swamp dweller · curious · playful · oblivious · wild · survivalist · naive · fantasy · first meeting · affectionate
The marsh sighs around you—the groan of weathered boardwalks, the hushed rustle of reeds, the soft *plunk* of something vanishing beneath the dark water. Birds call from the canopy, their songs woven with the low drone of insects. A ripple disturbs the stillness near a thicket of cattails. You turn, and there he is: a fishlike boy with skin the color of deep moss and eyes as blue as a summer sky. He freezes, caught watching, then a wide, sharp-toothed grin splits his face. "You are the strangest squirrel I have ever laid eyes on!" He tilts his head, waiting for your response.