How did this even happen? He’d made it through the entirety of the Fen, hardly even getting his paws wet, but as soon as he was on more solid ground his attention slipped, and this was the price; Talk about a sticky situation! Thanks to the spring thaw, the ground around the creeks crisscrossing through the woods had grown swampy as well, and in several places, large pools of mud had formed, some even large enough to swallow a wolf; Almost… Lucky for me!

The Captain had made an error in his calculations and run aground, and he was now in mud up to his shoulders, thoroughly stuck. Thankfully, it had stopped sucking him down, his paws scraping against a more solid foundation below, but despite his wiggling, he just couldn’t get back up. There was no swimming in this thick goop, and every attempt at a step so far had send him slipping and reeling to keep his balance. He needed to get to a bank so he could pull himself up, the question was just how; Well, I’ve been in plenty worse predicaments… He could even name a few within resent months. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t gonna help him get out of this one.

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Supposedly, a mud-soak now and then was good for the skin, or so he’d heard. Kyrios wasn’t really into health trends though, normal water and a few choice herbs were all he needed to keep his pelt neat; And probably a lot of both once I’ve gotten out of this…! Ever the optimist, the wayward Captain didn’t even consider an outcome where he didn’t escape his muddy predicament, despite the ineffectiveness of his current efforts. He simply gave another, harder wiggle, sure that all he needed was a little extra push.

Still no success, or well, at least not in the area of getting him closer to the shore, but as the splashing subsided, a voice called from above, perhaps drawn by the noise. Kyrios tilted his head back, stretching his neck to try and look straight up. Almost directly above him, the trunk of a fallen tree had bridged the pool, the very same he had deemed too safe of an option, lucky for them both, the newcomer had made a smarter choice. Golden eyes crossed slightly as he focused on the other wolf, and then a broad grin spread on his face, finally connecting the familiarity of the voice. “Would ye lookit what washed in on th’ tide?!” He barked cheerily, entirely nonchalant despite the sticky situation.

It had been quite a while since he’d seen any of his younger siblings, and as always, it warmed his heart that their adventures should cross. Plus, although he’d dealt with his strong protective instincts long before this latest batch of rascals was born, he still felt some brotherly anxiety for their wellbeing; Yet today I’m the one in need of rescue… He almost laughed out loud, stopped only by the mud, bubbling so close to his jowls. Instead, he simply called up to his younger half-brother: “Land, ye mind helpin’ me out ‘ere mate?” He gestured vaguely down at the mud, giving an apologetic head tilt, for the inconvenience.

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Landen was a good sport, not one to overreact as some of their other siblings might. As he trotted off, in search of suitable means for the rescue operation, Kyrios wondered at the luck of this particular brother being the one to find him, but then he shrugged, simply blessing whatever powers had made it so.

Then, quick as a wink, the tawny boy was back, dragging a sturdy looking honk of wood, no doubt recently loosed from its mothering trunk. Kyrios yipped triumphantly, baring his teeth in compliance as his brother extended the branch. He braced his paws against the swampy bottom, as much as he could, and chomped down hard on the wood, doing his best to ignore the unappealing taste. “Heave ho!” He called through the mouth full of branch, preparing to push off as best he could to help, hopefully, hauling him back on dry land.

Landen’s pull was strong, enough to start moving his older brother out of the mud, despite the younger’s slightly lankier build. Kyrios for his part, did his best to help, straining against the mucky bottom with his large, steady paws, slowly pushing forwards as Landen heaved. Inch by inch, the Captain moved towards shore, his tail drifting on top of the mud, steering left and right like a rutter.

He dared not press to hard on his end, still worried that his paws might slip at any moment, as they had on his previous attempts. Instead he led the tawny boy take the lead, fighting off the mud through that slow, steady pull. Beneath him he felt that tricky incline which had foiled him before, but with Landen’s support, the older wolf was able to take several steps up towards the bank, feeling his burden lighten as first his shoulders and then his back cleared the mud.

Finally, he felt confident enough to apply more of his own strength, digging his claws into the rocky muck and half leaping forwards. Mucky fingers clung to his fur, trying to drag him back down and just then, his pack paws began to slip, even as he set off, trying to put everything he had into the jump. It was just enough to free him, though the weight of the mud pulled all the power out of his leap, sending him floundering straight at his brother, with only the stick between them.

Stick and Captain both, flew headfirst at Landen, sending both wolves sprawling. Kyrios supplied a grunt of his own, scrambling to untangle himself from the younger man although his legs and lungs protested painfully. “Aye,” he concurred with Landen’s groan of pain, pausing for a few deep breaths of his own while still in a half-sit.

He felt a faint throbbing in one, outstretched leg, the one that had collided most awkwardly with the stick. But it was no worse than so many scrabes he’d endured in the past. In any case, he was easily distracted by Landen, grinning broadly at the lad’s plight. Kyrios himself, of course, was completely covered in mud after his unintended bath, the only hints of cream fur still visible on the top of his head, russet ears flicking amusedly. “Ah, it’s good fer ye!” He barked, unapologetic, laughter in his voice and sparkling in his goldenrod eyes; “Ye should know, y’re good with med’cines ‘n that.”

Still, the Captain thought some form of thanks was in order, and so he pushed to his feet, grimacing briefly at the jolt in his leg. Before approaching his brother, he performed a shake of his own, though it seemed even more ineffective than Landen’s. Then he shuffled over, lifting one muddy paw to pat the younger man’s shoulder – one which already had a spot of mud on it. “Thank ye mate, I’d’ve been in a right pinch without ye.”