cloud lash did not turn back.
her steps remained sure-footed, even as the hills gave way to stone and summit. she watched the way he moved through the brush, light but certain, and there was something in it that mirrored the rhythm of a story not yet told.
her crimson eyes met his when he glanced over his shoulder. still here, they said. still curious.
when he paused, tail stirring with an ask not spoken aloud, she stepped forward again. no hesitation. only a quiet smile that curved her lips as she reached his side.
sky teeth do not scare me, she said softly in her tongue, with a gesture toward the jagged peaks above. and then, after a pause, a single word in common, careful and clear:
yes.