The drought had caused almost every small plant to wither and dry. Only the deep rooted trees maintained their green leaf in the withering sun. It soon became apparent to Willow that she wasn’t going to find the herbs she needed just walking casually along the dry and dusty road. However, her sensitive nose detected the earthy and slightly rotten smell of swamp nearby. She left the road and made her way carefully through the woods until she came to the wetland. The swamp had also suffered under the drought, leaving dry and cracked mud which smelled of rot and decay. She picked her way carefully though the wetlands, trying to stay on the tussocks of grass and bushes to avoid stepping in the muck. Sharp swamp grass cut her ankles and sliced at her hands, and brambles tangled in her ha
