Page 5 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, its light filtered through the dense canopy. It cast unique shadows that danced on the murky waters below. It was one thing I loved about the swamp. Looking at the designs on the water’s surface was like cloud gazing.

Kota shrugged her shoulders and waved her machete to the line of pale green moving away from the crystals. “Whoever is out there isn’t saying anything. We need to move on.”

Everyone was wary as we started following the trail. We walked for about ten minutes before our little group approached a cluster of weathered shacks hidden among the gnarled trees of the swamp. It smelled like damp earth and wild vegetation. Normally, that reminded me of the untamed wilderness that surrounded us but now I wondered if it was something more.

The trail died out in the middle of the small community.Our goal had been to track the elusive gator shifters. Instead, we found human faces peering cautiously from behind curtained windows. The swamp dwellers here were as much a part of this environment as the cypress and Spanish moss.

Lia was the social worker of our group and was the first to bridge gaps. She called out in a friendly tone, "Hello there! We're not here to cause trouble. We're looking for some information and thought maybe you could help us.”

A grizzled old man stepped forward warily sizing us up. His face was as weathered as the bark of the trees surrounding his home. He lived close to nature and its whims. “What do you want with us?” he asked. Even his voice was as rough as the trees.

Lia stepped forward and her diplomatic skills came to the fore. “We've noticed some disturbances in the swamp. Things that might concern you as well. We think it might be related to the gator shifters,” she explained in a respectful and genuine tone. I wanted to slap my hand over her mouth. Why in the hell had she just said that? We weren’t supposed to talk about the magical world with mundies!

The man's eyes narrowed, but before he could reply, a younger woman emerged from one of the shacks. She looked harried. Her eyes were filled with a mix of suspicion and desperation. “If you know something about those creatures, you should tell us. Our crops have been failing, and we’ve seen things at night...”

Dre stepped next to Lia and responded. “We might be able to help with your crops. We have some knowledge of magical remedies that could help them recover. In exchange, could you share what you've seen?” I was late to the game. It became clear these weren’t normal people. Now that I tuned my magical senses, I picked up on their magical side. I couldn’t tell anything else about them though.

The offer seemed to soften those watching us. After abrief exchange of looks among themselves, the young woman nodded. “We will share what we’ve seen. But first, you have to see this.”

We walked to the other side of their homes. The sight was horrific. It looked like a dead patch of land. Dani and I walked with the young woman to examine the blighted plants closer while Lia and Phi prepared a concoction from the supplies in our packs. Dre and Kota stood sentry in the event these people turned on us. They’d get six pissed off dragons if they did that.

As I touched the withered leaves, I felt the residual magic. It was a dark, corrupting force that seemed out of place in the natural decay of the swamp. “This blight isn’t natural,” I murmured, focusing my energy to diagnose the depth of the corruption.

Kota and Dre started engaging the locals and gathering their stories while I tried to figure things out. It was incredibly distracting and I found myself listening to the information rather than the plants. “The shifters have been more aggressive lately," one old woman shared in a trembling voice. “They've been coming closer to our homes. Strange marks have been left on the trees. We think they’re marking their territory and trying to push us out.”

Lia and Phi joined Dani and I. Phi gave me a vial of something and said, “Apply two drops to the base of each plant”

Nodding, I did as she instructed and noted that the swamp dwellers were watching. Their skepticism slowly gave way to curiosity as the magic took hold. The darkness was pushed down and away from the root systems. Green vitality slowly seeped back into the stems and leaves. “Give it some time,” I reassured them. “This is going to help.”

Gratitude warmed their faces, and their tales flowed more freely. They spoke of the shifters with a mixture of fear and respect. They described how the balance had shifted.That change had disrupted an ancient pact they had with the swamp.

“The youngest ones are restless. They’re crossing boundaries that were respected for generations,” the old man explained. I could hear the worry in his voice. “Something’s stirring them up. It’s something new.”

Phi scribbled notes furiously as they spoke, the pieces of our puzzle slowly forming a partial picture. The shifters' behavior was a symptom of a larger disruption in the swamp's magical ecosystem. The problem was we didn’t have enough to make a determination about who killed the selkie or how to fix things for the creatures living there.

The sun set, casting the swamp into twilight as we thanked the community for their hospitality and insights. Their stories had not only deepened our understanding but also painted a different picture of the gator shifters. They were creatures caught in the throes of change.

We left the swamp dwellers with promises to return if we found a solution to the broader problem disturbing the peace of the swamp. “I tried to pin the location so we can come back if we need to,” Dre said as we made our way back through the thickening darkness.

“That was smart thinking,” I replied as I tried to lighten my footsteps. This trip had taught me the swamp was a living entity with a unique heartbeat that reverberated through the dense, muggy air.

"The energy here is suffocating," Dani muttered. “Or maybe it’s just the heat and humidity.”

Phi was scanning the shadowy underbrush when she shorted. “It’s both. The combination is uncomfortable.” She turned her attention to me. “Dea, do you sense any spirits out here? It reminds me of the times we’ve encountered powerful ghosts. We can't afford to be caught off guard.”

The ground became spongier under our boots. Each ofour steps left deep impressions in the mud. The usual chorus of wildlife was muted as if the animals were wary of the discord permeating their habitat. “There aren’t any close to us. I bet this power is keeping them away too,” I replied as I flicked the mud from my boot.

Kota gripped the handle of her blade and chuckled softly. Her voice carried a touch of her usual humor despite the grim setting. “At least the spirits aren’t talking. It’s the mouthy ones we've got to worry about.”

Dre grabbed her phone and opened the camera app. She started capturing images of our surroundings. “These photos might help us later, to see if there's anything we missed with the naked eye. I just wish it could record magical anomalies. Then we would know precisely where the problems were centered.”

I nodded, appreciating her foresight. “Good idea, Dre. You might even be able to get images of some spirits before they fully manifest. I can’t shake the feeling something is blocking them.”

As we reached a particularly dense part of the swamp, the atmosphere became charged with an electric tension I usually associated with ghosts. I stopped, closing my eyes to better sense the spiritual currents. When I felt a presence beside me, I opened my eyes to see my sister, Lia.

Lia was in a defensive position while watching our surroundings. “What do you feel, Dea? Is this the center of the disturbance? If so, we should look around for the source of it. There has to be something causing all of this.”

I pointed towards a grove of gnarled trees. Their branches were twisted grotesquely as if in pain. “Over there. The spirits are most turbulent around that area. It feels like a wound on the land that is festering and unhealed.”

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