After he returns to Kalvin from his visit to Dr. Pike, Axel is told that Kalvin gets poked and prodded by Parsley all of the time too. And then Parsley arrives to confirm it, checking on Kalvin's teeth and going through his fur since the boy never seems to groom himself. She also checks Axel's teeth as well.

When the doe declares that Kalvin needs a hot bath, Axel wants to come along – more for the 'hot' part than the bath part. At the springs, he explains that he doesn't really know how to take care of feathers yet, so Parsley helps him with that.

Axel's ability to heat up leads to him drying himself out, and a towel as well. When he tries to dry Parsley though, Nadyenka extends himself outside of Axel's body to try and merge with the lapi! This causes Axel to collapse, as his supporting life force is pulled away and he nearly dies, until the spirit returns and revives him.