Shadewood The longest Yard

She wasn't even sure how they got separated, but she had spent most of every day since then looking for Rye. So much so that she was thinner and often weary from days spent wandering. When weeks turned to months and she still found no sign of him, she began to make her way back to Teekon, hoping that maybe he had returned there as well, or she could find some kind of information that would lead her to him. 

Finding her way back had taken longer than it should have, but when she finally did, she found herself wandering along the coast. It was unfamiliar, and the only reason she knew she was in the right place was the peaks she saw expanding south from where she was. She knew them well enough to recognize them and use them as a beacon to find her way home. 

In an unexpected turn of luck, she was hit with Rye's scent once she made her way into the forest that hugged the edge of the coast. She almost didn't believe it was true, but she decided to follow it anyway. Tracking always took her twice as long as most others, so by the time she actually found him, she missed his failed attempt at hunting. Instead, she saw him making his way through the trees just ahead of her. She paused, unwilling to believe her eyes at first. But she realized she would recognize him anywhere and, deciding to trust her instinct, she trotted forward, stopping again once she was close enough to speak.

Rye? she called out softly. And then she waited for him to stop and turn, her expression still holding a tinge of disbelief.