Lukina's tail waved wildly for a moment as she corrected her balance while walking along the large trunk of a fallen mangrove tree. Night was a beautiful time in the mangroves. Bioluminescent moss and algae caused everything to glow softly. Lukina was out enjoying the cool night air, seeking to go for a walk until she felt tired enough to crawl back into her den and go to sleep.

The little albino's coat seemed to glow in the moonlight where her white fur shown through the mud and clay she applied to her coat like camo, so she could fit more in with her new swamp wolf family. She'd mostly kept to herself apart from Bog, nervous to meet the others and afraid she might let them down in some way. An owl hooted softly in the trees and she looked up, for a second she thought the bird was glowing but a moment later it was gone. Lukina frowned. Something seemed off in the mangroves tonight but she couldn't quite put her paw on it.

She sat down and took a moment to take in her surroundings, blink in surprise as she saw a bunch of little blinking blue lights. Wait… were those fireflies?

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.

Lukina watched the little blue lights dancing in the night air. There were pretty and almost seemed to be beckoning her somewhere though she knew better than to go wandering off into the swamp in an unfamiliar area. She was still getting used to her new home in the mangroves and had much to learn from her swamp brethren. As she watched them she wondered what they ate and if there just happened to be blue fireflies in the mangroves that she'd never noticed before. Everything glowed strangely here so it wouldn't have surprised her.

The scent of lavender caught her attention before any movement did and she turned to see one of the swamp wolves. Mud, if she recalled correctly. "Oh, hello. I couldn't sleep. Are there always blue fireflies in the mangroves?"

It was unlike Mud to show such fear or surprise; she was generally a mellow, level-headed wolf. But anything she deemed caused by the spirits made her hysterical. Suddenly, she heard a ghostly voice. She didn't even hear the words - just the sound. Lukina's voice, in Mud's eyes, came from the swamp and the fireflies themselves, and she let out a horrified gasp. All of the fur along her back stuck up, her bi-colored eyes widened, her jaw hung loose, dropping all of the lavender at her feet in a messy pile. Mud was absolutely frozen in shock until she saw a pair of soft pink eyes staring at her. Oh.

She let out a relieved chuckle - unlike her, but, considering the events of the evening. "Fan, och ha..."(Oh, it's you...) She mumbled, relieved. Mud tried to relax her fur along her back and came to a dignified (but embarrassed) sitting position. "Greetings. I awoke in the night with a strange premonition. I brought lavender to ward off the evil spirits, but perhaps they are not evil, they are just irregular?" She said, motioning to the fireflies that danced across the swamp.

The pale child covered in the soil is... Bog's acquaintance, correct? Mud thought to herself, trying to place this one. She wasn't able to recall her name but remembered the girl seemed polite enough. Mud was unsure about adding outsiders to their ranks, but she could not argue that the swamp was largely uninhabited these days.

Lukina felt bad as the other woman jumped but she really wasn't sure of any other way to announce her presence. Honestly, as creepy as it was outside any sound or movement was liable to make someone jump. She was glad not to be alone now though. She cocked her head to the side as Mud explained that she'd awakened with a premonition and the lavender she held was for warding off evil spirits. "What's a premonition? And really? I knew lavender could help you sleep but I didn't know it kept strange spirits away. Can I stay with you a bit? My name's Lukina. Er, Hoarfrost!" She was trying to get used to her swamp wolf name. She was proud of it though and excited when Bog gave her one instead of just referring to her as 'pinkie'.

As she looked at the girl more closely she could really notice how pale she was under all the muck she'd covered herself with. Mud found it intriguing, but also a bit nerve-wracking. As a wolf with a medicinal background, she had assisted her mother in delivering a variety of pups with a lot of irregularities. It wasn't like such a deformity altered the mind, but it did cause various health concerns. Mud knew they had a harder time with the sun, their pale eyes struggled to see as well. In her lifetime Mud had noticed the occasional wild animal that was pale as snow, with glowing red-pink eyes. Some of her family members said they were touched by the gods, others said they had the life sucked out of them, and that's why they were so pale. Either way, Mud was feeling especially anxious.

"Premonition... it's, ah... You feel as though something unpleasant will happen shortly, and you cannot shake the feeling, no matter how hard you try..." She stumbled through the words a bit, but hoped that she explained well enough for Hoarfrost to understand. Mud let out an exhale she did not know she'd been holding on to. "Yes, stay as long as you like, Hoarfrost. Lavender calms all creatures, even the spirits; encourages them to return to their peaceful slumber. I will remain awake until the sun rises and the spirits calmed. I am called Mud, by the way. It was Bog who mentioned your presence to me." Mud lowered her long snout to the ground and arranged the lavender in a way that pleased her. The gentle scent was calming to her.

Lukina

A nearby hedgehog is spooked and curls into a tight ball. The tips of it’s spines seem as if they’ve been dipped in a faintly glowing substance. You also find 2 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Mud

A small turtle grows weary in it’s journey and retreats into it’s shell for a break. From where you stand, it seems as if some sort of light source shines dimly inside the shell. You also find 4 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…