He paused every few steps and cocked his head to one side, then the other, then fanned his ears in every direction - like radar trying to home in on a signal. The boy was searching for the familiar lull of the river, but... There was no such sound. The trees made a different kind of whisper-quiet cacophony which he did find interesting, but only for a short span of time; when Larus couldn't find the sound of the river, he began to search again. The sounds and smells here were very different (too different) and there were so many things he'd never tasted before - his tongue flicked out and caught at a leaf still attached to a low growing plant, he chewed on the spindly branches of a chest-high sapling, and nosed in the dirt.
Every new discovery made him a little more bold...But never quite bold enough.
And then there was an overwhelming familiar scent. It was wolf, he knew that much - like mummy and daddy and almost like Valtyr, but with the watery river scent he had been hunting for. It wasn't strong, but it was enough to reroute the boy; not that it mattered, as Danica was perched so close to where Larus was probing the surroundings. When he turned and caught sight of her he nearly fell down again, but this time he didn't roll backwards on his butt. Ahh,
the boy chirruped as he stared at her, a deer caught in the headlights, Hhh.. Hi.
He was utterly stupefied.