This trip had gone so well... And so, so wrong. Val cursed to herself, paws hitting the ground in rapid succession and with every strained breath scenting the wind. Their number had fallen from five to one, and almost a week had passed. How had a simple hunting expedition gone so wrong? One more night and they would have returned home, but upon losing their meal the young Queen had found she'd lost a pack mate as well. "Solas!" she called out against the night wind. It might have been a simple thing to track him without the smell of the herd washing over them, and without the rain that had come after. Without the confusion, if they had only realized sooner. Guilt gnawed at her, sharp and painful. How could she had let this happen? She ground her teeth and picked up the pace. "Solas, can you hear me?" she cried out. Her breathing was ragged and her muscles were begging for respite but she would not cease her search. She had failed him, once already by allowing this scenario to come about, and she would not do so again. We go home together, she thought, or not at all... "Talk" "You" Think

Galahad . . . What had started off as a joyous exploration had turned out to be a nightmare. One of their own was missing... and Galahad was mentally kicking himself for not noticing sooner. Worry filled him, as well as guilt. Was Solas alright? Hurt? The memories of being separated from his siblings came back to him now. Was he cursed? Were those around him forever going to be separated? Galahad would give a deep sigh, coming to a stop as he looked around. Where... where was he? "Sooolaaaaas!" He would call. Another voice, fainter, would be heard. Valeriya. They were searching... all of them together. He would pray that by spreading out some and combing the lands they might find their missing pack member. Nose to the ground the two-toned male began to search for Solas' scent. He had to be somewhere on their path... please gods let him be there. Let him be found before any chaos befell him. "Speech."

He had never been so scared in his life. Usually he was calm and collected the whole pack knew that. The dam only provided slight comfort from being alone, he was usually always with someone, he had a striking fear of being alone. His right felt paw twisted from where he had fallen and wide eyes as he watches the sky listening to the water. Dear gods he could hear them but he was too choked up to call or anything. Shivering he covered his snout with his paws.

He thumped his tail against the dirt and it was probably pretty loud. Solas clenched his teeth hiding back a whine. He was only hoping they foud him soon, even though he didn't want them to see him like this. Why had his sister have to get sick, and why couldn't he protect val like he was supposed to. He snorted at himself, this wasn't how a warrior was supposed to work.

Faintly the Queen heard Galahad calling in the distance. She shuddered mid-stride, fearful of the failure that seemed to be looming over them all. They might be seconds away from disaster, moments from tragedy, and she had no way to know. The young queen could do nothing but treat each heartbeat like it might be Solas' last. She skidded to a stop, drew in a few panting gasps, then tipped her head back in a howl. Val could not calm her breathing enough to hear the world around her, so she forced her maw to seal shut. She listened for as long as she could, until her head began to swim. There was the faintest trace of... What was that? A rustling of some sort, but she dismissed it as nothing more but a pleading imagination. "Solas!" she called out, a mixture of desperate and hopeless. Her voice was ragged and her windpipe burned from the abuse. She trotted forwards a few paces more, nosing her way through the dark underbrush. She could smell water near by and changed her bearing in it's direction. She needed a drink. She needed to curl up and cry but that would have to come later, and the auburn femme who was little more than a child steeled herself against that weakness. She would find Galahad, she decided, and the others. They needed to regroup before another of them was lost. "Talk" "You" Think