Totoka River pearl

Set shortly after Ying leaves! For @Aiolos!

Ying had returned, only to disappear again, this time without a trace. Ruvik hadn't been with the pack long enough to know it was common for the woman to leave the island for days on end, but this time it was different. Her body had returned the first time, but her mind had not. The boy had sensed Huā's despair for her sister, and so was determined to help with the search, if only to appease the Queen.

Unfortunately, this meant leaving the island, the very act taking almost an entire afternoon for Ruvik to summon up the courage to do so.

Eventually, though, he made it to the mainland, resisting the urge to flee as he trudged towards the river that beckoned him from the coast and towards the grasslands. The glassy waters of the river reflected the night sky above and Ruvik stared, entranced, before remembering the reason he was out here in the first place.

With a shake of his head, he set to work sniffing through the grass, searching for any hints of Ying having passed through here.