Garan took a deep, deep breath, reading her message. What was more depressing than not being able to reply?
However, he trusted his wife. He had long learned that being overly protective would not just annoy her, but also hinder her growth. So—even if it went against all his instincts—he chose to calm down and not go after her, focusing on self-preservation instead.
By the time he received her message, he was already near the col that Althea spoke of.
He had long emerged from his little cave, more or less recovered, and he went straight to where he encountered the berserk-but-injured bird at the time.
It had some internal injuries when he encountered it (which he later realized was caused by one of Althea's bombs), and its flight was slow, so it couldn't have gone far.
