[META] The Great Search (Closed)

[Avid_RPer18]

The pair fanned out to walk parallel paths across a swath of tall rippling grass, weaving to and fro to towards and away from each other in weaving arcs to thoroughly cover the space they were checking. Periodically they would pause to rear up to update the other on their location or to confirm their own locations, especially when further away from each other.  

[Chi Sohma]

pending  

[Avid_RPer18]

It had been such a stretch of time since he raised adolescents, even longer still since he had been one. As he searched, Yehudah pondered possible causes for this...incident? Stunt didn't feel like the right word. Arkani was clearly and rightly stressing so it wasn't like there had been a fight or headbutting. The farmer didn't believe so anyway. Of course, he reminded himself, there could be any number of causes for young Hateya's disappearance. Ruminating on what happened wasn't as important as helping find her now. Where had the youngster gone?  

[Avid_RPer18]

After a brief moment conferring with each other, the lionesses settled on splitting up and doing fan shaped sweeps in opposing directions from each other for a bit before turning around and rescouring the same distance they had walked as they made their ways gradually back to each other. Upon reuniting, they'd check in, walk on then repeat either in the same direction, north-south and north-south again, or the other way, north-south and east-west for max coverage.  

[Avid_RPer18]

Focusing on the now, the world as it was directly in front of him, the farmer walked in a slow, steady pace, skirting along some slightly lower lying dips in the terrain. Being lower down could make it all the easier for a small, young hobbit to potentially be accidentally missed in passing, cursory glances if one just swept their gaze across the expanse grasslands, especially if she was trying to hide or lay low.

SilverLutz

Egads! A clue?!!

 

[SilverLutz]

There’s a slightly muddy patch of dirt you find as you walk and pressed into the soft earth is a set of small paw prints. Hobbits are naturally small, but these certainly can’t be those of an adult. The mud is tracked for about twenty yards from the source, the paw prints fading in the direction the group is traveling.

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

Yehudah's gradual, steady pacing stopped when his eyes passed over the muddy patch. The soft, damp earth sported a set of little tracks imprinted there, and carried onward for a small distance. She'd passed through here! There weren't any other similarly aged halflings who were assisting in the search as far as he had seen, heard, and knew. He raised his voice to let others know of his finding, "There's a trail here! Small prints in the mud. Careful passing through in case we disturb them. I'll press on to see if I see more."

And so he did, being mindful to walk parallel to the fading muddy trail and carried on in the same direction the prints faded.  

[Avid_RPer18]

Mzia and Ru froze when a lion called out suddenly. Oh! He had found a sign of Hateya! They exchanged a look and a nod and turned toward that general direction, confirming that they'd be careful to tread lightly and watch out for other potential trails and paths that may have been left in the dirt. Mzia was worried from the thought that a careless footfall could easily stamp out smaller prints obscured by the rolling grasses.

Ruqayqa suggested they fall into step, Mzia in front and her behind, so they could try to walk in each other's steps, to try to cut down on the number of possible paw prints that could lead others astray. Ru was a bit bigger than her spotty coated friend, having joined the Suzat instead of having been born into it and for the fact that her father was a god. At a glance, she wasn't that much larger than a typical lioness, but against some of the more petite hobbits and born in residents of the pride, the difference was more evident. Mzia agreed with the plan and the two settled into a line, making sure to scan around at distance, and being mindful of where they stepped.

SilverLutz

Another helping of clue, please. c:

 

[SilverLutz]

The earth here is soft from the constant movement of herds through the area. You stumble slightly into a divot, a slight depression in the ground. As you glance down you’re startled to see your paw inside a much larger paw print. This print is so massive you think you’re hallucinating for a second until you see a few more in the soft dirt. A patch of grass ahead makes them disappear, but the prints you see are also heading in the direction the group is traveling.

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

In their one behind the other formation, Mzia and Ru searched. Ru had been looking eastward when she jumped when her friend made a startled sound, staggering before righting herself after a bit of a stumble. The two hobbits seemed to freeze, the fairer looking down, seemingly stunned at her own feet, while Ruqayqa looked on at her friend with concern. "Mzia, are you alright," she asked after a long moment.

"Ru...Please tell me you're seeing this..." Her voice was soft and had a slight anxious tremor to it. Mzia finally lifted her gaze to lock eyes with her friend, a tenseness in her body and expression drew her companion closer for a look.

"Oh...That's...I am, Mzia, I am." There are few things in the world to produce such large scale prints. Sure, there were some prides and individuals that grew bigger, she knew, but this big? What were the odds that a god or goddess happened to pad through Northfarthing? Noting that Mzia almost seemed afraid to move from her position, Ru softly sighed and reached out to gently hook a paw across her friend's shoulders to encourage her to take a step back and sit next to her a moment. "Take a few deep breaths, okay? I'm right here. I'll let the others know."

Once Mzia settled into a sit with a nod, her astonished gaze still lingering on the foot prints, Ru called out to the other searchers, feline and canine alike. "There's some more paw prints over here, though they aren't Hateya's. These are much, much larger! These don't belong to any hobbit."

She gaze Mzia a little head bunt and offered her an encouraging grin. "Ready to keep going? We don't need to split up again, we can keep close."

With a sigh and little grin of her own, Mzia nodded and rose to her feet again. "Let's go." And on the pair pressed.  

[Avid_RPer18]

Another call went up and Yehudah paused to listen, though what he heard made him nervous. Very, very large paw prints, ones not belonging to anyone present were found? His tail lashed low as he processed this information. Oh dear... the Thain's daughter hadn't been taken had she? Surely there'd be more signs of trouble or distress. Did she have friends outside the pride? Friends who were that big though? There'd definitely have been some talk if that was the case. Even with the festivities, one doesn't just miss, what, a giant individual? Much less two whole pride and pack groups! Someone would have seen something. The middle aged farmer gave himself a sound, thorough shake to loosen the tension that was threatening to tighten his muscles. Nope, he had searching to do.  

[Avid_RPer18]

Now walking shoulder to shoulder, Ruqayqa and Mzia continued their search whilst quietly talking amongst themselves. The chatter was helping to soothe Mzia and Ru was happy to help while she pondered what all happened earlier, and who all passed through here, and when.  

[Avid_RPer18]

Thinking back to his former life, his life before coming to the Suzat, his earlier days, the lion frowned at his introspection. Would he have to make use of the training of his young adulthood? Channel his old warrior training? Yehudah's expression, for anyone who may have glanced his way, might see it edge into equal measures sour and sad. He didn't want to if he could avoid it, but if he absolutely had to...he'd do what he must. That was a chapter he definitely hoped would stay firmly closed and behind him.