A Dark Path
Tobias, the tribe's most skilled tracker, paused to examine the ground. Lincoln was by his side in a heartbeat. The hoof prints were deeper here. They nodded at each other. The horse had been carrying a rider at this point. Lincoln looked back at the tracking party which Yaheera had selected: five other capable men and women had joined him and Tobias to search for the rider of the rider-less horse. Octavia, true to her word that she would never leave him again, was one of them. Their eyes met and, at first, she looked at him pleadingly. Then she looked away sharply. She was hurt, Lincoln could sense it. She did not understand his emotion behind the urgency to look for the rider, to look for Luna.
Lincoln's brows furrowed and he turned again to the path ahead. While he knew he loved Octavia, he was not sure if he understood the emotion behind it either. Neither did he understand the rider's chosen route. The ancient trees towered overhead. Their branches above and the brush below barely allowed the sunlight to pass through. It was a dangerous road. The trail led off into the darkest part to the forest, home to predators such as the scaled panther. But it was the shortest connecting trail between the Tribes in the Shadow of Mount Weather and the Eastern Tribes of the Sea; home of the Commander, home of Luna. Whatever the reason, the rider had been in a hurry.
Tobias rested a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. They nodded again. "Sunlight is fading." Lincoln announced. "We'll rest here tonight." The group's body language changed, obeying his command to rest and grateful for it. "Octavia," his voice was gentler now. "Come with me to collect firewood". It was more of a request than a command. They walked away, without speaking, towards the setting sun.