Hot Spring Soak

Two buns trudge up a snowy trail in the dim light of a poorly-lit area of Burrowgatory. As Chanti peers over the edge of the mountain trail, he can barely see the lights of the city below. Up this high, the mist obscures the light of civilization and only serves to illustrate how far in the boonies the lovebirds are.

“Chanti, are you sure we’re going the right way? This seems really remote to have a luxury resort…” Ivan rests on a rock while Chanti stands above him on tip-hoof, scouting their surroundings.

“Ah’m positive, darlin’. Ah’m followin’ mah granddad’s map. He was the biggest hot spring enthusiast Burrowgatory had! All the landmarks have been right so far… Ah think we just hafta keep goin’.”

Ivan looks around at the snowy crags and scrubby bushes that surround them. He doesn’t doubt Chanti’s sense of direction or Grandpa Lune’s cartography skills, but this was supposed to be a “quick trip” as Chanti had put it. They’ve been walking for about 3 hours so far. “It was really sweet of you to take me on this trip, but… your grandpa hasn’t been in Burrowgatory for 50 years! There’s a good chance that this resort doesn’t even exist anymore.”

“Then ah’m gonna at least see it fer mahself. The Marble Terrace Resort’s natural hot springs got a top-notch rating from granddad, it’s gotta be somethin’ special! Besides, if it’s closed, we can always turn this hot spring vacation into an urban exploration vacation!” Chanti seems determined, much to Ivan’s chagrin. Easy for Chanti to say they need to keep going- he’s not holding the bags.

Ivan looks up at his boyfriend’s face and slowly gets to his hooves. Chanti was so excited when his racetrack started making a profit, that he wanted to take the pair of them on a special trip to celebrate. The brown bun knows this trip is equally important to his boyfriend- some proof of success- and he isn’t going to be a wet blanket.

Chanti comes back down from the rocks and takes his beloved’s paw. “Alright, we might be a little off-course, but ah think ah know where we went wrong. It’s not far now! Ah promise, when we get there, ah’ll order us a bottle of the best sake an’ we can enjoy each other’s company.” Ivan nods and lets Chanti lead him further up the mountain.

After another half hour, Chanti begins to see stone lanterns along their path and worn cobblestones under the snow. He delightedly quickens his pace and charges ahead until they reach a pair of dark wooden gates, swung wide open, with a luxurious manor just beyond them. A sign affixed to one of the gate posts indicates that yes, this is indeed the Marble Terrace Resort. When Ivan finally catches his breath, he’s able to appreciate the elegant, yet cozy interior design. As he takes in the atmosphere, Chanti comes bounding back from the front desk, a key dangling from his finger. “The Pine Suite is all ours, hot stuff.” Chanti wiggles his eyebrows goofily, making his boyfriend double over in giggles.

*****

Once they’ve gotten the friskiness mostly out of their system, the boys agree that a midnight soak in the hot spring sounds wonderful, especially after their frigid walk up the mountain. After ridding themselves of their hat and sweater respectively, Chanti and Ivan find a quiet area of the springs to relax in. Keeping his promise from earlier, Chanti puts in an order for a pricey bottle of sake, which they enjoy while snuggling in the warm, steamy water.

Chanti finds himself almost drifting off, when his nose twitches. A scent, powerful and familiar, yet… vaguely unpleasant. He stands straight up in the outdoor bath and whirls around, trying to pinpoint the origin of the scent. Ivan, who had also been dozing, jumps when Chanti stands. “Chanti? What is it?”

“Ah smell… a relative, ah think.” He waves some steam away from his face as he climbs up onto the hot spring walkway. He blindly follows his nose through the mist, nearly running into several hot spring attendants until he reaches a reclined beach chair in the VIP section. A white succubun with swirling mist and stars floating around him lays there in repose with cucumbers over his eyes.

The strong smell of a blood relation is quite unpleasant, but Chanti is too shocked to back away. “G-Granddad?? This is where you’ve been all this time?”

The Sloth bun responds with a “-SNRK-” and a yawn, lazily removing a cucumber from one eye. “Hm? Is it time for my massage already?” he asks in a strange, thick accent. His nose twitches as well. “Well, push it back half an hour, I don’t feel like moving.”

Chanti stands before his relative, waiting for some sort of double take or a flicker of recognition at least. All he’s met with is soft snores. As Lune is a bun who supposedly abandoned Burrowgatory long ago, it’s no small surprise to see him just outside the city limits. The yellow bun sighs, but isn’t sure what he expected from Lune.

While his grandsire snores away in his private cabana, Chanti meets back up with Ivan.

“Oh, hey! Did you find the bun you were related to?”

Chanti pauses, then shakes his head. “Nah, it was just a false alarm. Say, this spot’s gettin’ a bit crowded, why don’t we go ta the other end?”

Ivan looks around at the completely empty bath around them, but nods and places his arm around Chanti as they look for a new spot to canoodle.

(939 words)