Ouroboros Spine Oh, in time you'll see

We used to get an excessively huge mud puddle where I grew up and I always got stuck in it and lost my boots. >____> It was the most fun I had every year.

Sialuk's progress was hampered by the sudden change in the ground's consistency. The marsh started out with a fringe of watery grass, but it posed no danger of sticking until she got deeper. The wet edges began to morph into something more viscous, the colour more murky, and soon enough she was wading through more mud than water. Her legs, usually pristine white, soon sported a thick capsule of grey-brown sludge. The long fur at her stomach dragged in deeper spots so that within a matter of minutes, there were flecks of mud climbing her sides and her belly was dripping.

Sialuk forced herself to proceed, certain that smarter prey would take refuge in this inhospitable part of the territory... but she paused when she spied another wolf dead ahead, seemingly struggling more than she was. The going was slow, but Sialuk managed to get within viewing distance of the man, and recognized him as Mordecai, the Alpha Male of the pack.

What would have been funny to a superior wolf now became the terror of a subordinate one. Sialuk's job and desire was to protect those she ran with; she knew nothing of whether her and Mordecai would ever get along as friends, only that he was her superior and it was her duty to aid him. She sloshed through the mud, getting stuck herself for brief moments in spots, and when she was close enough to help, she paused. Sialuk wouldn't dare touch a superior without his express permission; it was law. Seeking permission, she extended her neck with a chuff and clipped her teeth together as though to silently convey her desire to grab his scruff.