For The Love of An Alpha

Elder Impairment

The hum of the car and the crunch of gravel under the tires nearly drowned out the radio of the small sedan. Eli's grasp on the steering wheel was firm, even with the uneven road trying to turn it for him. He regretted leaving as quickly as he did, knowing that Henri probably had questions, but it didn't sit right with him about what was going on. He wanted answers and he knew just who to go to, Elder Ezara.

Being the oldest living wolf, she would know what was going on or at least point him in the right direction. The concern was that none of his staff was able to reach her. He'd sent two wolves to personally give her a message and they returned stating that she was not locatable. Thankfully, Alpha Jacob opened their borders to him so that he could seek her out personally.

Ger home was up toward the mountain pass, bordering on the lands for Winter's Cross and Lunar Blood packs. It was a fine line, but the relations between the two packs welcomed her as community grandmother. So when word was sent to both alpha's about the search for her, they were all too eager to assist. Morgan had reached out personally to Eli, offering his assistance and agreeing to meet him at the Elders home. Alpha Jaroth, of the Winter's Cross pack, advised that his team was unavailable but they would send their finest hunter to assist him.

The gravel road came to an abrupt stop just before the pass up the mountain. Exiting his vehicle, he would have to continue on foot into the forest that edged the mighty mountains. Grass and debris gave way to a small dirt path that guided it's patrons deeper yet into the depths of the forest. Eerie silence filled the cold pathway, as the birds had already left for the winter. Eli recalled a path similar to this that would take him back to the place of the avalanche from many years ago.

Rolling his shoulders and shifting the pack on his shoulder, Eli refocused on the task at him. It felt good to be in the fresh air and away from the house. With all the chaos that had taken place over the last week, and the tension that rose within him from it, there was a relief to being away. The crunch of snow beneath his feet gave him reason to stop and asses the area. The snow was undisturbed for the most part, aside from one set of large footprints that would lead down the path. Shaking his head, he recognized those prints to be Morgan Estlen's, his large feet always gave him the appearance of a giant. Taking caution, he chose to step within the already laid footprints and continue down the path.

The silence continued as the sun began to set among the trees. Days were getting shorter, even while making good time he would still just barely reach the Elder's home before nightfall.

It was the site of smoke in the air and the hints of burning wood that encouraged him that last hundred yards to the small cottage. His arrival was not met with the anticipation of cheerful greetings, but instead a small campfire was burning about 10 yards from the cottage. A log had been laid before it and the smoke rose high into the setting sky. The windows to the cottage were dark giving the environment a thriller vibe, if not for the campfire burning to give light to the space.

Scanning the area, the snow leading to the porch was undisturbed and showed no signs of a visitor in sometime. While the snow could be fresh, there were no signs of the foot prints he had been following up to the clearing. The prints ended where he stood. Crouching down and examining the area, he saw where the space had been covered up and the snow looked disturbed and slightly different from the space around it.

"I didn't know if I shouldn't cover my tracks." Morgan spoke from his seat near the fire. "Old habits die hard."

Eli gave a sigh and stepped onto the snow. The soft crunch beneath his feet mixed with the sounds of the crackle of the fire. "Have you checked the house?" He dropped his bag beside the make shift bench.

"I did, no one's there." Morgan poked at the fire before him. "It didn't feel right breaking in." His features danced in the orange glow of the fire.