we've done it emperor

if you could find your way inside
you'd have to find a way to stay alive

Much to the butcher’s pleasure, the bleached section of the desert happens to be littered with bones. And after the not quite a graceful landing (but one that didn’t end up with him splattering himself on the sands, he seems content enough to have shifted into the Feirw in his veins to take in the gargantuan boneyard from a size that makes them appear far more formidable (and enjoyable, if he’s being honest).

As such, his tail flicks and his ears perk before one twitches back toward Danta – his antlers wreathed in a fiery crown that only adds additional heat to this part of Hak Etme. A small bleat of a sound leaves him, one leg lifted while the other cloven hooves press against the sands to test out how well it might be for running along it.

He’s a black dot amongst the pale scenery, but he lifts each foot a little higher than he needs to, prancing over toward the largest one that looks similar enough to a draconic beast with its horns and sharp teeth and practically beams back toward Danta as if to say LOOK!

Astaroth

welcome to the show, come show me in

we're born at night, so much of our life

Danta starts to bank lower the moment he realises Asta is going in to land, and though his sharp reptilian gaze has noticed the larger bones already, he gives up the true exploration to his lover. The Maverick is absolutely thrilled at the prospect of a boneyard, don't get him wrong, but this is truly Asta's domain, and he waits until the dust has settled from his landing before following in himself.

By this time he can see the black speck of a feirw in place of the colossal dragon, and whilst the instinctive urge is there to open his maw and erupt fire all over the prey creature, Danta resists enough to perform a shift of his own. Mid-air, as he shoots through the cloud of dust he emerges not as a dragon but as a crow, squawking a fresh greeting to the butcher and wheeling through the air towards him.

Less said about the prancing the better, yes, but he'll be sure to comment on it later. For now he swoops over to the indicated bone to flutter and perch proudly atop it. Hopping here and there and pecking at the sun-bleached material, one would swear he's checking to see if it might be suitable to haul home for Asta to carve and sculpt.

Dantalion

is just carvin' through the dark

if you could find your way inside
you'd have to find a way to stay alive

The grotesque of the squawk that leaves the Maverick is the indication for the butcher that he’s swapped dragon for gore crow – and forever grateful for the bracelet adorning his wrist to make it so he isn’t mortified by the avian’s appearance, there’s nothing but pure and absolute murderous joy in the butcher as he points out the skull. Cloven hooves shift his weight consistently on each one as he watches Danta land atop the skull with the sharp teeth, pecking at it as if testing.

He doesn’t know the thoughts going on in the corvid, but if he did he would absolutely be in love with the idea. Instead, he hops a little closer, hooves perching halfway up the gigantic thing to angle his head up toward the gore crow to puff a warm breath out at him – ears perking forward completely before he’s withdrawing and winking (as much as a deer could realistically blink, of course).

As all his feet hit the earth again, Astaroth tosses his tail and his head, ducking enough that his fiery antlers don’t knock into the chest cavity of the creature before he climbs in to inspect and see if there’s anything of note. He finds a bearded dragon or two seeking shelter that shy away with a hiss for the light he brings. Jokes on them, though, because Asta spends the next few minutes chasing them from the den of shade in the bones before prancing in a content circle to show off for the Maverick.

Astaroth

welcome to the show, come show me in

we're born at night, so much of our life

Continuing to peck at the skull for a few more moments, as he senses Asta's presence behind him Danta opts to cock his head at the stag upside-down, croaking his amusement at the sight of him. Asta retreats again then with a wink blink whatever-it-was, leaving the Maverick to further investigate. It's of little surprise that the gore crow soon manages to flutter himself inside one of the eye sockets of the skull, and the next echoing CRAAAWWW that leaves him seems to warble right out of the skull itself.

Amused and satisfied, he flaps back out of the long-dead dragon just in time to see his fiance chase off some very suspect looking lizards. Chirping his approval at both Asta's efficiency and his Very Proud Prancing, Danta soon lands nearby to strut in a (much tinier) circle as if to imitate the feirw, leaving tiny crow prints in the bonedust.

Dantalion

is just carvin' through the dark

if you could find your way inside
you'd have to find a way to stay alive

The echoing squawk that leaves the gore crow is loud enough to also send a few other creatures zipping away from the other side of the bones that the butcher doesn’t see – so busy as he is getting rid of the rabble. As he steps out into the sun once more, though, prancing around for Danta to see all the hard work he’s been up to, he watches as Danta flies closer.

Each prancing step slows as he notices what Danta’s doing, spying the tiny crow prints left in a circle as Danta mimics him. A huff leaves him, ears flattening for a brief moment as if he’s only just become aware of his prancing (and if asked, he’d deny he ever did), before he’s trotting back up to his fiancé with his ears back to normal, twitching though they might be.

With a harrumph of appreciation for the strutting dance Danta seems to put on, he tosses his head back as if to ask if he wanted to catch a ride or to fly, because the butcher’s veins are full of fire and the need to run and he thinks what better than to zip on through the boneyard at full speed, far more comfortable on the ground than in the air.

Astaroth

welcome to the show, come show me in

we're born at night, so much of our life

Luckily for Asta, Danta has already gotten distracted first by the prints he's been leaving in the dust and then by something shiny that turns out to be a tiny bit of opal. If he could be bothered to shift back he might have snagged it up, but then a shadow falls across him and he loses it, chirping his confusion and spreading his wings like it might be his shadow that's so big.

Newsflash: it isn't, it's Asta's.

When Danta finally realises as much, he clicks his beak at the feirw in a mix of amusement and contentment, and as the stag tosses his head and the Maverick has to choose flight or further rodeo times, he (perhaps surprisingly) opts for the air. Not because he wouldn't ride the butcher in any and every form, but he doubts Asta will thank him for having to grip on so tight with his talons while he gallops.

So with a flutter of black feathers and a few quick circles, Danta caws loud and proud as if to tell Asta to run his fastest and burn off all that chaotic energy.

Dantalion

is just carvin' through the dark

if you could find your way inside
you'd have to find a way to stay alive

Danta’s wings spread in the confusion of the shadow that overtakes him – the gore crows wings almost taking on a V that still doesn’t broach the broad shadow of the Feirw. It matters little, though, because Danta realizes it shortly after and Asta’s amusement is clear as he tilts his head back toward his lover with the offer laid out – understanding completely when the corvid decides to take to the skies rather than having to hang on for deer life.

So, as Danta caws loud and proud, the energy that blooms from the black bird is one that mirrors Asta’s own quieter chaos blooming in his chest, and only when he’s certain they’re on the same track does Asta start to run – darting across the sandy expanse, hopping over bones as though he were made for such a feat. He supposes he was, in this shift, with the inherent understanding of the volcanic rock of the Climb and the jutting cooled magma. It makes easy work for them to continue through the rest of the day toward the night before they’re finally forced to take a rest on the edge of what almost looks like a mirror – the salt flats of the Sea of Dreams.

- FIN

Astaroth

welcome to the show, come show me in