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Nita, on the other hand, had barely been anywhere near the jungle in weeks. Annie was an ever-present threat and learning about Jamal had only provided yet another reason to avoid the wild outdoors. But she missed the trees, the peacefulness of reading a book while perched on a wide branch.

She walked alone along the riverbank, just where the water branched off from the lake to form one of the many rivers criss-crossing the island. Comet had been left back at her duplex, resting after her dinner, but Nita was energized and ready to go out after an afternoon spent resting.

Although it wasn't the peculiar white noise/clamor of the jungle, the riverbank was calming. Nita couldn't take the walls of her duplex, echoing as they did with memories: loving Lauren, fighting with Lauren, being with Gaius... The girl sighed and shook her head. This was a chance to get away from all of that, even if just for a little while.

Nita practically jumped out of her skin at the noise. She froze, only her eyes moving in the semi-darkness, searching for its origin. Finally spotting the muddy frog-man, Nita let herself breathe again. An islander, and a frog. Nothing that should try to eat her. A wisp of memory tugged at her mind.

"Newt?" she asked, her voice hardly more than a whisper. Nita padded forward a few feet and knelt down, careful to avoid the mud. "Newt, is that you?"

Nita frowned; something was definitely wrong. "Newt, are you okay? Um. It's me, Nita." Her eyes flicked over the froggish man, taking in the bulbous eyes, wide cheeks, and generally bedraggled state. It had been months since she'd seen him, other than in passing, and he'd changed. Not just physically, but... mentally. He didn't seem to be 'all there.'

With a worried expression still on her face, Nita settled back on her heels. The semi-retractable claws on her toes dug lightly into the earth, helping her stay balanced.

"Good, so you remember me?" she asked softly. Newt seemed frightened of her, as he had been when they'd first met. He had been in uniform, cleaning, and new to the village. And Nita had frightened him. It always perplexed her when people were scared of her. She had been so small and unassuming as a human, and red pandas were hardly fearsome predators.

Nita herself knew the uncomfortable feeling that someone around her was liable to eat her but the fear wasn't nearly as debilitating. Only when caught unawares or surprised would she freeze and need to decide whether or not to flee.

"I'm not going to hurt you," said Nita, speaking slowly and clearly. "Okay? Can you come out of the water?" It was like trying to coax a shy toddler... or reassure a wild animal. How awful.

"Good," murmured Nita. She gave Newt her approximation of a smile, which mostly involved her cheek-fur puffing out. Nita shuffled backwards, leaving Newt plenty of room to maneuver. She kept her movements slow and as non-threatening as possible.

"Have you been living out here?" she asked, glancing at his trunks. She wondered if he would even know if she asked how long. "Do you get enough to eat?"

Nita resisted the urge to make a face. Well, at least all of those seemed to be in abundance. So he was alright... physically. It was hard to tell if Newt was just having a hard time talking, or if his understanding was limited as well. She didn't want to baby him, but if Newt was having trouble otherwise...

The red panda girl nodded absently. She almost put her hand out, as if Newt were Comet. "Do you like it in the swamp?" Had he left the village voluntarily?