It was to be expected of course, that a place rumored to be home to all kinds of monsters, like blood drinking ghosts and zombies, walking corpses of those loved and lost, would be on Lace's 'places to visit' list. What was life without a little excitement? Granted, the most recent adventure had ended up with him and Fajira swallowed into the heart of the world and faced with a fire gremlin. It was absurd to the point where he had to question his own sanity - but somehow it also left a taste for more. More exciting events, more situations where the heart beat faster and adrenaline blocked out all thought besides the ones that were important. While it was kind of nice to be a part of the family in the Edge, life there was peaceful on the verge of dullness, so much that he even had time to mull over things like magic and religion. It left a bad taste in the mouth, and was the main reason for this somewhat reckless decision to head for the - according to rumors - haunted Marsh.

It was a strange place, alright. Waterlogged trees dripping with moisture, some sporting icicles where the wind managed to penetrate enough to lower the temperature. Not unlike the Edge, this place lay so close to the coast that the sea eased the climate, staving off the worst of the cold and often delivering frigid rains rather than snow. The ground was full of rotting logs, deep moss and soggy earth that splashed high onto the legs for each step, so much that the black stockings and dark barring of the legs soon was all but memory.

"This is not a place I'd choose for a date" he grimaced and slipped away from a particularly nasty looking patch of earth, where the surface looked silken and smooth but most likely contained a mixture of water and mud that would suck him in and probably drown him if he was careless enough to step into it.
Fajira trilled in agreement from her favorite place his back, too lazy (prudent) to engage the slippery lichen that hung from virtually every branch in the forest.
It was your idea to come here she remarked dryly through the bond.
"Yeah, don't remind me. It was one of the worst decisions since coming here." He snorted and made another grimace as a rock slipped away from under his feet, splashing stinky mud up against the face where it landed.

Despite the complaints though, a slight smile seemed glued to the maw as the stallion continued forward, slowly searching his way toward the center of the bog. He'd heard that there was something special about that place, but none he had spoken to had been able, or willing, to describe it in more detail.
"I wonder if there really are ghosts" he mused, the lips finally splitting into a rather boyish grin of excitement. It only grew wider as the dragon sighed, a trilling sound that was virtually a rolling of the eyes.

"Hm?" The stallion halted and turned the head at the sound of the voice, so caught up in the process of moving forward that he hadn't noticed the presence of another. The sight of the painted mare brought a wide smile to his lips though, and without caring about the splashing mud he splashed over towards her.

"If it isn't Tor! Ha, I knew it something good was bound to happen if I went this way." A cheerful laugh escaped his maw as he reached out to nudge her nose in a friendly greeting; whether he had forgotten about the awkward last meeting or simply chose to ignore it was hard to tell.

The dragon on the back of the stallion didn't appear quite as thrilled, but she made no attempt at chasing the mare off. She was greeted with a somewhat short trill, an acknowledgment of her presence and little more. In Fajira's eyes, Tor had messed up. It would take more than talk to bring her back in the good book of the companion, even though she was white and Lace seemed to enjoy her company.

Ignoring the biased feelings of his soul mate the grullo kept smiling toward the healer, rather curious about what would bring her this deep into a place that was admittedly rather unsettling. "I didn't expect to run into you here of all places" he commented, remembering without saying anything the retreating backside of the very same mare, when confronted with a pack of predators. Even with all the goodwill in the world he couldn't call her brave, so why on earth was she visiting a place like this?

"Feeling adventurous, perhaps?" Perhaps she could be persuaded into coming along on his little quest. This time he would make sure not to expect anything from her - hopefully though, she could be convinced to stick around to patch them up if something came along.

The grin turned a wee bit sheepish as she mentioned his new title. For some reason he always forgot to mention it to those he met, unless they specifically asked for herd affiliations. Sometimes it was better to seem like the rover he had always been - made outcasts relax, and offered a world of information that sometimes remained hidden to those who led comfortable and cozy lives in safety behind borders.

When the mare explained her reasons, he allowed the smile to fade slightly, though still maintained the lighthearted facade as he nodded at the mention of undead. Was it improper to hope that some might actually appear? If so it didn't bother him, and the offer to join her was exactly what he had hoped for.
"You read my mind" he admitted and began to turn, the legs so sunken into the wet ground that they only parted from the earth with difficulty. A smacking sound could be heard as the stallion stepped away, carefully avoiding the deep craters he had made while standing still. "I was hoping to have your company, if only for a little while. It's always more interesting to have company when you're on adventures." Not that he ever was alone, with Fajira as a constant companion. But somehow it wasn't the same. The dragon was more like an extension of himself, and she wasn't always thrilled when forced to come along on his explorations. Change was always welcome, especially if it meant spending some time with Tor.

"Are you heading somewhere in particular?" he asked, making sure to move around a bit more so that he wouldn't get stuck again. The shifting made him seem restless, hooves never resting in one place for very long. "It's my first time coming to these parts, so I only know what rumors have told me. Which, honestly, isn't much. People were oddly reluctant when I asked about this place..." It was probably that very reluctance that had triggered his desire to see the marsh for himself. Sometimes curiosity was like a disease, leading you on from one odd situation to another.

Lace nodded with a smile and turned, carefully following after the painted healer. The ground was treacherous, roots plentiful and holes hidden beneath muddy brown water, deep enough to let you sink to the knee - or break a leg, if he weren't careful. Sure he had a healer with him if that happened, but if it could be avoided the stallion would rather prefer to never experience that kind of pain again.

The thought of Tor made him remember something else though, and after picking up the pace enough to bring him up next to the mare he opened the mouth, voice casual and calm as if they were walking across a sunlit field rather than through a potentially haunted marshland.

"Say Tor.. Do you think there's a chance you could show me some basic first aid tricks? I came across this pegasus a while ago that had fallen and broken a wing, and I've probably never felt so useless in my life. I mean, I've been injured before, lived as a merc and all, but I never payed much attention to what the healers gave us back then. As long as it stopped the blood it was good enough."

The topic was casual, as was their stride. He noticed her obvious unease, but didn't pay much heed to the sensation of something crawling down the spine. If something ended up being there, so what? As long as it didn't attack them it was just fine, and besides. Fajira was a perfect lookout, perched on her back and scouring the area behind them as they walked. She'd alert them to anything unusual...

Then a horrific, bloodcurdling scream tore through the quiet. It was so sudden and panicked that instincts kicked in with the stallion, making him start and leap to the side to get more room to move on; Fajira tossed herself into the air, exalted cry ringing out to answer whoever it was that called. Lace exchanged a glance with Tor, excited and wary at the same time - should they go?
But as the second scream broke the silence he felt he couldn't wait anymore. It wasn't the sort of scream that allowed you much time, and whoever called must be terribly young. It was the voice of a foal, a foal that was injured, hurting, frightened and...

He took off before the painted draft had time to say anything, sloshing and careening through the forest with Fajira by the shoulder, in the general direction of the voice. He didn't pause to consider the fact that it somehow knew their names, even though he weren't acquainted with a great many kids. And how would someone who was here before him know that he could listen?

Questions that would haunt him later, but for now only set the hairs on the back on edge, without really knowing why.