A good many hours had passed. The sun had begun to dip low in the horizon, not relinquishing it's heat but casting amber glows.

Finbar stood upon a rock ledge high up, overlooking the northern landscape mottled with green forests and pristine rivers. None of the beauty meant a damn thing to him when his son was lost. Tears welled in his golden eyes, and his chest felt as if it were being stabbed with the claw of a grizzly bear; the utter desperation of a parent when their child was in danger was a black cloud, and no words could describe it's hell.

“Ashen! Ashen!” He cried from the vantage point, listening as the sound waves of his voice bounced off the bark of trees and the flat surfaces of rocks, hoping it landed upon the ears of his missing pup.

There was no reply, no evidence that his calls brought forth any results, only contributing to the father's deepening hopelessness. He had followed the pup's scent this far, getting himself dangerously close to human territory. Their vehicles could more easily be heard where he was, though it was still faint enough so as to not disturb the environment.

Behind him, out of the shades of chartreuse, came a familiar figure. The crimson fur was unmistakable. He had been followed.

“Jargoth?” Finbar whispered under his breath, staring at the wolf. Being alone, he felt uneasy with the presence of his old rival, but there were bigger issues at the forefront of his mind.

“I heard about what happened. I am here to offer my assistance, if you will have me,” the red male panted, clearly exhausted from the run he had made in the attempt to catch up with the wolf-dog.

Finbar's muscles relaxed slowly with a twinge of discomfort; he had not even realized they were so tight, until he stopped tensing up so badly. He stared into Jargoth’s genuine gaze, searching for any sign of malicious intent but he failed to find any. “You really are telling the truth,” he stated firmly, partially thinking out loud.

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“Obviously. I am a proud man, I may have acted aggressively toward you, but I don't lower myself to telling lies,” exclaimed Jargoth, wagging his tail in a very friendly way.

That was very likely the truth, proven ever more so by the determination shown in the warrior by pursuing him for so long only to selflessly offer his aid in tracking down his son. The white apprentice was more than happy to cast their history away in the tenderness of forgiveness. It did not matter anymore, especially not now.

“I'd be grateful for your help,” he smiled lightly, brows upturned manifesting his distraught mentality.

Jargoth walked up beside the white wolf-dog, staring out at the vastness. “How did your son disappear?” He asked.

“We had been walking home when suddenly we noticed he was no longer with us. Our other pups had no leads, either,” Finbar summarized, feeling relieved to have someone to air his problem out to, “I've been able to follow his scent this far, but… that little bugger is surprisingly good at evading me. I still have no idea where he is, and he has not responded to my calls.”

“Certainly a good skill to have, but it is not helping him right now,” Jargoth commented with amusement. “It seems clear what it is he is doing, though. Ashen must have run away on purpose, and I think I know why.”

Finbar blinked. “Well, he often does slip away to explore, he can't seem to help himself, but what are you thinking?”

“He showed a bit too much interest in what I said about the Highway for me to suspect that is where he has gone,” the red warrior said, giving a labored sigh. “I feel responsible to a degree, which is partly why I came out here to help in the first place when Willow informed me. I will help you find him.”

A very cool breeze viciously whipped into their bodies, coursing through their thick fur. It felt rather pleasant, helping to bring just a small measure of peace.

“How would he know where the Highway is?” asked Finbar.

“He probably is aware that the humans live just over this mountain. He will have crossed it, while you searched for him,” Jargoth reasoned.

“That makes sense.”

“Did you lose his trail or are you still on it?”

“I lost it in a stream. I freaked out thinking he had fallen in but then after following it down I saw pawprints on the other side. His scent was so faint from all the water, I just couldn't pinpoint where he'd gone once in the thicket.”

“Smart lad. A fair bit of scheming involved there. I am sure he headed over this mountain, so let us go now to catch him. Hurry!”