The smell of sulphur …

… wafts near pools …

… of boiling water …

… and mud.

The lake nearby seems peaceful, …

… a place for birds …

… to rest.

I leave the shelter …

… of the forest …

… and walk onto a barren plain …

But even in this harsh environment …

… where the ground breathes poisonous gas …

… life adapts …

… and finds …

… its niche.

One species …

…seems particularly unimpressed.