There is mud to her knees, but that does not bother her in the slightest. It is a rare day to find her clean and free of debris. She cannot seem to help herself. Not when the most interesting things linger in the places most guaranteed to leave her sticky, smelly, or dirty. Though she had quickly learned that perhaps sticky is best avoided. Honey might be sweet, but bees most certainly are not.
Her hoof makes a squelching sound as she pulls it from the mud. Autumn had left the riverbanks more exposed than normal, revealing much that had been hidden under water when rain kept it full. Iska was, of course, intrigued by this discovery. The mud-caked appendage makes a splat against the soupy surface as she digs it into the muck. Her vigorous pawing quickly forms a channel, though murky water seeps in to fill it almost as quickly as she uncovers it.
Iska jerks back with a yelp when an eel slithers out, sinuous body shooting across the swampy muck. Her wide-eyed gaze follows its progress until it disappears into the river. Relieving her tension with a snort, she turns back to resume digging only to be halted by the sound footsteps and… shuffling.
Shadow-wreathed head jerking up, her eyes skate over the mare until they catch on the creature stumbling behind her. With another snort, she takes a few squelching steps backwards until the shadows of the river reach up to swallow her.
A heartbeat later, she steps almost gingerly from a tree behind the thing. Head tilted, ears pricked, and muscles tensed to disappear once more if it became necessary. She stares at it for a long moment before her gaze skitters to the woman leading it. There is cautious curiosity resonating in her voice when she finally asks, “What is it?”
iska
@Nostromo