Grouse Thicket Pan's labyrinth

Weather: 29˚ Partly Cloudy.
Territory: This young forest, named for the large population of grouse that calls it home, is a near-impenetrable tangle of young hardwoods, most notably apple trees. The dense woodland is only broken by occasional small openings, where the birds will come out of the cover to peck at exposed grit and sun themselves.
Attention: N/A. Tags are for reference.

Rannoch, @Breccan, @Deshyr, and @Remi had stayed behind while @Liffey had gone on an excursion to the Firebird's new claim. Their time at Heron Lake Plateau was dwindling, and she wanted to see Eljay before they returned home to the Hollow. Although he had encouraged the trip, he found himself becoming anxious shortly after she had departed. Rannoch was confident that they had been successful in generating the next Frostfur litter, he was concerned for them. What if something happened to her along the way? He couldn't risk it. 

Rannoch had left his children in the care of @Elwood and @Finley before he embarked; he had not foreseen any distractions along the way.

"Wraen?" Rannoch called, regarding the tangle of hardwoods that separated them, "Is that you?" Although familiar, there was something different about the scent she wore. Rannoch stepped in the direction that the smell originated, and craned his neck in an attempt to get a better view of the silhouette in the distance.