Saga of a New World - (Audiobook Available)

14. Reunion

While the Sheriff ties the canisters to Noah's and her horses' saddles, Astrid and Fynn mount Ranger and Shiva.

"Thanks for coming with me," Astrid says to Fynn.

"Gladly, but thank me once we find them. Oskar! Come!" Fynn yells and spurs his horse.

The Lieutenant mounts his motorcycle and calls to Fynn and Astrid, "I'll drive slowly. Yell if something's wrong." His bike lets out a loud roar as his engine starts.

Astrid and Fynn gallop after the soldier until they reach the car Astrid and her family were driving in before the fog. It remains exactly the way Astrid left it, with the front door and trunk wide open. The man drives right past it.

"That's our car over there!" she yells to Fynn.

Fynn perks up in his saddle and yells, "Stop!"

The soldier makes a full stop. "What?" he yells, his hand already on his rifle.

"We can get her family's scent from the car. It'll make them easier to track."

The soldier relaxes. "Man! You gave me a scare there."

"Sorry 'bout that, but we can put Oskar on the right track to finding them."

They all dismount and Fynn leads Oskar to the car. At first, the wolf seems a bit confused about what he's supposed to do. He tries to search for a clue on the ground, but after a few light tugs on his leash and incessant pointing from Fynn, Oskar understands what he's supposed to do. He sniffs the driver's seat, his tail wagging like there's no tomorrow.

"Good boy. Get that scent," Fynn says.

Astrid and the Lieutenant watch Fynn and Oskar do their work. After a few seconds, the soldier asks, "So... How did you get separated from your family if you were traveling together?"

Astrid frowns. "I'm not sure. We got out of the car and then just kind of lost each other in the fog. It's hard to remember."

"I know what you mean. I crashed my car during the fog. Drove my brand new Mercedes right into a tree. Woke up sleeping on the airbag with no idea what had happened. Ever since then I've been having these weird dreams, but I guess that's nothing compared to what happened to you."

Astrid wants to ask if he has been having the same odd dreams as her, even though he's still human, but Fynn suddenly yells, "I think he's got them."

They turn to see Oskar jump out of the car. He slowly pulls Fynn along on a trail only he can smell.

They follow the dog as he slowly makes his way along the road. Astrid feels like they should be moving faster, like every second they waste is one in which her family could get hurt, but she keeps her anxiety to herself. She knows Oskar is following the scent as quickly as he can.

Finally, the Lieutenant says, "Look. That's where we met the giant. Your brother."

"Someone was transformed here." Fynn points at a pile of ripped clothes. Oskar continues to pull, but a, "Stop!" from Fynn causes him to freeze dead in his tracks and sit down. "This is not where the scent ends," Fynn informs Astrid. "Are those your parents' clothes?"

Astrid dismounts and runs to inspect the rags. "I see the remains of my mother's pants and shoes, completely ripped apart. Here's my brother's shirt and pants, also destroyed. I don't see anything belonging to my younger brother or father though."

Fynn leaves Oskar's side for a moment. The dog tries to follow, curious if there's something new that needs to be found, but a "Stay" from Fynn makes him sit back down.