Is that really you?

He left Art and Briar catching up, and left in the direction the Aegis had pointed him in. Apparently he might have some issue in finding her. She had a habit of coming and going as she pleased, erratic and unpredictable. But she had last been seen out on the grounds, so he had a starting point.

He left at a light trott, heading in a general direction, and searching for her scent. He was almost afraid he wouldn’t recognise it when he found it. So catching it gave him some relief. It was different, and changed, as she had grown older and lost the scent of his pack and gained others. But it was Io, of that there was no doubt. He found her crouching on the ground, fiddling with something in her paws that he could not see. “Io? Iolaire?” he asked softly. Crouching down beside her.

"Speech"