Firestone Hot Springs please lemme be a hot dad

@Elixir, I went ahead and started us a thread, I hope this is ok? also sorry short :')

Slavik had never seen anything like this before. Last time he'd come to the Flatlands he hadn't gone this far, but boy was he glad they'd continued onward. Sure it smelled worse than the fox ass forest where he and Rannoch had hunted, but it was so warm! After a cold night, only made better by the presence of his new travel buddy @Speedy, Slavik was more than enthusiastic about leaping straight into a bubbling puddle of stank water, and feeling all his grime be boiled away.

Fall was certainly here, which meant the nights and mornings were often cold, and Speedy was usually left trying to find somewhere where she could curl up and find some kind f warmth while she slept. Now that she had a toasty travel buddy, though, things would be a little easier. When they arrived at the hot springs, Speedy's tail began to wag in excitement as she remembered how warm the place was. She watched as Slavik jumped into the steaming water and came to stand on the edge of the pool to peer in. Swimming actually wasn't her favorite thing to do, but she occasionally made an exception. Last night, the water had been so pretty that she couldn't resist, but now the prospect of being submerged in the warm pool was so tempting. More tempting was the fact that Slavik was in there, and she wanted to be wherever he was. So finally, she jumped in and swam over to the flame-colored male, letting out a contented sigh when the warmth from the water touched her skin.

this is fine! :)

Elixir had ventured out for the day, no telling how far she’d go as her injury was healing but still put her at a disadvantage. Most of the time she had ran, stretching the muscles of her harmed shoulder. Every once in a while she would wince and slow her pace so the pain would subside before she had picked up the pace again. 

The wolfdog loved to venture about looking for new things to do or see. This time though she had a place in mind, hot springs. She had wanted to try the heat on her wound, nothing else dulled the pain so it was worth a shot to her.

As the ebony female neared the spring she noticed a couple wolves in them. She perked her ears slightly alarmed because the last time she ventured out alone it almost killed her, hence the messed up shoulder. Slowly she inches forward to greet them with a chuff. Hopefully they would be friendly and she wouldn’t have to worry about her fighting skills for now.

Sorry for the wait !

Slavik did a quick lap in the water, stretching and pushing his legs through the water like a majestic frog. He circled back around to the edge where Speedy waited, and gave her an encouraging bark. Finally she jumped, and swam over to Slavik, who barked again and swam a circle around her before nuzzling his head up next to hers. The two young wolves were interrupted by a chuff, and Slavik took his time to spin easily around in the water to face her. A ebony female faced them, looking slightly tentative.

Slavik didn't know about Speedy, but he was always up for more company as long as they were friendly. He had a feeling Speedy would feel the same, they were so similar after all. Hey! The water's great, hop in! he said cheerfully, then flopped onto his back and made a little wave that would splash into Speedy. Hopefully this new wolf wouldn't mind getting splashed.

Slavik's barks excited her and when he came up and nuzzled his head next to hers, she gave his ear a playful nip before delivering a few quick licks to his cheek.

At the sound of a chuff, Speedy looked to see a new wolf coming towards them. She smiled and nodded at her in agreement to her companion's words but before she could offer her own invitation, he jumped on his back and splashed her. She gave him a playful glare and jumped on top of him before turning her head back to the new female and saying, It is really nice in here. Plus, you can help me take him down. She wagged her tail and grinned at the new wolf, while she waited to see if she would get in.

Elixir was puzzled by the two wolves but she had come here to swim like they had. It seemed they were nice, inviting her to swim with them and even have a bit of fun. Some of her guard was let down when they invited her in like she had known them all her life. A small smile appeared slowly as she moved toward the warm water. She lifted a paw and tested the water, it felt warm like a sunny day which sent chills down her back.

"I think I will join you." she said softly. She chuckled as they played, hopefully it wouldnt be harsh on her shoulder but she wanted to join in. As she descended into the water it stung her shoulder and her muscles tensed and her face squinted up. After a few moments, she was able to continue toward them in the water without hesitation. "This should be fun!" her excitement led her to say.

Even the water couldn’t stop the blonde boy’s tail from wagging. Speedy gave him a glare before jumping on top of him, he sank beneath the shallow water for only a moment before pushing up so that he was above the water and Speedy was resting half on his back. He turned his head back to Elixir when she spoke, and smiled that she was going to join them. Perhaps the two young wolves were just naive for inviting a stranger to join them so easily, but if they weren’t prone to things like that, they also would’ve never met and become as good of friends as they were.

Slavik glanced back to his travel buddy when she offered for the other wolf to help take him down, shooting her a faux hurt look. He missed the wince of pain in the black furred female, he really should learn to be more observant if he wanted to learn healing. He turned back to Elixir again as she neared, then with a playful smirk, reared up to throw Speedy off his back, and swam the rest of the way to meet their new acquaintance. Nice to meet you, I’m Slavik and this is my friend Speedy, he said, with a head jerk to Speedy.

Speedy had noticed the wince of pain on the new female's face upon entering the water, but as she was about to ask about it, Slavik reared up and dumped her into the water. Speedy fell back with a teasing, Ass! before quickly resurfacing, shaking the water from her face, and swimming over to join the other two. 

Once next to her friend, she turned to the ebony female and asked, Are you okay to play? You seemed like you were in pain when you first got in. Clearly, she and Slavik's play could get kind of rough, and she didn't want to accidentally hurt the new wolf. She knew they would both feel bad if that happened. Her tail continued to wag behind her while she waited for the other female to answer, the black flash at the end still obvious even when it was soaked.

Elixir was sure now that they were meaning no harm to her as they swam over and greeted her in a cheerful manner. They were nothing like the shadowy figure that had haunted her everyday since they left Mount Apikuni. It lightened her mood to know that these type of wolves still existed outside of her pack. Her pack was all she knew basically, besides Wraen and she had only talked to her twice, but the wolfdog was wanting to open her horizons to meet others she hadn't before. 

The female wolf named Speedy seemed to have noticed the wince of pain when she entered the waters and questioned it. "I'm fine to play, it'll be good to see what my limits are so far with this injury. The water is helping to soothe it so it shouldn't cause a problem." she reassured Speedy before acknowledging anything else that was said. "It's a pleasure to meet you Speedy and Slavik, I'm Elixir." she offered with a bright smile bowing her head as she introduced her self. The water was making Elixir's muscles relax, her wound was fading from her mind as everything felt like jelly. She couldn't wait to play and finally have some fun!

SOOO SORRY I hate holding up group threads I'm so sorry, stupid Florence <3

To Speedy's, 'Ass!' Slavik laughed, very amused. The two had a very similar sense of humor, the girl always had him laughing. Butt! he retorted, a childish response but one he figured got the job done. After he had introduced himself to the darker female, Speedy spoke up about the other being ok to play. He narrowed his eyes searching her for an injury spot and when he finally found it his eyes widened. He really needed to learn to be more observant. If he really wanted to learn healing he'd first have to learn to recognize when someone was hurt.

Elixir responded saying that she was alright, but Slavik knew that they would go easy on her. She introduced herself then waited to play, tail wagging. He glanced between the two females then smiled, turned and bopped Speedy on her shoulder. He then started to run, feeling it was pretty obvious that he wanted to play chase. Hopefully Elixir got the memo fast enough. When ever step he made a huge splash, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Speedy swayed a little at the impact from the playful move from Slavik. She gave Elixir a play bow, dropping her front down as far as she could while still keeping her head above water. With an excited yip, she jumped up and ran towards Slavik, hoping to jump on his back. She whipped her head back as she ran and said, Help me take him down, Elixir. She turned back towards her friend then and jumped at him, hoping to land on him and hold him there until the new wolf could help her out.

It was as if she wasn’t even hurt as she playfully moved forward her bushy tail slashing the water around violently. She barked slightly before she jumped toward Slavik and Speedy. Unfortunately she missed and went under. As she was under the water she laughed a bit choking on the water but still feeling good.

When she came back up she got ready to help take down Slavik with Speedy. “I’m ready if you are” she chuckled softly and shot a playful glance at the female. This was more fun than she’d had in... forever? She’d never really had fun before, everything had been so serious. Elixir was surprised that she even knew how to play.

Slavik didn't get very far this time around, Speedy out Speeded him and leapt onto his back. He didn't fight back hard, but he wriggled around in the water to make it more exciting. He turned his head to look at his friend, then searched behind him for their new playmate. Elixir was making her way towards them, she seemed to be having a blast, just like Slav and Speedy. Slavik smiled and waited for the darker female to get to him, then with grunt he used all his might to pull himself free from Speedy's weight, in the process showering Elixir with a frothy wave. He laughed, proud of this job well done.

Speedy laughed and playfully mouthed Slavik's neck as he moved around under her. When he managed to get free, the movement threw Speedy back into the water with a plop. She came up and shook the water from her face. She looked at Elixir and noticed that she looked like she had been the victim of a Slavik wave. He does that a lot, she said with a playful roll of her eyes. She then ran a few circles around the pool of water before using the momentum to jump at the other two and land in front of them with a big splash that was sure to rain water on her two playmates, laughing as she did it.

Elixir was having a blast with her new found friends. The splash she recieved from Slavik made her close her eyes tight and then shake her head while she laughed. When she opened them she then heard Speedys comment and nodded with another chuckle. After that came Speedy jumping and giving them both a splash. The water rained down on Elixir and she giggled a bit before rearing back like a horse. She came tumbling down and made a splash hoping to get them both back. While she was under water the only thing that you could see on top was her fluffy black tail.

Speedy wasn’t wrong in saying that he enjoyed making waves. Not only did it accomplish his major goal of soaking his companions, but it also looked cool and was super fun to do. Slavik was all about looking cool and having fun, so waves were just his thing. Slavik’s low laugh escaped his mouth as Speedy sent her own splash, and Elixir soon after. The droplets splashed in his eyes and made him blink, but he didn’t mind. It was fun! And now he was going to make the biggest splash of all.

He clambered towards the edge of the hot tub they played in, and pulled his heavy body out. Then he walked away from the edge, got a running start and launched himself into the middle. This splash was just monumental. This was no mere Slavik wave. This was Slavik tsunami.

Speedy watched as Slavik moved towards the edge of the warm pool. She realized what he was doing seconds before he jumped and braced herself for the splash. The force of his large body landing in the water sent a giant wave over her and Elixir. Speedy released a few high-pitched giggles as the water covered her whole body. She shook the excess water from her face and coat and with a playful look towards the other female, she bounded over to her molten friend aiming to jump on his back.

Elixir had been having so much fun. It was like everything else in the world was standing still, nothing else even mattered right now. The water as warm as it was felt good in the cool air. Her new found friends let a genuine smile be kept upon her face the whole time. The playing was something she hadn't been able to do since she was a pup and for that she was grateful.

When the splash hit her she laughed softly. "This is so fun!!" her voice was high pitched as she exclaimed her excitement. Nothing contained her as she sent a small wave over Speedy and then winked at her. The wolfdog swam up to her and then got beside her ear. "Should we jump in together and make a big splash toward him?" she whispered shooting a small look toward the gold kissed male.

Slavik watched as his master wave crashed into Speedy and Elixir, both girls letting out giggles and laughter. He smiled, pleased with his work, and though he saw Speedy coming his way he didn't stop her. He let her leap onto his back, but he held his ground and just started shaking his body, sort of trying to throw her off but mostly just trying to make it harder for her and more fun. He noticed Elixir come near to Speedy and whisper something, this he did try to overhear, but his splashing made it difficult to catch more than. big and him. Oh well, he just went right back to flailing about.

She managed to successfully land on her friend's back but was almost immediately flung off by his movements. Speedy landed in the water with a splash before standing back up and shaking the out her sandy coat. When Elixir came up and whispered her plan on Speedy's ear, a wide grin spread across her face. Let's do it, she whispered back. On the count of three? she quietly added with a nod. 

Assuming Elixir agreed, Speedy very quietly said 1...2...3 and jumped up. She landed just in front of Slavik with a huge splash, hoping Elixir had done the same to add even more force to her splash.