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

“What are you doing?”

where I was when I found her.

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 my only chance.” I pointed in the other direction.

of our convoy then

worst timing in the world, but if I don’t

he said.

just need to

nodded. “There is still time until nightfall,” he said looking

looked too. There was time, but not that much.

Just in case it

going on your own?” It just dawned on him as I turned

tight here,” I told him.

alone. That’s your own rule.”

in the direction I had to

“What if it’s a trap?” he

hesitated. I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I think I need to do this

don’t make sense.”

said in frustration.

like he was about to argue.

go,” I insisted.

to defy me on this.

it at him behind me. “We keep in touch.” And I disappeared through the

I gained pace as I followed the track. After a while, the smell got a little stronger and

at the highest pace I could maintain in the wood. I covered a lot of ground

walking, which explained why I was catching on, the track

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

Sam resonated in my

if this is a trap?

Was someone trying to get me away from civilization, from my men, from any resources or

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

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 here? Would I lose her smell again? The tracks were probably minutes

orange glow slowly turning to

I was running out of

vision was getting limited in the

I

I suddenly stopped.

at this pace, I would have sounded like an elephant to anyone with heightened senses. I slowed my trek to a walk, silent, undetectable. The wind was coming from behind me, no one would

to the river, the forest cleared, the wind pick up speed, and I smelled her just before

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 mine, and there she

barely visible at the edge of my vision, but I knew it was her.