The Beast and His Tamer

Chapter 40: Forest Beauty

They must have been tracking for a whole twenty-four hours at that point. Rhett didn't want to stop. As soon as he saw what Tibo had mentioned, he knew it just had to lead to something. That was what kept driving him to push himself further. He hadn't gotten any kind of sleep, not even the dreamy kind that made him jumpy. His body had been wired from the moment that he saw his guard's strange findings.

Way along the borders was a hint of red fog, hovering way low onto the ground. It was so thin he could barely see it unless he really kept an eye on it. In just the blink of an eye, it could disappear. It took a really keen eye.

Odin got a good whiff of it. Rhett didn't like when he did, because the werebear shuddered after trying to catch the scent of it. That was why he wasn't even going to think of tracking it through smell.

"I can't even remember the smell," Odin told him. "I don't think it has an odor."

"Then help me keep an eye on it," he told him. It had to have led to something. While the Chakoa Pack had a large territory, it looked like they were close to leaving the grounds at that point.

Sometime that morning was when he saw some familiar faces.

"Ah, there you are," Atticus walked through the branches, bringing some of the guards to a defensive position. "We were wondering what was going on without us."

Why were they there? Rhett had left them all behind at the packhouse for a reason. If he could have been honest with himself, he would have looked forward to seeing Sebastian right then. He was sure that he could provide some insight as to what this strange fog was. He had left him sleeping when he first heard Tibo call for him. As much as he would have loved to have him come along, he looked too peaceful when he was sleeping. And Rhett didn't want to disturb him or Everett. He was surprised that neither woke up when he left. They both must have been really tired to have not noticed him get out from under them. Sebastian just curled into a ball with the boy.

He looked so loving like that. Rhett really wished he could have just enjoyed that moment. He loved just how much Sebastian babied Everett. He was definitely the type who wanted kids. It was clear to see by the look on his face. Rhett hadn't really given it thought until Sebastian. He was content with just being the cool uncle for the rest of his life before. But now he didn't think it could hurt if he got one of his own. Especially with Sebastian, who loved so whole-heartedly that Rhett could believe that he would do anything for any child that he held in his arms.

There was no way to truly talk to Atticus, or Aurelia who was just behind the man, without transforming back into his human self. He was still surprised that they recognized him immediately in his other form. Truth be told, he thought that was a gift that only Sebastian had.

"What are you two doing here?" Rhett asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He didn't exactly bring clothes with him, and it was going to take a bit for a guard to bring him some. That didn't seem to matter to these two, though. They acted as if nothing was wrong, looking as casual as possible about his nudity, just like most of the Chakoa Pack had always done.

It really made him curious as to where Sebastian got the nervousness about nudity from.

"Isn't it obvious?" Atticus gave the greatest of grins. He was always a happy fellow. "We came to help! Now," he clasped his hands together and looked around. "What exactly did you find?"

"Fog," Rhett pointed towards the ground. "It looks like it's fading, but it's the closest thing we've gotten to any sort of clue so far."

"Ah," Aurelia knelt down to get a better look. "I don't think I've ever seen this kind of fog before. But I don't get a good feeling from it."