[SE] disappear with the night

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

“Mhm,” the butcher drawls with an amused laugh. But before he can say or add anything else, he becomes liquid night in the form of a luxere. And if it weren’t for the horns aflame, he might have the perfect shift to blend into the night of Longnight. As it stands, he sticks out like a sore thumb against all the white, soot of a campfire amongst the mountains.

Danta’s quip earns him the clack of his teeth as he playfully snaps at the Maverick before settling in to be strapped in, tail swishing with amusement even despite the smack to his rump. He knows Danta’s quick on his shift for any retaliation, feeling the weight of his talons as they grip the soft fur there for leverage.

The collar is loose around the butcher’s neck as he starts to haul the sled, feeling it give under the snow like a dream. My, how things might have been different had he been attuned back in the day. It certainly would have saved him the frostbite scares in the past. His head lowers, pulling the sled and the Maverick along with – and fully expecting to be missing a bit of thick winter fur from his back in the process.

Astaroth

welcome to the show, come show me in

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

Whatever Danta decides to do with the thick fluff adorning the feirw's back is between himself and the woods, though it's difficult to get purchase without risking sinking his talons in too deep, and it isn't long before he's forced to reconsider his position on Asta's back. With a croak that's more to inform than anything else, he takes to the sky with a few beats of black wings, becoming a shadow overhead before flitting forward on the air current to weave between the skeletal trees.

Banking around, his call this time is one of shrill hello, able to spot the powerful line the sled is cutting through the snow, the way hooves cover the ground much more easily than their trudging footsteps. Being on the wing is unashamedly easier as well, and he settles in for the flight - and run - home.

Dantalion

is just carvin' through the dark

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

It’s good progress already by the time the deer feels the crow take off from his back. Dark eyes lift, tracking the crow as he zips ahead. With the bracelet secure against his arm in his human form, the corvid doesn’t bother him – only catches a second glance because of who lives within its feathers, and it allows the butcher a moment to pick up speed. Snow kicks out behind him, covering the front of the sled and some of the wood in the process, but it doesn’t dislodge it.

It might take them deep into the night to get back there, but they persevere through the cold, keeping their blood pumping and fire burning enough to keep them from turning to stone and with a task in the butcher’s mind, he’s not immediately ready to crash into sleep. Now when they step into the Dusklight is another story, but for now it’s enough for them to get home and settle in.

- FIN

Astaroth

welcome to the show, come show me in