Cruck’aa’s face twisted into a scowl, one ugly enough to rival the hideousness of the clouds above, a rolling grey ocean that drowned out any hope of seeing the sun.

“You sure?” Jo asked, despite knowing what Cruck’aa was about to say.

“Of course I’m sure!” He spat, shooting her a look that could have boiled the water around their calves. “Jo, why would I have any idea where we’re at?! Are you just assuming because of what I am?!”

“Yes, actually.”

“Gods above, not every Aarakocra lives in forests and swamps! We –”

“I’m assuming because of your connection to nature, Cruck’aa. Aren’t you some sort of druid?”

Cruck’aa’s beak hung open for a moment before it snapped shut; impossibly, his brows furrowed further, and a hint of anger fueled his steps, water flinging about as Jo slowed to trudge behind him.

Already a day into their march and she wished they had stayed in that damned building, despite all the good it wouldn’t have done them. The dampness of the bog had seeped into their very beings, and no amount of sleep, hastily caught game, or pitiful fires could dry it.

She was already used to it though; Jo had suffered far worse during the marching days of her youth. The others, however, couldn’t say the same.

She paid no heed to Cruck’aa’s grumbling as she glanced back, ignoring the clusters of cattails that poked up and clutched at her soggy clothes. Serena and Werond, an unhealthy distance between them, struggled through the murky water like the living dead, both awake yet neither appearing as though they were truly there. That far away look still remained within Werond’s eyes, visible only when she looked up to occasionally glance back at Serena, who walked as though she couldn’t feel the flame that burned uncomfortably close to her chest.

Jo grimaced; she’d been too busy to check on Serena again, though she knew that to be a terrible excuse. Leading their tiny damp band had been exhausting though, despite only a day having passed, and –

Laughter carried across the water, cutting through the ever-present fog; Jo’s eyes flicked past the middle of the line towards Doriyah and Pavel, splashing through the swamp several feet away. Snatches of their conversation floated by, but from the exaggerated motions Doriyah was making – as though he was chopping something – the conversation couldn’t have been serious.

Her lips curled into a small grin; perhaps it was wrong of her to assume that all of them were as miserable as she felt.

A breeze blew through the fog, gentle yet utterly freezing; Jo cursed as a shiver ripped up her spine, and she wrapped her arms about herself as she turned back around.

Amongst the plants that poked out of the murky water, dotted here and there across the gentle hills of the bog, a smattering of trees stood tall against the grey-white fog, pillars of brown that held up the sky. Each was shockingly naked, not a single leaf or vine to be found between any of them, the upper most branches like outstretched claws. They had only begun to appear halfway through the day’s march, and Jo still wasn’t used to seeing their dark shapes materialize out of the nothingness of the fog. Knowing that the dark shapes were only trees didn’t make it any less unsettling.

She grimaced, glancing at one as they passed it. Gods, where were they? All her years of marching and she’d never stepped foot in a place like this, and she’d been damn near all around the Coast. Had she a map, she was sure she could estimate where they might be, given the topography, but –

“We’re getting closer to a forest,” Cruck’aa suddenly said. “trees are getting thicker.”

“And you can tell by just a glance?” Jo asked, lengthening her stride until she trudged alongside the Aarakocra.

“It’s rather obvious.”

“Which means you do have an idea of where the hell we are.”

So far did Cruck’aa’s eyes roll that Jo believed for a moment that they might disappear within his head entirely.

“Given the nature of the coast,” Cruck’aa muttered. “it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that we’re somewhere north, above Waterdeep. Bogs like these don’t form all that often in the south, and the ones that do would be leagues away from the city. Too far to make sense. These trees are a tip off as well…” He gestured at one. “Wider at the bottom, bare at the top. Cypress. Doesn’t grow down south.”

“See, this is why I asked you.”

“I had to think about it.” Cruck’aa huffed.

The retort on Jo’s lips – something about the fact that that was all Cruck’aa did – died when her foot caught the edge of some hole hidden beneath the water. She stumbled but caught herself before she could take the plunge; Cruck’aa shied away as the foul-smelling water splashed around them.

“Gods damnit, why is it so murky?” Jo grumbled, wiping the water from her arms.

“It’s a bog.” Cruck’aa stated.

“Yeah, no –” She sucked in a breath, held it, then released. “Anyways, so we’re up the Coast? North you said?”

“A guess.”

“Well, your guess is the best we’ve got right now.” Jo frowned. “Begs the question though…why would Jarlaxle haul us up the coast like this? What’s the point? Why wouldn’t he just stow us –”

“You’re assuming it was Jarlaxle that took us.”

Jo sputtered, jerking to the side as something hideously long slithered by them in the water.

“Cruck’aa, who else would it be?! We just fought him days ago.”

“You can’t be sure.” Cruck’aa said.

“Alright, now you’re just being difficult on purpose – more difficult, I should say.”

“What I say –”

“Is contrarian and useless.”

Cruck’aa grunted, glancing around; Doriyah and Pavel’s voices carried up the line as the pair laughed about something, and for a single moment, Jo envied how relaxed they were.

“Jarlaxle,” The name curled around Cruck’aa’s beak as though it were wrapped in thorns. “wouldn’t just let us out like this. Too sloppy. Has to be someone else.”

“Quite the leap with that. I’d disagree.”

“Of course, you do.”

“Because the doors being unlocked seems too ridiculous to not be intentional. Perhaps it’s bait and we’re falling right into it, but the doors should have been locked. From what little I know of the bastard, and it’s a tiny amount, that seems like something he would do.”

“You’re right, you do know too little about him.”

“By all means then, explain it to me.”

“There isn’t any need to lock the doors considering this bog,” Cruck’aa’s feathers ruffled. “is a death sentence. No one in their right minds would try to traverse it. We, however, are all out of our minds, excluding me perhaps. Jarlaxle knows this, considering we fought him, and with that in mind, he would have locked the doors to prevent us from escaping. Therefore, the fact that the doors were unlocked indicates that whoever threw us in there wasn’t Jarlaxle. They weren’t aware that we are out of our minds. Makes perfect sense.”

“And how long has that been cooking in that head of yours?”

“Since the moment I woke up.”

Jo grunted and crossed her arms. A storm of tiny black bugs materialized from the fog, a buzzing symphony that made her skin crawl; she barely kept her footing as she edged away from them.

Cruck’aa swatted aside a cluster of cattail that stuck up in front of them, the plant splitting almost clean in half, allowing him to walk through unscathed. Jo glanced back and watched as the plant sprang back to its original shape a few paces later, forcing everyone else to walk around it.

“He knows we’re insane,” Jo looked back as Cruck’aa grumbled. “he wouldn’t forget that.”

“Yeah, you said that already.”

“Because it’s the truth.”

“Right, because of every one of us is insane except for you. You should like some of the green-cloaks I used to work with.”

“Green – what?!”

“The new kids that just got their cloaks from joining up my outfit. You sound like a damned child, Cruck’aa.”

“Oh, because I speak the truth?”

“Call it what you like, it’s all false.”

“How!?” Cruck’aa jerked a talon over his shoulder. “We kept her, and she’s the reason we’re in this gods-forsaken swamp in the first place! If that doesn’t prove you all are insane, I don’t know what does!”

“Cruck’aa.” Jo hissed, glancing back; Werond gave no indication that she heard, head bowed against the fog.

“It’s the truth!” Cruck’aa spat. “Had we just done what I said –”

“Cruck’aa.”

“– from the very start, and just separated them, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“Cruck’aa!”

“Don’t you start with me, you know I’m –”

Jo stuck her fingers in her mouth, and let loose a long, sharp whistle; Cruck’aa flinched as Jo flipped around, pleased for a moment to see everyone halted and staring at her – save Serena.

“Swap the formation,” she called, heart skipping a beat. “just for a bit. I need to yell at Cruck’aa.”

Cruck’aa huffed, his feathers bristling, but no one questioned her; if anything, that was a valid excuse no matter the situation.

Doriyah and Pavel began to splash up the line, their conversation resumed immediately, neither glancing at the scarecrows in the middle. Werond began after them a moment later, pausing only to look back until Serena began to move, head still bowed against the fog.

Jo grimaced; neither so much as glanced at her as they splashed by, but while Werond looked somewhat alive, the same couldn’t be said for Serena. Her shoulders were hunched, and the flame within her hands was too small to heat even a frying pan. And while her bare neck stuck out horribly, it was the clouded look in her eyes, barely visible, that worried Jo the most – a look she’d seen only a handful of times, in a small number of broken men, always after a long and terrible fight.

She did not react as Jo reached out and brushed her arm, walking like a dead man. Jo watched her go, splashing through the water without a word, her heart beating just a little bit faster.

“Why did we switch?” Cruck’aa asked, staring at Jo.

Jo closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath, pretending for just a moment that she didn’t want to throttle Cruck’aa where he stood.

“Jo! Why –”

“Did you see Serena?” Jo said. “Did you? Did you see the look on her face?”

“How is that –”

“Answer the damned question Cruck’aa.”

“Barely, but yes. How is –”

“Something happened between her and Werond, right before we left.” Jo inched closer to Cruck’aa. “Whatever they said or managed to communicate with each other, it’s done something to her, shaken her up. Werond isn’t doing well either, but at least she’s consciouses. I’m not sure Serena even hears us half the time. It’s like she’s dead to everything. Do you understand why this is an issue?”

“It shouldn’t be an issue!” Cruck’aa spat. “Had we just –”

Jo jerked forward, causing Cruck’aa to flinch and step back, yellow eyes vivid against the fog that framed him.

“You don’t, or you just don’t care.” Jo hissed. “You need to drop the issue. You need to drop it right the fuck now.”

“And why –”

“For two reasons. One,” Jo stuck up a finger in Cruck’aa’s face. “she’s our friend, and she’s been hurt. She’s completely detached from life, and that alone should be enough to make you worry. But two, “Another finger. “for your damnable pragmatic shit-show you call a mind, you and Serena are our only sources of defense in this place. If we ever get attacked by anything, not only do we have a civilian to protect, but myself, Doriyah, and Pavel are all unarmed. We’ll be useless. Both of you, however, have enough magic between you to level the playing field, but with Serena being the way she is, I don’t know if I can trust her to be of use in a fight. As much as I hate to say it, with her like this, you are our only source of defense. And if you make matters worse with her, that temporary situation might turn permanent. Follow me?”

Cruck’aa remained blessedly quiet, though his eyes had narrowed to slits; from the working of his beak, it was obvious to Jo that he hadn’t thought about that angle.

“I don’t know what the hell those two talked about,” she continued. “and quite honestly, I wouldn’t know how to brooch it between them. And frankly, it’s not my business in the first place. But until they smooth things out, Serena is out of commission. And until she’s back to her usual self, you are not to speak to her about any of this – your issues, the current situation, anything, to make her feel worse. Do I make myself clear?”

“Delaying the inevitable will only make it worse.” Cruck’aa said flatly.

“Delaying the –” Jo sighed and rubbed her face. “Can you pull your beak out of your ass for five minutes and understand that now,” she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, towards the quickly disappearing group. “isn’t the time to be your usual irritable self?”

“My correct self,” Cruck’aa shot back. “considering that I was right to not trust that woman in the first place.”

“I don’t give a shit about what you think, you’re not to bring up any of this to Serena!”

“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t.”

“I just did! Not to mention that she’s your fucking friend Cruck’aa!” Jo failed to contain her voice. “Above all else, doesn’t that matter to you? Do you want your friend to be miserable?! Does seeing her like this feel good to you?!”

“I want her to see the error of her ways!” Cruck’aa squawked. “I wouldn’t allow any of my family to fester like that, and neither should you! We need to –”

“Leave them alone, that’s what we need to do!”

“If you refuse to brooch this to her, then I will have no choice but to do it myself! I –”

Jo lunged towards Cruck’aa, hands outstretched; Cruck’aa screeched and jerked back, dodging her by a hair.

She stepped forward, teeth gritted, anger smashing her heart like a drum, hands curled into fists at her side. Cruck’aa stood his ground, eyes wide, one foot back as though he were ready to run.

“I swear to every god above and below,” Jo growled, eyes never leaving Cruck’aa’s. “if you do anything to make this situation worse, I will put you in the ground myself. I don’t care what you think, now is not the time to make everything worse! If you take it upon yourself to broach anything to Serena or Werond, you will be physically removed from this group. Do I make myself clear?”

Cruck’aa’s eyes narrowed into slits; without a word, he leapt into the air, buffeting Jo with fog, as he spread his wings and took off into the sky. When she flipped around, she lost sight of him almost immediately, the group having already been swallowed by the fog.

Body burning at her words and a thousand curses rolling off her tongue, Jo jogged after them, praying to every god she knew that Cruck’aa had taken her seriously.