chapter 9: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘢

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Thick clouds heavied themselves in the empyrean sky once again, sending light droplets of sprinkling rain all over the Olympic Forest. A huge, black wolf trudged through the mud and ferns and fallen branches, and a soft breeze moved the trees to spray him with morning water.

Behind him, lagging miserably, was Paul, his paws aching from the hours of walking. They had been searching everywhere they could to find River who had gone missing ever since Bella had found out about their kind. It had been a few days since they had seen her, and ever since Harry Clearwater told the Quileute gathering about poisoned deer out in the woods, the Uley Pack had been on edge that perhaps something may have happened to her. Sam had banned hunting for the time being. Paul expected many to be miserable about it, but River going missing overwhelmed that altogether.

They had searched her den first, but her scent was stale. She hadn't been there since she's disappeared – and the rain washed any traces she could have left behind. So, there was no choice but to track her down the old-fashioned way. Or at least try to. But so far there was nothing.

After being led to another dead end, Sam growled in frustration. "It's hopeless. She's gone."

Paul narrowed his eyes, tensing up in concern. "Do you think she's decided to leave without telling us?"

"I don't know." Sam wouldn't put it past her to leave Forks without saying goodbye. River made it clear that she desired no attachments and did say she was going to leave Forks soon. But had been a while since then, and she had discovered the vampire, Laurent, and he had been destroyed; Jacob saw to that. She could have left after but had decided to stick around to help them against Victoria. Sam had always wondered why but just never asked. He must have just hoped that her compassion and sympathy would make her stay forever. Perhaps he was just being too hopeful. "I just know she's capable of taking care of herself..."

Sam peered ahead through the forest where the trees broke out to the beautiful horizon of distant mountains and fog. "I just hope wherever she is, that she comes home."

Behind him, the grey-and-white werewolf lowered his head, woefully.



On the third day, River's fever had almost entirely diminished, and she was able to shift back into her primal form the moment she knew she could walk again. It was thankfully an easy process of recovery, and Kopa had been quite the help, always making sure she had everything that River needed and even hunted down a rabbit – though they had to eat it in their sapien forms between them both so that it could satiate their hunger.

Now, just outside of Forks they sat about a cold lake, a yard or two away from the barn. River washed her cracked, dry paws in the cool, soothing water and sighed in pleasure.

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