[color=D6CC88][b][u]Just West of Galloway[/u][/b]

The trio hurried to the edge of town, following the sparse trail of blood.  But when they reached the last of the buildings, there was no one in sight.  Amuné lifted her hand to shade her eyes against the sun, squinting, but she didn't see anyone.  Ethan suggested separating so they could search more efficiently, but immediately vetoed his own idea.  The girl was glad; she really didn't want to split up.  But then how to find where Nymira had gone?

Cecil was growing panicked, worrying that he'd need to give back his battery, or be salvaged for parts.  Amuné hesitated a moment, but moved close to the Machina and patted his arm reassuringly.  "We won't let that happen," she declared, putting as much certainty into her voice as she could.  "You're keeping that battery, and nobody's going to take you apart."  Just like they were going to help Nymira -- if they could find her.

She looked around again, thinking.  The land was pretty flat, so they'd surely see the bad men and the woman they held captive if they were in the open.  Even horses wouldn't be able to go far enough to be beyond sight that fast.  That meant they were either behind a building, or in the trees.  "If we can't see them, they probably went that way," Amuné said aloud, pointing at the stand of trees.  "Wyth, far!  Search!"  The moorcat fixed his girl with a stubborn glare.  No way was he leaving her alone when there might be dangerous people![/color]