Cricket Creek Bog we can dine with the biosphere

Derg stood still, tail raised and face impassable. Arlette tucked into him like she could melt.
This man obviously knew Arlette. And Arlette knew him. He was from Easthollow. They'd fought together against Ursus' Blackbird.
Arlette was scared of what he might be here for though. She would not be taken from him.

This man didn't smell like he once did. Like they both did once.
Arlette noticed too as she stepped out, bold and brave. Derg stood still and quiet - a sentinel. This was Arlette's brother, she revealed. And while she was sure he wouldn't harm her physically...what could he tell someone else?
He grunted in response, tail still a warning flag as he stared down his prey.
One wrong move, and Merrit would be lost in the bog.
Or dragged to the Saints. For fun.