When she hadn't seen Mou in a day, she began to worry. Two days, and the panic began to rise. By the third day of his absence, she had followed his scent trail and found that it crossed the land bridge, headed to the mainland. It sprawled in front of her, vast as ever. Before, she had crossed it without any qualms; now, thinking of Iliksis, she hesitated, paws shuffling uneasily on the sand.

In the end, though, her fear for Mou meeting some dreadful fate all by himself far eclipsed any uneasiness she held, and she took slow, measured steps, following his scent. Along the way, she came across a carcass; she regarded it coolly, watching the flies. Stopped only for a moment, then continued, a shudder running through her, fine as silk. She did not look back, afraid that she might turn around if she did.

Finally, Maegi's feet hit terra firma, and she stopped to compose herself, getting her bearings. The path she had taken upon meeting her brother and Iliksis went one way; to her relief, Mou seemed to have gone the opposite direction. With a deep inhale--wondering if this was a mistake, and if her impulsiveness would once more get her into trouble--she headed up the beach, nose low and focused on the most important task at hand.

Iliksis was a cancer; she knew he would appear again in her life in some fashion. She couldn't control when or where, and she would not think herself safe from his clutches until she saw him dead. If she ran into him again before returning to the isle--so be it. And as for her other enemies. . . Last she saw of them, they were in the mountains, far from here. If they turned up on the coast, that would be an ugly twist of fate, indeed.

Mou. Keep thinking of Mou. The image of her friend in trouble spurred her on, and it was with a determined face, a slight swagger to her step, did Maegi continue, hoping the search would not drag on too long.

Wolves out here tended to keep to themselves, she thought, so the girl was surprised by a called greeting from nearby. Her head shot up, fur bristling for a long moment before her gaze took in the stranger and she calmed, if only slightly. A gilded woman with black markings, staring at her. Head tilted slightly, Maegi took wary, hobbling steps toward her until she pulled to a halt, far enough to feel at ease but within speaking range; her voice was low and quiet as she responded.

"What do you want?" Perhaps some might offer the question with acid or fire, but Maegi's query came wrapped in a cool, impassive tone completely at odds with the panic over Mou lingering in her eyes. Curiosity had won out over fear. This female had offered no question save 'Hello;' what was to gain from that? Was she looking for a friend, a conversation? Lonely? Happy?

Maegi took the opportunity of the woman's stumbling to notice her gaze focused on her ragged mouth, and the girl's eyes narrowed. "Something weird about my face?" she asked caustically, lips twisting into a surly frown (though, as always, her left cheek remained permanently painted in a jester's grin). She took the explanation with a snort, shaking her head.

"No, I'm from the island," she said, canting her head toward the sea. She took a couple steps closer, the fire in her countenance dimming as curiosity eventually won over. "Where are you from?" The woman was not familiar to her, not in face nor in scent. But she wandered this shore; perhaps she had seen Mou, somewhere along the way. He had a memorable appearance--how could one miss him?

Disappointment rippled through her; if this woman had just arrived, from a place Maegi had never even heard of, she probably hadn't run into Teamouse. Her mouth firmed, the only outward sign of her dismay. "Kootenay Lake," she repeated, filing the information away for later use, if it were ever necessary.

The girl relaxed a bit at her admission that she'd never seen the sea; perhaps, to her, Maegi seemed some sort of seafarer, a wolf born and bred for the coast. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth. "Yeah, I come from inland, too," she said, nodding. "Isn't it cool? I thought it was a rolling field, the first time I saw it."

Small talk was exhausting. It was time to get down to business. "I'm looking for a friend. He's got one eye and his name is Mou. Have you seen him?" It seemed doubtful, if what the woman said was true, but it was at least worth a try. If she wasn't going to make inquiries, then what was she doing wasting her time in idle conversation?

Maegi squinted out at the water, absorbing her words. Sure, she could see where the woman was coming from, to a point. But she'd never seen an animal like that before. Maybe the animals were much different, at Kootenay Lake. She shrugged, turning back to face the stranger as she spoke on Mou.

"It's okay." She really didn't want anyone else tagging along on her search, especially not someone she barely knew at all. Maegi was happiest alone, she worked best alone, and an addition to this journey would just slow her down. The girl shook her head in response to the question, tipping her muzzle out in the rough direction of the isle.

"We live on an island; he just was gone one day," Maegi explained, glancing at the woman. "He was recovering from injuries--that's why I'm worried about him. If you see him, will you tell him that Maegi is looking for him?" She wasn't entirely comfortable with giving her name out like this, willy-nilly, but what else was she to do? She must find Mou.

"No." The answer was quick, concise. She had no notion of where Mou could have traveled, for she knew nothing of Mou before his life on the island. His memory loss had made him an enigma; even if there were places he had called home before--for he certainly had--he couldn't remember them, and had never voiced them. No, following his scent was the only way.

And what if it faded, suddenly? Maegi didn't know how to grapple with the thought of losing her friend--losing yet another wolf so close to her heart.

She gave the woman a faint smile, trying to push down the worry. It didn't help a thing. "Just if you see him. . .tell him I'm looking," Maegi repeated. "I've gotta go. Thanks for your help." With a curt nod, the girl went on doggedly, head lowered to the ground as she resumed the hunt. It wouldn't occur to her until much later that she had made her name known--but had never gotten the woman's name in return.