King Elk Forest i will paint you in silver; i will wrap you in cold

His firebird's first word had him on edge, and he tensed, preparing for the worst. Ice pooled in his chest during the fleeting pause, an intense but unspecific certainty that he would somehow lose her. Nathaniel almost interrupted her-- almost assured her he wouldn't go at all, if it displeased her so much. He would have regretted it later, but he would have said it if she had not continued speaking.
Her next words struck at the frigid feeling with the fire of passion behind them. It called to him in a way he couldn't ignore; the ex-soldier leaned closer again, this time simply pushing his nose against her cheek. Nathaniel was silent for several beats before he was able to stem the rushing tide of emotions enough to respond.
I'm glad. His voice was low, content-- despite his pride, it betrayed more of his true feelings than usual.
Abruptly he pulled away again, raising his head to look out past the grave, past everything. Burke said he's at Redhawk Caldera. I don't know where that is, but I intend to find out.