Felltree Marsh but i've wandered much further today than i should

Her throat felt scratchy but Bat felt better after shouting curses into the dark wilderness. When Tegan praised her, she felt a warm glow suffuse her and she grinned, albeit tiredly, as she suddenly realized how exhausted she was. Slowly, she began plodding along beside her newest friend, ears twitching a little bit as he explained that she shouldn't tell her parents who'd revealed the secrets of the word "fuck" to her. She smiled to herself, pretty sure she understood that it was a bad word despite Tegan's thinly-veiled back story.

Having apparently emptied herself with those loud, foul exclamations, Bat stayed more or less quiet as they shuffled through the dark. She only perked up when she saw a dull reddish smear in the distance, rapidly bobbing toward them. "Mama!" she realized as the figure took on the characteristics of a wolf, one who appeared tailless until Bat realized it was just blending into the night air.

"Bat!" Wildfire cried simply, tucking her muzzle into the Goufa's nape and almost sobbing into it. "Where have you been? Have you seen your sister?" A beat later, she seemed to realize Tegan was there. She stared blankly at him, unable to place him in her stricken temper—could you blame her, after what she'd been through lately?—before blurting, "Teg—Tegan, right?"

"Yeah, I just met him and he brought me home," Bat chimed in a bit wearily, shooting him a thankful smile. "Kiwi's off exploring," she supplied absently before wondering, "Can I go to bed now?"

But Wildfire was too busy saying, "Thank you, Tegan. Thank you," and nuzzling him to answer right away. Eventually, she did turn bright, watery chestnut eyes to Bat to say, "I have to find your sister." She hesitated. Could she simply send Bat back to Hougeda, alone? Did she have a choice? "Go straight to Hougeda. I'll come find you as soon as I find Kiwi. Thanks again, Tegan, and sorry for—" She flitted away before she could even finish her sentence, a cry of, "Kiwi!" sounding in the distance a moment later.

"Well," Bat said to Tegan, "I gotta go home now. Thanks, Tegan, and fuck you too." With that, she began trudging toward Hougeda.