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.

the clearing again I slowed down.

are you doing?”

I was back to where I

drawing an imaginary line in 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

Sam looked back at the direction of our convoy then

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

“I know,” he said.

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

still time until nightfall,” he said looking

I looked too. There was time, but

Just in

It just

here,” I told him.

moves alone. That’s your own rule.”

the direction I

“What if it’s a trap?” he asked.

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

“You don’t make sense.”

said in frustration. “Go,” I

like he was about to argue.

“I said go,” I

looked like he wanted to defy me on this.

and waved it at him behind me. “We keep

a while, the smell got a little stronger and my

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

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

to believe someone would travel here. A little

resonated in my head.

if this is a trap?

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

this, but my feet didn’t

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 old at best now. Would I lose her now that

The sun was not visible anymore, the orange glow slowly turning to

I was running out of time.

my vision was getting

I was close, I knew

I suddenly stopped.

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

river, the forest cleared, the wind pick up speed,

leaf on the autumn ground as a child, of the feeling of strawberry juices running on your tongue, of a stormy night of

edge of my vision, but I knew it was her.