The heat of the bayou was invasive and choking when mixed with the curling mist from the water. The air smelled of rotten, stagnant plants long drowned, which drifted like shed hair past our fetlocks. Bugs blared low, aggressive rhythms, surrounding us with territorial cries. In the distance, torches from other search parties burned weakly like candle flames, swallowed by the enormous blackness of the forest.