Frogspawn Swamp a grin made for war

When a voice shouted, "Hey!" from somewhere deeper in the murky swamp, Meerkat paused. Her nose and good ear twitched in unison as she tried to pinpoint the source of the call, though it was difficult to gauge anything in these unseemly conditions. She couldn't help but think of how much Alyx would hate this place, a smile twitching her lips even as she kept going deeper into the bog.

Eventually, she spotted a pale figure up ahead. She hastened toward it, though before she reached the other wolf, Meerkat came to a sudden stop and looked down at her feet. They were sinking in several inches of smelly muck, the suction making it difficult for her to proceed. She blinked a few times, then glanced upward, toward the unfamiliar she-wolf with her hoary fur and scars.

Perhaps Meerkat should've been frightened, partly trapped in swamp slime just yards from a very intimidating stranger. But instead, the pup only waved her tail and yanked her feet from the sludge with a loud squelching noise. Giggling now, she lurched closer to the woman, finally coming to a stop on a patch of moss a few feet away and redirecting her full attention upon the stranger.

"Hi," she offered, then gasped a little. "What happened to you?" she wondered, eyes widening with morbid curiosity.