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.

clearing again

“What are you

was back to where I was when

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

of our convoy then back at me, worried.

if I don’t give this a chance—.” I didn’t dare finish the sentence.

“I know,” he

catch on quickly,” I said. “I just

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

too. There was time, but not

“Keep this quiet. Just in case it

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

things tight here,”

“No one moves alone. That’s your own

I looked in the direction I had to go.

“What if it’s a trap?” he asked.

don’t know, but I think I need to do this on my own.”

make sense.”

said in frustration.

He looked like he was

“I said go,” I insisted.

looked like he wanted to defy me

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

the track. After a while, the smell got a little stronger and my heart did a backflip. This

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

in her smell and my pace, she was probably walking, which explained why I was catching on, the

to believe someone would travel

of Sam resonated in

is a trap?

away from civilization, from my men, from

my feet didn’t seem to connect with my mind. I kept running.

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

visible anymore, the orange glow slowly turning to midnight blue.

I was running out of time.

my vision was getting limited in the thick forest.

close, I knew

I suddenly stopped.

pace, I would have sounded like an elephant to anyone with heightened senses. I slowed my trek

the river, the forest cleared, the wind pick

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

dark outline, barely visible at the edge of my vision, but I knew it was