Ravensblood Forest Say my name

Sorry for being slow with this!

He did not need to look far. While the beast was scouring the terrain, the female was slinking along behind him in hot pursuit, and it took some time before he noticed her near-silent steps. Once he did, Zugzwang pirouetted in time to catch her crooning through the dark to him — a sound he thought he'd never hear, which brought a weight to his belly and a confidence to his movement. He scrutinized her, but Zugzwang knew how this event would transpire. Women were the ones that made the judgement, women chose, and he would have to sit back and appease her.

And when she spoke, her tone was sharp as her voice brought her first judgement to his ears. A subtle statement, obvious yes, but with many implications. Was he weak for sporting so many scars? Too foolish perhaps, to bed her? Or was he mighty? A warrior, mighty in battle and even mightier in bed? He watched her, and then deferred to her with a subtle shift of his attention away, for only a moment. Still, Zugzwang responded: And yet, those dogs are fewer because of it.

Yes, he was injured, but many of them were dead.