Sorelus Hot Springs

Unsurprisingly, Valencia had managed to become somewhat lost on her way to the hot springs. It shouldn't have been that hard for her to follow the trail of Wingnut's scent, but once she had gotten closer to the destination that she so desperately sought, the overpowering smell of sulphur had thrown her off course. Presently, she sat with her fluffy butt planted to the icy ground, determined not to loose herself more than she already had, which turned out to be the smart thing for her to do, because she eventually spotted Moose's massive ginger figure in the distance, a stark beacon to her caramel eyes among the expanse of trees and snow. With little time wasted, she jumped to her feet and dashed after the small group that had successfully found their way through the territory, determined not to loose them as she had lost Wingnut.

A sigh of relief broke from her maw as she emerged from the tree-line surrounding the hot springs, her warm breath curling against the cold air in a similar fashion to the plumes of steam that rose from the gently rippling pools of enticingly warm water. Valencia was suddenly all too aware of the chilled atmosphere as she walked up beside Moose and watched Kodiak submerge herself in the springs. The little she-wolf had to stop herself from whimpering as she immediately began wondering why the hell she was just standing around.

The large Amber male watched as Edon moved further down toward the springs to join Kodiak where she was submerging herself into the warm water, he wasn't upset by the fact that Edon did not give him a goodbye, in fact he would rather watch him go after the girl he so obviously liked. Moose's attention was quickly grabbed by Valencia, that heavenly scent of hers washing over him as she brushed her tail over his shoulder, amber eyes following her honey colored pelt as she took forward steps into the warm water, turning to look at him and ask him if he wanted to join with a cheeky grin, it took little to no time for him to know the answer to her question. Moose smiled too in response, nodding his head before he followed her into the water, a soft sigh escaping him as the warm water did wonders for his muscles, almost like the warmth unwound any tension within him. "I'm glad Gramps decided to give you the day off so you could come hangout with us." Moose looked at Valencia as he spoke.

A beaming smile immediately crossed her face, satisfied as she watched her giant friend enter the steaming water. With Edon and Junichiro also joining the rest of them in the indulgence of the hot springs, Valencia was finally content with her surroundings. If she was a cat, she would have started purring with a volume dangerous enough to start an avalanche in the nearby mountains. But alas, she was indeed a canine, so she simply sat in the gently rippling water, enjoying every second that passed. With her cranium being the only part of her body left out of the water, she could thank the steam that drifted around her, as it only made her poofy fur look even thicker. To some it may have made her look cute, to others, she would only come off as looking ridiculous, but Valencia didn't care, nor had she—or would she—ever.

She had always been too wound up in other things to really care about her own image. Most of the time she was entranced by the nature around her, always sticking her nose into patches of flowers or laying on her back and simply watching the clouds drift by above her, but today, she found herself mystified by the hot springs, and curious about the wolves that she shared the company of. Valencia couldn't say that she knew any of them extremely well. She had known Moose and Edon the longest, but she hadn't really gotten the chance to learn all of their fascinating quirks and traits while they were rogues, and ever since they had joined Sorelus and Val had been given the honour of learning from Cecil, she had been spending most of the time accompanying the old man that she affectionally referred to as "Pa", short for grandpa of course. With the thought of her mentor in mind, she was surprised to hear Moose then mention him. It was as if the oversized hunter was telepathic...
Valencia giggled quietly to herself at this thought.

"It's a shame that he couldn't come with us," she replied, her tones slightly drowsy thanks to the relaxing effects of the hot springs, "the warm water would surely be good for his old bones." Heck, the warm water would be good for any member of the pack, no matter their age. Valencia had felt her muscles lose their tension as she had submerged herself in the water, and her slowly ageing joints weren't getting any younger, but the springs were definitely relieving the ache that she had started to feel after spending most of her time on the move throughout the territory, either exploring or hunting for herbs through the snow. It seemed that Wingnut, being the only wolf to have known of the hot springs presence, had been keeping this part of the territory to herself, and for a good reason. The Beta was a stoic and closed off sort of character, with intentions and thoughts that Valencia could never quite understand. So the apprentice could only imagine that a wolf like herself would find great pleasure in taking solitary moments away from the pack at a place like this. Caramel optics were soon looking upon the chocolate hued female, questions springing to mind as she had remembered they were here to get to know one another, and where better for Valencia to start than with the she-wolf she had barely gotten the chance to converse with yet?

"So Wingnut, how long have you known Rowan?" She prompted the Beta, knowing that she was one of the Alpha's closest companions and had therefore probably known him the longest out of anyone in the pack. Valencia was hoping that it would spark conversation regarding the creation of Sorelus and what the group had been before they founded the pack. Val had only joined their group a few days before they had settled and established themselves as a pack, so her curiosity as to what had happened before her time within the group was definitely high. The nosey female also had questions about the loss of the Alpha's eye and the crippling of his leg, but she felt these questions might prove to be a sensitive topic that she would save for when she was sure the time was absolutely right.

Seeing that sweet smile appear on Valencia's features only made the smile Moose wore last a while longer, it was a given that he wanted to join the pretty female in the little pool she sunk herself into, watching as the steam from the water gave her pelt a very poofy appearance. Moose could only find it adorable on her, almost fitting to her sweet personality and even sweeter scent, was the soft giant falling for the smaller apprentice? or had she simply captivated him and put him under some kind of spell because he had never encountered someone like her.
The ginger male sunk in until about his neck, looking over at Kodiak and Edon as the creamy female addressed his friend, was this how Edon felt whenever he was around her? If this was what he felt then surely he couldn't blame the Mexican wolf for falling so hard, though that wouldn't stop his teasing. He turned his attention back to Valencia as she spoke, agreeing with her comment about it being a shame Cecil was not able to join them at the springs, the thought of his old bones followed shortly after. Moose gave a nod of agreement before hearing the apprentices question to the Beta, it was a good question, one he looked forward to the answer to, along with questions about the alphas eye and such, but he thought it would probably be rude to ask aloud, after all, had he been in that predicament he would be upset had someone asked about his damaged eye and leg, unless it was because of some bad ass story that would earn him major points within his pack. A soft chuckle arose from the male at the thought, amber eyes finding Valencia again before landing finally on Wingnut, awaiting her answer.

Hunter Edon Apprentice Valencia @wingnut

Blue orbs remained focused on the handsome Mexican wolf beside her in the rather small sulfurous pit of warm water. Their eyes met for a long time, but it wasn't that kind of awkward eye contact you make with an unfamiliar pack mate when you're absolutely staring at them, then they notice and you look away as if you weren't staring. They both seemed interested in what the other had to say and that much was obvious between the hunters, ears perked and tails stilled, there was nothing but attentiveness. Especially when she watched as Edon started choking on water, not aware of where his muzzle was in the water perhaps? The female became concerned, her mouth opening as her heart sunk some, getting closer to the male out of concern, her ears flattened some in a concerned expression, closing her mouth before letting out a soft breath when he stopped hacking and coughing on the water, as he tried to make a smooth recovery she couldn't help but find the humor in it, ears sitting up straighter in response, a soft smile finding her features as he rumbled. "Taking time off huh? You aren't feeling old already, are you? the female jested, tilting her head some.

Hunter Edon