Through the Marshlands

The fox hopped on the bark of the dead tree but it was moist and he struggled to keep his balance, almost slipping off in the process. 

Asher felt the sun on his body as the fox slowly moved forward, the bark of the tree felt mushy and they easily peeled off. 

The tree was broken in two and both parts were few feets apart with thier ends deeply enmeshed in the mud.

The only way for them to get from one part to the other was to jump but the fox couldn't jump that far.

Luckily for them the branches from each part touched each other and they could use them to get across

The fox had resorted clawing it's way through every step to keep its balance. When it was close enough to the branches it hopped and landed on one. 

it creaked and wobbled a little. The fox barked fearing it was going to break.

"What do you mean jump off in case it breaks? Asher said. Where will I jump off to?"

The fox slowly moved up the branch. it creaked and bent down towards the mud as he walk to the end of it. 

At the last moment it snaps but the fox quickly jumps off onto another branch.

They catch their breath, resting from the scare they had just been through. 

The fox moved up the new one, this one was more brittle than the last. Asher held his breath, clinging to his fur as he walked up the branch. 

It creaked and creaked but it didn't bend. 

There's no flexibility on this one, that would only mean.. 

It snaped

They fall towards the mud but the fox grips onto another branch with its claws. 

It's tried to pull it self upwards but the branch was too moist, it made his claws slip.

Asher looked down and saw Steven's tail touching the mud. He panicked and quickly climbed up Steven and into direct sunlight. 

He slipped in between the fox's claws and wrapped himself around the branch, stretching his length as far as he could. 

Luckily enough the other branches gave him some cover from the sunlight . 

He slipped his body underneath the fox's claws and made its grip strong, as he wasn't gripping onto the most tree any more but onto Asher's body wrapped around the tree. 

Steven's claws dugged into Asher and he felt it's cutting him up but he kept himself wrapped tightly around the branch as best he could, battling now only the pain from the cuts but also the sunlight. 

The fox pulled it self up into safety and rested on a large branch, catching its breath. 

Steven barked, Thanking Asher .

Asher unwrapped himself from the branch and ran towards Stevens' shadow, he rested by his side catching his breath too. 

"Were so close, Steven. Will make it to the otherside in no time."

They looked out onto the landscape. He could see that the sun was almost overhead now. 

We can't spend too much time here, Steven. We have to go before highnoon.

Steven nodded 

"Are you well enough, Asher asked him"

He nodded again

"Alright, let's go "

They both got up and Asher jumped on him, holding tightly to his fur. 

"Onward Steven!"

It barked and ran up the branch, in no time he got to the tip of it and jumped onto another. Now they were so close to the end of the murky pool. 

For one thing the pool could have been shallow enough to walk through. 

It would have been a bit difficult for a small fox to get through but regardless it could be doable and a lot faster, it would save them more time and get them out of sunlight quicker. 

But they couldn't tell how deep it was nor how long it would take, so using the dead tree seemed the more reasonable option. 

"We're so close, Asher said."

Steven barked in excitement. He hopped onto another branch, and ran up at one, it bent toward the mud. 

Asher looked down, seeing the still waters. It seemed that the end of the marsh land was just a few branches away. 

The fox hopped on another branch, a brittle blackened thing and It broke instantly 

"No!"

Asher screamed as they fell in the mud . The fox yelped, trying to grip onto the tree, he lands its claws on the branch slowing its descent giving Asher enough time to run up his body to its head. 

The moitness of the branch causes the foxes grip to slip off. Asher tries to jump off the fox onto the bark of the tree but it's too late. 

The fox lands on the mud pool splattering a mud everywhere. Asher was gripping onto Steven fur for safety, his eyes were closed from fear. 

He felt the sun on his back and for the first time since he became a shadow, he felt excited about the sun . The burn made him know he was still alive.

He heard what sounded like a slow bubbling sound, a faint belch underneath and around them. 

The fox struggled about, he opened his eyes and saw that the fox was sinking into the mud pool. He began panicking 

"What should I do? What should I do?"

Asher quickly use the fox as a boost; he rans up its head and used the top of its snout to propel himself high enough to catch on to a branch and he succeeds.

The sunlight starts to get to him and he begins to weaken. He quickly pulled himself up and takes cover underneath a branch

He looked down at the fox and saw it's fighting against the mud to break free

"I won't do you any good fighting, you'll just sink down faster."

The fox barked at him. 

"I can't help you, the sun is almost over me and I don't have the energy to pull you out."

The fox barked again

"Don't you understand, I can't do it, I just can't."

The fox sinks in deeper. It cried for help as Asher watched it. 

"I'm going now! Asher said"

Fox barked

Asher turned to leave. He ran away, underneath the sunlight then the fox yelped as it sunk in deeper, Asher stopped. 

He ran back to the fox and into covered.

He thinks it over for a while.

Then he hopped down on a branch. He quickly wrapped himself around it and stretched out his arms as far as they would go. 

By now Steven's legs and tail and a small part of his torsor were lost to the mud pool. 

"Steven, grab unto me, Asher said. Iwon't leave you."

The fox stretches out its arms too and claws as well. He touched Asher's hands and Asher did well to slip his shadow hand between his claws for a tighter grip. 

Asher tried to pull the fox out, he tugged and tugged but it didn't budge one millimeter, the sun was barreling down on him now. 

"What should I do? I can't let him die"

The fox was getting tired of fighting, as it sunk deeper into the mud.