After a few tortured moments she rose shakily to her feet, the back of a hand wiping across her mouth then held beneath her nose. It made little difference to her finely tuned senses, but it gave her some mental strength as she squared her shoulders and continued into the woods, grateful that she'd not chosen her wolf form to track them in just yet. The smell would have been unbearable. Solus's scent began to drift towards her as she moved onwards. Her father's body no longer lay amongst the trees... she didn't wait to find out what had happened to it, she'd just have to hope that Dynae had retrieved it as the alternative was too much to consider.
The hours tracked by quickly as she hurried through the woodland on Solus's trail. The smell of drow constantly accompanied it, confirming her fears that he'd gone after them. Her poor, unthinking little brother. At 18 years of age his physical build was impressive, a huge golden male wolf or a tall, heavily muscled blond man... yet emotionally he was little more than a child. The thought of him trying to tackle the drow alone made her blood run cold and her pace a little faster. She didn't tire as she trotted quickly through the undergrowth, bare feet placed skilfully with each step. She was swift and surefooted, but she had no idea how much of a lead the drow had, or how close Solus was. How long had she been unconscious?
On she ran.... minutes becoming hours... hours that flew past until the sun rose, lighting her way. She picked up the pace, still running doggedly along the scent trail, nostrils constantly flaring into the breeze. The sun climbed in the sky and still there was no sign of them, but the scent trail remained, still fairly fresh. She'd need to move faster to catch up with them. Slowly she began to remove her clothes and straps and belts, packing them into her bag and slinging it around her waist before she fell onto all fours with a low howl, still running through the shift back into her natural form. She had matured into an enormous golden wolf, her massive head bigger than almost any crinos wolf and her jaws immensely strong. Her limbs were long and powerful and suddenly she was whipping through the trees at a much greater speed.
Trees and groves and clearings passed by unheeded, her muzzle held low as she tracked the scent. It was getting stronger now. Hope began to swell inside her, giving her new energy as the sun began to set again. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the retreating light and her pace dropped just slightly. Massive paws thudded rhythmically against the soft earth as she bounded onwards. The moon rose and fell once more and she began to realise her pace was slower.. much slower. She needed to stop... rest... drink. But she knew that the second she stopped running all was lost, she'd lose them. Nose to the ground she snuffled at the scent. It seemed weaker. What? No! She dug deep for the energy to give another burst of speed, but there was nothing. Still the scent grew weaker.
As the dawn broke Graea burst out of the woods into a large clearing, a meadow of pale yellow flowers swaying gently in the breeze, heads beginning to turn to the rising sun to greet the day. The huge golden wolf moved, panicked, in a circle, nose to the ground. Sniffing this way and that. No! It was too faint... which way? Which way?! She darted around the clearing. The scent was faint but now it was everywhere, scattered amongst the plants by the breeze. "Solus!" She threw her head back and howled his name long and loud, melancholy drawing the tones of her cry out over the wind. Over and over again she howled his name, barely waiting for a reply. But there was none. Finally, exhausted, sore and hoarse, the golden wolf collapsed in the clearing.
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