YCH from the talented  jinwolfwhite!

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Arix hacked away at the mass of vines with reckless abandon, and finally they fell away. The first few times he had come across the tanglemounds, he had sliced them down in a few strokes, with the precision of an owl diving for a fieldmouse. A dozen tanglemounds later, he had long since lost the patience to line up the perfect cuts, and instead smashed at them with all the grace of a bull at a glass gate. He flicked the remnants of the vine from his sword and cursed his lack of foresight. He should have brought an axe. That would have made much shorter work of these obstructions. And the dozens more that doubtlessly waited for them further down the path.
"Is it at least nearby?" he moaned as Lunella waded by him.
"Stop being a child," she responded. "It's not that bad."

Arix stifled an annoyed growl. Of course she would think so. Elves never seemed to be bothered by the elements of nature. To her, the fetid swamp air was probably as pleasant as a pine grove, the thick mud more comforting than cloying.
"Then why did you even need me?" he asked. "It's going to cost a fortune to get my greaves de-rusted, and it stinks worse than a troll's—gah!" He jumped as a curtain of hanging moss fell over his face. Losing his footing, he landed on his rump in the shallows, sending a splash of rancid swamp water over his chest and muzzle. The elf sighed as she waded by him, cutting a wake through the water as though it was thin air.
"We know nothing about the mudge," she said. "How large it is, how dangerous it is, how aggressive. You're here just in case I need...you know, bait." She stopped and smiled - at least, what probably passed for a smile among elves - and extended a hand to him. He took it and stood, shaking the muck from his wings.

Then there was a tremendous splashing sound, a glob of muck crashed into Lunella's back, and her eyes widened as she was pushed forward into Arix's arms. He stepped back and caught her, holding her steady in one arm while drawing his sword up with the other. He peered through the haze, searching for the source of the attack. The sound of something dropping into the water came from somewhere in front of him, but he could see nothing through the mist beyond the tiny motes of foxfire in the distance.
"Stay close to me," he said, holding his sword close.
"No, no, this is good!" Lunella steadied herself and pulled free from Arix's supportive grip. He looked at her, brow furrowed and snout wrinkled. Of course she would think being sprayed by some sort of swamp muck was a good thing. "This is how the mudge hunts, this means it must be nearby!" She sniffed at the back of her hand and cringed. "Oof, this stuff smells worse than a troll's—"
"Hang on. You're being hunted by some swamp monster that no one has ever seen, and that's a good thing?"
"Oh, no, it's not the mudge that will come after us." She futilely wiped her hand against her sleeve. "This stuff attracts other swamp creatures. The mudge just gets the leftovers."

Arix looked up and noticed the foxfire again. Two little balls of glowing blue. Another pair beside them. Two more a little behind. Only now did he see the faint outline of some shambling creatures through the swamp's haze. So the lights were not mere foxfire after all. He stayed close by Lunella's side and raised his sword.

He'd certain be earning his reward today.