The morning was bitterly cold, and the crunch of snow underfoot was driving the Optio insane. Her frustrated stomping did nothing to quiet the noise, though at one point she broke out into a sprint to get to her destination faster—as if she’d had a destination in the first place. After returning from her northern patrols and reporting what she knew to the Aquila, she had dragged herself to her cavern and fallen asleep, and now that she was actually home and free to do anything, she had intended to do nothing more than patrol.
But this weather was killing her. Her coat was winter-thick, but the scars riddling her pied body left patches and ridges that she couldn’t ignore. It was all she could do to shift into her bulkier secui form, looking more properly built like a wolf other than the telltale coyote signs in her angular face.
Vesper angled northwest in the general direction of the village, wondering if she might take up Myrika on the offer to visit; now was as good a time as ever, anyway, and the thought of a cozy human house was tempting. Her thoughts haltered there though—her paw pads felt warm.
Not hot from embarrassment and nerves, though—warm from the ground. Blue eyes widened, and the hybrid stared down at her feet as if expecting to be standing on a blanket of coals. Coals were too hot, though, and not wet; the confusion permeated the female’s mind until she lifted her gaze and spotted the springs.
Steam rose into the freezing air from the water, whose was broken by various wet rocks and outcroppings. The snow in the immediate area around it had melted, leaving an almost marshy ground until one finally reached the pool. Her ears swiveled forward curiously, and she made her way to the edge of the water, dipping one paw in and almost melting herself.
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