Sex: MaleUpdated map of Mapplethorpe's trek.
Onward, the Advisor trekked into the woods. Just how far had this rogue girl taken @Datura and where was she planning on taking him? For the past twenty hours or so, after taking a much needed hour-long nap, Mapplethorpe had made his way farther south until he came upon a small lake. In the darkness, underneath the cloud cover, and through the light snowfall he strained his eyes to make out the glassy surface of the body of water. The scents here were much fresher than the ones he had trailed from the Spectral Woods but, still, the path was cold. At the rate he had been traveling, he was certain that he was still a day or two away from reaching the Nomadic prince... unless...
Though he tried with all his might to shake the sudden, terrible thought away, he found himself tearing through the tree line and onto the cold, frigid sand of the shore. He thrust his nose to the ground, craning his neck about in a well-practiced fashion so that he did not miss even an inch of soil in his immediate reach in case he had missed the boy's scent underneath the various potpourri that was native to his immediate surroundings. No... No. C'mon, he pleaded in his head, hoping against all hope that the scent trail he picked up again did not lead into the lake. C'mon... keep going straight.
It was with a curious thought that he realized that the girl had gone one way while Datura slightly went the opposite until he seemingly followed her again... into the woods. The old man panted, only allowing a sliver of relief to soothe his newfound worry. He lifted his head again to scan the gaps between the trees in case the two youths he was tracking stood before him, watching for him, waiting for him to make his move. One quick sweep around the perimeter of the loch, however, made the pressure of his ongoing search rise again. He swallowed and sniffed worriedly, all around him the air was still except for the falling of snowflakes no larger than the nails at the ends of his digits.
"DATURAAA!" he haphazardly called out into the chilled night.
He waited but no one and nothing answered him. "Datura!" he tried again, his ears and the eardrums within them straining for any sort of reply. Again, nothing but quiet... only the wind and the gentle swaying of the surrounding trees. Sampling the ground for the girl's scent once more, he reoriented him and surged forward into the shelter of the forest once more. @Naira was still counting on him... and he was still hell-bent in returning home with the lost ward at his flank.
