Did It Hurt? (bxb)

XVIII

Raja sniffed the air furiously. The vast forest spanned in front of him and his pack, the air dank with the smell of rain and pine needles. The stench disgusted him. Normally, he and his pack never stayed too long in one place. It was more custom to always be on the move, light on their paws. Ketua had only been in wolf form hunting for a few hours, and so far, he'd only managed to pick up one minor smell that seemed to get fainter just as he thought he was closing in on it. The more time that passed by, the more frustrated he got, and the more shreds of hope he lost at finding his daughter.

How on Earth did they manage to lose her? She's the least likely to wander off! Ketua acted tough around his pack, angry that Lexi had acted so irresponsible and vanished. But in truth, the weight of the guilt and worry was crushing him. Many years ago, his one and only son had disappeared as well, though under slightly different circumstances. The human Raja had friended back then had vanished straight along with him. Ever since, he'd learned never to trust their kind. They could never make an alliance with humans. First they had taken his darling wife Es, then two years later, they had taken his son. Never again. He could lose Lexi like he'd lost Salju.

Raja had walked about a hundred yards before he smelled something in the air. Something familiar. Immediately, his senses were on high alert. She's been through here. I know it.  He scoured the land for any trace of her. Birds scattered as he ran by, and the underbrush tried to pull at his skin. Finally, Raja came across cluster of footprints heading deeper into the woods. The territory was unfamiliar. Leaning down, he took a deep whiff of the imprinted mud. These are hers. There was a second pair of footprints next to hers. Raja immediately followed the tracks, sprinting away from the pack while calling for Zydega. Out of the corner of his eye, Raja saw him run up beside him. 

"You called, Highness?" He panted beside him. "Did you find something?"

"I found prints." Raja barked. They both ran, staring straight ahead in a blind pursuit.

"They're Lexi's all right." Zydega commented. His head bent down to sniff the ground as he ran. "Even I can smell it." Raja growled. He didn't like this. Not at all. They kept running. Their luck ran out quickly, however, because it seemed that as soon as they started, the tracks stopped. The two of the werewolves came to a halt. Raja swore. "Perhaps to us, the trail was shorter." Zydega suggested, which wasn't helpful. "Humans tire easily-"

"It wasn't a human that took Lexi." Raja snapped. "Can't you smell it? The scent it different. " He pressed his nose to the ground. The scent was like none he'd ever smelled before. It smelled of the juiciest of berries, the most delicate of meats. It was heavenly. And nothing of this world. He glared at his paws. "I don't like it at all..."  Still, the pair walked straight ahead, leaving the tracks behind. Sixty miles ahead of the footprints, another set appeared, continuing straight ahead. Raja bowed his head and sniffed. "It's the same scent as those other prints.." He murmured. "Lexi's and some other's." He dug his paw in the dirt and growled in frustration. "That's impossible! Unless-"

"Ya think they can fly, Raja?" Zydega whispered.

"Surely not. I know no bipedal creature who can fly. It is highly improbable, but..." He took a closer look at the prints. There was an old legend of a subject that would bring peace among all species. It was only ever recorded in the book of old, and it was long forgotten centuries ago. But Raja's pack went by the old ways. Every species had its own scent. They should've been able to narrow down Lexi's kidnapper by species, but this wasn't like anything Raja had ever seen or smelled.   

"What is it, Highness?"

Raja shook his head. "Not impossible." If this figure from the legends truly came to earth, it was a sign of good things to come. But still.. Lexi- The wind blew violently through the thick trees. Raja started and looked up. The sky was grey and cloudy. Zydega followed his line of sight.

"Ketua said to expect snow," he said, answering Raja's thoughts. "You know he isn't ever wrong."

The wolf king mulled this over. Zydega was right. Ketua, one of the elders, had never given an incorrect forecast. "Get him, Pengikut, Kekuatan, and Umum," He commanded Zydega. "Split up. Find anything you can find before the snow hits. Some will scout of to see if they can find more prints. Look for food scraps,-perhaps from a campfire-, clothes, anything. Tell the pack we have found a lead." He lowered his voice to a hushed tone. "And tell no one of what we've uncovered about the legend."

Zydega nodded once. "Of course, Your Highness. Right away." He bolted back through the trees, calling for the rest of our elite group of trackers. Raja sighed and shifted into his human form. Long salt and pepper hair that just touched his shoulders. His arms were buff and his skin was the color of twine. He wore a gray muscle shirt with ragged blue jeans. His feet were bare.

The wolf king bristled with anger. Figure from the prophecy or no, someone had taken his daughter like they had taken Salju eighteen years before. His family was vanishing before his eyes. Raja stood up and shook himself. He had to remain positive. For himself, his team, and for Lexi. Salju was missing. Not dead. The same was true for Lexi. He had to believe that. His pack was made up of  the best trackers in the county! Of course they'd find her! Raja shifted back into his wolf form, as he had decided to continue looking in the direction the prints were heading before they stopped. He started to jog around the border of the woods. He came up empty.

 A gentle river flowed along the west side, and it sparkled in the afternoon sun. A few meters to the east, Raja could sense vast open land, perhaps the border of the village. Lexi's scent wasn't strong, but it lingered. The wolf king suspected that she was at the other end of the woods. He had to follow. "Zydega! Pengikut! Ketua! Kekuatan! Umum!" Raja called. He lifted his head to the sky and released a howl.

After a few minutes, which felt like hours, his pack came running. He spotted dots of them in the distance. Then they were blobs, then vivid images, until they were in full view. "We heard your call, Highness." Zydega panted as he tried to catch his breath.

"We were twenty miles away in effort to return to you already!" Umum exclaimed. "Did you find something?"

"I found a scent," Raja said firmly. His head turned towards the woods. The pack mimicked him.  "I've deducted it's Lexi's. From the strength of her scent, I think it's save to assume that my daughter is on the other end of the woods. And if the books we've studied are accurate, this is Yolanda's Forest. Lexi resides in the village on the other side." The pack let out sighs of relief, followed by some whoops and cheers. Raja grinned as he looked out into the forest. "Move out men! Let's go get Lexi!"