Duskfire Glacier mountain bone

her touch at the base of the glacier—a nose pressed to his pelt—drew a slow exhale from him, not quite soft, but steadier than before. he accepted the gesture without turning, without breaking stride, a quiet acknowledgment threaded through the sweep of his tail as it brushed her hock.
when the forest opened, when the snow deepened and the world stretched wide before them, he paused only long enough to look back at her. a brief meeting of eyes. dark to bright. shadow to moon.
his shoulder shifted toward her, the faintest tilt—permission to walk close, to match him step for step.
uktark did not speak.
not even when the wind dipped and the taiga settled around them like a great, sleeping beast.