A lot can change in a short time. Some things take years to change. Others can change in the blink of an eye. And some... some change without you even noticing... until it's too late.

She didn't know. How could she have? A family trip to Enca. How did everything go so wrong? They were gone a few months. Exploring, while her parents and brother introduced her to old friends they hadn't seen in years. It was amazing... seeing her place of origin. It was beautiful, though the storms were scary and difficult to get used to. Masado loved it. Even Rinni had a good time.

It was the return home where everything fell apart.

Rinni and Masado returned to their Guild only to find nothing was left of it. They asked around and even searched the newspapers. All sources pointed to the same result. It had disbanded after someone massacred countless members and guests. And then burnt it down, destroying all evidence. No one knew for sure who did it and why. There were rumors that someone took the blame, turning themself in for the crime. But who and why was a mystery.

Rinni and Masado looked where their Guild tattoos once were. They had vanished. How long were they missing yet the siblings hadn't noticed? They had been so distracted by their family outing they hadn't noticed what they had lost.

All their friends were gone. Aegis, Tomoe, Lucian, Masami... where was the surviving members of Penumbrel Guard? And her boyfriend, Ko... she hadn't seen him since that awkward encounter with her brother. She had expected him to be the first to greet her when she returned home. Where had he gone? As reckless as he was ... he wasn't so reckless as to do something completely stupid... was he? Was he.... no. No. He had to be out there somewhere.

Last she heard he was seen heading to Oak. So that's where she decided to go in order to search for him. With any luck, she'd encounter a few of her old Guildmates on the way. Maybe gain some insight into what happened, and who attacked her Guild. She prayed to whatever god would listen for the safety of her friends and her lover.

But, what if she was too late?

She now rode aback a Tempest Wolf she had acquired during her stay in Enca. A late birthday gift from her parents. It had take a lot of effort and savings to even get her such a creature. But, all things considered, she is more than grateful to have him now.

She sat straddling his massive back, her fingers clutching hand fulls of his fluffy white mane. Winter, her ever-loyal Snow Vulpix, slept nestled near invisible in the tuft of white fur that was the massive wolf's mane. Atop his head was a horn, not much different from that of a unicorn.

"Hurry, Stormy. We need to reach Oak before we miss him. If he's even still there..." Rinni called out to her Tempest Wolf, Storm Fang. The large wolf snarled in reply and ran faster, dashing across the snow-covered landscape between Marigold and Oak.

It was freezing, as to be expected of the winter season. Storm Fang and especially Winter didn't seem to be bothered by the cold. Stormy had his own built-in fur coat to keep him warm, and Winter was a frost creature meaning the cold was her element. Rinni, on the other hand, was bundled up in winter attire which consisted of a toboggan, gloves, a winter coat that made her look like a puffball, thick pants, a sweatshirt under her coat, and knee-high cold-resistant boots.

She lowered herself onto her belly on the wolf's back, allowing his thick fur to aid in her warmth as the cold air that rushed over them due to his speed of motion chilled her. Despite being cold, her only thought right now was to find Ko. After finding her Guild in a pile of ashes, she had to at least know her boyfriend was safe. He had to be. She couldn't bear the thought of losing everything in one fell swoop.

She could see the town of Oak up ahead. They were almost there. As they neared the town, Storm Fang slowed to a trot as they entered. She'd never been here before, so she wasn't even sure where to begin to look for Ko Lesalt. But if he was or had been here... she'd know. She'd use her werewolf senses to their fullest potential to find him.

She had to.

[WC: 791]