Felltree Marsh tin;beetroot;carrot;ebony;fruit;copper;silk;

this probably isn't realistic at all but i'm bored. forward dated to 4/20 blaze it -- also he's just on the edge of the territory that borders elysium, not far into the marsh at all

the world was getting too small for cam, who was quite small himself. just like the den had once felt too confining, so now did his usual haunts. fortunately for him, the den was located fairly close to the marsh that bordered elysium's territory. he didn't know what a marsh was, nor could he have told you the name of their pack or territory, but he had an imagination much more capable than his body—

and bloody hell, he was going to use it!

the dark boy toddled to the edge of the willows, admiring the way the beauty faded into abject. . .ugliness. wow. the sight before him really was quite hideous, all brown and gray, wet and smelly. he walked just past the elysium border, looking wide-eyed at the wreckage before him. wondering how two places so close could look so different.

maybe not ugly, though. well, yes, ugly. but it had a certain charm about it, cam thought. dark and mysterious. were he braver, he would explore it further. he was already of half a mind, though, to run back to his mum and seek shelter in her lovely, shadowy fur. there would be no exploring of the ugly place today.

looking, though. he could always look.

a wild Elve appears!

The mire is little more than a bog of stench, curling the folds of pale skin of her snout in disgust as the emitting odor reaches her nose and invades. It's almost enough to turn her stomach, to seize her body in a gag yet the migrant Sami manages to bite down on the urge. 

Still, she's eager to move on from this nasty location. That is, until she spots the boy - nearly unnoticeable, a tiny dark blip on the edges of her blue vision. 

The elf pauses, head cocking curiously as her muzzle reaches into the air - deep lungfuls revealing that the child belongs to the nearby pack of the mountain range. A frown of concern lowers her golden brow to overshadow ocean eyes regardless, for the pup appears no older than a moon or perhaps two. 

" 'Ello, younglin'," she calls softly in her strange accent, tones warm and inviting for she means him no harm. Buttermilk plume waves where it hangs at her hocks and a motherly smile graces her features - grief tearing at her heart as she recalls fondly when Laisse was as young. 

"You're alrigh'? No' lost?" Her maternal worries make themselves known despite the fact that she's unsure whether he's able to answer. 

suddenly, something beautiful emerged from the marsh. strange, that something so lovely could come from a place like this. a pale, golden wolf, like khali but slimmer and smaller. he stared at it, his mouth falling open slightly as it—she?—began to speak. she didn't sound like mummy or daddy, or anyone at all that he'd heard. he wondered if she was even real.

ahhh. . . he let out a puzzled sound, shifting his paws, too taken aback to look directly into her eyes but too curious to run away. he was stuck—maybe, actually, stuck. the mud beneath his paws felt suddenly very sticky; cam lifted a paw, surveying it with intense concentration, the way it caked both wet and dry all at once between his toes. he sniffed it and made a face; it was dark and fetid-smelling, not pleasant at all.

the boy cocked his head, staring up at the newcomer again. he blinked inquisitively at her, wondering who she was. did she live in the willows, too? why was she out here, walking around, in such a wretched place? why did anyone do anything at all, besides lay on the ground and look at the grass (which was an utterly fascinating spectacle in and of itself)?

She was met with a soft exhalation of confusion and again she wondered if he was old enough to speak yet, a smile crossing her scarred features as her head ducked in humor. 

She glanced up, watching curiously as he investigated the ooze with the intense fascination of a boy his age. 

"Aye, i's sticky, innit?" Elve quipped softly, lifting and replacing her feet repeatedly so they squelched with each step - grinning at him in play. 

"Ya know, yer mum is prolly wonderin' where you've done run to," she murmured, still not entirely comfortable with the tot wandering alone into the world. 

"Ya need some help gettin' back t'ere?" The Sami gestured towards the direction his pack-scent lay in. 

he didn't know what she was saying, but he did understand the motion of her paws, the terrible sound they made against the mud. heh, he giggled shortly, the sound dry but sincere. ehhh. he shook his own forepaw, trying to get the sticky off. it bothered him very intensely, all of a sudden, and he missed everything else she had to say in his frustrated concentration.

finally, he became aware of her looking at him in question, and put down his paw, turning his gaze toward the woman again. mum, he said, latching onto a word he thought he heard her say. that was what lil-ee called herself, was mum. this definitely wasn't mum, though, nor any of the rest of his family. was there more than one mum?

uhhh, cam trailed off, eyes exploring the swamp once more. uh? he queried, glancing at the stranger. his mouth moved slowly, silently. he couldn't stop thinking about how disgusting the ground felt.

A grin of her own slips onto her features even as pain tears at her heart, her thoughts turning once more to Laisse as he giggles in play. 

More stutters grace her blonde auds, accompanied by a single word that the boy seems to recognize - mum. 

"Aye, yer mum is thataway," she gestures once more in the direction of his pack lands, even knowing he doesn't understand.

Elve dares to come a little closer, thinking that perhaps she should make sure he was safe with his mother before leaving - lest Cam wander ignorantly into the dangers of the outside world.

She stops near the dark child, offering him a warm smile of reassurance before letting a soft howl escape her lips - urgent but not panic-inducing - for @Lily. 

She settles on golden haunches, turning to Cam once more. "An' now we wait, younglin'." 

she said 'mum' again and then turned to the willows, making a motion in that direction. cam followed her gaze, and then looked back, and—oh. did she mean mum was that way? well, duh, he knew that! why did she think he had come out here, anyway? everything in the world he knew was that way.

and then she tipped up her muzzle and let out a howl, and his ears folded back for an instant, frightened and perturbed at once. they went aloft again, soon enough, and then he was howling himself. . .well, as best as he could, anyway. it came out mostly tinny and squeaky, but it was a howl nonetheless, and when his newfound friend ceased her noise, so too did he.

he cocked his head at whatever she had said, and then stomped around in the mud, wincing as it splattered his dark chest. feh, he grumbled, hating very much to be dirty. just the feeling—it felt wrong. he should be clean—

cam! his mum's voice rang out from behind them, and he turned, only to see her lithe, shadowy form traveling toward them at quite a high rate of speed. she sounded different than usual, her tone higher-pitched and sharp. he cowered, a little, giving her a stare from underneath a furrowed brow.

i hope he hasn't been too much trouble, lily apologized, relief palpable in her voice as she turned her orange gaze to elve. cam, for his part, looked between the two of them, watching the way their faces morphed and their mouths moved. thank you so much for finding him. i've no idea how he got away so quickly, without my notice.

pping lily here bc i'm lazy

somehow it completely slipped my notice that you rp both Lily and Cam, my bad XD

Her head cocks in fascination, seeing his adversity to the ooze permeating his coat and scent. She's less familiar with boy children, even ones of this age, and from what little experience she does possess it's common knowledge that little boys love dirt. The elf considers assisting, grooming him clean but she's uncertain how Cam or his mother will receive such an action - it's best just to let Lily to take care of it, she decides. 

Her attention is drawn by the dark pixie that rushes from the wood line, frantic as any mother would be. Elve discreetly rearranged into submission, taking a step back from the boy and borders alike. Some wolves aren't too friendly when you approach their young, regardless of your intentions. 

"Naw, 'e's been good, jus' didn' want 'im wanderin' off and gettin' 'urt," Elve smiled, glancing to Cam fondly. 

"No t'anks necessary m'am, t'ey can be quick at t'at age," she rolls her ocean eyes in good nature, grinning at internal memories of a young Laisse. She shares a maternal smile with the dark woman, before glancing once more to her equally dark son. 

"Ya bes' stay close to yer mum's lan' fer now, younglin', lots of oter wolves out t'ere and some aren't like me," the Sami warns gently before turning and adjusting her wrap with a tug of her teeth. 

If Lily had nothing else to say, Elve would dip her buttermilk crown cordially and offer a smile to mother and son alike before vanishing once more into Teekon's woodworks. 

it's all good!

lily sighed in relief as the woman explained the situation, but to cam, it sounded more ominous than anything. uh-oh. mummy was probably very angry with him, for straying away from the den all alone. he huddled down further, avoiding direct eye contact and dreading the walk back home.

but then his gaze went upward once more to the woman; he struggled to understand her, but knew the smile meant she was a friend. he gave her a timid one back, wagging his stubby tail gently back and forth.

well, you have my gratitude, lily responded, smiling. safe travels, wherever you go. the stranger retreated, leaving mother and son alone, the former still stiff-legged with worry, the latter peering curiously after the path that the woman took back into the swamp. a gruff noise (very out of character!) from his mum made him look up again, ears folding back.

you'll be the death of me, she remarked, voice wry. still, she smiled, and cam wasn't old enough to really grasp any meaning behind those words. she smiled, so she wasn't angry. no, instead, she bent to kiss his forehead, and he butted back into her with a contented little growl. let's go have a nap, eh?

ughhhhh. he knew that word, at least. but he was too excited to sleep!