Witch's Marsh life is a game, where the player must appear ridiculous

@Scimitar maybe?

She'd gotten turned around. Herbalist's Cache was nearby to Phoenix Maplewood. She knew it, but she when she'd picked a direction at random she'd ventured a little too much south and a little less west than she should have traveled. She assumed she simply overshot her destination when there were a heck of a lot less forests and a considerable amount more of spooky swamp. How any deity designed such a wretched place was beyond her. It seemed down right insufferable.

A sweet scent upon the air caught her attention. Was something still flowering in autumn? She hadn't the faintest idea, but if there was a herb of some sort that could survive the onset of cold it would serve her garden greatly. She ventured forth, turning her nose away from the swam smells and pick a path to best avoid the muck of the mire. She had no desire to dirty herself in this. Only to track that scent and hope it could serve her medically.

In her efforts she was flocked, no, swarmed by insects. The pesky little bugs stalked her, buzzing about her fur as though she was the only creature present to bother. She huffed, her breath causing a dragonfly to spiral out of control as it caught wing and zipped off. Her tail flicked behind her in her discomfort as she pressed forward. She'd find the source eventually. So long as she didn't get lost in here, she'd be fine.

Scimitar was once more away from his home – though it left him with a heavy heart. Recruiting was at the forefront of his mind, for it had been awhile since he had seen some of their pack mates. Morgana and Tryphon had seemingly disappeared – though he had not disincluded them yet. Still, much longer, and their presence within his home would be met with teeth and force. If one was going to disappear and reappear when convenient, they were not worth the pack’s resources, for they added nothing to them.
 
He found himself in a place that Swift would have likely loved, and his heart twisted at the thought. His nose drifted lower, his ears sliding back as he took in the myriad of scents. He was no healer, and so the bountiful herbs before him held only blind potential.
 
What did beckon him forward was the lingering scent of another – a scent he recognized only by landmark alone, and that he had stayed there for a night to rest his family. Saena’s offer had been gracious, and so he loped forward, hoping to seek out one of her wolves to at least see how their allies northward fared.

Her focus was all askew. She lifted a paw, trying to batt away those terrible gnats that took special pleasure in buzzing about her face. It seemed hopeless. She was something of a target for them and their unrelenting persistence about her form led her into some kind of disarray. She lost track of what she'd scented and now her walking was more of a fleeing sort of thing. She thought she was escaping this place. Instead her paws only pressed deeper into the heart of this mire.

Oblivious to everything but her own discomfort, her footing became unsure. She tripped, stumbling over the tangle of a twisted root, becoming entrapped in a veil of moss, and then stumbling into a the warm body of another creature. She shrieked as she recoiled, shaking her head free of the hanging grey mosses as she scrambled from where she'd toppled upon the ground back to her paws. This was not the least bit lady like or dignified. This place was absolutely horrid.

"Well, where did you come from?" she snapped, in something of a mood as she tried to pick herself off the ground and straighten out her coat. At least now the swamp flies seemed to thin now that they had another stranger to harass.

To say he caught her at a bad time was a poor choice of words - Scimitar rounded up, intent on speaking with one of Saena's own in hopes of determining how the pack was when he watched the brown wolf tumble and fall -- a root seemingly the cause of what would be rather sore tomorrow.
 
His ears splayed back as he witnessed this -- and before he could decide if he should instead vanish in to thin air or approach and pretend not to see, it became obvious that the female knew very well what he had witnessed.  He mulled over his response, his bright eyes inquisitive as they studied her.
 
"Jade Fern Grove," he replied simply, studying her carefully. "We consider ourselves on friendly terms with your pack -- I was hoping you could tell me how Saena and Reek are doing." To the point, as always. Still, he eyes her with mild apprehension, canting his muzzle slightly. "Are you.. okay?"

She hefted herself off the ground and did her best to brush and shake the debris for her coat. In spite of her efforts, she still felt something in a state of disarray as she stood there and glanced towards the male who'd seen her in a light that was certainly not her best.

Alas, he spoke, explaining himself. Ah. He was a neighbor. That explained the proximity and the not-so-random-happenstance that was their encounter. Of course, that also meant the scent of the maplewood was so thick upon her that it was noticeable as to where she had come from. Perhaps she needed to get out more.

"They're fine," she snapped somewhat offended that someone had dared to ask about someone else when she was very clearly frazzled. "I'm fine. Or will be." She huffed. "These damn flies are everywhere." She paused for a moment before looking to him. "Apologies. That wasn't very lady like."

She gave herself a quick shake and hoped it would ease her frustrations away too. It helped a bit. Enough so that she could answer his original question with less snippiness. "They're fine. Really. Reek picked up a couple of coyote kids he's trying to raise on his own. Saena lost her tail to a bear, but she'll live." Alas, the worst of it was that her garden had been ransacked. "We're fine. Really. All of us." Her sister was gone now, but that was besides the point.

"I'm sorry. I haven't the slightest idea who you are..."

The brown she-wolf was irritated – though it didn’t faze the Frostfur wolf much. Her snapping tone was taken only with indifference, and he simply made a mental note to make this conversation short.
 
Of course, her words would have stirred a simple nod – the ones that determined that his neighbors were fine. And yet Saena lost her tail to a bear. The constriction in his chest gripped him instantly, and he regarded the she-wolf almost incredulously – a feat for a wolf who so carefully guarded his emotions. He swallowed thickly then, his ears sliding back to his skull. “A bear attacked your lands? We had a recent bear run in, too..” He paused, his tongue suddenly feeling numb as Swift’s face floated to the front of his mind. “My son.. he lost both of his eyes.”
 
And with those words, Scimitar almost forgot to introduce himself – drawing himself up slightly, he gave his head a shake, as if in a fog. “Scimitar Frostfur of Jade Fern Grove.. previously Nova Peak.”