The Trees Up North

Chapter VII

Mylo was flying around. The sun was rising, and Pine and I were back on the path. It was getting slightly warmer out. Mylo flew right by me and landed on a huge oak tree.

I look behind me and see Pine, who appears to be zoning out. His eyes appeared dazed, and he wore his scarf high on his face. His eyes glanced around before making eye contact with me. Pine raised his eyebrows and gave me a nod. I decided it would be best to walk beside him.

"Are you feeling ok?" I asked him. Pine gave me a nod in response. He looked as if he was deep in thought, so I stayed quiet and continued walking beside him.

Marlow peeked his head out of the pocket to see what was going on around him. The mixture of thin snow and dirt crunched beneath us. The sun cast a warm light across the trees. I watched Marlow, who seemed to be taking in all the scenery, and I wondered what he was thinking. Could snails think?

"Hey Pine?" I started, "Do you think snails can think?"

Pine continued to walk peacefully beside me before letting out a deep giggle. I had forgotten how rough his voice sounded.

"what?" I laughed. "Don't you think Mylo can think?"

Pine was laughing, and although it was quiet, I could hear it. It sounded almost like a wolf's howl. Pine nodded after a few seconds of laughter and me repeatedly asking, "What?" We kept walking down the now almost dirt path.

Pine stood there, watching as Mylo flew to him and landed on his shoulder. Pine sighed contentedly. There was so much beauty in Pine. the way the patches on his skin faded out, the way Mylo loved him so much, and how much he loved Mylo back. I wish Pine could see how protective he was of the things he cared about. I hummed as I took my attention away from him.

There was steam rising from the trees further up the path.

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The forest slowly broke apart. There were fewer trees. The steam was growing closer as we kept walking. It was well past the afternoon. It had been a calm day of walking. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with orange and pink hues.

Pine was focused on Mylo, who was resting on his hand. The steam was growing stronger, and you could feel the moisture in the air. A small river was flowing beside us. It slowly broke out into a lake.

"A hot spring!" I heard myself yell with excitement. I ran over to a small ridge by the lake. There was a smaller part of the lake that was held by rocks. The water was a beautiful blue. A light steam rolled off the water.

I dipped my hands into the soft, blue-green water. I felt a warm touch of water. As I moved my hands further into the water, I felt its embrace and warmth.

Pine stood over me, looking confused.

"It's a hot spring, Pine!" I said as I removed my hands from the water. "It's naturally heated water." Pine tilted his head to one side, seemingly understanding my explanation.

He dropped his hands into the water. Pine let out a slight noise of shock. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Do you want to go swimming?" I asked him. I took off my backpacks and hung them on a tree nearby. Pine shrugged and nodded before putting his backpacks away. It wouldn't hurt to go swimming in hot water. It had been a cold and slightly dirty walk.

I took off my boots and piled them in the bags. The light snow on the ground was cold and wet on my socks. I quickly undressed, so I was just in my shorts and my arm warmers. I quickly made my way to the high spring and jumped in.

The water was warm against my skin. The bottom of my red hair was on the surface of the water. I closed my eyes and sank deeper into the water, letting the warmth envelope me. I could hear the slight waves of someone walking in the water. Pine can be seen wading in the water behind me. He kept his hands just above the surface of the water. His arms were still stitched up. The cuts were healing, but you could see the remnants of them. Through the clear water, you could see the patches of his skin go all the way down to his ankles.