Ouroboros Spine xii. it's spiraling down

The ground beneath her paws was blanketed in springy mosses in hues of green and brown, soggy as it squished between her pawpads. It masked the boy's scent from the ecologist well, the air humid and thick with a musty perfume like bog water -- or sulfur perhaps from the heated pool. He was hidden well, his presence undetected by the birdwatcher (who was not accustomed to being the subject of observation rather than the observer).

The she-wolf continued to study the plant for another heartbeat longer, trying to ascertain for sure that it was truly poisionous. Some plants had a habit of resembling harmful relatives to confuse those that might consider eating them. Hemlock in particular was known for looking suspiciously like wild carrots and parsnips, which were edible if not palatable to most wolves.