Waiting on the sky to change

The hounds were excited, but their lead dog - a red-furred beauty with long legs and bright eyes - kept them quiet and still after a hand-signal from Tal. Well-bonded to her master, she watched him intently as he made his hunt and then the young man straightened proudly, turning towards Noah--

The gryphon's cry jolted Boreal into motion from her indulgent approval of her companion's quick, clean kill. She dropped like a stone, broad-shouldered and thickly-muscled as she was, and her pale eyes gleamed with cheerful threat as she dove beneath Eira and let loose a small jet of flame at the stag's hooves to further discourage a charge.

Tal had scrambled behind the doe's body to use her as a shield of his own before the much more effective one came down in a scintillating dome all around him. He crouched, eyes wide but knife held steady as he watched the angry stag through the veil of starlight that kept it at bay until it finally turned and retreated. Only then did he let himself sit back onto the ice and wave at Noah. "Thanks!" he called, waiting for the thunder of his pulse to subside before they got to work rendering the luxere into meat. "What d'you call that thing?"

With the buck, enraged yet terrified, retreating back into the tundra, the pair was safe to move forward. And by move forward, Noah meant they were ready to do what it took to go home. He still wasn't ready to spend much time away from the Citadel at this point, and their venture out had been enough for him. Closing the distance between himself and Tal, Noah drew a knife and crouched with the other man. "Divine Opposition." Noah chuckled a little bit. "It was the first thing that Vi gave me."

Eira landed briefly on the hard packed snow to investigate Noah, but didn't spend much time there before she was back in the skies again, circling and scanning and protecting. "Don't skin it. Let's just gut it and break it down enough to fit well on the sled." Then, Noah set to work on getting the luxere broken down enough for transport. He quartered it but kept the hide on. "The meat will taste better if it can hang for a few weeks before it gets processed down." Noah explained.

The courier was impressed and he wasn't very good at hiding it as he continued to sneak glances at Noah while they worked. Boreal was happy to let Eira stand guard while she swiped a few bites from the viscera as they gutted the beast and sectioned it enough to fit in the sled. It was a small sled, but it was also a small luxere so it all worked out in the end.

As they were lifting the meat into the basket Tal nodded at the hunter's wisdom, taking a mental note of it. It was good to have the distraction from his preoccupation with what had happened in the War and all the people they were laying to rest in its aftermath. It was good to be doing something more for the living that remained. Deepfrost was just around the corner and they had that deadly season to survive still, all while rebuilding what had been broken in the struggle.

"Hey... thanks. For... y'know. Comin' out with me," Tal offered awkwardly as he distributed treats and pats among the dogs before heading to his place in the back. "An' savin' me. I know I'm not... well. It was nice. Today." He scowled as his rambling went off track and tucked his face down into his scarf as the heat lit up the back of his neck and ears. Raising the snow brake, he turned the sled towards home.

The tundra seemed quiet and safe in the wake of their encounter with the buck. Eira did not relay any message of danger, and the flashing images Noah got in his mind were that simply of snow and ice. With Talyson's help, it didn't take long to get the doe prepared and settled into the sled. Noah patted the lead dog's head without much thought, though kept his eyes on the younger man as he spoke.

Noah smiled a soft, wrinkled smile. "You could have taken on that buck without me. That knife you've got there," Noah gestured to the weapon on Tal's belt with his chin, "is something quite special. Who made that for you?" Part of him wondered if it was Deimos, to help keep Talyson safe during the war, but the other part felt confident that it had been a god.

"We should head back to the Citadel soon. Even if Boreal finishes the gut pile, an ursur or wolf pack will be on this scent soon enough." Noah said, readying himself for the travel back to the safety within the walls.

Tal straightened a little under Noah's confidence in him, scowl fading though his blush didn't as the demigod complimented his weapon. "Frey," he answered shyly. "Nature Frey, I mean. I was, uh, gettin' knocked around a lot when I tried fightin' with an axe. A spear was better, but it's kind of unwieldy, you know? So Frey helped me cook up somethin' easier to carry around when I'm makin' deliveries."

He flashed a wan smile to his former Warden then hupped softly to the dogs. Bell's ears perked up and she started to pull, urging the wheel dogs to dig their paws in against the sled's inertia while Tal pushed  from behind. Boreal looked up from her feast with a bloody muzzle and snatched a final snack before launching herself into the air, caroling for Eira to take a turn at the sweetmeats if the gryphon was so inclined while the dragon took up the skyguard for the journey home.

~fin~