The Tangle The night was heavy and the air was alive

The poor girl is covered almost entirely in the gunk found in the marsh. Being so small was a hindrance out here; any puddle she encountered turned out to be bigger than her, or at least deeper than she was tall, and she was so tired that her route had taken her through a myriad of them. Now that she was in the dark of the woods she felt the shadows creeping over her, and the winter air sighing across her damp little figure, which only made matters worse. She was slumped against a pile of snow when she first heard the calls between the trees, but she was also so very tired that Ibis was tempted to fall asleep where she lay and forget all about the potential dangers waiting for her.

She rolled to her feet, cleansing at least part of her pale coat of some grime, and looked around groggily for — well, she wasn't sure. The sound seemed to be getting closer now. The more she focused on it the more awake she felt, and her adrenaline began to bring her back from whatever stupor had affected her. The sounds were spooky. There was no way for her to tell where they came from with any precision, so she tilted her chin up and sang a few high notes as a reply — which were surprisingly on-key.