FOR a long time Olaf could not find the trail of the small band of mares and his daughter. He’d identified 4 individual scents plus Jörmungandr’s but the trail went cold as soon as they entered the water. The terror rose in his throat when he realised that’s where they went, surely the filly was too young and delicate to brave the ocean at such an age. In a panic he searched the crossing and surrounding islands but found no trace. Not thinking, he had plunged into the ocean once more and dragged himself onto the shores of the lands outside the islands. Funny that it was only now he realised how much easier it would have been for them to go here. Sure enough, the girl’s scent was faint but it was there. He found a spot close by where she had obviously rested before moving on.
HE follows the scents for as long as he can until exhaustion causes his legs to almost buckle beneath his own weight. He doesn’t want the trail to go cold but he would be of no use if he couldn’t even fight for the return of his daughter. His sleep is fitful and plagued with nightmares. At times his thoughts drift to Chianti and he feels a pang of guilt in his heart – did she know their daughter had been taken? Would she realise where he had gone. He kicked himself for not finding her first to tell her where he was going but time was of the essence. He hadn’t thought of it then and surely she would be angry with him for wasting time. As it stands, he hoped she would think they just the father and daughter had gone for a walk and would be back soon – it had already been a day and a night though. Jörmungandr would need food. Chianti would be beside herself but if he could just get their daughter back, perhaps that wouldn’t matter.
DAYS pass. He loses the scents the scents often only to find them again after several wrong turns, scouting around dead ends and pure pot luck. Eventually he starts to understand their movements and only his baseline nerves remain when he briefly loses the scent unlike the panic from the days before. Jörmungandr is still with them, he knows this, so he knows she is still alive and so keeps up his pursuit. In the back of his mind he knows Chianti would not waiting for them and Warsong would be long gone. Still, he promises himself he’ll get Gandy back. He promises himself he’ll reunite mother and daughter. He knows his promises are empty.
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