Felltree Marsh Aholehole

No deal, she agreed with a small smile, glad he hadn’t taken offense.

Masque wondered if the next words out of his mouth were designed to intrigue her. It worked, particularly the mention of secrets, but not well enough for her to ask. Anyway, he insisted she tell him a bit more about her home, since she wouldn’t show it to him.

But I might get my tail chewed off for giving away our secrets, she quipped, feeling quite clever and a bit daring too.

Drawing in a breath, Masquerade pondered for a moment. It was getting late and getting cold. Not only did her family expect her home, she wanted to go. But she didn’t want to leave Swordfish here, lost. What if he followed her home to the rise?

I can’t stay out much longer, though maybe I can help you figure out what direction to head, at least. Do you happen to know if the coast is to the north, south, east or west of… She didn’t know the term “inland,” so she gestured at their surroundings. Because the rise is east of our current position, she continued, recalling the glare heading into the marsh earlier, if that helps.