As absolutely strange as a mechanical hole in the ground had been, it didn't seem to be the overtone of the trip the next couple of traveling hours.  It was, in fact, a rather splendid journey, through a transition of thick forest into a relatively wide-open field of lush grass and the occasional patch of trees here and there.  Every once in a while they'd get off the horses just to walk over to new or odd foliage and investigate, then get back on and ride a little longer.
        Shadow was most astounded by the insects, herself.  They were intensely similar to those of the world she'd come from, and yet just a couple of things were different.  The bumble bee Evyn had pointed out looked not only larger, but somehow fuzzier than the ones of Earth.  She had this strange thing for bumble bees; even though they had been known to sting, they were still a joy to be hovering around.  Why she thought this she didn't know, but she still had a thing for them.  Big fuzzy bundles of energy, indeed--pretty much her polar opposite.
        At last in the immediate distance were the sounds of trickling water.  The horses' ears perked up even before Shadow recognized it, and she kept to herself hidden hopes of a bath.  Not that it was so bad not having to take a shower when she really hadn't felt like taking one, but now it was just getting ridiculous.  She knew none of them were that awfully dirty, but she was starting to feel a bit... sticky.  And the day had grown from pleasant to a bit hot quite quickly.
        The horses seemed energized by the closer sound of water, walking a little faster bit by bit until they were trotting toward the sound.  It did nothing for Evyn's slight worry of falling off, but by the time the three beasts had broken into full trots, he also recognized the sound of water.  A bath was getting to be a really good idea.
        Through a gorgeous little semi-circle patch of trees the horses ran, straight up to the edge of the darker earth resting at the edge of the water.  The horses snorted and whinnied, showing no signs of remembering that they were carrying passengers.
        "I think we'd better get off before we become part of the lake."  Evyn suggested.
        Shadow nodded, lightly patting Sandy on the shoulder.  The beast instantly snorted an order at the brown horses and skipped to a stop, lowering onto her knees and then to her belly.  The brown horses slowed and turned back, staring at her as if completely puzzled by her order; the black one only snorted again, vibrantly insisting.  They finally followed suit as though forced, and Evyn slid off very slowly.  The fact that he had survived that ride without once toppling over was quite an accomplishment.
        As he was pulling Taerlyn off, Shadow was working to quickly untie the bags from her increasingly impatient steed.  That's all they needed, wasn't it, wet supplies.  Sandy neighed her urgency to be free of dust and passing insects, but her rider was working the best she could at the knots.  If there was one thing she was excellent at, it was untying difficult knots.
        Evyn watched her fingers work.  "It took me longer to tie it..." he said quietly.
        She grinned, nearly proud of herself, and pulled the load free of the antsy beast.  Standing back quite a ways, she suspected the next move.
        All three horses rushed toward the shore in a fit of dust and sprays of water.  Sandy leapt the furthest of all of them, making loud splashes amidst the happy whinnies.  She looked absolutely delighted to have water to play in, while the other horses rolled in it once or twice before growing bored and just drinking.
        "A bath!" Shadow announced with great excitement.  "What a novel idea, scrubbing the stink off..."
        "It's not that bad... is it?" Evyn asked seriously.
        She smelled her armpit.  Indeed it seemed a repulsive act, but she simply had to know the truth.  "Well, I guess not.  Sure is nice to be clean, though."
        "I'd agree with that."  He looked around slowly.  They stood there in silence, watching with amusement as Sandy drank and played for several minutes before finally growing a bit bored.  Soaking, she stood up, shook off like a dog, and walked to join the other horses as they grazed.
        "Well... uh, you and Ter want to go first?" Evyn broke the silence, having somehow caught a little more water than the others.  He gently wrung his shirt out as best he could while it was still on his body.
        Shadow looked at him blankly for a moment, then nodded with realization.  "Oh, yeah.  Nudity and so forth.  Sure."  She titled her head and stared at him for another few seconds.  "Where are you going to be?"
        He was surprised by that vicious little grin she'd showed him.  "With my back to the lake."  He answered simply.
        "Sorry, just... instinct."  She broke eye contact quickly and looked at the shimmering greenish water.  "I hope there aren't any leeches... or whatever else may be lurking in there."
        Not having previously thought of that, he shuddered.  "That's why you're going first."
        "Thanks!" she said loudly, normal good humor returning.  Pulling the katana from her side, she placed it on the ground then softly took Taerlyn by the hand and lead her over to the shore.
        Evyn did indeed sit with his back toward the lake.  It's not that he truly wanted to look, but yet he was male; it's in every male's nature to peek whenever at whatever they could.  Still, he forced himself to stare at the nearly cloudless blue sky, trying to clear his mind.  It was a nice, peaceful day, in the company of creatures he didn't mind, heading toward someplace he'd never been... it wasn't so bad, maybe...  He was awoken from random thoughts by a loud shriek from the lake, and almost decided to go over and investigate before he heard Shadow gasp and yell, "For a hot day it's incredibly cold in here.  Just thought I'd let you know."
        "I appreciate it."  He half mumbled back.
        Finally catching her breath and trying hard to get used to the temperature, she walked out until the water was neck deep before she decided to take her clothes off.  It's not that she didn't trust her new traveling companion, really.  It was partly the mere thought of leeches in the water, and partly that she despised being so exposed, regardless of who may or may not be looking.  It was a clear sign of unreadiness that anyone could read.  It all came from the past.
        Taerlyn had finally stepped into the water when the other girl was scrubbing her shirt, and the cold seemed to wake her up a bit.  At least she was able to completely bathe and wash her own clothes without drowning, whether she was aware of the whole situation or not.  Shadow had no idea how she would have reacted to actual contact.  It just wasn't a pleasant thought, bathing a mental invalid.  It was quite enough to have... supported her in the woods.  And she was sure she'd probably have to do it again soon. Joy.  She gasped again as she tilted her head back to wash her hair.  Cold is not my "thing"...
        Shadow scrubbed until she just couldn't take the cold anymore, then reclaimed her floating clothes and walked out.  She longed for a toothbrush, but assumed any relatively clean stick would probably be okay.  Taerlyn followed her lead a moment later and emerged with a sopping wet dress.  Most of the mud was gone, but stains of brown and red still hung at the edges.
        Upon re-attaching her katana and finding a satisfactory stick, Shadow called, "Okay, you can go now."
        Evyn was relieved his wait was finally over and glad to be clear of any kind of uncomfortable situation.  That was, until he ran into the newcomer in a cold, tight, dripping wet t-shirt.  He immediately diverted his eyes and walked swiftly to the shore like a robot, prepared to simply take a flying leap into the water.  As Shadow sat near the trees where he had previously been waiting, Taerlyn at her side, she heard his surprised shriek.  "Did you think I was joking?" she called.
        "I forgot!" he gasped, feeling that odd, cold pain rush through his body vividly.
        She grinned for a reason she really wasn't sure of, chewing almost obsessively on the stick.  It felt good to get aggression out, if only just a little, on a piece of wood.  She remembered all too clearly how astoundingly cold the water was as she splintered the branch like a wood chipper, very much glad to be out in the warm sun.  She really did hate cold, and hated being cold far more.  When the stick was finally a pile of tiny wood chips, she heard Evyn emerge.
        Shivering, arms wrapped around himself, he walked to the "waiting area".  "I don't like cold baths."  He said simply.
        "Me either."  Shadow responded.  "But at least it's a warm day."
        He grunted quietly, not quite believing her.  Sitting down across from her anyway, he watched her start to splinter another stick against her teeth.  "What are you doing?"
        She paused for a moment before she answered.  "Brushing my teeth."
        Despite the cold and the annoyance of still wet clothes, he laughed.  "Novel girl." he wanted to say, but didn't dare.  He just watched her with an amused expression and decided maybe she was on to something.  At least it'd pass the time until he was dry and warm again.
        And so they chewed like idiots together, the sound of splintering wood emerging every so often, but rarely from Evyn.  When Taerlyn absently pulled on Shadow's shirt, no doubt to signal "something", that was when the loudest splintering sound of all escaped.  Evyn was too heavily involved in trying to control laughter to say anything, so he just kept chewing as Shadow paled again, and slowly lead Taerlyn to the side of the lake in another large bunch of trees.  There was no doubt in his head she was the only child in her household.