Ocean's Breath Plateau round robin

It was hard not to feel a sense of dread or panic – his son was missing, and in turn, even the dark girl they had taken in tugged at his worried heart. He could only hope they were together – but as he strode along the fields to the west of Neverwinter Forest, there was a solemn promise that if @Lucy and @Rannoch had simply felt the need to adventure without thought or question across the borders, he was surely going to tan their asses when he found them.
 
His mind refused to question whether finding them was a possibility or not.
 
It was rare he moved toward the shorelines, and vaguely, he recalled the direction Jorunn had told him his pack lay. There was something about the salt air that did not bring him comfort.. not like the fresh pine needles of the lands he called home. But thus far, he had come up empty handed, and as he slowed upon a quiet plateau, his gaze strayed only to the distant ocean for a moment before dipping to the grassy plains. With his muzzle sweeping low, Scimitar tried to pick up a hint of their scent.

Assuming she would've gone searching with Scim. :)

Relentless fear had seized the woman’s heart when she’d learned of the two pups’ disappearance. She couldn’t begin to fathom what the parents were feeling. Of course, October had made herself available to help in any way she could. Scimitar had ordered a broad search of the areas neighboring Neverwinter Forest and although the Epsilon knew her superior was perfectly capable of looking after himself, she was wont to join him and offer her support.
 
Scimitar was a strong, stoic man, but October could sense the unease radiating from his very core as she followed him into the lands south of their home. She strayed a short distance from him in order to cover as much ground as possible, but her eyes sought his rugged form in the distance occasionally. She knew little about him, but she was certain he was entirely undeserving of the strife his heart and mind were surely rifled with at that time.
 
Sighing deeply into the briny air, she padded on with her nose close to the earth. The trail had been cold so far and she found herself wondering if or how the children could have wandered so far from the safety of their pack lands.

The salt air was strong here – there were times, if he slipped closer to the coast from the forest that he could catch the oceans wind, but it was never something that had drawn him closer – in fact, he held little love for it. But he would scour it – literally, to him, the edges of the earth as he looked for his boy and Rannoch’s companion.
 
The wind told him a different tale though, even with the scent of sea breeze strong upon the air. A hint of pine and fir crept toward him, a reminder that he had a loyal companion to his side—October had joined him. His eyes studied her momentarily as she crept along the plateau lands – neither seemed to find a trace of anything. “Anything?” His voice was strong against the light breeze – but there was a note of desperation lingering within his deeper vocals.

Their paths began to close in on one another. She regarded her leader somberly, her gaze sweeping over his rugged features. October wanted to believe that he had discovered something, some inkling of a trace that would lead them to the lost children, but she knew she chances of that were slim. The only scent that the plateau bore was the brine of the sea.
 
Scimitar’s question rumbled against the quiet stillness that enveloped the duo. October’s ears fanned backwards and she offered a reluctant shake of her head. “We will find them,” she told him, conviction underlining the soft cadence of her voice. Although she worried for Rannoch and Lucy, her heart broke in that moment for Scimitar. She was not a parent and therefore could not fully comprehend the depth of his pain, but that would not cease her compassionate heart from hurting for him.
 
She allowed a brief silence to fall between them as her eyes roved the unfamiliar terrain. There was no trace of the younglings there, yet she could not bring herself to voice the sentiment to the troubled father at her side. “If you wish to unburden yourself to me, Scimitar, I am here.” Perhaps the thought was better left unsaid. Perhaps the man would not respond favorably to her empathy, but October thought it best to try.

October's presence was a comfort, though one he could not truly appreciate in the moment. His eyes drifted to her as she spoke, and he considered her words for a brief moment. There was a whirlwind of thought that stormed behind his eyes, but he released none so far, for the wolf was a man of little words

But the pale youth had proven herself to be more than an asset to the pack -- she had proven herself as a friend, and so the cinnamon wolf shifted his weight his jaw tightening at the darker thoughts that came to the forefront of his mind.

"If Rannoch ran away because Lucy coaxed him away from the safety of his home.. I will never forgive myself for taking her in to our family and letting her stay." It was a terrible truth -- the girl was only a pup, and he worried for her to an extent.. but Rannoch was his son.. and he was gone now.

She was quiet while her superior spoke, ears twisted back to press against the svelte curve of her skull. Scimitar’s words took her by surprise, but only temporarily. She didn’t believe him to have ill intent in any facet of his life – his feelings towards the dark-furred pup likely came from the helplessness he experienced regarding the situation. After a beat of silence, she nodded.
 
“They are children. Their disappearance… there are so many possibilities, but it is always possible that their curiosity led them astray.” Her gaze swept upwards to settle upon Scimitar’s weary face. She meant no disrespect as her eyes met the sharp turquoise of his, only hoped to convey a sense of solidarity and reassurance to the troubled father.
 
“I cannot tell you how to feel, but I can assure you that you did nothing wrong by taking Lucy in. You were generous, kind, and noble in doing so.” Rannoch did not seem like the type of boy to run away from his home and family. October had her own ideas about the children getting lost, or being forcibly taken, but she kept those to herself.

I love writing with you/missed it terribly! Want to fade here? Tying up a few loose ends. <3

Her words were kind -- but he doubted them now. Lucy had instilled very little information to any of them.. all he knew from the girl was that she had shown up on their borders, inured, stolen, and almost silent form that moment on. How could she not be? But she had stayed with the wolves of the forest, had been accepted as one of their own -- he wondered if her parents had heard of her last whereabouts yet, and if they sought her out as desperately as he looked for Rannoch.
 
If they did not, then he would have held a much harder time saying goodbye to her.
 
But as of now, this bond his sons had taken with her seemed to stretch just as closely as they boys held for one another -- even more intrinsically, though Scimitar might never become privy to this. Little did he know in this moment the desperation Cypress faced being left behind -- or that either boy had doubted him in the first place.
 
He had no words to return to October's kindness. He could not bring himself to voice his continued doubt -- to insist that he had not done her family much more of a favor by losing her again -- so instead his eyes would drift from her, this time from defeat before he would give a nod. "Let's keep looking," he suggested gently, before his large form once more began to skirt forward.

*weeps* <3

Scimitar offered her little response, but October met his words with a small, gentle smile. There was little she could say to ease his troubled mind, but she hoped her presence alongside him would lend him a bit of comfort and hope in the search for his son.
 
She reached out to touch her dark nose to his chiseled shoulder as they began moving forward along the plateau once more. The contact was so subtle and brief that there was a chance Scimitar would not notice it at all.  The two searched alongside each other for a short while before separating with the intention of covering more ground.