With no small amount of annoyance Balsam glared down at the alligator who now swam between him and freedom. He'd been treed by the scaly reptile. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem because he was happier in the trees anyway, but this particular tree stood alone. Nothing but water and roots that were too small to support his weight surrounded him for at least a dozen yards. While the water wasn't deep and he could reach the bottom with ease, he didn't think he was faster than an alligator and he didn't think he could make it to the nearest tree. Perhaps if he could draw its attention away from him he could get a head start. After glancing around and finding nothing, Balsam settled on chewing a branch off the tree. He then climbed down until he was on a branch he felt comfortable jumping from. After looking around for the alligator, the boy then throw the stick over his shoulder. It landed with a loud splash behind him and Balsam, fully expecting the gator to go after it, very nearly threw himself into the water. Thankfully he managed to stop himself because the alligator, clearly smarter than it looked, was still looking at him. Balsam sighed. Now what?

Ick. She was not too keen on exploring the swamp, but it was just about the only place she could think of to use to spy on one of the packs. She couldn't lie to herself anymore, she was interested in what the packs were up to. She had grown up a loner her whole life, and the idea of a pack was appealing to her. She had absolutely no idea what it meant to live among a pack, other than constantly being around others. That wouldn't be so bad though, right? Molten gaze searched for the borders as her paws sucked through the mud. Man, she was going to need a really, really good bath after this...she shuddered as the cold mud sucked at her paws, and behind her was a trail left haphazardly across the ground. She wasn't totally familiar with these lands, but she was sort of familiar with the kinds of creatures that inhabited such a place.

The babe heard a splash nearby, her fur rising as she prepared for something to ambush her. One of the resident alligators just waiting to pounce. But...then again...that splash didn't sound alligator-ish. Abandoning her original plan, she slunk through the mud, her belly pressing against the cold muck (much to her dislike), but she was too curious to find out what that splash had been. As quietly as she could, slid ankle deep into the shallows and peered through the reeds. At first, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. A couple of logs...some bugs. Maybe a frog or two, but nothing that immediately gave away what that sound had been. Annoyed that she might have wasted her time, she started to turn back around and get the heck out of there before an alligator did decide to pop out. But just as she was doing that, she caught a bit of movement out of the corner of her eye and the slightest of scratching sounds.

Molten gaze found a...wolf? In a tree? How the hell...brows furrowed with confusion as she peered at him, and the small monkey-wolf seemed to be looking at something in the water. Gaze searched the water again, finding one log, and then another, and then....oh. One of those wasn't a log at all. She barely saw the rippling of the water around the alligator as it sat there, beady black eyes staring up at the tree-dweller. Quietly and slowly, she poked her head just above the reeds she hid behind, though she didn't dare say a word. If that wolf was smart, he'd see her bright orange fur and know that she was there if he needed the help.

"Speech"||"You"||Think

A flash of orange caught Balsam's eye. He studied the thin bit of color peeking through the reeds and then was startled when a golden eye sudden came into focus. It was a wolf! And not just any wolf; it seemed he had an ally in the reeds. Why else would she look at him like that? Balsam was leery of the giant but he didn't have much of a choice but to trust her, did he? Clearly he couldn't escape on his own.

How could he use her presence to get free, though? They couldn't form a plan without drawing the alligator's attention to her. Of course...he could always do just that and then flee while the alligator was busy with the giant.

Nah, he wasn't that kind of wolf. But it did raise a question: was she? Balsam didn't know much about giants, but he hadn't heard good things. How did he know she wasn't going to lure him down and then let the alligator eat him for her own amusement? He didn't...but he was going to have to chance it, wasn't it? Otherwise he was going to be treed awhile.

The young tree dweller indecisively chewed on his lip for a moment before making up his mind. Yep, gonna have to chance it. Looking down at the alligator, he said, "Persistent, aren't you? I guess it would take a pretty big splash to tear your gaze away from this tasty treat, huh?" With a sassy wave of his paw Balsam motioned to himself, clearly teasing the vengeful alligator below. Hopefully the lady in the reeds was listening. He wasn't sure how else to communicate with her.