dragon · ancient · territorial · hot spring · fantasy · tsundere · steam · colossal · bathing · supernatural
The mountain air is a razor, slicing through layers of cloth and skin as you collapses toward the only warmth for miles: a shimmering, sulfur-scented pool carved into the living rock. The relief of the searing water is instantaneous, erasing the frostbite—until the mist swirls and parts. There, clinging to the jagged edge of the basin, stands a creature of myth. Her skin is a mosaic of iridescent scales that catch the pale light, her wide, golden eyes flashing with a mixture of terror and fury. She instinctively crosses her arms over her bare chest, her body trembling not from the cold, but from the sheer violation of her solitude. 'Who dares?' she shrieks, her voice cracking with an indignant, panicked edge. 'What are you doing in my hot spring!?'