By The Light Of The Moon

Mud was awake. She could not sleep; there was something sickly ominous in the air. She was rummaging through her stores, trying to find her stores of dill and lavender. Those herbs would surely ward off the evil spirits plaguing her dreams. She couldn't see, but that was just as well - the long-snouted girl was using her nose to sniff through her neat stacks and bundles of herbs. No, sage, thyme, lemon balm... Bah. She grumbled when she realized she was out of dill, and her lavender was running incredibly low. She wasn't sure if she wanted to use it all up just to get some sleep. Maybe a walk would clear her head, help her refocus, and realign her soul.

An owl let out a soft hoot right as she stepped out of her den. She looked up to see a glowing blur fly into the distance. Bicolored eyes blinked hard, looking to the sky with bewilderment. Was this a sign, an omen? Was something wrong with the swampland? Surely it was her imagination.

Mud walked a short way from her den, glancing around to see if anything else was amiss. A sudden movement caught her eyes. Skirting across the water were little blue fireflies. Blue fireflies? Was that even possible? Mud's usually level expression morphed to one of shock and a little fear. She ducked into her den and collected her sparse stores of lavender and rubbed it onto her face and neck. Lavender was effective in warding off evil spirits, her mother taught her. She wasn't sure if it was worth it to use her lavender before, but now? Absolutely worth it. She bit down on a piece of lavender and carried it with her.

She walked back to the fireflies and began to follow them. She didn't notice Lukina sitting quietly; she was absolutely absorbed with the firefly situation.