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Caomhnóir before the sudden movement had me on the ground. My eyes caught the autumn waterfall of my Puck's hair disappearing around a tree ahead of us. "Robin," I tried to scream. "I'm here! Don’t leave, I'm here," I sobbed.
    I was determined to catch up to him. I ran, nearly blind with the blurriness of my vision, I ran. Caomhnóir jumped in front of me trying to stop me. With a desperate shove, he fell out of the way. His whine barely heard over the deafening beat of my heart. "Robin, I'm coming," I whispered as I stumbled forward.
    Several yards later, I fell to my knees. My arms wrapped around my middle while I gasped and gagged. Agony lanced my innards and I heaved trying to vomit up the nothing in my belly. Shivers began to rack my body and my eyes burned, trying to cry tears I did not have. "Why, Robin? Why did you leave me," I mumbled. Caomhnóir nudged me gently and whined. He was the last thing I saw before darkness swept me away. I thought I heard a frantic howl but by then I was gone.
     

Chapter Five
     
    Cernunnos
     
    We had been searching for hours. I was the lord of these damned wood, yet I could not find one tiny female. The fucking Cú had hidden her from us. When I found them, the hound would feel my wrath. Dianthe I almost expected this from. The hound, his betrayal stung more than I thought.
    I could not kill the beast, she would be devastated. The girl had taken it on as a pet. Moreover, it was loyal to her. The darkness was coming over the land and a mild panic was trying to set in. What was the likelihood of her surviving the night in the wild wood?
    Calling out to my men, I commanded them to mount up. "Caratâcos, Togodumnus, gather the riders. We hunt," I roared. My steed trotted over to me and I mounted him without bothering with a saddle or reigns. "Dorchadas," I whispered into his ear. "We search for the female you carried here. Can you find her?"
    Fiery breath exhaled from his flaring nostrils and his hoof sparked when he hit it off the ground. "Good, lad," I rubbed his ear before rising in my seat and preparing to sound my horn. The hard edges had just touched my lips when the night was broken by a panicked howl in the distance. "It’s the hound," Brónach quietly said as she rode up next to me. "My lord, he is greatly distressed." Her liquid eyes filled with worry. "Something must be wrong with Dianthe. Should we ride?"
    She sat there patiently but I could tell she did not want to wait until my say so. With a nod and a shout of "We Ride!" I gently kicked Dorchadas into a canter then a gallop. He did not need his sight to traverse the wood. We now knew where we were going. The call of the hound always brought us to our prey.
    In only moments, I saw the hound in the distance. He was deep in the wood and laying beside a still form. My breath caught. No… I thought. She cannot be dead. I refused to allow it. Throwing myself from Dorchadas's back before he had a chance to slow, I hit the ground running.
    The Cú whimpered and lowered his head upon my approach. The beast knew better than to confront me now. Easing down onto the ground next to them, I took in Dianthe's complexion. It was ashen and had the grey clamminess of severe illness. Death would not be far behind. With the utmost care, I lifted her in my arms. Her body hung limply in my grasp and if not for the slight flutter of her pulse, I would worry she had left this world.
    "Brónach," I called. "Find me a healer quickly. She is weak and fading fast." The beat of her heart was as fast as a bird’s and her breathing irregular. I knew not what caused this but I understood what would happen if we did not do something quickly.
    "Already done, my lord. The healer awaits us at your home. Outside the doors," she added. No one was welcome in my refuge. Until Dianthe that was.
    "Make haste then, we have no time to spare." I walked over to Dorchadas and he knelt first onto his fore legs then his back until he was laying down.
    "Thank you, my