her trail was easy to follow. paw-prints guided him when they were not covered by fresher snow. and when they were, it was her scent that mingled with the frigid winds. he was no sleuth; his size would not allow such, and so he marched with purpose. not violence, but something just as festering. 

ice creaked and whined beneath his weight. he'd long since acquainted himself with where the glacier was thin, versus where it was strong. where to stand and where to avoid; while he would stare death in the face, he did not wish to die by drowning in freezing waters. 

he'd warn her, too, if it weren't for the fact she walked without fear. a deep chuff escaped his throat as he approached from behind, eyes of sea glass sharp as they roved over her pale form. he wondered if she had scars lain beneath that plush fur, other than the one that marred her face. 

"you do not fear the glacier. good." he came to a stop beside her, gaze shifting to the vast unknown. there'd been a question heavy on his mind, one he'd had since he led her into darukaal's heart. 

"your face. what happened." a story worth hearing, he hoped. perhaps it would further prove the strength hidden beneath beauty he does not find tainted.

men were a plague he'd been fighting since he could stand. it was no surprise, her answer, but he felt disappointed. it was not enough, and he isn't a patient man. a huff leaves him; a mist that swirls before it dissipates. he would pull the true story from her in time. but for now, he'd let it rest. 

"many men. all fallen. i sought my revenge." he stated. some scars held heavier stories, while others were a trial of passage. a right he'd passed, an opponent he'd bested. some even given to him from men he'd pledged his life to. they too rest beneath the earth somewhere. 

he stands still for a moment longer. "i do not fail my missions." spoken not out of ego, but out of assuredness. all men would fall eventually, even himself. it was whether or not one had the strength to defy death. 

the soldier turns, his steps heavy. confident. "you hunt with me." it was not a question; he wished to see this woman's prowess with his own eyes. "come. we find a beast to hunt."

the climate had chosen to be forgiving. the winds whipped less so than usual and no longer was there a shroud of grey. it was the perfect weather for a good hunt. "saw musk ox earlier." he rumbled, casting his gaze downward to peer at her profile. a beast would make a worthy opponent for her. 

he picked up his pace, carving through the snow with ease. nose tilted skyward, huffing in the few scents that the wind failed to block out. a whiff of the herd he'd seen earlier is all it took for him to set the course. there weren't any yearlings, from what he'd gathered earlier, but it wouldn't matter. 

together, they would be strong enough to take down a bull. 

they stood atop a rocky outcrop. overseeing the valley where the small herd lumbered. migrating towards greener pastures, where the bitter cold hadn't touched. however, he didn't wish to lead this hunt. 

"you take lead. give plan. i will follow."

"do not worry about me. let's hope you don't fail, снежный барс" iosef chuckled. a glimmer in his eye, mirroring the playful challenge she presented. he readied himself, the cords of muscle going taut within his limbs. she would not; she couldn't afford to. 

the bull it is. a faint smirk curled at the corners of his lips; he was satisfied with her bold choice. a cow would've been too easy. "good choice. i won't hunt anything smaller." a taunt, a prod. just to see if she'd bite. 

he watches with masked approval as she takes off; his eyes are naturally drawn to the muscle that coils beneath her skin, taut and strong along her back and hind legs. his smile is wolffish, eager, and he bellows with laughter that trails behind her. "not a chance!"

down the outcrop he slides, his jaw set with determination. the irresistible pull of the hunt. he's hot on her tail, blazing a path behind her. and with a roguish smirk, he's leaning forward to nip at her ankles, his teeth snapping just short of her tail. "slow," he snickers, before he's surging ahead.

the herd stands unmoving for a beat. they funnel around their bull, who snorts and stamps its hoof. a tremble that's felt beneath paws, but is welcomed by a snarl. they shift, uneasy, but do not flee so long their lead stay put. 

iosef would throw himself at the bull's throat, should he need. he'd barrel into its side, snap and lunge atop its back. but keshka has given him orders and like a good soldier, he obeys. his smirk is sharp, his eyes even sharper as she sprints ahead. far faster and more graceful than he. 

shamelessly, his eyes follow her figure. the curves and outlines of muscle. it's almost more enticing than the hunt itself, and he is only but a man. but he doesn't leer for long. the bull moves, followed by its cows. 

he charges forth with a growl that's ripped from the depths of his lungs. crashing against the bull's broad side, causing it to falter for a moment. pushing it away from the cows and off into its own path towards death. he snaps at its sides, his legs, but careful to stay clear of any kicks it might throw.

that purr of hers, nearly drowned and dull from the stampede of hooves, ignites something within him. something unfamiliar, but something consuming. a low, pleased rumble escapes him; the fire in his eyes dancing with a new light, a new intensity. 

he thought this was a test of her strength, and it is...but now, it feels reversed. as if he was proving himself to her. and he would not disappoint. 

trained eyes watch her as she leaps towards its legs. his heart in a heady drum within his ears. he needed no orders now. when her teeth connect to the bull's thick, sturdy limb, he lunges again. hauls himself up with the power of a mountain to sink his teeth into the bull's thick neck. 

yanking, pulling, hind claws digging into earth. his own limbs tensing with might as the bull slows, its head forced downward from the force of his jaws. its weight unbalanced, close to toppling.

iosef is efficient, calculated, as he heaves himself up onto the ox's back. her teeth latched onto the underside of it's thick throat, while he assaulted from above. jaws part and teeth retract from flesh for a moment, only to find their mark again. he uses his weight and momentum, leaning to one side, to get the beast to fall.

it's weight buckled. it's limbs slip, panicked as it tries to find it foots once again. but it does not; it crashes onto the ground with a bellow. a plume of snow sprays, a cloud that the two wolves cut through. iosef slides from off the beasts back to press against it's bloated sides. eye lit with fury cast downward for a moment, just to catch the woman's smile as the beast begins to choke.

one of his heavy paws stomps onto the beast's neck. adding pressure to the windpipe keshka squeezes. it rasps, bellows, snorts; legs kicking wildly, only to slowly calm. it exhales one last rattled wheeze before it stills. he finally backs off, chest heaving with exertion, eyes finding her again. captivated, filled with approval and something he felt in the depths of his chest. a flame he hadn't felt before. "you did good," he rasps.

he does not admit he's impressed, but alas it's written all over his expression. he doesn't skip a beat as he turns his attention to the beast's side, beginning to strip fur from flesh. it's coat he would offer for her to keep, as a trophy.

he exhales a rough laugh through his nose, and there's a quick tug of a rugged smile at his lips for a second in time. "you talk too much." a gruff tease. "i will catch you, one day." it was a promise. if she boasted of her speed, he'd outdo her in strength. but for now, they bask in their successful hunt. the brush of shoulders makes his hackles prick; a feeling unfamiliar, but not entirely unwelcome.

they did make a good pair. he knew then, that he would not hunt with anyone else but she and faust. they'd proven their strength, their utilities, and had earned his respect because of it. he tore into the beast's side with precise but vicious tugs. ripping through thick hide with just enough care as to not ruin it.

"you will take pelt. you earned it." and he would help her drag it back toward darukaal.