Fox's Glade I saw a light.

After the big trip around the valley Ibis felt much more comfortable with herself and her abilities, so a day-trip to the neighboring glade wasn't as scary to her now. If she ran in to any trouble then she could always go to Easthollow for help; but she didn't expect anything negative to occur, and was very excited to be going on this solo trip. She had wanted to investigate the surroundings for new plants and pretty things when she was here last, but her work as a messenger came first so she had to put that aside. Now, though, Ibis could do as she pleased — and the sense of freedom was invigorating.

The hills that led towards Easthollow were easy enough to identify (even for someone as directionally-challenged as Ibis), and she skirted their border as she made her way. Then there were the trees of the forest; the composition of this forest was similar enough to the Hollow not to be frightening to her, although the soil wasn't nearly as damp or moss-hewn. She wove between the spacious white-barked trees until their population was overwhelmed with thicker, darker types; pine was easily identified among them but beyond that Ibis didn't have a clue. It smelled nice.

Or, it did, until she was hit in the face by a rotten, musky smell unlike anything she'd inhaled before. This made her freeze in place and then recoil with an emphatic scrunch to her snout. Ew! What -- she gasped, coughed, and looked around with a squint, as one might do after inhaling someone else's burp. After a moment or two of snorting and gasping she took notice of something moving in the undergrowth near her position — a flash of ruddy red-brown — but didn't choose to investigate.