There had been little she was able to do other than run when the tremors rocked the small cavern she had been staying in. Jaidah was concerned for her family, but not being in contact with them made it difficult for her to even know where they would take shelter at during this catastrophe. She ran to a safer place, namely Jade's Moor, both because of the irony that it be named so close to her own, and because she knew the terrain there. Carefully picking her way through the bog, Jaidah felt the rumble in her stomach and heard the audible gurgle as her body signified its hunger.

Having never hunted in the area, Jaidah was curious as to what lived in the bogs of the moor. Snakes wouldn't be out during the colder months, and with the sky nearly always clouded with smoke these days, it was oddly frigid in the west. There was plenty of fowl though, she could hear the wood ducks and geese calling to each other as they massed in the wetlands. Would she be fast enough to catch any on her own? She couldn't be sure, but she wasn't about to let any opportunity pass her.  One pond held at least twenty ducks, all flocked together by the water's edge, but they seemed nervous. Jaidah was sure she was downwind, but their behavior told her something else was on the prowl. Watching the birds, the cinnamon-colored girl grew more and more curious, inching closer in the long grasses to get a better view and hope one of the creatures would wander off.

If the ducks were this spooked, what would cause it if not herself? Eyes of fire and ice scanned over the surrounding area, looking for anything else that would cause unrest in the flock, though she could see nothing outwardly wrong. Perhaps, it was the weather and the geological explosion that had caused them to be so nervous, or an unseen predator. Whatever it was, it had Jaidah nervous as well. It could be something that would hurt her, nevermind the ducks. Still, she tried to keep her focus on her prey, while keeping an eye out for whatever made them nervous.

For the hunting skill <3
You | Thinking | Talking

Here she was, back in the god damn bird paradise. The sound was deafening, as usual and so she stuck to the outskirts for the most part. Ah, but order to get to the good herbs, she'd have to tread into the muck and mire. Great. Fine. Let's go. Dainty paws picked their way over the marshy area. Having started her life in what amounted to a swamp, Iolaire had honed her wetland traversing skills. She stepped from tussock to tussock, keeping her snow dipped toes damn near dry. She was good at this sort of thing, she mused. Two-toned eyes of gold and sickly green were kept peeled, ever on the lookout for the elusive herbs that would pad her healing stock. Not just healing, really, but that's the face that she showed the outside world. Suddenly, the bird calls shuddered. Some went silent while others screeched in alarm. The minuscule dame stopped in her tracks, obsidian ears flicking forward. Danger for them might mean danger for her as well. After all, last time she was here, she'd met Sirius, his vulture and his big cat. It wouldn't do to meet the same on this trip. She imagined luck might be on her side only once. The woman's head lowered and she crept silently into some long grass and reeds. Her back was to an overhanging tree, its branches draped in moss and lichen. This would do for now until she figured out just what had set the disgusting avians off course. Speech

She had kept such an alert eye for danger around her, that she momentarily forgot to watch the danger underfoot. With a sick squelch the mud engulfed her paws, sliding up between her toes in a most unappealing way, making her recoil in disgust. Three of her paws had made it into the muck, sinking until they were covered in the mud about midway up her legs. Only her left hind leg had been left free, though that quickly came to an end when she slipped further into the muck and was forced to put her free leg down into the thickness of it. With a huff at her luck, the red woman fought to free her forelimbs, but the mire had suctioned around her and she couldn't pull herself free. Great, just great... She thought to herself, eyes of fire and ice moving around the rim of the sinking mud hole for anything she could grasp and pull herself free with, but there was nothing. Each attempt to move saw the mud creep up a bit more until it nearly touched the hairs on her stomach. Jaidah refused to panic and froze in place, relaxing almost into the deadly embrace of the mire. "Well, crap." She said, sighing softly. Jaidah knew all was not lost, but she couldn't help to think it so.

While she was only a few scant inches from the edge of the mud hole, Jaidah couldn't free any of her limbs to escape, and so she had decided to wait. It was smarter than howling out her distress and bringing gods knew what down on her, she would rather avoid being prey in such a delicate position. Her creamy masked face turned this way and that, mismatched eyes keen for any motion that would tell her someone was near. It was then she saw the soft flicker of white in the reeds next to a tree, along with grey and black. At first, she thought it only a shadow or a skunk, but the movement was distinctly wolf-like in nature. "Hey! Hey! I see you by that tree!" She called to the wolf, in case they were the type to take advantage of another in distress, she wouldn't be snuck up on today! Her stomach growled and she rolled those yellow and blue eyes, of course, she would be getting hungrier by the second. Jaidah smirked and thought of a way to bribe the other into helping her if such a thing could be achieved.

Apparently the cause for alarm was another wolf. Iolaire watched as the silly woman stumbled into a sandy bog. Instantly she began to sink. The small fae wrinkled her nose. Why would you come to a marsh if you didn't know how to traverse a marsh? Io was very well versed in the art of hopping from tussock to tussock. She knew when the ground was trustworthy and when it would give way. Thank her mother for giving birth in a swamp. Ears flicked forward as the woman called out to her. My, was she a loud one. And demanding... Io had an urge to leave her there. Turn her back and walk away. Ah, but she was an ambassador now. One face of the Ashen Armada. All actions had to reflect well upon the pack and so... Knowing what the 'danger' was, Iolaire stepped forward, her small frame leaving the comfort of the weeping tree. With a sigh and one silver brow arched, the dainty woman spoke in her soft, accented tones. "My, what a fine mess you've gotten yourself into."

A singular moment of lasped judgement and here she was at the mercy of another. Jaidah was growing more and more tired of the tricks life seemed inclined to throw at her every bend of the way. The wolf she had called to deemed it appropriate to simply gawk at her for a moment before commenting on her current plight. "Indeed. I hear it is good for the skin, but I have had enough of it for one day." She gave a half-hearted smile and continued, "One second is all it takes. Perhaps, you could help me escape this nasty mud hole?" It wasn't often that Jaidah sought the help of others, but what choice did she have? If she had a companion animal as some wolves did, perhaps she wouldn't be stuck in the mud like a dirty red velvet cake.

Jaidah's mismatched gaze of fire and ice leveled with the bright sunbeam yellow of her current company's gaze, trying not to look too desperate as she asked the other for help. Her pride was obviously wounded and for good reason. She knew how to traverse the swamps and not get stuck, but here she was. 'Please, please just help me.' Jaidah silently begged the other in her mind, keeping the words from her mouth. She would not beg aloud, it was not in her. Surely there was a root somewhere to grab onto, in case the stranger wasn't inclined to help her. If that was the case, Jaidah could end up well and truly screwed.  

"You" & 'Thought' & "Talk"

Iolaire sat on the edge of the pit and shined her claws on her chest, giving them a once over when she was done. This trapped woman seemed tedious. Perhaps she was only like this because slow death was on its way, but Io imagined not. Despite her misgivings, it wasn't in her to let anyone die. Rising again, she went to the willow with its long, vine line branches. Paws on the trunk, the small woman snapped off a long, pliable branch. Returning to the pit, Iolaire flipped the trailing end out to the red woman. "Whenever you're ready," she spoke through clenched teeth. Thankfully, pulling the wolf to the bank of the pit wouldn't take too much strength. She wasn't too far out. Iolaire waited for the fae to take hold, then planted her small paws in the grass and pulled backwards, thick tail lashing behind her as she fought for purchase. It wouldn't take long at all to unstick the stuck dame. Once that was accomplished, Iolaire could show her a safe pool to wash in. No one wanted to smell like swamp mud forever. Blech.

Jaidah watched the other woman as she went to the willow and plucked a long, thin branch from the tree. When it was held out to her, Jaidah seriously doubted that the branch would have enough tinsel strength to actually do much, but at this point, she was willing to try anything to get out of the molasses speed death trap she was in. The smaller woman spoke around the branch, 'Whenever you're ready.' Without much hesitation, Jaidah grabbed the branch between her teeth and waited for the other to find purchase in the moist earth. Not being too far from the bank of the mud hole, Jaidah knew all she had to do was get her front paws up on the edge and she could haul herself out of the pit. While she seemed smaller than the red woman, the other was actually surprisingly strong.

Jaidah was free much faster than she thought she would be. The counterweight provided by the other she-wolf was all that had been needed for Jaidah to free herself and get her paws up on the ledge. With a sucking squelch the mud released her and she nearly fell forward onto the other woman, catching herself just before she did so. Her legs were numb and she sort of crumpled into a heap as a result, happy to be on solid ground but after being stuck so long her legs were tingling. "Thank you! Sorry for almost falling on you, my legs are numb." She gave a smile and a short laugh, laying on her side so she could actually look at the woman. "I thought I was gonna die in the mud, thank you so much!" Her mismatched eyes met the yellow of the stranger's as she worked on catching her breath. Usually, creamy white legs were caked with sickly looking brown-green mud, but she could wash once she was free of the estuary, unless the stranger knew of somewhere to bathe. Jaidah just wanted out of this swamp.

"You" & 'Thought' & "Talk"

Iolaire felt as if her teeth were going to break as she began to pull the woman out of the suctioning mud. They didn't, thankfully, and the red fae had enough sense to use her own force the get out of the much as soon as she was close to the bank. Iolaire spat out the branch and the peeling remnants that her teeth had made. There was a nasty taste in her mouth now. Just great. There was nothing to drink but bird water. Flipping open the pack, she rummaged around until she found a piece of sweet mint. Chewing that erased the nasty branch taste and left her mouth nice and refreshed. In all of her oral musings, she hadn't even realized that she'd almost been fallen upon. Io was, after all, more than a little self absorbed. As the formerly trapped woman spoke, Iolaire brought her green and gold eyes looking that way. She apologized for almost falling on her? Hmm. Well it was a good thing that didn't happen or she'd stink like mud too. She accepted the apology with a nod, however. She accepted the thanks with a nod as well. "Come on," she said, motioning for the woman to follow her. "I imagine you haven't spent a lot of time in swamps." She padded towards one of the main waterways and pointed first to the hard land at the edge, then a mass of cranes and other long legged birds further out. "The bank is strong. See the wading birds? It's safe to go in here." While she waited for the woman to cleanse herself of the stinking mud, Iolaire settled herself upon the bank. "When traversing a marshy or boggy landscape, you need to go slowly. Test the land before you step on it. Be hyper aware." Her head tilted back and forth as she spoke as if teaching was nothing to her. "If the ground looks particularly dark, try to avoid it. Rich land means water. Water means sink holes." It was all sound advice. Having been born in a swampy landscape, she'd been forced to learn. Learn or die, her mother had said when she was but a pup. Learn, she had.