Swiftcurrent Creek from out of the smoke

the only thing to withstand the onslaught of bugs was the water, she mused. there were weathered husks floating in clumps through the creek, some being pecked at by curious fish; so that was one way out, at least until the rivers emptied of their bounty. hosannah thought of testing her luck with such a skill despite having no training. as she approached the creek's bank again and craned her head over it, a flash of movement in the water spelled disaster: the fish, seeing her red face poised so near to their realm, fled from her shadow before she could fully eclipse them. with a sigh the woman withdrew and sank to her haunches. her ears fell back upon her head in a wonton display of frustration, and she turned to survey the bank some more, wondering if there was something else she could gather from this place — in doing so she noticed a hidden silhouette among the shadows of the hollowed trees, and squinted towards the shape, but did not do much else.