“She is around here somewhere,” Vaken comforted, taking in a heavy inhale through his nose. Her scent was on the breeze. He felt a drop in his stomach when he smelt the coyotes too, but hid it. He wanted to comfort Sahalie, and to do that he had to put his own nerves aside. He did not smell blood. That was reassuring, but it didn’t mean everything. Stepping closer to the lady, he pressed his nose against her flank in both submission and consolation. 


He felt guilty. He had been so close, and he hadn’t noticed the pup disappearing. He was scared. How could one pup get in so much trouble? Giving a soft whimper, Vaken flattened his ears and looked around. Where was she? He timidly stepped towards the falls and glanced around the water. He didn’t want to scare Sahalie, but he was looking for Archie’s small body along the waterline. When he didn’t see any fur, he stepped back. He wanted to let out a small sigh of relief, but just because he didn’t see a dead body didn’t mean that Arcus was alive.  She could have easily drowned.

“She is around here somewhere,” he repeated, more forcefully this time. He was trying to reassure Sahalie and himself this time, shaking those thoughts from his brain.

Keeping his tail tucked between his legs, the yearling felt an unusual sickness in his stomach. It was heavy, like a stone weighing his gut down. He was uncertain on what to do, so when the female gave him orders he was quick to follow. “Good idea,” he praised, jerking his head in a half-nod agreement.

He wasn’t sure how to offer comfort. He fumbled with the right words in his mind, but couldn’t get them out. He didn’t think Sahalie was a bad mom, but what proof did he have to prove her differently? How could he make her believe that, if she was so set on blaming herself? He huffed, but kept his focus on his surroundings. He wasn’t going to make a fool of himself by rambling.

He just wanted to find Archie. He wanted to see little paw prints more than anything. His eyes were glued to the dirt, so hard that Vaken almost didn’t blink. Arcus was surprisingly important to the loner- so much that the idea of her in trouble made him shutter. He took small steps, sniffing the ground and leaves in desperation. He wanted to pick up on her scent. He wanted to be able to call over Sahalie and tell her that he had found a clue- but there was nothing.  


He kept his ears pinned to his head and head low to the ground, rustling through the leaves and shrubbery to catch every scent he could. There was so much coyote. The smell was so strong, overwhelming. He felt bile raise in the back of his throat, but continued moving. 


When the yearling heard the female cry out, he jolted in surprise. His body went rigid and he spun around like a bullet. He hadn’t smelt anything suspicious, but the panic in her voice sent his heart racing. Sure, he knew coyotes were around- but that close? He gulped, hesitating for a second when the brown furred female sprinted into sight. He looked her over closely, darting his eyes quickly over her fur. No injuries, no blood. He nodded, content that she was in good condition. There was only two things he could do: run, or attack.

He wasn’t too interested in either of those ideas. Instead, he let out a loud aggressive howl. He knew it was useless, but still it was instinct to try and scare the coyotes away. He just wanted them to fall back and leave Sahalie alone. He hoped that if they saw him there, that they would slow their pace.

As expected, they didn’t. He made eye contact with one of the two vermin coming forward, but didn’t see any fear in their depthless glare. There was only hunger and anger. They weren’t going to stop chasing. “Disgusting swine,” he growled. Accepting the failure, the yearling darted in the direction Sahalie was running. 


If he could just get them to run off without a fight, they could finish their search around the falls- but that seemed impossible. He felt his heart drop once more.