The Crossing of Connlaoth [DragonSong]

[Marakai Trin]

He nodded, and looked away again before he stood. "Good. I'm...going to go wash and see about cleaning my clothed up, too. I'll be right back."

He walked down the hill toward the stream, trying to shake the red out of his face as he went. After a moment, he found himself at the same stones and shrubs he had been at, and stripped out of his clothes. He tossed all but his boots into the water.

He stepped into the stream, and immediately the purple bands of his eyes flared to life. With the appearance of the light, the water stilled, ceasing it's flow. When he was waist deep in those frigid waters, he lifted his hands and two columns of water shot into the air, spreading into the air and dropping down on him in a shower, a torrential downpour akin to a rainstorm.

[DragonSong]

Josie sat with Bay, plopping him in between her slightly bent legs, when the sound of the water caught her attention. She blinked and looked toward the water, concerned.

"Everything okay down there?"

[Marakai Trin]

His eyes were closed, and he was smiling under the water beating down on him.

Was everything okay? Yeah. Everything was fine.

The downpour of water droplets turned into a near solid wall of water, pushing down on him and rinsing away all the dirt, sweat and grime thay had accumulated in him over the last several days.

And then the water show stopped just as soon as it had began, and he stood there several shades paler than he had been before. Gods, it felt wonderful to be clean.

He looked up at her, waist deep in water and smiling. "Yeah. Everything's fine." He picked up his clothes, also beaten clean by the water, and stepped toward the shrubs to dress again after drying his clothes much the same way he'd dried her.

[DragonSong]

She blinked, watching the water pummel down, the shook her head. "Mad man," she chuckled, playing with Bay's fingers as he grabbed for the edges of her cloak.

[Marakai Trin]

After a minute or so, Gaelio came back up the hill, completely clean and dry and feeling better than he had in days. He walked with his hands behind his head, fingers interlaced together and looking quite relaxed.

"Well, I feel like I lost at least a couple pounds of dirt. Feels great." He gave a broad smile, but then arched his brow.

"....why are you still wrapped up? You probably should have gotten dressed while I was down there..."

[DragonSong]

Josie and Bay blinked up at him with nearly identical wide eyes. "It's cold," she pouted after a moment. "The cloak is warm. I didn't want to get out of it."

[Marakai Trin]

Gaelio sighed, and shook his head. "It's going to be cold for awhile, yet, you know. And you'll be even warmer with both clothes and the cloak."

He smiled  slightly, and glanced toward the sled. "Besides, it's going to be pretty hard to help me pull the sled if you're holding your cloak closed, you know."

He glanced back to her with a grin. "So, I'll give you five minutes to get dressed. I'm going to head back to the stream, and I'm coming back with water. If you're not decent when I get back..."

He grinned evilly. "You're gonna get drenched again."

[DragonSong]

She rolled her eyes and mock pouted at him, eyes glinting. "Fine," she grumped, lifting Bay up over her head and tickling his chin with a finger. "Go on, get moving, I'll change."

[Marakai Trin]

Gaelio smirked and turned to walk down the hill towards the stream. About halfway down, he called over his shoulder.

"Five minutes!" He chuckled and kept moving until he got to the sandy space beside the water.

It has taken him just under a minute to get there. So, three minutes to kill, and a minute to get back. He reached toward the water, and pulled an orb roughly the size of a twenty pound watermelon out of it. He stared at it idly as it spun in place above his outstretched arm, waiting.

[DragonSong]

Josie rolled her eyes again and called down, "I heard you the first time!"

She quickly dropped the cloak and pulled on her change of clothes, hopping around to avoid tripping over an excited Bay.

[Marakai Trin]

He gave her a little extra time, not planning on actually follow through with the drenching. Nevertheless, he did come up the hill with a large orb of water floating around his head.

He actually let out a relieved sigh when he saw her dressed again, and flung the water back towards the stream behind him. Gaelio grinned at her and spoke.

"There, isn't that better? Your clean, dry, and clothed. I see Bay wasn't much help, though."

[DragonSong]

She laughed. "No, of course he wasn't, little scamp." She scooped the pup up in her arms and screwed her face up as he licked her chin.

She smiled at Gaelio. "Shall we continue our break? Or should we keep moving?"

[Marakai Trin]

Gaelio looked back towards the stream, and frowned. "Well, if we continue, our safest path would continue East. I can get us across the water without any difficulties..."

He looked back to her and smiled. "Let's keep going. That way we can hopefully find a village or at least a farm we could we could go to and trade out these skids."

[DragonSong]

She nodded, tucking Bay into the curve of one arm. "Alright." She picked up the strap of the Welles and nodded at him again. "Lead on then."

[Marakai Trin]

Gaelio nodded with a small smile, picking up his side of the leather strap as well and pulling down the hill.

When they reached the stream, he knelt to the water, and lightly touched a hand to its surface. With a cracking and groaning sound, the top of the water sheeted over with ice, several inches thick and about seven feet wide. Plenty enough space for them to cross.

Gaelio stepped out onto the ice, testing it. "...see if you can set Bay on the sled. It's sturdy, but it's slick." He turned to look at her, and smiled. "Or if you want, go ahead and cross. I can pull the sled across the ice on my own. I just don't want one of you to get hurt by falling."

[DragonSong]

Josie frowned, biting at her lip. "I, um...actually, could you just turn to the side for a moment?"

She backed up a few paces and started to wriggle out of her clothes. About halfway through, she dropped forward onto four paws. Bay yipped happily and she woofed at him softly, giving him a few quick licks before she gathered up her clothes and braced her front paws on the sled so she could deposit the clothing on top.

That done, she snatched Bay up by the scruff of his neck and nodded slightly. She felt much more confident about crossing the ice with claws to dig in.

[Marakai Trin]

Gaelio did as he was asked, turning to the side go look downstream. When he heard Josie's soft bark, he looked back to her and smiled.

"Well, that works even better. But all the same, be careful. Please."

He moved back off of the ice to grab the leather strap again, and looked back to her. "You'd better go ahead, so I can watch you if you slip. I may be able to do something if you still happen to fall."

[DragonSong]

The wolf huffed at him, nodded, then slowly made her way out onto the ice. She took each step carefully, claws sinking nearly an inch into the ice to keep her footing steady.