Otatso Wetlands tragic eyes I can't recognize myself behind

Somehow, he found himself back in this place.

His head felt foggy.
His tongue felt foreign in his mouth.
He found himself ambling along aimlessly, as if he was a tumbleweed with legs. Legs that were sodden and muddied by the wetlands. Acutely, he seemed to realize this, waking up for a moment. He peered down at his limbs, which were submerged in a layer of foul looking water. They felt numb.

In a way, everything did.

Why am I in this godforsaken swamp? Was the thought echoing through his head as he paused. Upon turning around, he soon realized he had already traveled a fair distance into the bog. There was no end in sight. With a huff, he shook his head and chose to retreat in the way he had came.

The thick, claggy bog churned beneath Faelan as he waded through the murky marsh, struggling to maneuverer himself through the never-ending sludge that covered this bizarre land. This terrain seemed never ending. From where Faelan currently stood, all he could see was marshland and more marshland beyond. It made him wonder… Why on earth would anyone want to trapse through this place? Heck, why was he, himself, even here to begin with?

 

A worn-out huff escaped the yearling as he attempted to twist himself around in the dirty water, pulling each of his paws from the mud with a noisy, unsettling squelch.  Fearful that if he remained still for too long, he’d become stuck, Faelan begrudgingly pressed forward. This would most likely be the last time he would set paw here... for this was just… unpleasant. Curiosity be damned next time.

Squelch, squelch, squelch.

Those weren’t his footsteps. 

Tahoe’s ears stood tall atop his head as he listened closely.

Squelch, squelch, squelch.

What was it? Friend, or foe?

On the chance it was an ungulate of sorts, the odds would be immensely in his favor. His stomach, dripping with mud, rumbled at the thought. He stopped for a moment, cautiously peering around the bog in hopes of catching a glimpse at the creature. The only thing he saw was his own breath, which billowed into the frigid afternoon air.

It felt like he'd been roaming the marshlands for hours. ”Ugh..” A long groan broke over the sound of endless squelching, long limbs pushing through the water as paws trudged in the filth below. The horrid mixture of stagnant liquid and mud surrounding only seemed to be growing thicker the further he explored, and Faelan was beginning to tire. He was already tired and his empty stomach kept giving him gentle reminders that it needed to be filled soon. But the most irritating of all, he was wet. All three were a bothersome combination.

 

Another sigh escaped the male as he allowed his bright eyes to peer about the open area, carefully glancing over the scattered fauna below the many towering trees that guarded the never-ending fringes of these wetlands. He mumbled to himself with each step taken, quietly searching the terrain over until all motion came to a halt. The mixed hued male remained still, except for his ears, which danced a top his head as he carefully listened to the sound of sloshing water steadying at his sides.

 

Faelan lifted his nose skyward, nostrils flaring as he sniffed at the cold air. A hard stare now scanned the dense terrain, and Faelan decided to take a couple small steps forward, ”Hello?” He called out. The yearling had detected the hint of another, just up ahead, not far from where he currently stood. Anxiety started to build up within his chest. The sludge rippled around him in the water as he twisted himself to quickly peer behind before turning back to look ahead once more, ”Anyone there?” He questioned as he remained unmoving. The young male now questioning whether calling out had been such a bright idea.

His anticipation was met by the voice of another. He watched as the stranger—who, through the vegetation, he could see was young and limber, most likely more adept at maneuvering through the bog than himself—sought to find him. Though nervous, their estimation as to where he was was close enough. However, the thought of staying hidden or possibly even sneaking up on them, for no other reason than why not? briefly crossed his mind. If he were still in his prime it wouldn't even be a decision. He'd be up to his elbows in trouble, and muck. It would be impossible to go unnoticed walking through it.  

Yeah, He answered in a holler, approaching from afar at a languid, enervated pace. What brings you here?

Faelan’s heart almost skipped a beat as the other’s voice broke the eery silence.
 
Light amber eyes squinted, attempting to peer into the distance till finally a figure came into view. Faelan watched quietly as they slowly approached through the thick, endless swamp. It was a male of a similar hue it seemed, but he was much bigger than Faelan. Anxiety fluxed within his chest, but the young male stepped forward regardless, pushing through the unpleasant sludge in the direction of the unknown stranger. The male asked a question and the youth, for a moment, found himself unable to answer, for he had no idea what exactly had brought him here in the first place.  
 
”I-uh-took an unfortune turn.” He replied, offering the other a meek smile and a gentle wag of his muck covered tail, though it was submerged in the filthy water surrounding them both. The murky liquid sloshed and rippled as he sluggishly moved, trying to clear a bit more of the distance that separated them, ”I-I’m not familiar with these lands if I'm honest…” Faelan added as he came to a gradual stop, light eyes watching the other carefully.

As he drew nearer, he could see the young man better. His legs became glued to the ground once again as he stopped a comfortable distance away and studied him for a moment. The boy bore no obvious scars upon his woody exterior, or any notable distinguishing markings for that matter. Tahoe was the same way, albeit his myriad of battle scars. He supposed the yearling had been smarter than him and stayed clear of trouble.

Briefly he recalled when his own children were that age, they were too big to feed, dancing on the brink of going out on their own. Thinking about them made his heart hurt, though he adamantly refused to admit the fact. He passed over the recollection as soon as it had come.

The yearling's answer, breaking the silence, put a thin smile on his face. He was friendly but timid based on demeanor, knowledgeably so. Tahoe related with his dilemma, as he too was also wandering, quite aimlessly, but chose to give no outward indication of it.

Obviously, He answered, stoic, yet a veiled amusement flickered behind his yellow eyes. The way out. It's this way, He continued, gesturing with a tilt of his head in the direction he had been previously travelling in, then doggedly began to set forth without waiting for a reply.

 Faelan’s ears twitched at the man’s words, head lowering slightly with embarrassment. Had it really been that obvious? He winced inside, thinking on how inexperienced he was. Shamefully, this wasn’t the only time Faelan had gotten lost since leaving Duskmire… but the yearling brushed that memory aside as the man mentioned the way out of this god forsaken swamp, gesturing toward freedom. ”Oh, thank goodness.” He said with a smile.
 
Light eyes watched as the other began to trundle through the boggy water and Faelan’s own sunken paws shifted awkwardly as he attempted to turn around and follow. Though the young male found that he was struggling to remove them from the vacuum like effect of the mud below. He let out a small grunt as he pulled his right front paw out of the muck, along with his left back leg… carefully twisting himself and trying to repeat the process with his left front paw and right back paw. Limbs seemed to entangle themselves ungracefully between each other and Faelan wobbled.
 
Splat!
 
Somehow Faelan had managed to topple into the mire. And a small growl escaped his muzzle as he landed. Embarrassment instantly flushed over the young man as he hoisted himself back onto all fours once again, his body almost completely caped in the wretched soiled water.

I'm ever so sorry for this horrid post.

nonsense! faelan is absolutely precious <3

So, it seemed the boy trusted him enough to know the way. Truthfully, the only reason he knew the way out was because his own stupidity led him down here in the first place. At least he had a keen sense of direction to make up for it. But as to how the boy ended up here, he didn't have a clue. 

Then, he heard the splat.

By the time he looked back to see what the fuss was about, he could see the poor boy covered by mud, completely drenched. He'd fallen nearly face-first into the sludge.

A bemused chuckle escaped him then. He glanced away to spare the youth a shred of dignity, at least from seeing the look on his face. With a small shake of his head, he regained composure quickly.

You better not ask me to carry you. He spoke in jest, waiting for the boy to catch up. In truth, the reason he waited was because his legs ached from all that walking. Once stopped, its only harder to get going—he might as well stop for a breather.

A doomed look befell him as a mud tainted tongue quickly curled out from his mouth, the boy spitting and violently shaking his head in disgust. His face scrunched, unable to ignore the foul tang that began to overtake his tastebuds. Eyuk! The youth swore he had had his mouth closed whilst falling? Obviously he did not. Faelan shuddered, stopping the urge to heave – trying hard to pull himself together once more. He stood, opening and closing his muzzle as he tried to avoid the flavor, the distaste in his expression obvious. It was bad enough that he had fallen, but Faelan refused to stand here and gag uncontrollably with what little dignity he had left in front of this man.
 
Regaining himself, inked edged ears perked at the sound of chuckling and Faelan glanced toward his newfound travelling companion. The young male blinked, head tilting at his words for a moment, ”I-uh..” He stuttered, giving a pause, ”..I’ll try not to.” He finally said with a smile, a small hum of a laugh escaping him as he waded through the water to catch up to the older man. The youth ignoring the fact that he probably resembled something close to a bog-monster right about now. 
 
”I’m Faelan, by the way.”

Thank you <3

He eyed the boy—Faelan—as he sought to situate himself. To him, Faelan looked like a mouse caught in a glue trap. On top of being caked head to toe in mud, today's chilly forecast wouldn't do him any favors. At least he didn't seem completely miserable.

Tahoe. He replied, offering his own name, watching Faelan draw nearer.

The adrenaline which coursed through his veins seemed to clear his head from his previously, utterly befuddled state. Unbeknownst to the yearling, he began concocting a lie or two to explain why he himself had ended up here in the swamp as well. Anything would be better than admitting he had some sort of somnambulistic episode, like some feeble-minded geriatric.

Faelan, He continued, beginning to trek forward. Where are you headin'? 

”It’s a pleasure, Tahoe.” Faelan said with a cheerful smile, ignoring the fact that he was obviously filthy and slowly beginning to feel the cold from the water and muck that had soaked his fur. The brisk touch of the breeze not helping, causing him to shiver some as he moved through the bog. He would clean himself eventually, that is, once they managed to get out of this dismal place! And as soon as they were free, Faelan intended to search for a warm place to stay for the upcoming night ahead. Perhaps he’d pick up an easy snack along the way, maybe.

Faelan’s ears flicked forward at the sound of his name; light eyes peering over to Tahoe as he questioned where he was heading. In all honestly, Faelan didn’t know where he was going, these wilds were still so new to him. ”I-uh, I’m not entirely sure.” He replied, ”I guess.. I’ll just make my way back to the meadow...” He said, giving himself a quizzical look before adding, ”If not that, then I’ll most likely go wherever my paws take me..” The young male laughed lightly, tail giving a gentle wag behind, ”W-what about yourself, Tahoe?” Faelan asked in return, head tilting curiously.

Together, they made their way through the wetlands.

There was a dull ache in his head but he dutifully ignored it. Instead, he focused on putting one paw in front of the other while paying attention to Faelan's chattering.

It wouldn't be too soon till they were out of here. It'd take less than an hour, at most.

I'm going west. Through the mountains. He answered truthfully—conveniently avoiding having to explain his activities prior to their meetup. 

Travelling alone? He added, glancing back at the youth to gauge his reaction.