Following the river had seemed like a good idea at the time. They had all rather assumed it would lead somewhere fertile and gentle and well populated. That made sense, didn't it? Water was life, water was vital, water was... everywhere now.

Jacundi gazed morosely about their huddled little group. It had begun with little tributaries splitting off more and more often. They had all agreed to follow the main waterway as best they could. Truthfully, the hyena had expected them to find some pride or pack abiding close to the abundance of water. It was rather surprising to him that they hadn't... until now.

It was with a sinking heart that he realized several things. Firstly, the river they had been following no longer existed. It had split so many times, eventually every tributary really was the same size as what they were trying to follow. As such, the second problem was that they no longer followed a river. They were deep into a swampy area, with rank overgrowth masking the waterways and making footing treacherous. Bogs were hidden beneath algae, creeping vines, and floating debris. Third, slogging through this muck was wearing everyone out beyond belief.

They were currently perched on a somewhat dry hillock in the midst of entangled waterways. Every one of them was caked with mud at least to their bellies, and tiny flying insects were swarming around them, some biting wherever they could, and others merely getting into ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. They had taken to wrapping as much of their faces with cloth from Kekkel's stores, but there wasn't much to go around. Jacundi had sufficed with a scrap wrapped around his muzzle, leaving his eyes and ears exposed, in order to allow the others more of the cloth to use.

Not that this meant the others were spared the torture entirely. They all were heartily tired of shaking their heads to rid themselves of the pesky fliers, and he could see the others had nearly lost hope once more. His heart was heavy, as he wasn't sure he had the fortitude to keep urging them on with the required heart. Instead, he lay panting on the hillock as frogs began to sing in the gathering darkness.

Kekkel was miserable, of course, but she could see how much the weight of leadership was wearing on her hyena friend. But what could she do? She had been surreptitiously letting bits and pieces of her crafting cache fall into the murky waters and muddy holes they had waded through. She hadn't wanted him to see or notice, as she knew full well that he'd feel guilty for bringing her here and thus 'forcing' her to give up her treasures and supplies. She, however, did not mind. There would always be more to find, and perhaps, just maybe, the finding of new things would be just as enjoyable as making new masks and trinkets with them. She happened to catch Maji watching as she let a few small skulls slide into the waters beside their hillock, but the usually energetic hybrid just gave her a very small nod and laid her head down on her paws, nearly as exhausted as the rest of them.

Maji, for her part, was glad to see Kekkel had come out of her funk enough to see the wisdom in putting life ahead of memories and possessions. She knew it hadn't been easy for the leopardess to overcome, but she seemed to have made some progress, which buoyed the hybrid's heart. However, it wasn't enough to dispel the gloom they all felt in this place. It was dank, ugly, and unwelcoming in the extreme. She didn't want to seem to lose confidence in Jacundi's leadership, but they really should have skirted the edge of all this long ago, well before they got this deep in. She gave a huge sigh and tried to block the distressing thoughts from her mind and rest, despite the high whines and irritating buzzings in her ears. She was grateful for the fabric to drape over her face to screen the worst of it, but it simply wasn't enough. She had a feeling it never could be, not in this dismal place.

Vaalia, meanwhile, was biting her tongue in order to not whimper. She didn't like this place, not at all. It stank, filling her nostrils with scents that made her want to retch. The bugs seemed to really like biting her ears, even through the strip of cloth Maji had tied over her head and across her ears, pulling them down to the back of her skull. There was the added advantage that this cut down on the cacophony in her ears, but it also meant she felt a bit cut off from the others. She was so tired, her paws hurt, and she was absolutely covered in thick, icky mud that made her itch like mad, but that she knew from experience not to scratch at. Doing so only got the mud under her skin, and that itched even worse!

Finally, she could stand it no more. She got to her paws and moved to nose Jacundi. "I'm... I'm thirsty, Jacundi," she whispered miserably. "Can we find some water? Please?"

Jacundi raised his head wearily, giving the other hyena a sad look. "I don't know where to find any, Vaalia. I'm sorry." Even he could hear how defeated he sounded, and the look of disappointment and hopelessness in her eyes at his words broke his heart in two. What had he done, leading them in here? Were they going to die for his foolishness? He reached to nose her apologetically, when a hiss beside him made him leap back with a warning yelp.

In the last of the light reflected from the empty sky they saw a small, green snake, looking up at them with great interest. "Hello travelersssss," she spoke sibilantly. She seemed unfazed by the stares she got from all four creatures. "You ssssseem to need sssssome help. Can I be of asssssisssstansssss?" Her tone was politely inquiring, very at odds with the misery all around them.

Everyone seemed too stunned to respond, so Maji stepped forward a little, hoping against hope that this was a genuine offer and not a lure for an unwary traveler. Though small, the snake easily could have been poisonous or of a larger group of the reptiles. "You... really want to help us?" she asked tentatively, her uneasiness obvious.

"Of courssssse," the little thing replied sincerely, or as sincerely as one could tell from a creature with scales. "My misssstressss would be very disssssappointed indeed if I did not!" She shook her wedge head woefully. "After all, her mate issss a traveling hero!" The travelers all exchanged slightly baffled looks, but hope was rising in their eyes.

"Can you lead us out of this muck?" Jacundi asked rather bluntly, shaking one paw which still shed moisture, despite their 'dry' ground. "We need water, and food, and somewhere to dry out." It seemed too much to hope for, but why not ask for what you really wanted and needed?

"Absssssolutely!" The snake wove her head upwards so she was nearly 'standing' before them. "Jusssst follow me. I will sssstay closssse. It issss getting dark." With that, she turned and began to lean them along an unseen pathway that, miraculously, seemed to be mostly on firm ground. Hardly daring to believe their luck, the exhausted foursome followed their little green rescuer into the gathering night.