Neverwinter Forest Let's just freeze the frame

Frost caressed the branches of trees and dry, yellow blades of grass as Shrike moved through the still dim light of morning, knowing the chill and frost would melt away once the sun came up, but that would still be at least an hour away. The horizon was only beginning to gain a bit of blue colour, fading from the inky black of night as dawn slowly approached. His coat had begun to thicken, likely due to the fact that he'd been travelling for quite some time in search of Lucy. Rather than continuing on his radial pattern around the Caldera, Shrike had decided to continue travelling Northeast and scour that region thoroughly before he would continue moving South.

He shuddered when a cool breeze blew, though, and slowed his pace when he caught the scent of wolves. He'd come upon another pack, and felt relieved. He did not want to take much more time searching before he went back to the pack with an update of some sort. He froze in his tracks, though, when he caught a familiar scent. @Allure. There was no denying it- the female who had once been a part of their pack, and who had caught his attention half a heartbeat after he'd first set eyes on her, was now living in this pack. His heart raced; why had she left the Caldera, anyway? And would she remember him at all? He knew better than to call out for her in particular, especially if she came to his call but had no memory of him. He wanted to see her again, so drawn was he to the strikingly beautiful female, but if he didn't see her today, perhaps- once he finally found Lucy and maybe even Qilaq- he could return to see her again. But now was not the time for him to pine over a beautiful face.

He remained a respectful distance clear of the borders and called out for any pack wolf who happened to be in the area. He felt ashamed, with thoughts of Allure filling up his mind and clouding his mission of finding Lucy, but he swallowed hard and told himself he was simply there on a mission, not an affair of the heart.