At this point, his legs hurt. Travel was difficult through the forest, but it cut about a week in between the cities. And horse travel was obviously out of the question, except for the caravans, Elias was Afraid of horses after getting kicked in the ribs when he got too close that one time.
His claw corrected the bag over his left shoulder, that short break in the march allowed him to listen, and hear the signature sound of falling water. It was a good time for a break anyway, and if the river turned out to be safe and sufficiently clear he could use the time to have a oh so needed shower.
--
About half an hour of march through the dense foliage and he eventually arrived at his camping destination. The spot was surprisingly beautiful. The expected creek turned out to be a 6ft waterfall and a small pond with a crystal clear water which then slipped into a small crack to resurface somewhere down west.
He left his bags, glove and cloak neat and tidy under a nearby tree. Camp related activities were much easier when burdens of travel and shame were shed. He pulled the sleeves of his white shirt up, to not dirty them when gathering kindling and wood for the fire. It was a miserable, tedious task sweetened only by the prospect of the frigid embrace of the clear waters. The space was cleared, stones set, Elias could prevent spreading of the fire with magics, but it's easier to just not give it the chance to try.
With the fireplace and bedroll ready, there were no more things to delay the small pleasures. He undressed himself, revealing the scarred human skin, and the untouched though a bit grimy scales. He was due for a Moult sometime this year, and he didn't want to get caught on the side of the mountain again.
There was a bit of giddy excitement, as if he was eight again, about to have a swim with his mother, with dad standing watch as always. The rest of the clothes were folded neatly besides the bag, a short dash from the edge of the pond in case something happened. He grabbed the thick brush and the square-ish bottle of denseed oil and moved towards the water.
The toes dipped under the surface tentatively at first just to get pulled back immediately, Sending a shiver down his spine. "Okay, Fuck thats cold." He murmured to himself. Then he took a glance around, to make sure no one's around. Once his paranoia has been sated for now, he just walked waist deep, Teeth clenched, fighting himself to not turn back. He was safe, and dirty as fuck, his scales were gunked up.
He left The bottle and the brush on a small rock that peeked above the water, but just barely. The water was incredibly frigid, Elias preferred warmer temperatures, but even now, the cold felt right, crisp against his skin, as it penetrated in between his scales, washing over his spikes. The breaths were slow and measured as he walked a bit deeper. Just to entirely dip underwater. He stayed there for a while, just to emerge with a gasp, and a chuckle. His body shivered. "I can already feel the hypothermia." He joked.