Tal had spent the majority of his adult life alone on the Tundra with only his dogs and dragon for regular company. Silence came easier to him than speech - as those who had heard him put his foot in his mouth could attest to. Now, so soon after the War and with the deaths of the Shields so fresh in his thoughts he was even less voluble than usual. Even the dogs ran quietly, though there was no disguising the shushing of the runners over the snow.
Boreal mirrored Eira's circle, watching the luxere below with draconic interest while the deer hung its head, panting puffs of heavy smoke into the Leafchange air. Something wasn't right...
And as they came close enough to see why the creature had stopped, Tal grimaced in sympathy. "Leg's broke," he whispered back as they came to a halt, nodding to the unnatural angle the foreleg caught in the crack had bent at. "I'm gonna put it out of its misery." He glanced to Noah for permission first, then hopped off the sled and began to stalk towards the wounded creature from behind, fingers wrapped tightly around his dagger. The luxere's ear twitched and it shifted uneasily, but there was nowhere for it to run, and before Tal got in range of a kick from its hind legs he stepped to the side and brought his dagger up to cut swiftly at the air in front of him.
Ten feet away, blood suddenly sprayed from a clean slash in the side of the luxere's neck and it let out a lowing sigh as it threw up its head and jerked before subsiding slowly to the snowy ground, a red pool growing beneath it.
Boreal mirrored Eira's circle, watching the luxere below with draconic interest while the deer hung its head, panting puffs of heavy smoke into the Leafchange air. Something wasn't right...
And as they came close enough to see why the creature had stopped, Tal grimaced in sympathy. "Leg's broke," he whispered back as they came to a halt, nodding to the unnatural angle the foreleg caught in the crack had bent at. "I'm gonna put it out of its misery." He glanced to Noah for permission first, then hopped off the sled and began to stalk towards the wounded creature from behind, fingers wrapped tightly around his dagger. The luxere's ear twitched and it shifted uneasily, but there was nowhere for it to run, and before Tal got in range of a kick from its hind legs he stepped to the side and brought his dagger up to cut swiftly at the air in front of him.
Ten feet away, blood suddenly sprayed from a clean slash in the side of the luxere's neck and it let out a lowing sigh as it threw up its head and jerked before subsiding slowly to the snowy ground, a red pool growing beneath it.
