Though the sun had long since set over the land, that didn't really matter much, not at all. The cloud cover made sure that all the colors of the sunset went unseen. As the sun had sunk under the horizon, the trees growing over a certain part of the land all but blocked out what little light there was left. They were odd things, these trees that blocked out the light. They were drooped, depressed shapes, sagging under the weight of sludge-like plant parasites and fungi. Organisms one usually never laid eyes upon, unless they were mad, or unwitting enough, to travel into the swamp lands.

The surrounding forests seemed to change gradually, becoming darker, and thicker. Until, soon enough, the ground underfoot wasn't even solid, really, if it was ground at all. It was a truly dismal place to the untrained eye, and difficult to traverse if one wasn't aware of the few paths that snaked throughout. As if the seemingly perpetual dusky atmosphere was not bad enough, the place was abuzz with a menacing hum of life. The air thrummed softly with a myriad of flying insects and an assortment of little animals slithering and crawling through the muck. Some, however, were not so small....

Piercing orange 'eyes' watched the area before him, unblinking, glowing fiercely. Kaboos drifted through the forest, haunting the few safe paths through his dark home, always watching. He was the biggest creature, that he knew of, who lived in his particular area of the swamp. It had become a habit to watch the paths, to watch for any travelers who came through. Sometimes they were human, and he left those alone usually, withdrawing into the thicker, murkier places. But sometimes they were Dreichda, other dragons who he could actually communicate with. That's what he was interested in.

But, no one had come through lately. Not in a very, very long time. This did not bother Kaboos terribly, and for a time he had not even bothered to go near the little unkempt roads. But today felt different, and a sense of boredom had drawn him out of the murk. He traveled slow, and low, the lower half of his body submerged so that his 'wings' lay in a blue blanket over the water. It was easier to watch this way, easier to remain concealed from anyone who happened to be walking along the paths. He continued along slowly, silently, listening for the sounds he so rarely heard these days, the sounds of a traveler, footsteps, voices. Anything.