Fishblight Mire suck it up

@Echelon

Echelon was still sulking and brooding. Tonravik was free of the den, but that hadn't seemed to have had much of an effect on their fellow Tartok. The queen of sass was severely lacking in that department lately. It was uncharacteristic of her and something a little unsightly. He counted on her to break the ever so serious mood that often settled around the residents of the Spire. Her little bit of crazy was something he looked forward to. They were going to get it back.

He'd dragged her away from the Spire for a little away time. With his own version of wanderlust, he knew that being cooped up in one place for too long was something of a nightmare on his own mood. Be it a projection of his own thoughts or the remedy for her, he made it very clear that she was along for the ride despite whatever she may think. It was an afternoon trip. They'd be back around nightfall and she could deal. He was.

With the pups in the care of @Tonravik and @Aariak, Iqniq and Echelon descended their Spire and crossed into the neighboring lands. East this time. Where the flat of the valley pooled with water in all forms. This particular area they ventured in was undisturbed and the acrid stench of swamp muck was terrible upon the nose. It was perfect. They could explore this muddy hell until they'd covered every moss covered log in the area.

awful sounds, awful sounddssss. my back hurts and i hate it.

Out to the east they had travelled, down from the mountains and further down in the broad valley. It was warmer there than she had felt in a while, the cloud cover not helping in the least bit. Iqniq had taken her out and away from the mountain to her inward dismay, and her cooperation was only half there in the way she trailed behind him. She did not see the necessity in this venture, content to stay on the mountain and protect it. She was not a hunter and did not actively contribute to the search for prey. Echelon was a defender, a fighter, and the stagnation therein of late did little to thrust her into a joyous mood.

And as the crossed over into the bleak landscape of the mire, she further saw the point in venturing so far. The putrid scents that emanated did not cause her to turn up her nose, but her displeasure with the place was signified by a solitary snort. But the cleansing of her senses were in vain, as the awful stench returned just as promptly. There was little for her to draw her attention to, as she couldn't think of a creature that would eagerly find itself there. Her gaze instead settled along the spiny ridge of Iqniq's back; he was truly the brightest thing venturing in there today.

Try stretching!

The rains of autumn left this area covered in slick mud. A time or two, he'd nearly lost his footing in the muck. A touch vain, he did not relish the idea in falling into it involuntarily (perhaps this was where Ping got his own idea of cleanliness from), but that did not prevent the mud from creeping up around his ankles and splashing against the underbelly of his coat as they walked along their way. His nose wrinkled. He'd thought that the stench would become more tolerable the further inwards they ventured, but it only grew worse. Rotted fish guts and other foul things filled his senses. It was awful.

The patter of Echelon behind him let him know the wolf was still there. She'd not spoken up in protest, rather she'd followed along somewhat complacently. He reached a portion of the bog where solid ground met the slopes of algae filled water. Hopping up on a log that stretched out over the shallows, he balanced upon it, walking along it's mossy top before he shifted his weight around to face her. "I think this is far enough," he announced, glancing over his shoulder towards the swampy waters before facing her once more. "Today, we're wrestling alligators."

Through and around the bogs, over wrecked wastes of fallen trees and other questionable things, she silently trailed after him. It wasn't until they had come to a larger bog than the last that she may have caught up to him fully, and his venture outward was not one that she followed. Echelon was not a vain creature, but rather reveled in the fact that others were. And just as such, she awaited his inevitable demise to sink into those awful and murky waters... and it did not come. Instead his balance was maintained upon the log as he turned and held his stance.

Quietly, she breathed out in disappointment. It would have served him right for wandering through the place and — wait, what? Her attention rattled loose of her thoughts as he was talking about how this was far enough and went on to speak of something... else. Wordlessly, she was already questioning him with her expression. It lingered with confusion to what he spoke of, but perhaps held a note of intrigue.

"Alligators?" Her own voice was flat, and the movement of the word in her facial features only spurred the still healing wounds to itch briefly. Perhaps if not for the muck that without doubt clung to her feet, she would have been inclined to scratch at the scabs. Perhaps the venture out there would be unknowingly good for her; she wouldn't continue to reopen the wound over and over again.

She seemed a bit confused, disappointment, and a touch bewildered. The combination of expressions left him curious as to her thoughts but he said nothing on them. Yup. This was the place. Where the tall swamp trees were riddled with moss, the smell was rancid, and the waters looked infested. This was it. This was the place.

Iqniq walked forward and hopped down from the log to stand along side of her. They looked out over the water to the buzzing of dragonflies that had not yet found the weather too cool for them to survive. A dozen other pesky insects filled the scene right along with this shadowed kind of eeriness that was brightened only by his special version of optimism and, in this case, ridiculousness.

"Yup. Alligators," he repeated just in case she hadn't heard him right. "Giant swamp lizards with sharp, chomping teeth." The very thing Nanuk's natural name was for. Kroc. Crocodile. Aligator? Close enough. They were going to find one and wrestle it. Of that he was sure. Now it was just a matter of finding one.

To do that, someone would have to get wet.

His gaze slid down towards Echelon. Yup. She'd do the trick. He turned, placing the back of his neck beneath her tail and against her rump as he made every effort to shove her into the bog. "Get in there and lure one out for us. I hear they love coy-wolf."

He came back towards her, almost moving with a fluid cat-like grace. She found it as ridiculous as his forthcoming explanation of these alligators; her tail flicked with uncertainty as he passed her by. She paid little mind of this for a moment, though an ear turned to listen to him as she gave the tepid waters a study. It was short-lived when she was aware of him so close behind her, yet before she could turn to figure out what he was doing, he was doing it. Trying to shove her headlong into waters that she wanted no part of any more than she already had.

With a growl low in her throat, Echelon tried to firmly plant her front feet into the loam. They sank and gave but slowly, which only prompted that growl to make its entrance louder. Her lips curled back menacingly as that growl grew towards a snarl with the parting of her teeth — these vocalizations did her no good. The waters touched her feet and engulfed them quickly thereafter. He was larger and had more weight on his side than she did, and Echelon did not dare move except to push back against him. Hopefully her asshole would kiss his head.

ngl i've had this reply in my head for like... two days. at least her resisting him trying to put her in the water which is fucking hilarious. GO IQNIQ GO PUT THE DICKFACE IN THE WATER.

Echelon didn't look like much, but when her mind was dead set against something, she was a rock. A giant rock who was nearly impossible to move. He pushed the flat of his head against her ass and when the strain on his neck was too much, he shifted and used his shoulders instead. Damn it. She was sinking... which was counter productive, but at least now her toes were in the water.

The sounds that fled her mouth were nothing to him. She could warn him all she wanted. He'd face the wrath of her teeth if she so decided to use them, but until then he was content to wrestle Echelon up a bit until he figured out where that sass of hers had run off to. He hadn't found it yet. Instead he found her pushing back against his efforts which caused him to completely remove his presence from beneath her derrière as he stepped aside and waited to see if her momentum was enough to send her sprawling into the mud.

And sprawl into the mud she did, though not without a certain price to pay. While she had been so concerned with the fact that he was trying to put her into the watery muck, she had not paid attention to the fact that her feet had sunk increasingly further down into the bog altogether. So when the absence of her height-booster disappeared, she could not catch herself from landing squarely in the mud.

Furthermore, as she found as she tried to right herself — she couldn't quite get free. Her rage was forced to be tempered as she struggled, but between the cool waters and the ever sticky earth, it was nothing more than repeated attempts in vain. Alternatively, insanity. The continued effort alone was enough to tire her quickly, though it were more the notion to try that exhausted itself than her tenacity overall. A huff left her, attention completely off of Iqniq as she righted herself as best as she could, but one partial foreleg had sunk just a bit further than the other.

For a moment, the inky wolf could not help but gaze skyward. Whether she was praying for some sort of miracle from some northern god or simply trying to compose herself was again, anyone's guess. It may as well have been both. Echelon levelled out her gaze to scan around her, and found Iqniq with an annoyed hiss of air between her teeth.

This had to have been his plan all along.

Things were not going according to plan.

If anything, he'd say they were going south and quickly. His efforts at a little fun and games were soiled by the terrain he'd chosen. While at first she'd fallen backwards at the sudden loss of his opposite force against her strain, she now found herself completely sunk within the mud. Safe upon the wide tangle of a tree root, as he balanced, he suffered no risk of sharing her same fate. He watched her struggle and eventually give up. If her snarl had been fierce before, he was now faced with a new level of rekindled hatred.

She wasn't moving. If anything, she was as good as glued to the spot. Well, at least now he knew he could have her full attention if he desired it. She was't going anywhere. The most she could do now was swish her tail or snap at flies. He'd hate him too if he'd put himself in that situation, but since he wasn't?

Iqniq hopped over the mud. He kept his paces light and swift so as not to linger long enough to let the mire soften beneath his paws and claim him. He bounded back upon that log and lingered there, circling back around to face her. His face was expressionless as he stared long and hard into that face of wrath. And then he cracked. With a grin he spoke to her. "You're fine. I'm not leaving you out here to die." She was far to important to Tonravik for that, not to mention he liked her a great deal when she wasn't as moody as she was now. "Why so furious?"

i have such a weird block with echelon right now omfg. i don't have this problem with any other character right now and it's driving me nuts. i cannot remember the last time i couldn't compose something to bash out. :

He returned to the safety of the log, and her cool gaze followed him.

For a few beats, they did nothing more than observe one another. She did not miss the way that amusement came to settle on the finer nuances of his face and even if she had, it was more than evident in his tone. To her, it was just subtle mockery to what had happened to her and her expression did little to shift even at his query.

Once more, she looked back to the sunk location of where her feet had disappeared beneath the murk, and tugged upwardly again. "Stuck," was her simple reply, the native tongue of Tartok rolling swiftly. It was a harsh word to her and came clipped, though her tone betrayed the fury that should have been there.

She debated pouting. Perhaps a more childish routine would appeal to his paternal instinct.

-rubs hands together-

They shared a glance and eventually she responded. "Stuck." Yes. He could see that. Didn't really answer the question in quite the way he wanted to hear though. He lifted a brow at her, continuing that long silence between them before a yawn touched his muzzle. Oh yes. He was feeling a bit tired now wasn't he? And this log... why it was just sooo cozy...

Iqniq lowered himself to the log and lay down atop of it. He crossed his forepaws at the ankle and lay his head down on top of them. He could sleep right now. Oh yes he could. Another yawn touched his muzzle. Yes... sleeping sounded good...

It didn't work. He didn't come to aid her, though perhaps there was no way that he could. She considered this as a distinct possibility, though dismay rolled around in her thoughts as he seemed just as content to sleep on it. Her lips pursed together for a moment as he yawned again. Echelon debated silently what her options were.

She started trying to free herself again with renewed vigor.

He let his eyes slip close as he settle more completely on the log. The autumn air was comfortable. The wood beneath him was cozy enough. At all other times, this would be as good a spot as any if he were a lone wolf wandering, but that was not the case. Echelon was stuck in the mud, both mentally and physically it seemed. He was looking on, watching and waiting to see if this exercise would prove to be fruitful or another failed attempt.

He heard her struggle. Ear twitched atop his head as he peeled one lid back to watch her. Would she be successful in this? Would her physical fight help break those mental was and put the fire back in her? He couldn't say. Maybe this would just lead her to brood more. Either way he was trying, but the rest was up to her. He waited.

Stubborn as a mule and twice as vicious, she continued her efforts. If anything, she was willing to run herself ragged for the sake of doing so. And if she got free, she felt the first thing she would have done was move to drown Iqniq, plain and simple. He had gotten her stuck, he had gone and drug her out into this wretch swamp — and a sound from the depths beyond them gained her attention.

It was a bubbling sound, low and gurgling from depths she could not see. Her eyes had long left her predicament to scan the fetid waters, as though she would truly be able to find this fabled creature that Iqniq had spoken of. Of course, there was no telling just what on earth it was that had drawn the sound out, but it had her attention in full for that moment. What was it?

One eye peeled back as he watched her struggle. She'd never get out of the mud at that rate. There was a trick to it, but it appeared as though she hadn't considered the option that would spring her free of the mucky mire. He wondered if she'd eventually figure it out or if he'd have to help her discover it first.

Still, he feigned disinterest and sleeping while she struggled. Then she went still. His ears betrayed his antics, lifting upon his head as they swiveled first towards her and then towards the bubbling swamp. Well that wasn't good. His head lifted, nose scenting and eyes peering as he tried to get a visual on their new arrival. Nothing. The marine creature was safe within the waters of the bog. Invisible to everything above it's surface.

"Sit on your ass, your feet will come free." Spread her body weight over the mud and the more evenly dispersed surface pressure would help her paws would slip right out of there. Lifting to his own feet, he moved towards the edge of the log and peered out over the swamp. What was it?

Somewhere midst her focus on that bubbling bog she heard Iqniq's voice come forward with a solution to her problems. And at first she may as well not have heard it, inclined just to ignore him as she had done for a fair duration thus far. Yet it was a command that she followed, if only for the fact that they did not know yet what was at the center of attention now.

And sure enough, her feet came free with much less resistance than she had found in her prior attempts. She shook the mud free from them with haste, choosing to put her feet somewhere much less prone to sinkage and perhaps a bit drier as well. It was somewhere in that mix that she also felt the prompt to investigate their bubbling cauldron of sorts — though by then it gurgled in response to center stage.

With ears splaying crookedly across her narrow crown, she found the smell there to be even worse than it had been. Her hackles rose with uncertainty as she stopped, staying on the safety of the solid marsh than the watery edge. She looked back towards Iqniq.

"Alligator?" The bog noisily answered her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Iqniq watched as Echelon took up his suggestion and managed to pull herself free. Her ass was covered in mud, something that might have made him smirk if he hadn't been focused on the bubbling of the mire. Something was in this swamp. He just didn't know what yet.

He walked towards the edge of the log as if he were walking on a plank. It was as close as he could get without physically being in the water, but he realized he looked something like bait. His eyes narrowed. His ears lifted to catch any other sounds it might emit. His head lowered as if to guard himself against the unknown as he waited for another gurgle.

Her voice raised in question. He flicked an ear towards her, catching it before it circled back to focus on the swamp. "They don't live this far north." The largest reptiles up here were snakes, lizards and turtles. They weren't exactly anything to be terribly afraid of... unless said snake was poisonous.

Still, the sound echoed and a fish flopped out of the water. The combined sound and action caused Iqniq to retreat on his log as he put distance between himself and whatever was in the water. "You wanna fish it out?"

concluding this. <3

For a moment, a flash of irritation crossed her features when Iqniq gave up that they hadn't been out there to alligator hunt at all. But it was forgotten just as easily as it came, if only for the fact that they certainly had bigger things to deal with. Her eyes scanned over the bog curiously once more. Another large bubble breached the surface and popped soundly, and in its wake the noxious gas it released caused her to recoil.

She retreated to where Iqniq had gone, his voice carrying to her through the reeds. Her eyes met his for a moment as she came to a stop, though she soon saw past him to the trailhead that had brought them there in the first place. "No. We leave," she said. Her voice was stern and decisive — Echelon did not want to know what the bog would churn up for them in time, nor was she inclined to reach in for it.

And so, she ventured off to head back towards the Spire.