to say. he splashed his tail in greeting, still submerged. brrrrrrbhrrbbrghrbbr...! he said to the wolf, eloquently as benry often was. he didn't make an effort to leave his position, comfortable as it was.

he heard the splash off ahead of him.
it was through a passing thick plume of steam and mist off the spring between them that he saw the large cat lying in wait, in the water. and lakhos froze the moment he realized just what it was—just who it was.
fuck.
talk about danger close; this was too close. way too close. his breath stilled, caught in his throat, but the cat didn't go launching itself out of its comfortable pool to take a swipe at him. no, instead it—no, he, lakhos was pretty sure the size alone screamed that the cougar was male—only made a noise that seemed more like a bubbly growl.
was it a warning? should he flee? or was this his one opportunity to pass by without becoming a lean cuisine? his mouth opened in a silent uhhhh moment, and very gently he decided to test his luck.
giving the feline a wide berth, keeping a much larger, much hotter pool between them, he began to attempt to pass by... and was just as ready to run as he was prepared to keep up the slow and steady pace.
he seemed calm and composed, but the reality was that the words fuck fuck fuck fuck spin around behind his eyes like a slot machine ready to strike a jackpot.

the coyote(?) seemed to be aware of him; the noise he had made was loud enough, it seemed. yooooo benry finally raised his head from the water, speaking unimpeded to the coyote creature. you, you uh....wanna come in? he pulls himself up slightly, his paws perched on the rim of the spring. 'scold out there, yeah? should....y'should get warm. he stared at the canine, eyes half lidded as he enjoyed the heat and steam.

okay... so far so good...
and then the cougar moved and like the skittish thing he seemed to be in that company, lakhos skittered even further away. only slightly in the wrong direction—he put a bit more distance between himself and the hot spring between the one that was presently occupied.
but the cat didn't go launching himself out of the water, which was kind of weird. truth be told, he anticipated the worst was yet to come, and decided not to move any more than he needed to. when he would move again was yet to be telegraphed, but only because he found himself confused.
the offer was definitely a trap. this was a lazy, blissed out cat. why work to chase down some scrawny thing when he could probably lure it in with the promise of a little comfort?
no, uh, i'm good, bro, he managed to get out after a moment. the eternal fuck fuck fuck was still pinging around in his brain. pick and choose words and actions wisely—this wasn't a slot machine, really, it was pinball and he couldn't get the damn ball to roll up the ramp to a new high score.
but uh, i thought that cats hated water?

y'should, man. 'scold. by now he should have been more aware of when wolves and other canines were afraid of him, but it often slipped his mind when he first interacted with them. they are all so different after all — many were receptive like this one was. they supposed to? he wrinkled his whiskers, feeling a bead of water or steam trail down the length of one. iunno 'yotey, but uh...'s warm. cats like warm, yeah? he cocked his head. he knew that stereotype at least. did he?

were they supposed to? lakhos had to pause again, because honestly he didn't know. he really didn't know much about big cats because honestly every single big cat he had ever seen had an unsatisable lust for blood and a hunger that didn't seem to end. at least that was the nightmare that he morphed them into it.
but at least he didn't call him some big-earred wolf.
yotey, he murmured to himself. that was actually pretty amusing, but it wasn't going to disarm his guard any.
nah man, i'm good. really. i've got a pretty thick coat that i guess i got from my daddy, he overshared, but didn't care. maybe if he kept the cat comfortable and didn't give him any incentive, he wouldn't change his mind about not eating him.
you hang out here a lot? know what's good? i ain't ever seen anything like this before... it's kinda weird but kinda cool. beats standing out in the open anyway.