Falls of the Hinterlands and i'm always tired, but never of you

Nathaniel caught a flash of brilliant scarlet, lustrous under the sun, and knew Mona had come. A smile tugged at his lips but only barely, and he moved forward, searching. When she came fully into his view, he stilled and admired her for a moment. His firebird-- more put-together than she had been as of late, he noted, watching her preen herself with warmth in his gaze. After a few beats he stepped forward, flicking an ear and offering her a smile.
Firebird. He greeted, moving close and, if allowed, drawing his tongue gently across her cheek. The ex-soldier glanced behind them, towards the falls. Are you ready?
When he got his answer, he led his firebird to the place he had made for them. Nathaniel said nothing even when they arrived and he led her to the 'den' entrance, but his gaze did not leave her. He moved past her to drag the goat from the space he had cleared for them, moving it to just in front of the 'den' before he turned back to her. The ex soldier studied her for a moment, then seemed to remember something-- and promptly leaned down to nudge the bundle of flowers he had collected earlier towards her.