The Druids' Mire Crossing (Chapter 2: Neried Crosses the Mire)

[Black Clay Lord]

Chapter 2 of The Druids' Mire Crossing.
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Masika sat next to a tree on Marais' side of thick mud that separated the Feral Druidess from her sisters. Tensions were so thick, one could cut it with a blade. Neried was next in line. Her heart felt heavy. It beat with enough force to feel like it would burst from her chest. But in no way was Neried going to back down. She accepted the challenge like her sisters had, and by golly, she had a wish, and she was damn sure not going to pass up on having it granted.

Neried stepped up to the mire soon after, staring at the thick peanut butteresque mud for a moment, before glancing up at Marais; hands behind her back and smirking. "Tell me, Neried Socrates," Marais says. "Are you brimming with confidence to make it across? Or do you fear you'll slip under my mire?" Neried beat her chest. "I fear nothing of that sort!" She proudly proclaimed. Marais smiled. "Then let's see it." She says. "I await you over here."

Neried took some breaths in, and after taking a moment to settle her nerves, Neried stepped forward, descending the dip of solid land that lead into the mud, and crept through the thick mud ever so slowly. To Neried, it was like nothing she had felt before. She had sunk in many a thick quicksand pit on a scale almost like this, but almost never on this level before. But, her feet lead the way. Neried tread the mud slowly & lightly as she moved further ahead.

Soon, she was far away from Muiel, Calder, and Charybdis. There could be no turning back for Neried now. She tread the mire as lightly as she could. But, the mire soon sucked her feet down into its thick mass. But Neried did not give into the mire's grasp. Instead, she just kept on moving forward. Neried's movements remained at a slow pace, allowing the mire to work with her as she trudged through the thick mud, despite the fact that was also sinking.

Marais stood where she was, watching as Neried made her way across her mire. Masika had not disappointed her, and so far, Neried was proving herself to be just as capable in crossing the mire. Neried thought about transforming into an animal to help her cross the mire. But, she chose not to do so. She wanted to cross unaided in any sort of way. Marais was able to sense this. "I see you do not intend to transform." She says. Neried shook her head.

"I want to do this without aid." She answers. "Commendable," Marais said, before smirking. "But that will just make things hard on you." Yet Neried didn't care. She welcomed the challenge. As she moved to the 1/4 mark, Neried was already up to her knees in the thick mud. But Neried did not stop. Oh, sure. She did stop to catch her breath for a moment or two, but needless to say that she just kept on going. Neried's progress only got better as a result.

Slowly but surely, Neried's legs carried her through Marais' mire despite how thick the mud it was made up of was. And already, she got to the halfway point without allowing the mud to touch her hips & butt early; a departure from what Masika went through. Inevitably though, that would change. Neried knew that she could not delay such a meeting forever. The mire sucked on her thighs slowly, making it progressively harder for Neried to get across.

Neried knew it was getting harder, but she was not about to stop and let herself sink. She kept her legs in motion as best she could. Steadily, she made it past the halfway mark, but she was not out of it yet. As she trudged, her legs had finally been completely swallowed. Now her hips & butt rest on the mud's surface. Neried however, still did not give up. Her only option was to claw at the mud and pull herself forward, and she did exactly this without hesitation.

Slowly, Neried pulled herself forward, one arm at a time no less. Marais kept a very close eye on Neried's progress, apparently delighted that Neried was not quitting in any way. But as Neried pulled forward, there was one sight that Marais did not allow to escape. Neried was blushing deep. "This feels kind o' good..." Neried said, with a blissful sigh. "It does..." Marais says, smirking with her arms crossed, even as Neried keeps pulling forward.

Then, Neried sank down to her breasts. However, she was not too far away from being in arm's reach of where Marais stands. But at this point, Neried had a choice to make: To wrest herself from the mud, or let herself go under. Every part of Neried's being was telling her to just give up here & let herself go under. But, tempting as that may be... Neried shook her head and reached forward, stretching as far as she could towards the waiting stretch of solid earth.

As her breasts were slowly claimed by the mire, Neried pulled herself to the ground. But her stamina was running low at this point. "C'mon... Almost... There..." She groaned. It was a lot of effort put into resisting the allure of Marais' mire, but... Neried arose, just as she had touched her chin in the mire; pulling herself out of the clutches of the mire, and onto the solid earth itself. Neried sprawled onto her back. "Well, that makes two of you." Marais remarks.

Neried smiled. She had done the deed she promised herself she would. Muiel glanced at the marsh, and to Marais herself. She was now next in line, and if she could get across herself, it would only then take Calder to get their shared wish. But will Muiel succeed?

TO BE CONTINUED

Neried, Masika, Muiel, Calder, Charybdis: Me

Marais Marecage: FimbulwinterFrost