Standing at the water pools, Morgan waited alone, peering around for any familiar presences. He was looking for Vigenere, ready to begin their personal journey to the Ascendants and possibly Snowbound. The samoyed carried with him two large pouches which hung off either side of his back under his icy armor. The one on his left contained plenty of food, clean water, and herbs to help sustain them over the trip, as well as one book for reading practice. The one on his right contained some gifts for the two groups: a pair of spare masks he found after the Mask Vigil, some toxic swamp water, bundles of local herbs, and a pair of random books taken from the library.

The cream dog stepped into the shade, dipping his tail into the cold water for a moment to cool it off. He idly thought of the adventure to come; he could only hope that they would find Atbash safe and sound. He hummed briefly as he continued to search around for the yellow Firebrand.

[member=601]VIGENERE CIPHER.[/member]

Morgan smiled as he saw the yellow feline approaching. "I'm ready, yes." He pulled his tail out of the water and began to walk toward the wilderness. "Yes, we will need these. Now, let's go. Stay behind me, Vigenere."

...

As the pair neared the swamp, the samoyed stopped and looked around. "Vigenere, let me check for gators." He sensed the presences of many alligators, though most of them were minding their own business in the water. He sat down and let his pouches slide onto the ground in front of the Firebrand, turning toward him next. "I'm going to make a path. Stay safe." He stepped forward, beginning to form a bridge of ice through the swamp.

However, his meddling was not to last. As he walked across the ice, he heard a loud splash to his right before being pulled hard into the dirty water below. An alligator tore through some of his armor, damaging its teeth with the hard ice but also leaving the dog's side exposed. Moments later, another alligator emerged from the water, heading straight toward the lone Vigenere.

Deep under the surface of the swamp, Morgan could only hear the most distorted form of Vigenere's voice. The alligator snapped at his mask, tearing off part of the top half. Blood entered the water, though thankfully it was just the alligator's at first. The samoyed held back a gasp as he felt water filling his mask, ruining his visibility even more. Another two alligators, attracted to the scent of their neighbor's blood, approached next. The samoyed had to act quick; he curled up and let out all of his breath at once.

The swamp grew redder, its normally green tone turning into an unnatural, mixed brown. Two alligators rose to the surface, unmoving and full of large gouges throughout their bodies. An armorless Morgan blasted out onto the surface with a wave of bloody water, gasping and wheezing for air. His fur was soaked in red, which he hardly had a second to shake off before the final alligator crawled out of the water after him. With a huge gash in its leg, it was limping, but its jaws were still as dangerous as ever.

The samoyed pulled the water around him out into a new set of armor, hobbling toward Vigenere. He took a quick gasp to pull more water from the swamp, using it to form some matching armor around the yellow feline. The dog finally took the horn from his mask, reforming it into a makeshift sword and floating its handle over to his companion. "Vigenere..." He still needed to regain his breath to properly fight the two remaining alligators. Taking in air between each word, he continued, "Right now, I trust you. With my life..."

Morgan had to let himself lie down to keep catching his breath. The little tap of Vigenere's nose made the samoyed feel a strange fire light up inside; he had to work harder than ever to recover and protect his comrade. The stalling was working, and the dog growled between panting breaths to ward off their foes.

He smelled blood next. His eyes widened as he considered the possibility that it was Vigenere's. Regaining himself, he got back up, hoping he was ready enough to return to the action. Whipping around to face the alligator attacking Vigenere, Morgan roared and converted all of his armor and mask into one great spike. The spear flew clean through the alligator's torso, tearing a hole through it and leaving its entrails on the ground on either side. The spear made a loud blunt sound as it stuck itself in a nearby tree.

Collapsing on the ground for a moment, the samoyed focused his breathing and formed various spikes against the edges of the swamp. He hoped to prevent more attacks to allow for some time to heal. "Vigenere?" he inquired, standing up again once he was ready. He floated the armor off of the yellow feline, throwing it off to the side as he stepped toward the supplies. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? We've got medical supplies here." He pulled out his sack of herbs, picking some out to numb any pain the cat may have accumulated during the fight. He thanked himself for having gone to Nayru's lesson back in town; he may not have been able to help Vigenere without it if he got hurt. "Once we're out of territory, I'll make a warm bath for us." He smiled, turning away to head toward his icy bridge. "I've made a little mixture to put on any of your wounds. I'll make a path again, but more carefully this time." Indeed, he crept onto the bridge and formed it silently, creating spikes under the water that would keep them from being attacked further.

"Vigenere, I'll be fine too. I was just surprised. I'll rest when we get out of here. Just focus on your own injuries right now." In truth, Morgan got out without a scratch; however, his usual supply of water was mostly gone, leaving only that which was in his bracers to work with. On top of that, he was indeed quite tired by the situation at large, having to use his powers so intensely for so long.

The samoyed returned to the bridge to form it, nearing the end before long. He returned to the yellow cat, his breathing relatively heavy. "Come on," he whispered, picking up the pouches again. "It's time to leave this place and find your sister."

...

Finally reaching the outside of Tanglewood's territory, the pair approached the a field of flowers at the forest's end. "What a beautiful place," the cream dog cooed, looking back at Vigenere. "It was worth the wait, wasn't it? There's a nice little lake here, too..." A large, cool pond lied conveniently in the middle of the bright field.

Morgan dipped his paw in to test out the still water, finding it just a little bit cool. He heated the water until a mild steam rose from it, dropping his pouches and finally hopping in. Sitting up in the shallow pool, he smiled and asked, "Do you want to join me, Vigenere? The water's warm, just like I promised. We can rest and clean ourselves here; we've been quick on the road so far." After speaking, he began to bob his head under the surface a few times to clean the grime off of his face.