Stella busied herself with tying down Jerome onto Snow's back with leather ropes, just so that he wouldn't take to falling off on their way back. Where was Claude? A cold, heavy fear had sunk into her heart when Hector had found her without Claude. She couldn't live without him, not that she would even try to. After loosing everyone in her life, she knew that wasn't a possible way for her to survive without a future with Claude. Hector suddenly pulled her from her dark, morbid thoughts as he asked her what she had heard. "I apologize I didn't hear anything, what is it you're hearing?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.<br/><br/>Tying Snow's reins loosely to a nearby, small tree, she joined Hector at the base of the hill and looked where he did. There was nothing to see as far as she could tell and she wasn't hearing a sound. But as the wind died down for a moment, Stella whipped her head in the direction of faint, distant barking. "Claude.." she whispered, knowing in her heart that's who it was. "Hector, I heard Claude's barking just now. Did you?" Stella asked quietly, looking at the man with her expectantly.<br/><br/>Something was wrong here, very wrong. It was if her life was being drawn out of her and being replaced with something cold and empty. Whatever this forest was, it wasn't natural, not in the slightest. All Stella wanted to do now was find Claude and return as quickly as possible to the castle.