Witch's Marsh Will I ever see heaven again?
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All Welcome 
Ibis had become accustomed to the chill of the season, finding that the trees of the marsh held that chill much more intently than the exposed sections where the water stood motionless. There was a constant sense of dampness to everything which she didn't particularly like; it made the air feel heavy when the sun was out (even in November) but was hellish for her thin-coated body. She thought, maybe, that the humidity would be more intense in the warmer seasons. Maybe then she'd be more comfortable here.

Not everything was under water either. There were thinned sections of pond sprawling across some of the green, most of which being so shallow that her toes got wet and nothing more. These thinner bits were often shimmering; a few times in the early morning as she's done patrols, Ibis has found layers of ice in place of that water. Her paws left small divots where the layer broke beneath. The deeper sections of the marsh appeared to be focused to the core of the territory — so deep and so vibrant, but in the cold the water looked pristine, crystal clear, which made her ponder aloud, What a beautiful find!

But there was nobody here to share her enthusiasm, or to wonder at the beauty of the spit of land. She had not seen @Okeanos in a week or so and was worried. The girl had begun to patrol more frequently, as it had been the last place they'd seen one another, but there was no sign of him - not by the central pond, not at any of the shallow ones, not even among the tangled trees that lined the territory like spires.

She was — somehow — more alone now than ever before.
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#2
Life can change completely in a matter of three weeks for an individual. When Sarah had last met up with Ibis, she had been strong, reasonably healthy and well-fed, where in contrast her niece had been exhausted by the journey, hungry and a little desperate. Who would have thought that in their next encounter Ibis's aunt's luck would have worn very thin.

Without the help of modern medicine, the older wolf's body was left alone to fight the infection in two fronts. One raged in her skin and flesh, the other stuffed Sarah's lungs with fluid, made it difficult to breathe and coughing spells could be heard miles off, before the poor wreck of the wolf appeared. The fever came and went, but temporarily unable to hunt, it was a good thing that the rise in her body temperature silenced the sense of hunger.

It had also made her slightly disoriented and instead of taking the straight path to the safety of the hollow, she walked all the way up to another swampy area of the valley. Once there Sarah stopped to ponder, whether this was the same horribly water-laden place that she had left behind or entirely another. It did not seem familiar to her the least. She was saved from future confusion by the sound of a known voice. It made her look around and seek out the owner, who was not readily visible to her.
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Ibis moped a little as she folliwed a small trail. It looked like it could have been a game trail but considering the absence of life lately, she didn't get her hopes up. It arced around a series of shallow pools and then descended to some uneven clay-like soil at the base of some giant old trees. For a few moments Ibis was distracted by these growtha; she wondered what sort of things rhey could have seen in their long life, what horrors had they weathered. There were a few old mushrooms growing out of the narrow gaps in the trunk but they were sickly, black, and smelled peculiar so Ibis pulled away from them and veered to higher ground.

As she made her way, the warm and familiar scent of Sarah hit her nose. It was a breath of fresh air in many ways.

Aunt Sarah? She called, her voice bright, crisp in the calm. She pulled herself with more haste towards the gorse where Sarah loitered and was beaming when she was closer. Are you doing alright?
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Sarah was not known for being too appreciative of her niece in general, but she was fond of Terance's daughter in her own way. And she realized this, when a small, but sincere smile appeared in her lips, when she saw Ibis emerge from the forest and come in her direction. She had not changed much (not for the worse at least) and it was a small consolation to know that at least somebody was doing way better than she was. 

"I am a bit under the weather," Sarah replied, cracking a grin, though a careful observer would notice the clouded look of her eyes and sense the heat of the fever that was raging through her body. "But you look well. Except - what the hell are you doing in this swamp?" her tongue was loose and tone both curious and amused.
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Out of all her family she had not expected to become attached to a distant aunt, but that was what happened. Maybe by knowing and understanding Sarah, Ibis would slowly come to understand her father - without disturbing his new little life, wife, or her step-siblings. Seeing her here of all places was odd; more importantly she seemed distracted, different.

The woman admitted to feeling ill, which caused Ibis' smile to falter a moment. Her ears shifted back when she heard her aunt curse, but she didn't comment on that - it wasn't her place to police another person's language. I live here, Ibis explains. Its not as bad as it looks - theres a lot more herbs here than anything, which is lucky! I can fetch you something...?

Anything she could do to help, she would try.
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"Sorry, for my harsh words," Sarah apologized in drunken sincerity. "I have a bit of aversion towards water. You see, the one, who left a hole in my scruff attempted to force me to drink a whole lake," in other words - she had almost been drowned. Her lungs disagreed - during worst of coughing fits it felt as if there was no end of lake water that was still lodged inside alveoli. 

"What do you offer?" Sarah had no faith in medicine, did not believe that it would help her the least, but was in a good mood to humour her niece. The intentions of strangers left you always guessing, but she trusted that Ibis's worry was truly genuine. "Are you on your own here?" she asked next.
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Truthfully, she hadn't anticipated her aunt to take her up on the offer. Ibis tried to remember what exactly was growing in the marsh, what was still intact and what might be useful considering the season - plus, water tended to deteriorate things over time. If there were plants still available within the marsh they probably weren't good quality, not that Ibis would know that. She gave a shrug of her little shoulders when Sarah probed for details - then murmured, I'm not sure but I can look around...

Are you on your own here? She redirected the conversation, and Ibis paused where she had started to pull away on her hunt for plants - blinking for a second, but smiling softly and shaking her head in the next moment. No, thankfully. I met a very nice woman and she's... Well, she's off doing something-or-other right now, but she says she'll come back when she's finished. Its pretty quiet here but I don't mind, really. No mention of Okeanos; it hurt too much to think about where he might be right now.
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A nice woman did not sound much of a good company with practical application. Sarah thought about, how fragile her niece was, and the kind of sick creeps that roamed out there. Two wolves had almost torn her to pieces and then she had been beaten up by an adolescent. If she - an experienced and strong warrior could be hit so badly - it was a miracle that Ibis was even alive and in one piece. It could have been due to the girl's common sense to flee in the face of danger rather than stay and fight, but then again - there were very fast and very determined bastards out in the world too.

Sarah pulled herself to her feet and, although with a bit of effort and moreso of a limp, began to walk alongside her niece in the search for, whatever could make her better. What the battered aunt did not realize there and then, that her newfound determination was based on the sense of duty towards Ibis. Who would be there to fend off the bad guys, if Sarah was not here? "So - you say that you will stay here?" she said, hoping that it was the case, because the injured she-wolf did not think that she had that much inside her to travel more this very instant.

"And then what?" she asked.
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The herbs forgotten about for now, she focused on the next question from her aunt and nodded firmly. Yes! Ibis confirmed; she had many reasons to linger here rather than pledge herself to her father's pack again, but wasn't sure if she should launch in to them in-depth. Beyond feeling comfortable in this place which had become familiar, it was also the last place she had seen Okeanos and if he were to return safely from wherever-he-is, Ibis would hope to see him here. I haven't thought beyond the winter, she admitted humbly. When it gets frosty the mud freezes, and I think even if the ponds freeze and we get snow in the marsh, it won't be that bad.. As she thought aloud about this a scrunched, focused expression overcame her features. Ibis had survived at least one winter now and she thought the coming season would not be so bad - trusting, as always, that they will all make it through.
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Ibis's arguments did not convince Sarah entirely, but, since her head felt fuzzy and a little light-weight, she listened without saying a word about all the rational arguments, why a marsh was the last good place to stay for long. Insects and foul water in the summer, slush and floods in spring and autumn. And Sarah had seen so-called "green" winters as well, which were just as bad as the white ones. You never saw the sun and it could rain, rain, rain and rain again for weeks at time without a stop. And - as mentioned earlier - Sarah had very personal reasons, why she wished to avoid water altogether (except for drinking purposes). 

Her Narrator thinks that it is good Sarah kept her mouth shut and did not discourage Ibis from everything right away. She had enough empathy (or lack of energy) to support the girl's wish to head out in the world on her own. And her conviction that her niece definitely needed someone to look after her, guide and advise her in her quest, became even stronger. Injured, sick, with unclear chances of survival, the rusty battle axe's heart beat eagerly in anticipation. "What do you live on now?" Sarah asked next, because food was the first important thing. No one in her experience had adapted to life without any nutritional sustenance.
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These were good questions. Ibis hadn't thought too hard on anything since taking herself to the marsh, being solely focused on her own survival for so long - and then the task of finding Okeanos - that the gradual shift of her lone-wolf tendencies to something more pack-oriented had somewhat overwhelmed her.

Sarah's question earned a pause as the girl thought of a response. Then, Mostly small birds, sometimes squirrels and little things, but they're harder to find lately. I caught some frogs earlier but they seem to have gone away. To the east is a lake that I might investigate, check for fish -- but then there was the task of actually fishing, and that wasn't something Ibis had been trained in. Luckily in the days to come, she'd meet a friendly stranger willing to teach her.

Its been enough for me, but with more mouths to feed I'm not sure what to do. Ibis admits, her ears flicking sidelong atop her head in concern.
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"Fish are harder to come by, when it becomes cold," Sarah explained. "I don't know for sure, what happens to them during winter, but they disappear somewhere," which was true, but then another episode from her early life came to her mind. After a very harsh and cold winter, spring had come and there had been a small forest lake, which's surface had been full of dead fish. Sarah had not asked for reasons why, she had eaten them until she did not wish to see any in her life. But, perhaps, such phenomenon would happen now. Would be very useful with all that had been happening.

"You will have to move then," Sarah told her. "You have been nomad before. It's not that bad as it sounds. It's... good to change the scenery and not get too attached to one place." It was true. The home was, wherever your family (in the broadest sense) was. Location did not matter that much. It was just a place.
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It was useful to have someone like Sarah around, Ibis realized. She didn't have the experience necessary to keep multiple bodies alive, but Sarah knew how to handle the stresses of a pack. The girl could learn a lot from her aunt and this conversation was proof enough of that - she was thankful to have run in to her, sick though she was. Her commentary about being a nomad didn't bother Ibis at all either; she actually found the concept advantageous, and smiled upon thinking about it.

A change of scenery would be nice, she agrees softly. But in the next breath she adds, I don't want to leave the marsh too soon though. Just... Just in case Okeanos... Comes home. I haven't seen him since the quakes began, auntie. A change in her tone implied worry and deep concern, both of which were hard to shake. I'm afraid to leave the marsh even if it gets too cold. What if he comes looking for me and can't find me?
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"Okeanos is a big boy and this corner of the world is not that large. If he traces his steps back here, he will find you elsewhere as well," Sarah spoke with such a self-assurance in her voice, as if she knew Terance's son personally. She had not met the boy and the only bits and pieces she had learned about him came from Ibis, who adored him. In her opinion, it did not take much to woo the girl, but if the brother had helped her stay alive through all these months the two had been away, she had to give him some credit. 

"You can settle nearby and leave messages here at the marsh," Sarah suggested, though the very idea of running down here from wherever the pack decided to settle just to pee on a tree felt very amusing. It was the fever doing the thinking and the humouring.
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Sarah was right, of course. Okeanos was far more skilled at the survivalist stuff than she was, and without him she'd have probably starved to death. He was fine; he had to be. And her suggestion that they find somewhere more suitable for the pack - rather than the soggy marsh with its soft soil and thin tree line - had Ibis full of considerations. It would take time to figure out what her next step should be, but it was smart to begin thinking about it sooner rather than later.

That could work, she conceded. I'll keep that in mind. Winter might be harder this year with the lack of prey and it would be a wise decision to find somewhere more suitable, so I'll start scouting for alternatives. Thank you, Sarah. Her little whippy tail wagged behind her, and then - oh! She remembered, The herbs! I totally forgot, I was going to fetch you something -- do you think they'd help? You sound a little better now, but if you're still feeling ill... She left that open-ended. Ibis didn't want to force her poor aunt to eat anything weird unless it was necessary.
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Ibis was right - Sarah did feel a little better. Not because her physical state had miraculously improved, she was still sorry-looking, half-rotting, battered bag of bones, but one that had not quite given up on life yet. The difference between now and before this meeting had taken place, was that the beaten warrior had found a cause to dedicate herself with. And that was just as a good remedy as anything else.

Speaking of herbs, well, Ibis's aunt was not very keen on taking any medicine. She believed firmly in the body's natural ability to heal sooner or later and did not hold any self-proclaimed healers in high regard for a very simple reason - how did they know that the plants they were offering were not poisonous? By trying, of course, and as long as she lived, she did not want to be anyone's experimental bunny.

However, for Ibis's sake Sarah pondered about bending the rule. Just to make her happy and, if the stuff smelled too funny or rang warning bells in her head, well... she could always stuff the stuff behind her cheek and get rid of it later. "What do you have to offer?" she asked, looking around the marshy wasteland and having no idea, what could the girl offer her besides moss, reed and blackened stalks.
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Ibis made a hasty mental list of what she'd seen in the marsh, what might've been useful, what might've spoiled in the water or the frost—but that didn't leave much. There were various trees growing throughout the higher sections of the marshland which kept the soil stable, allowing for some ferns and oddities to grow, sometimes mushrooms. The trees themselves might've been more valuable as the bark of the paler ones (elm was it? aspen? birch..?) could be used as a painkiller. Was that what Sarah needed? Maybe, maybe not.

The girl took a breath and said, Give me a moment. I'll go see what I can find. And with a little duck of her head, moved off to do just that. It didn't take long before she returned; it felt like twenty minutes but could've been upwards of an hour, and as she slogged back to where she could smell Sarah, she was streaked with mud. But in her muzzle she had a few thin sheets of bark clutched with care, and a sprig of some kind of plant.

These she brought to Sarah. She placed them down by her aunt—huffing and puffing a little from the exertion—and explained, If you chew on this a while it should help. I don't know the names of things, though. Do you feel warm? Like, with a fever? The bark should help clear your head, at least.
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Time flies past to those, who are busy. Sarah left alone and having neither inclination, nor a chance to occupy herself with something, while she waited, began to yawn. There was one. There was another one. She licked her chops, blinked few times, eyelids were heavy, the tiredness just before slumber wrapped her like a warm and dense blanket. By the time Ibis returned Sarah's eyes were closed and she nodded in a feeble protest against complete takeover of sleep.

The girl's voice woke her up, though it was unwillingly done. Sarah could do without any herbs, if given a chance to lie down somewhere dry and warm. The marsh did not look either promising or welcoming. She would have to look for a bed elsewhere. Wait. What had the girl told her? Drowsiness did not allow her to focus on more thing than one at the same time. There were muddy pieces of plant material lying on the ground and she was supposed to eat it, right? 

One last inquiring look in Ibis's direction and with a quiet "yeah, yeah," she leaned down, picked the bark and began to chew on it. It tasted horrible and it took all her strength not to wince. She was too tired to protest loudly. Eventually she swallowed the half-chewed mass and forced a smile. "Thanks!" this one came out sincere. "I think I will look somewhere to rest and we can talk tomorrow? With you permission, of course," she said to the girl and emphasized this statement with another yawn.
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It took a moment for Ibis to realize that her aunt had drifted to sleep, or at least very close. She clued in just after explaining the herbs and felt bad for waking her; perhaps she was sicker than Ibis could discern? But when Sarah roused enough to take the herbs and murmur something, Ibis paid close attention. Yes, you can stay as long as you would like, auntie. I'll check in with you soon. Ibis says as she helps Sarah to her feet, and smiles as a yawn spills forth. The girl hoped that the bark would help. She'd come back in a few hours and make sure Sarah was situated somewhere comfortable and then get back to her other duties.