A Blood-Like Rain

— Kaden —

I began to panic.

We were heading to battle, but I smelled my mate. I smelled my mate!

I tried to track the direction the smell came from but it was so faint I could hardly notice it. I moved in circles half in a daze. I found a line, a line she must have been traveling, but I couldn’t tell which way she came from and which way she was going. And I tried to sniff both ways to see which seemed the strongest, the freshest.

Sam noticed my change in behaviour and got closer. When I noticed him, I raised my hand to make him stop. I was afraid his sheer presence would make me lose her scent.

It wasn’t completely irrational either as my own scent on her tracks was enough to nearly destroy what little clue I had.

I went in further.

I followed one side of the track all the way to a small stream, then I lost her. I checked all over, on the other side, everywhere. The track ended here. My best guess was she walked in the stream for a while, the water masking her scent.

I didn’t realize I had bolted in that direction, until I heard Sam running to catch up.

We were far now. The noise of my men, faint in the distance.

“What is it?” asked Sam worried.

“I found her,” I said in desperation. “I lost her.”

“Who?” he asked confused.

“My bloody mate.”

“Fuck! Now?”

“Yeah.”

“This is not a good time for this.”

“I know,” I growled in frustration.

I walked for a while, following the stream. I still couldn’t pick up her scent, so I stop.

“What now?” asked Sam.

“I go the other way,” I said.

I went back on my track. It was easier to go by the scent I just left than try and pick hers again. I went at a dead run, Sam could barely keep up.

When I reached the clearing again I slowed down.

you doing?”

where I

the air with my finger, going from where we just came from to the opposite side. “This is her track. I don’t know what direction she went from but I know this side leads nowhere.” I pointed at where we went. “Which means this is

Sam looked back at the direction of our

timing in the world, but if I don’t give this

know,” he said.

I said. “I just need to know if this leads somewhere.”

is still time until nightfall,” he said looking at the

was time, but not that

Just in case

said. “You’re going on your own?” It just dawned

tight here,” I

moves alone. That’s your

direction I had to go.

a trap?”

hesitated. I shook my head. “I don’t know, but

make sense.”

“I know,” I said in frustration.

like he was about to argue.

said go,” I insisted.

wanted to defy me on

waved it at

the smell got a little stronger and my

in the wood. I covered a lot of ground and I was

and my pace, she was probably walking, which explained why I was catching on, the track being a few hours

the mountain, it was hard to believe someone would travel here. A little further, there were some paths that would be far easier to travel. Was she lost, or

word of Sam resonated in my

if this is a

get me away from civilization, from my men, from any resources

I should slow down, think about this, but my feet didn’t seem to connect with my

stream? A river? Had she walked deliberately into the water to erase her tracks? The stream had been small, easy to cross, so why risk getting her feet wet far in the woods, otherwise? Then was she doing the same thing

was not visible anymore, the orange

was running out of time.

eyes, my vision was getting limited in the thick forest.

close, I knew

I suddenly

like an elephant to anyone with heightened senses. I slowed my trek to a walk, silent, undetectable. The wind was coming from

cleared, the wind pick up

richer now, softer, it reminded me of playing in the dead colourful maple leaf on the autumn ground as a child, of the feeling of strawberry juices running on your tongue, of a stormy night of April, of a warm blanket in front of a fire in the dead of winter, of the silkiness of a woman’s skin on

visible at the edge of my