Broken Antler Fen it's a sunny and relaxing holiday

Mumble assented readily and obviously enough to the suggestion of a rest. Probably smart, if the extent of this muggy expanse of mud really did stretch as dismayingly far as Tanto claimed, and the bird wasn't just exaggerating. Sprig was really starting to doubt the wisdom of having come here at all, especially if the place might have swallowed Cali up entire... but no, he couldn't think of that right now. Forcibly he pushed even the hint of such a possibility from his mind. He had heard Mumble's little sigh, and went over to give the dog-wolf's ear a quick little nuzzle if affectionate reassurance. (The ear that was furthest from Tanto's busy beak, that was, of course. Sprig didn't want to dislodge magpie from perch. But—) All right, Birdbrain, said Sprig affectionately, giving his nose a quick little flip in the direction of the feathery one as well. Thank you for checking. Not all of us can have wings instead of legs, after all. Much far-er than wolflegs go indeed, pffffft. Though Sprig couldn't help but add a quick little somewhat plaintive query: That's true in every direction?

Sprig had to say, he didn't much approve of the landscaping choices hereabouts. But, well. Obviously it hadn't dissuaded Cali, or at least, not enough. Right, he said, trying to keep the strained combination of worry and fatigue from letting his voice crack. You lot stay here, then. I think I'd better go have a sniff around and see if I can spot her.

He pulled in a deep breath, bracing his legs and rotating ever so slightly up onto his tippy-toes as he did his level best to look severely down his long nose at the gathered "children," a stern teacher peering down over his black spectacles to put them on notice that they were all in big trouble if they even so much as started to think about getting into anything. The effect was somewhat spoiled by the furrow of worry he couldn't erase from his brow, and the jittery tendency of his eyes to stray behind them as they hoped against hope to spot Cali suddenly popping up there, and besides, he couldn't hold the pose for long. With a hefty whoosh of breath of his own he turned and prepared to go.