Moonspear by a route obscure and lonely

The haunted raven’s eyes were wary and watchful as Lyra crept nearer, and he drew his tongue slowly and indecisively across his lips at her request. It took some time, but, “Yeah,” he decided finally, finding himself unable to deny the girl despite his obvious trepidation. It’d been different with Maude — she’d invaded his personal space despite his fastidious desire to segregate himself from the rest of the pack both literally and figuratively, and in doing so, had aroused a plethora of emotions he still couldn’t make heads or tails of. “C’mere, though; I’m not allowed in there.” He gestured with his muzzle toward the grandeur of the mountain, hesitating briefly before he tacked on what might have sounded like an odd request.

“Go slowly, okay?” he murmured, his quiet baritenor a little stilted. “I’ve been alone for — I don’t know, sure feels like a long time — and I might not be good at it right away.”