Larksong Grotto it's always you

AW but meant for @Satori

he took satori with him, her comfort was entirely warm against him. as they traversed, he allowed him to be playful, to be suave, as he nipped at the furs of her ankles, the locks against her hips, pushing her forward. a smirk grew to his face.
i will get a deer for you, he spoke, coming up to meet her at her shoulders. they would continue to travel east, but he promised her a meal first.
with his nose to the ground, he began to track, and sure enough, he'd catch a scent.

And so she was herded from the valley, each swipe of his teeth spurring her on a way before she let him catch up. When he did, she would nip playfully in return, dancing away into the snow with all the renewed vigour of a songbird set free.

Her shoulder brushed against him then, a hunt! At least Faust was true to his word. It dawned on her then that he might simply leave her here alone while he worked. While the druid had no doubts that he would return, she wished not to let him out of her sight for fear he might simply vanish into the snow. Such a thing were possible, you know.

"Do you need a hand?" Pushing ahead, she found the trail with ease, eager to have something other than rabbit on the menu. "Deer happen to be my speciality." It's not like he had much of a choice to let her tag along now.

she was a persistent thing. he could give her that much. it would not be his ideal way to hunt with a woman attached to him, but he wanted to see what she had to offer. if it was her specialty, after all.
he chuffed. nodded his head. the path the deer, doe, had taken was short lived. he paused over a small ridgeline of snow, the brown furs of their target a siren amidst a quiet night.
kicking up snow in his way, the hunter's fury was born. trekking through downwind, they would take her head on. unaware, grazing, the poor thing wouldn't stand a chance against the backdrop of two ferocious beasts starving for her life on their tongues.

At his agreement, Satori's steps grew lighter though she had not forgotten their purpose, happy now to hunt by his side.

When he paused, she did too, the teachings of the forest present in her slow-slung crouch. But Faust was a man who knew no subtlety. Words caught in her throat, for there was no stopping an arrow already loosened from its bow. Certainly, there was no correct way to hunt a deer, but her heart ached to see the doe's eyes flash white in fear as the wolves bore down upon her.

It would be over swiftly. A silent promise, though the sound of their approach - or rather Faust's heavy pawsteps - startled her into running. The druid was at her side in a flash, a burst of speed propelling her past the warrior man to bite at her hindleg in an effort to slow her down.

faust surged forward like a shadow breaking free of the forest, his muscles coiling and releasing with purpose. the doe's startled cry rang out as it bolted, her desperate flight carving chaos into the snow.
he cared not for the subtleties satori embodied; his focus honed entirely on the creature's fleeting form. his teeth flashed in the dappled light as his strides devoured the ground between them, relentless in his pursuit.
with a guttural growl rising in his chest, he lunged, his powerful frame barreling toward the doe’s side. jaws parted, teeth aiming for the delicate curve of its neck—he sought to end the chase with a strike sharp and decisive, his momentum roaring like the winter wind around them.

Teeth remained clamped on a sinewy hock, paws scraping painfully over dirt and stone as she was dragged unceremoniously behind. While Satori's efforts had stalled the doe in her retreat, it was Faust's sheer power that brought an end to its life, his jaws finding their purchase on her throat.

Panting with the effort, the druid remained steadfast in her claim, quelling the deer's valiant struggles until they faded with exhaustion. A kick from her hooves would not kill, but still she wished to aid the warrior man from a blow to the shoulder. Yellow eyes flicked up to watch him work as her tail lashed in hungry determination - and maybe a little admiration.

as soon as satori had anchored the doe, he lunged—mass and might bearing down upon her. his teeth found the soft hollow of her throat, crushing, suffocating.
her legs thrashed, a wild and desperate thing, but he held firm, paws digging into the earth to brace against her final struggle. her breath came in gasps, then silence.
he lifted his head, bloodied maw parting as he caught his breath. a glance at satori—measuring, approving. then, without a word, he stepped back, allowing her the first bite.

His head reared, doe's lifeblood an ugly, bloodied smear on yellowed teeth. Graciously, Satori unlatched and stepped forward to inspect his work. The throat was a mangled mess, not the clean death she was used to, but still she crouched at her side with a head dipped low in prayer.

A quiet whisper of thanks for Cernunnos for giving them the opportunity to feed, and for the doe herself for being part of nature's cycle. During her ritual, she paid no mind to Faust until she motioned with her tail for him to join her.

"Please, let us eat together. She is as much your kill as she is mine." A practiced tug as the druid began to tear meat from her belly, pausing only to offer him chance to feast.

he respected her ritual, remained silent as she spoke her words to the stag-god.
when she motioned for him, he stepped forward, shaking the blood from his muzzle before settling beside her. her offering was generous, but unnecessary. he had fought for this kill, had earned his share.
still, he dipped his head in acknowledgment, tearing into the flesh with a practiced efficiency. the warmth of fresh meat filled his belly, a rare comfort in the tundra’s bitter chill.
you honor your gods well, he said after a moment, glancing at her through the flickering torchlight of their hunt. do they answer you?

He was polite, despite their differences, and Satori found her heart warmed as much as her stomach. She gorged in quiet for a moment, relishing in the feeling of fullness where hunger had once clawed. 

"They have delivered us a doe, have they not?" That was answer enough for the druid, less devout perhaps than her brethren no matter how she pretended to be. A smile cracked her features then; "Where are you taking me once we finish?"

faust shrugged, tearing another bite from the carcass before licking the blood from his lips. his gaze was steady, calculating, as it drifted beyond their meal, past the plains, to where the horizon sharpened into jagged, glacial peaks.
he lifted a paw and pointed toward the vast expanse of ice in the distance.
there.
his voice was low, certain, like the weight of the world rested behind it. the glacier stood, massive and unwavering, a fortress carved by time itself.
we will claim it.
eyes flicked back to her, gauging her reaction, waiting to see if she understood. this was no idle wandering. this was purpose. this was a beginning!

Yellow eyes traced the scars of his foreleg to where he gestured to a distant blot of white. A glacier, nestled among the mountains, a terrain not unfamiliar to the druid though her eyes narrowed in concern.

"You wish to live on the ice?" It would be cold, no? Especially in the depths of winter. Satori almost shivered at the very thought, but Faust was resolute and she doubted her own small voice would be enough to sway his decision.

It wasn't like she had any other direction to follow, and so she found herself nodding slowly. "I will claim it with you, if that is what you wish."

warlord huffed, shaking his head. not all ice.
his paw moved again, tracing the landscape in his mind as he explained. there are caves. grasslands further down. big hunting grounds. his voice was sure, unyielding, as if he had already seen it, already walked its paths and named it his own.
he turned to satori then, his gaze steady, measuring. she had agreed—so easily, so simply. a flicker of something unreadable passed through his green eyes.
you will, he echoed, as though sealing a pact between them.

fade in your next;o?