It didn't seem like waiting would work. How long had it been? It had felt like too long. He had merely vanished and yet, his trail would occasionally be in the wind - stale and old, but there. It had been enough to wait for some time and yet, even she grew more and more anxious as the snow began to thicken on the ground. More and more fell, and more and more, she fell into desperation. He had to be out there, she figured, lest her mind begin to find his scent in things unrelated. And so, she had made a decision. If nobody else was going to look then she would take it upon herself. Had nobody stopped to consider the option? She knew they'd been distracted but... somebody must have been as worried as she was. Meryl had always been strong but he was gentle, too, and even she was aware of how the world could treat such gentleness.

She had started in the valley. The area surrounding Spirane seemed logical, of course, and yet, she had pulled not a single trace of him out of her search. She had found nothing but snow and stone, a frozen river, and the brisk breeze that blasted across the flatter plains of the north. So, she had headed towards Taviora. He had family there. Had he gone there instead? It couldn't be helped - she whined and crept about the terrain, desperate to find him and yet desperate to avoid suspicion or harassment. Slowly, but surely, she had entered in the domain of the forest.

Here, the snow had only been able to pepper the earth below. What remained of the canopy had aided in the area's ability to avoid winter; still, the wind funneled through the forest, blasting her with absolute coldness. She shivered against it, both in cold and nervousness as she traversed the stones and tangled roots of the woodlands. Something in the wind, though, had made her heart rush. Something had brought her ears and eyes towards a very specific direction - a scent. His scent. Weak but there and fresh. She whined beneath her breath and then, in a heartbeat, she had dashed forward.

She had barely the mind to remain cautious as she caught sight of him. It had not occurred to her how thin he had become until she entered the same clearing as he; it was then that she paused so suddenly. Her eyes widened in uncertainty and shocked, locked onto him as she approached from his right. From here, she could see the way his flesh clung to his muscle and bone. He seemed frail. His eyes seemed un-adjusted, as if they had been stuck in some other environment. It made her whimper beneath her breath as she begun to approach once more; her steps, however, had become slow, her head hung low in a form of submission. Behind her, her tail quivered nervously, forcing out a singular wave of greeting. She didn't know why but his appearance... it made her nervous.