The two wolves spent the day peacefully making their way towards where they hoped the ranch would still be. They chatted all the while, and Kizasi loved hearing about Tala's hopes about what she would find. They even talked about that old story again, about the mare who had been spared, and Kizasi considered it again. Even if it was just a silly story, he loved how happy it made Tala, and he was glad to hear her tell it again.
They traveled through the morning and early afternoon, and as the sun was starting its descent through the sky, Kizasi caught a whiff of...something. He could smell prey. In addition to the animals of the forest, he could smell something new, big, maybe a horse? There were other smells that went with it, smells he couldn't recall smelling before. Could this be the ranch they were trying to find? Kizasi wasn't sure, but seeing the way Tala got excited about it all over again sent a smile to his face. They agreed that it was likely just a few miles more to go, and with a new bounce in their steps, they set off at a run for all the new smells.
Kizasi stopped when he saw the fence in the distance. He couldn't smell any humans, so he wondered if the ranch really could be still there. As he approached, a whole paddock came into view. There was nothing in it except a rusted wheelbarrow, and his heart sank. As he and Tala walked around, they didn't see anyone. Kizasi didn't want Tala to be disappointed, so he took off through the ranch in search of anything worth note.
The buildings were in tact but they smelled as if they hadn't been used in a while. They found several machines they didn't understand, and even old hanging photos and paintings, proof that people had been here once. Hay still littered the entire floor of the barn, and Kizasi sniffed at it, wondering if anyone was around to eat it. The more he looked, however, the more he was sure the ranch had been entirely abandoned.
Back outside, his gaze turned to the paddock again, and he sighed. "Well, here it is," he said softly. "I'm glad it is real." He had wanted them to find more, to make Tala happy, but that wasn't looking so likely anymore. But as he turned to face Tala, he didn't see disappointment in her face at all. In fact, she seemed excited to be here and explore, even if he didn't think there was much to explore. He turned away, confused by her reaction. It was then that he saw a shape on the horizon, just outside the paddock's gate. "Tala," he said quietly, not wanting to alert the strange creature. "What...is that?"
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