Black Morass i've been looking all over the place for a place for me

he grew more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment. and when the big man left his periphery to stalk behind, cam could have fainted on the spot. nevertheless, trembling slightly, he swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to force out words.

no, we've been around for a while, he responded. numbers? ah, it depends. there's my mum, my dad, my siblings, and olive and seabreeze and their children, and a few others. . .and sometimes wolves come to stay for a while when they're injured. . .

the lie was taking him back in time. an unexpected wave of nostalgia overtook him; he felt his knees buckle slightly, though it was surely compounded by fear. 

there was a swamp outside the willows. not like this. . .not nearly as dense.

god, he wished he could run back there now. he wished he could bury his face in his mother's night-black fur and forget it all.

it's far from here, so i really need to find my way out of this swamp, cam reiterated, eyes flickering to the woman. she'd promised to help him. couldn't they get going, now?