Mount Apikuni cat and mouse in partnership

the lack of trust is almost a palpable thing; snapping thru the air like a lightening strike. wintersbane is a beast, first and foremost, and reading the tension in the air, the body language — despite being draped in shadow — is as natural to him as breathing. winnersbane? his name is repeated and wintersbane gives a firm nod of confirmation, expecting words to follow but not the words that tumble from the boy’s mouth. eisen wintersbane. he was of sagtannet; wintersbane knows it instantly from the strange word mahler had for ‘leader’. the title wasn’t accurate anymore — might very well never be again — but it is how this boy knows him.

that’s right, wintersbane encourages, frowning only slightly. though i am not eisen anymore. it feels important to add, glacial gaze giving the boy a once over. he’s malnourished and filthy …and wintersbane must do the mental math in his head. too old, surely, to be star’s children or nyx’s. which left either astraeus or thade.

despite that the boy’s taken a tentative step closer there is still too much grime for wintersbane to be able to tell. what has happened to you? wintersbane asks softly, knowing he hasn’t been under a parent or guardian’s care for quite some time. are you hungry? i'll catch you something to eat.