Cure for me

@Lucian!!

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Her paws tapped against the earthen grounds at a steady pace, yet the caribou calf was faster than she thought. Actually, no, that wasn't it. Asny just didn't have the stamina to keep up.

She hadn't been looking after herself lately -- feeding off the frozen scraps of fallen prey from where it was manageable. With winter closing in like an oncoming storm, food supply wasn't as plentiful as it was before, and if the dragoness did not stock up soon she would spend this winter and she did last year -- hungry, weak and stabbed by the constant angry growls of her own stomach. Being a rouge during these times was practically a death sentence, but Asny survived once (just barely). She was determined to make it work a second time -- this time, more prepared.

If she could only catch this first kill, that is.

Though as her luck went, the calf had skirttered in the path between a mountainous valley. A path where Asny, as close as it was from the evergreens she often camped in, avoided due to the treacherous terrain. Not often would the northern woman wander closer had it not been the desperate pangs of hunger edging her forwards. It almost felt as though her paws moved themselves -- and the she-wolf could only pray that this decision would not lead her into a maze she could not escape from.

Flurries of wind and snow blew clouds over the night sky, howling a haunting tune in between the peaks of the mountains. Asny's tail twitched nervously -- she'd damnnear spent the past 3 or 4 minutes regretting the decision she'd made; yet the woman was too far to turn back now. Besides, her nose was on the path and had already picked up the scent she'd lost moments prior...except, it was not cervine --

-- but lupine.

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Lucian was on the move once more, now with the goal of making the mountain range his kingdom. This time, the prince had left his beloved companion with his uncle to allow her time to acclimate to the weather. While they were both born in a land of ice and snow, this place was some degrees colder, with the evening hours bringing a chill that began to settle in the prince's bones. His pale eyes noticed the plume of frost that left his lips with every exhale, signaling the incoming freeze that would soon grip his home.

"Once I finish checking the forest, I'll return to them." He muttered to himself as he walked through the sea of conifers. While he wished he could remain at Vanille's side and share stories with Kyrillos, he knew he had a duty to uphold. He was the new king of the range, and he would do anything to keep his lands safe.

The sound of snapping branches to the south caught his attention. While he knew there was a resident caribou herd in the vicinity, they never came this far north. Nothing ever came this far north. The icy winds kept outsiders at bay, as well as any animals. But whatever it was, it was coming fast. Rising to his full height, Lucian turned to face whatever was coming into his home.

"Što dovraga?" — What in the? Lucian paused, eyes focused on the running cervine. Noting how young the caribou was, he knew it was not being chased by one of his own. No, they knew better than to take a life so young. This had to be a nečlan. That was the only logical answer as to why the calf was alone. There was no possible reason as to why the cow would abandon her child.

But then, an unknown scent reached the prince. Lupine. His lips curled with a slight growl as he followed the trail to its source. An intruder so soon? Was this the Fates punishing him for his past actions? Forcing him to stain his new home with blood? Of course, they would.

Lucian moved like a ghost, a whisper within the trees. He didn't need the nečlan to know he was near. Ah, there they are. He saw a dark-hued figure standing in the midst of the trail leading to his home. Lucian crept closer, eyes focused on the stranger. Making his way behind them, the prince finally spoke.

"Upadate na Caelistian zemlju." — You are trespassing on Caelistian land.

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Amber hues become rounded in suprise as the scent is followed by a voice -- foreign and masculine -- and when her snout peers over her shoulder she'd is met with the very wolf responsible for it.

Of wind and ice -- like the flurries of snow that blew through these mountain's cascades, he blended in like a phantom. With a coat cut from ivory and silver; and eyes like the unforgiving glacial pillars that line the northern oceans. He looked upon her with that sharpened gaze of his, and it felt like Asny was being pried open from a distance. “You.....were.....” 'How long have you been there?' was what she wished to say. Her throat dry from lack of speech -- or perhaps, it was the cut of his gaze making it difficult to speak.

His words were foreign to Asny's twitching ears, which pressed against her skull. In response the woman's brows furrowed -- both anxiously, and in confusion. “Asny doesn't know what that means, s-sir....” because how else would she respond? Of course, the dragoness could always leave -- but in what path?

The one he'd been blocking?

A cloud of condensed air would leave her lips as she exhaled -- her bundled up nerves would do her no good in this situation. “A calf traveled west of here, and Asny went after it.” Though considering the tongue he'd spoken to her just now, the young woman wasn't sure if it would translate well. She wondered if he'd been following that same trail, and if that was the reason he'd confronted her...

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The dark-furred figure turned out to be a blueishly hued young woman. Her eyes were a striking burnt orange he had seen once in his life. It was apparent she did not hail from these lands, but he was curious as to how she found herself in his.

"You are trespassing on my land, miss." He replied, translating for the young woman. He should've known better than to speak his mother's tongue. Lucian knew how rare it was to find another who spoke it, much less understood. And judging from the woman's speech, she did not know his language.

But upon closer inspection, the prince felt an ounce of guilt for the poor thing. "You are hungry?" Lucian responded, his sharp features softening. She was but a child in his eyes, one who just needed something to eat. His head tilted to the right, motioning to the forest before them. "Come. Let's see if we can get you that calf." He began to lead the way but paused to look at the girl. "Can you keep up?" While words were curt, Lucian was genuine. She seemed a bit thinner than most he's seen. The poor girl looked like she had been scavenging to sustain herself.

"I am Lucian, Kralj of Caelistis. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ásný." He hummed as he began to follow the calf's trail. It was easier this time, with its trail still evident in the thick blanket of snow. The cervine's scent was still fresh, trying to loop around them, just as he expected. Lucian set off at a slower pace, knowing the calf would get lost in the forest. It was inevitable at its age and needed to return to its mother.

"This is Risnjak." He murmured, voice filled with pride as his gaze lifted to the rising peaks. Lucian knew great things would transpire here, and he would thank the Fates daily for the blessing.

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“...Oh...” She whisped, slowly recoiling as he spoke. Just as she'd figured by his words and approach, Asny probably wasn't welcomed here -- to save the trouble, it was best if she left now. Better to hunt elsewhere than to worsen the situation before her. Her embered gaze wandered away towards his paws, as if trying to escape the eye contact. “Asny is sorry. Then-” She opened her mouth and offered to exit herself, as that's what she assumed he'd want, but he spoke before she could say.

“W....What?” Asny's ears would perk, lifting her head to meet the phantom's gaze again only at his next choice of words. He wanted to.....help her? Well, she'd not been expecting that -- wasn't he upset at these advances just a moment ago? For a moment the northerner stood there trying to make out whether he'd been serious or not, but it wasn't a stretch to admit that his sudden kindness admittedly made her more comfortable.

She didn't have much more time to make a decision before the violent growling of her own stomach decided for her. A flush of rose covered her cheeks in embarrassment at this, and finally she'd step few paces forward to join the man's path. More so in hopes that her voice could hide the sound “Y-Yes! Asny can keep up!” Rather clumsily, the dragoness followed after on large paws, slowing down only when they were lateral to each other. Though her nose was towards the earlier trail, she'd snuck in a few curious glances at her new hunting partner. Who was he -- the man so generous as to aid a stranger like her on his own territory?

Her question lingered no longer as he introduced himself with the pride of the kingly sort. Lucian, Kralj of Caelistis -- and his lands, Risnjak. The young woman's head would tilt “Caelistis....is that the name of you home?” she'd ask.

Once again had her eyes cast over the towering mountains with her next inquiry. “Do you own these lands, Sir Lucian?”

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Lucian silently cursed himself after seeing the girl shrink in on herself. He hadn't meant to be so harsh with her, but he was protecting what was his. However, he realized the girl needed help rather than to be chased away. Her thinner frame spoke volumes, telling him things she had not verbalized to him. And while he wanted to be the king he knew Étienne expected him to be, he knew helping the girl was the proper thing to do.

Luc's ears twitched at the sudden growl of her stomach. Poor girl. "Good. Let's see how good of a hunter you are.' He smiled as he set off into the trees. Vanille would be proud of him for helping the girl. Perhaps she would like to help the girl if she decided to return to his home with him. Vanille was patient and kind, and Lucian was, well, not. It was why the two worked so well together, the yin to his yang.

"Caelistis is my family. My home is called Risnjak." Lucian hummed in reply as he led the girl through the forest. While he knew the small paths that ran through the trees, Lucian also knew just how confusing they could be for someone unfamiliar with the land. It was easy to get lost in what seemed like an endless sea of trees, which appeared to lead in circles rather than a straight path. And that was how he planned to get this calf to feed the girl, Ásný.

Luc only nodded in response to her question before fixating his gaze on the flash of gray within the sea of trees. Bingo. Lucian's lips split with a grin as he pinpointed the young calf. "Quiet. We do not want to frighten it again." Lucian lowered himself to the ground, hoping the girl mimicked him. He could hear its frantic cries from the distance, calling for its mother or herd. And while it did pain him to take one so young, it was an easy animal to catch. "Are you ready?" He whispered as they came closer, the small cervine now in his sight. Poor thing.

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