Mount Everfall your skin knew battle before it knew war

Darcia nodded succinctly to the question, serving the wolf with a nonverbal response as he tried unsuccessfully to pinpoint exactly how he felt about Nero already knowing of the hardwood forest. It was a large place, and certainly hard enough to defend on his own without his frequent trips beyond the treeline, but he now had the sneaking suspicion that the woods might be famous— a fact that would make them even harder to take without the support of others to fit in his stead. He decided within that same moment that this didn't matter. It could be just him and one other wolf, and he would still defend them and the woods will all the strength his body could muster.

His ears twitched and pressed forward atop his shadowed crown, listening intently to the man's cool timbre, letting it wash over him as he avoided thinking too deeply about his more craven wants— to hear such a voice call out in both pain and pleasure. Darcia made a low noise in his throat, an understanding hum that told without words that he related to the sentimental qualities of seeing something familiar, something nostalgic. He blinked slowly, choosing not to respond out of personal preference not to reminisce of such things himself. Running into Benedict had served him with enough memories, both fond and unpleasant, to last him for the rest of the year.

Darcia snorted lightly at Nero's last admission, and his mouth glittered with faint pearls as his fangs peeked past dark lips in a softly wry smile. The colossus slid forward suddenly, taking up the pose of the sphinx as he hunkered down to weather the storm. He began to lick the access water from his forelimbs, but glanced up towards his companion from beneath hooded lids as he finally spoke between measured grooming strokes. "One must have a lot of hope to imagine a goat losing its footing," he hum-chuckled, beginning to carelessly nibble at his paw pad that had some sort of thorn or pebble lodged in it.

"What other impossible things does thou hope for?" he mused a little playfully, cutting his eyes to find the man's expression again.