Collabs!: Sobbing in the Swamp

Daxlas hated the unopened letter. They didn’t like that someone knew their address, even if it was the mailperson. It was nothing against the letter, just the business of living near a conservation area. Daxlas likes being alone most days with the animals and the forest. They shoved the letter in their pocket then realized that the letter was silly and pink. This intriged them so they took the letter out to read it. 

“We hope this letter finds you well,

There has been a strange creature sighted in the swamp near Reeds conservation area, and we hope that you could check it out. You have more magical creature experance than anyone here so please give us a visit!

Hope to see you soon,

Serval Tomms, head conservation biologist of Reeds conservation.”

 

Daxlas’ eyes lit up. 

“A strange creature? I can’t wait!” They exclaimed in their empty cottage.

 

Daxlas dashed out the door without grabbing anything. Not even a waterbottle. They ran into town, up and down streets until they were huffing and puffing in front of a bakery. They stayed crouched near the doorway for a bit to catch their breath. They took a deep breath then walked into the bakery. A bell jingled as the door opened and closed. 

“Welcome to the- gasp - DAXLAS??” A 7 foot dragon on two legs greeted them.

 

The dragon rushed over and pulled them into a hug.

“Honey! Daxlas came to visit!” The dragon called over her shoulder.

 

There was some banging in the kitchen and a human with dark brown skin and hair in braids rushed to them. She crashed into them and crushed their figures.

“It’s good to see you too Mom.” Daxlas’ voice was strained.

“I love you my crazy kid.” She said warmly.

“Sesha, they can’t breathe.” The dragon said.

“They can deal with it for a few more seconds, Jela.” Sesha told her.

 

Sesha squeezed once more than let them both go. Daxlas took a deep breaths and leaned on the bakery counter. Jela smiled.

“What’s the occasion?” Jela asked.

“Could you repeat that?” Daxlas asked because their bad ear was facing their moms.

 

Jela didn’t speak but signed instead.

“What’s up?” She signed.

“Momma, I need a ride to Reeds Conservation area.” Daxlas spoke

 

Jela frowned and looked at her wife.

“But the bakery-”

“Don’t worry, dear, it’s a slow day. Go.” Sesha said and kissed her forehead.

 

Jela kissed her wife.

“Okay love, have a good day.” Jela said lovingly. 

 

Daxlas and Jela walked out of the bakery, the bell chimed again. They chatted back and forth and Jela took out a potion from her fanny pack and downed it. She went onto 4 legs and she grew in size until she was the size of a house. She jerked her head in the direction the the Conservation Area.

“Let’s go.” She growled.

 

Daxlas climbed onto her back and held onto her horns. 

“It’s been awhile since I could let loose.” She mumbled to herself.

 

She ran through the streets and the earth trembled underneath her claws. They bounded through the forest, evading trees and creatures as she went. In no time at all they ended up at the entrance to Reeds. They slid down the side of her moss covered back, and onto the ground. They both waved goodbye and Jela was off.

The conservation area was a mess, and there was no sign of anybody. There was trash everywhere and green slime covered buildings. It made Reeds look deserted and trashed. Daxlas looked around and they heard dead silence. Nothing was loud enough for their good ear to catch. They walked softly into the conservation area. They walked past the little house that the management stayed and onto the dirt path. They were in a deciduous forest full of oak and birch trees. As the sound got louder the forest became more trees that love water like willows. Then it slowly transitioned into a swamp with tall, thick trees that towered over the murky water. Mosquitoes were everywhere but Daxlas had bug spray on so it was okay.

 

That’s when they heard a faint wailing coming from close by. They followed the sound, their good ear forward. They saw a rabbit person with antelope legs and antlers that sat on a large tree root. The person had white fur with brown spots, and they wore a brown vest, green cargo shorts, and a cream long sleeve. They were accompanied by a sentient teddy bear that patted them on the head as they cried. As Daxlas got closer they saw the person was holding a pair of glasses and wore some cord necklaces. Their tears glowed a whitish blue as they flowed down their face and into the swamp.

“Hey, are you okay?” Daxlas asked them gently.

 

The person sniffed and looked up at them.

“N-no.” They mumbled.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I couldn’t catch it.”

 

They shook their head.

“Oh.” Daxlas said. “What’s your name, friend?”

“T-T-Twig” They said softly.

“I’m deaf in one ear, could you speak louder?”

“Do you have a piece of paper and a pencil?" They said a little louder.

 

Daxlas they dug in their pockets and found half a pencil and a crumpled up piece of paper. They smoothed out the paper and realized it was the letter they read and flipped it over. They handed the letter and half pencil to the person.

“Here you go.” Daxlas said.

"My name is Twig and my pronouns are They/ them" They wrote.

"What happened bud?" Daxlas asked in a friendly way.

 

Twig looked away and a tear ran down their cheek. They took a moment then took a deep breath and put on a brave face.

“I was collating insects in the swamp for a project and a trash monster came out of nowhere. It scared me and I dropped my bag in the swamp. It made me feel like my sadness was fueling it. I felt a string of despair connecting me and the creature. It made a sad call then left. Even when it was gone, I could still feel the pull. All of my samples and bag are lost, and on top of that, I’m having the worst sensory ever. I’m covered in the itchiest bug bites and I can’t do it anymore.” They wrote with tears glowing in their eyes.

 

Daxlas’ response was to get in the water and search around.

“W-What are you doing?” They said softly.

 

Daxlas didn’t hear them so Twig slowly got up and went to them, writing as they walked. Twig tapped on their shoulder and showed them the writing.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for your bag.” They called over their shoulder.

 

Twig felt touched and started looking for the bag too. They both wadded in the water a bit but found nothing.

“It’s okay, maybe the monster has it.” Daxlas sighed.

“How is that okay?” They wrote anxiously.

“Well it’s not hostile so it’s worth a shot.” Daxlas said with a shrug.