Narrita took lead of the procession into the marsh. There was a foul scent in the air, a rancid mix of rot of waste. Despite the putrid aroma that permeated the area, the Cutthroat leader remained steadfast in her approach. She took slow yet careful steps throughout the murky water that rose halfway beneath her knees. Thick patches of grass grew as high as her hip. The leaves of the foliage were coarse, scratching against the bare skin of her thighs and arms. Despite how difficult the journey was, she remained determined.

Horace stayed close behind her, maintaining a consistent pace. Slung over his back was a large sack, bulging from the objects that filled it. He swatted his free hand against his body every so often, trying to shoo away the various insects that landed across his exposed skin. His flesh had turned red and was overcome with bumps and cuts. He groaned, scratching his neck at a large bug bite. "You think we're almost there, Narrita?" he asked. 

"You asked me this ten minutes ago," Narrita said. She spread her arms apart to maintain her balance as the water became deeper. "When we get there, I'll tell you."

"You sure we goin’ the right way?"

"Nope. It's been a while so I'm going off of memory. But I'm starting to recognize the trees up ahead." Narrita pointed across a small body of water. "Remember? That shack was hidden away underneath a bunch of trees."

"Oh yeah. It's starting to come back to me." 

"Narrita," the third Cutthroat said with the last bit of air in his lungs. He stopped moving, hunching over so his hands rested on knees. Strapped to his back was the very bag that held Pierce's body. "I don't know... if I can continue."

The woman turned around. Her skin was red and coated in leaves and dirt. She looked at her fellow bandit with tired eyes. "You can't make the short distance over the last bit of water?" 

The Cutthroat grunted, brushing away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead. "If I didn't have to carry the body around... maybe." 

"Fine." Narrita walked over and placed her hand the strap fastened to his right shoulder. "Hand him over. I'll carry Pierce the remaining distance." 

"But boss..." he replied. "Are you sure about that? It's heavier than it looks!"

"If you're not going to be able to do it, I'll have to. Horace has his own burden to carry. I can make it the remainder of the way."

Startled, the bandit slipped his arms out of the straps attached to the bag and handed it to Narrita. She put her arms through leather straps and propped the body against her back. She wobbled a bit from the sudden shift in weight. Horace and the other bandit took hold of her hands to prevent her from tipping over. "See?" Narrita said. "I can carry Pierce for final stretch." She grunted as she hunched forward. Her hands held onto the straps tight. 

"If this is the last stretch," Horace said. "I'm just hopin' that your hunch is right. And I'm not talkin' about your posture right now."

"I appreciate your sense of humor at a time like this," Narrita said coldly. "Let's just continue so we can get out of this marsh as soon as possible. The more we talk, the longer it'll take."

"You lead the way," Horace replied. 

Narrita hobbled forward, her steps becoming slower the further she went into the water. A few steps later, the water reached up to her knees. The bottom of the bag holding Pierce's body trailed against the water, staining the bottom end of the bag a dark brown. Narrita winced, gritting her teeth as she struggled to wade through the water. 

"If you need help, just let me know."

"I can handle it, Horace!" 

The wade through the remainder of the marsh was in silence save for the incessant buzzing of mosquitoes and other hungry insects. Half an hour seemed to stretch on for eternity with the objective of the cypress trees in the distance seemingly unobtainable. The sun reached its zenith, pounding heat down on the bandits. 

"Never thought I'd be happy to see some mud and old trees," Horace said as the approached the end of the water. The ground beneath them became firmer and the water level lower. Narrita left the marsh water first, waddling underneath the shade of a dense cypress tree before collapsing to her knees. She slid the body off and propped it up against a trunk before pressing her hands against her weary back. 

"I never should have suggested carrying Pierce," Narrita bemoaned as she ran her fingers across the length of the spine. "That's the very reason I asked you to come along!" 

The low-ranking Cutthroat moved out of the water as fast as he could and picked the body bag up off the trunk. "You said you wanted to do it! I was just following orders!"

"Yeah, well. Don't follow another order like that again." 

The man placed bag on his back again. "My arms are all rested now. I can carry him the rest of the way."

"Good. I've got the important job of finding this place. I need all of my focus so that we don't get lost." Narrita stood up and brushed the dirt that caked on her knees. She took in a deep breath, her face puckering from the sudden rush of nastiness. "Augh! I-I've got a feeling we're almost there." 

"I hope so," Horace replied. "Don't know if I can make it through any more water as deep as that."

"No, I don't think we'll have to. There was a very specific tree I remember coming across."

"Give us an idea of what it looks like to so we can know what to keep an eye for!" the man carrying Pierce called out. 

"It's hard to describe. It looked... dead. But still alive." Narrita squinted as she scrutinized the nearby trees. "Like it had been chopped down but started growing again. The bottom of the trunk was wider than the upper part. The branches were small and withered but still had a healthy number of leaves. And the colors of the wood... It was both a vibrant brown but covered in black, withered spots."

"Sounds like it would stand out," Horace said as he also looked around for the plant in question. 

"It did. That's why I kept moving on when we first passed through here. Remember? There were more trees like that once we reached the shack!"

Horace shrugged his shoulders. "Not gonna lie to ya', my mind was on the loot. Didn’t think to take in the surroundings."

"Fair enough." Narrita walked slowly, her eyes carefully scanning her surroundings. The group formed a single file line, with Narrita leading them as they navigated the marsh. The trees became more abundant, slowing their progress as they ventured forward. 

"Think you'll be able to lead us back?" the Cutthroat in the rear called out with some nervousness. 

"One step at a time!" Narrita blurted back. "Let's worry about getting home once we finally find what we came here for!" She turned straight ahead, picking up the pace. Narrita stopped looking at each individual tree and instead looked for any inconsistencies among the lush plant life. Among the usual buzzing of insects, there was the soft chirping of birds in the distance. A faint rustle close by overcame the other ambient noises. 

"There's nothing in this marsh that can... hurt us... right?" the Cutthroat carrying Pierce’s body muttered. 

"Not that I can recall," Narrita said. 

"We didn't bring our weapons," Horace added. "Had to leave those behind to bring all of this other stuff."

"I got a dagger with me. We should be fine." Narrita turned around. "Now can you two stop talking so much? I can't focus when I'm getting asked a question every two minutes!"

As she faced the two men, both opened their eyes wide and looked down at the ground beside her. With open lips, they pointed towards the ground by Narrita's feet.

"What are you fellas pointing at? Something on my shoes?" Her head then looked straight down. "We've been walking through nothing but mud for the past few hours. Of course there's going to be something on my—" As her eyes met the ground, Narrita paused her statement.

By her boot was a small rabbit nudging her with his nose. The animal had crisp white fur, but among the fluff were chunks of missing flesh, exposing its ribs and inner muscles. Half of its right ear was missing with the remainder looking like it was rotting away. Upon being noticed by Narrita, the rabbit lifted its head up and balanced one normal foot and one of bone, looking at her with one normal eye. The other half of its face was missing, revealing a hollow socket. 

"What is that?" Narrita jumped back, falling on her rear. She squirmed back until she bumped into a tree trunk. The rabbit stood up on its hind legs, looking at the terrified woman with curiosity, revealing a crisp pink bowtie attached to its fur. 

"It's an abomination!" Horace said with disgust. He turned his head away, putting a hand over his eye as he tried his best to not look at the animal. 

"I knew coming her was a mistake!" the third man declared. He slowly backed away until Horace grabbed him by the arm.

"Don't run just yet!" Horace said. "You've made a promise!" 

"I'm not running! I just don't want to be near... that!" he shouted as he pointed at the animal. 

The rabbit hopped forward towards Narrita. The Cutthroat leader stood up, pressing her back against the tree, turning her head away from the small creature. "Somebody! Do something!"

"Mister Cuddles!" a gentle voice called out among the trees. The Cutthroats all turned to the sound of the voice. From the emerged a small girl, her skin bordering on white. She wore an elaborate and wide black dress that went down to her knees with a bright pink trim that matched the rabbit's bowtie. From the knees down, she had on black tights and a matching pair of sleek dress shoes. 

The girl went straight to the rabbit, picking the animal up with both hands and pressing it tight against her chest. She smiled as she rubbed her check against the back of the rabbit's fur, her loose brown hair bouncing up and down as she nudged the animal. 

"You look lost," the girl said to Narrita, her big and bright red eyes staring at her. 

Narrita blinked a few times. She staggered forward, putting herself in front of the child. Despite towering over the girl, the child maintained her calm demeanor. 

"Yeah. We are lost," Narrita replied timidly. She leaned forward, letting her hands rest on her knees as she looked into the bright yet emotionless eyes of the girl. “Can you help us out?”

Art Spotlight: Edith Atworth and Mister Cuddles