Otatso Wetlands You can pay uncle sam with the overtime

leaving the date/circumstances on this somewhat vague as the outcome of the meeting with akashingo is still unclear! note to self: edit this later as needed lolol

Returning home meant resuming her duties. Today's list: check the food supplies, tend to scent posts that had begun to fade, and now a patrol of the nearby wetlands to the north. It had become standard; routine, even, and although Swiftcurrent was home, her legs needed to stretch! May as well put it to use.
A mostly flat trail takes her through the thicket, watching as the summery canopy of aspens grow into Pacific willows, the air surrounding her more sticky and dense. Before long, there's hardly dry ground to step on. She squints at a heron perched upon a decaying log and wonders what it sees in the murky mudwater below it.
Her trot comes to a stop at the sight of a family of mallards; younglings in tow of a pair. Part of her wondered whether she should swipe one as a snack for somebody back home, or even for herself — but the thought of a duckbill clamped around her ankle shook that idea right from her head.

Navigating further, she wades through puddles and scares a school of minnows with the power of her step. The water grows deeper, darker, and she's knee-deep in it before she even realizes there's somebody else here. A double take and a sharp inhale of surprise before she calls out, Hey, you! What're you doin' out 'ere?