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lanafofana · 5 months ago

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GUYS ITS A LONG FIC UPDATE WE LOVE THOSE (have you read this yet you totally should)

Service and Worship are not Love

Chapter 15

It's back! The tadpals learn more about Miri's identity - and they prepare for the next stage of their search for a cure.

Pairing: Gale x f!Tav - NSFW Word Count: 6k (chap 15; total 74k)

------------------------Read on AO3 -------------------------------

It’s mid morning as Gale sits on a stool in front of his tent, spell book balanced across his raised leg as he writes in it with practiced flourishes. A long scroll dangles from his opposite hand.

He’s murmuring his way through commentary on the verbal components of the Speak with Animals spell, wanting to have it mastered as quickly as he could. It had been frustrating this morning to wake and find the effects of the potion he had consumed in the wee hours had worn off with their longer than intentional rest.

As it turns out, despite the somewhat patchy nature of Tav’s fur, her lupine form is exceptionally warm and comforting. Almost hot. A bit like sleeping too close to a bonfire.

It’s easy to imagine a pack of lythari curling together at night. His back, however, is rather regretting the position he fell asleep in. He stretches with a soft groan at the reminder.

It was not long after dawn when the pair of them were woken by Lupus, who came barreling into the clearing to crash into her.

Gale had woken with a start to the sound of growls as his wolven pillow moved from beneath him. The lythari and the dire wolf were quick to start rolling and wrestling together and Tav had to assure him through the tadpole connection that the snarling and snapping teeth was friendly and not aggressive.

Gale had returned to camp without her - the trip back thankfully not too difficult in the early morning sun. They had parted so Tav could hunt after copious reassurance she was well and no he couldn’t help.

‘Need to eat. Will come back to camp.’

He could only wonder at how hungry she must be, given the gaunt state of her.

Since then he’s had a moment to clean himself up and brush some of the long white hairs from his robe. Gale was quick after that to have a rummage through their shared camp chest to find the scroll he needed. Best to make use of a relatively quiet morning before things get bustling once more.

He’s doing his best to parse through the contents of the spell scroll, but the more... druidic components of nature domain magic had always been something of a challenge to him.

He’s deeply absorbed in the text, his fingers flexing and wrist twisting with quill grasped tight as he practices the somatic motions.

"Oi - Magic Man!"

The sudden sound of Karlach’s harsh whisper-yell is enough to jolt him out of his reveries. His eyes find the tiefling in question approaching slowly from her tent across the way, crouched as if ready to bolt and axe clutched tight. Her face is screwed up with concern.

"Don’t. Move.” Her voice is stern enough that Gale’s back straightens a bit with alarm. “Hold tight, Mama K's comin'!"

"What’s the matter?"

"Don’t freak out—" Karlach pauses, halting her approach with a wary look over his shoulder. It’s enough to make his muscles lock up. She waves a hand toward him. "There is a giant, zombie dire wolf behind you - and you’re about to be breakfast!"

“Oh!” Gale turns over his shoulder with a warm smile.

He finds Tav approaching slowly behind him - watching Karlach with cautious eyes before she glances to him. Gods, he never thought he could feel such a swell of affection looking at a dire wolf. Nor one that looks quite so...wild. Tav is carrying the back legs of what was once a sizable deer between her teeth, the silver fur of her muzzle stained a reddish color.

Gale can feel a swell of relief knowing she’s had a reasonable meal.

“Extra for us?” Gale questions with a smile. Tav makes a chuffing sound through her nose that he’s come to recognize as a friendly sound.

"Are you mental?" Karlach hisses. "Don’t talk to it! Just hold tight and I'll get you out in a jiffy!"

“It’s quite alright, Karlach,” Gale responds with a smile, holding up one hand in a calming signal. The lythari sets the legs down beside his tent with a heavy thump and moves closer to stand just behind him.

“I put your things in your tent,” Gale tells the lythari quietly with another soft smile. It earns him a friendly nudge of her nose.

Karlach, very confused, takes in his calm demeanor and the way he communicates with what looks like an aggressive, massive dire wolf. She lowers her axe slightly, but does not totally relax either.

"Uh-" Karlach starts hesitantly, "You wanna explain this, Magic Man?"

Gale glances to Tav, a silent question in his eyes. Could he tell? Should he?

Tav meets his look with those intelligent eyes, and bobs her large head once with a nod.

“It’s Tav.”

“What?” Karlach pauses, staring perplexed at the great wolf. ��Tav’s a ranger, mate. She doesn’t wild shape.”

Gale reaches a hand up to gently pat a clean portion of the side of the lythari’s face. She chuffs with approval.

“It turns out,” he starts, his voice calm and level as he glances back to Karlach, “Our dearest Tav is a lythari! A lycanthropic type of elf.”

Karlach's brows furrow as she listens, taking in the massive wolf returning her gaze. Those bright, chartreuse eyes hold an alarmingly intelligent look to them certainly not typical of a wild wolf.

"That's Tav?"

Gale nods his head, giving Tav another affectionate pat on her neck. “Yes, our Tav. Fully aware and fully in control."

Tav’s dire wolf, Lupus, comes trotting out of the tree line now too. He has a deer slung across his back and a rabbit in his mouth. The great dark grey wolf pauses when he sees the interaction in progress.

Tav turns to Lupus briefly and chuffs - perhaps a reassurance. And that interaction is enough to unwind Karlach completely.

"Hells, Gale, you should've said so in the first place!" Karlach booms, returning her axe to her back. The tiefling starts striding towards them with a grin.

"I have found it’s often best to first attempt to calm a situation rather than to immediately escalate it in some way. Which I hope you will agree was much more manageable than it otherwise could have been."

But Karlach’s not really listening anymore as she grins at Tav. The lythari returns the look - seeming almost excited as her tail starts wagging in earnest. Theirs was a curious, but rather adorable friendship to watch - forged in fire, but strengthened with playful banter. Even if the tiefling was sometimes a bad influence...

"Tav, I didn't know you were a werewolf!" The tiefling crows when she gets close.

Tav grumbles and stamps a large foot. She snorts with some indignation, though her tail is still wagging merrily as Karlach approaches.

“She is not fond of that association,” Gale offers.

"Yeah, well I’m not fond of secrets!" Karlach complains, crossing her arms and leaning towards the wolf with her brows furrowed as she gets close. She’s still grinning despite herself, though it’s clear she means to be stern.

Tav makes a series of rumbling growls and woof sounds - and Karlach clearly understands. Come to think of it, the Wild Heart barbarian does regularly talk to Scratch...

Karlach shakes her head and with a raised finger, says "You should've told us sooner, Tav. We're a team."

Tav’s ears flip backwards in something akin to shame or embarrassment at the reprimand. The tiefling levels the lythari with a chastising look. The wolf lowers her head, ears back, and whines back. Given how Karlach’s expression softens, it must have been an apology.

“I hope you know by now I'm on your side,” Karlach huffs, “Anyone tries to hurt my little wolf and they'll have to answer to the big mad furnace.”

Tav chuffs in return, her tail swishing behind her once more. Her ears slowly relax back into their forward position and Gale can’t help but smile at the sight.

“No more secrets, alright, pup? We're in this together together.”

The barbarian grins as they turn together.

Karlach, already accustomed to using her own speak with animals spell, follows Tav towards her tent and the two have an animated looking discussion. Gale’s pleased to see Tav’s tail wagging lazily as they go.

Lupus quickly trots past him to catch up with them. And when he reaches Tav’s side, it’s clear once more just how big Tav is. Lupus is shorter, slighter, darker... The dire wolf’s ear tips only reach the base of the lythari’s.

“Sylvanus’ mossy beard...”

Gale had not heard him approach, but when he turns to find the towering druid, he is surprised by the look of awe on Halsin’s face as he stares at the retreating lythari.

“I thought you knew....?”

“Ah, she told you, then? It is one thing to know and another to see.” Halsin huffs a laugh of disbelief, crossing his arms. His gaze follows after Tav. “I have not seen a lythari of the High Forest since... mine own childhood.”

“She mentioned last night that they weren’t your typical lythari,” Gale muses, his gaze also flitting to the large wolf chatting (barking) with Karlach. When he turns back to Halsin the elf gives him a decidedly suggestive grin that makes him sputter. “No! Not like that-”

Halsin raises his hands to placate and dismiss. Making no comment, but still smiling a bit too knowingly for Gale’s taste. But the druid’s eyes quickly fall back on Tav - and his brows knit with concern. And perhaps sadness.

“They certainly are not like typical lythari...” Halsin says softly.

Gale understands. It’s even more obvious in the daylight how hard life has been to Tav. The tight tuck of her stomach, the count of her ribs. Patchy, mangey fur striped by scars. Seeing her healthy dire wolf companion beside her highlights how rough Tav’s condition is.

When Halsin speaks again, it is barely more than a whisper. “To see a guardian of nature so marred...”

“Sorry, did I overhear you saying lythari?”

Wyll is emerging from his tent beside them, briefly snagging his new horns on the tent flap. The young man’s gaze looks between Gale and Halsin before he catches sight of the great, scraggly wolf ambling her way across camp.

“Balduran's bones!”

"You look different without full color vision," Tav chuffs a laugh.

“What? I always thought that ‘dogs are color blind’ stuff was nonsense,” Karlach returns with surprise.

Her earnest reaction is enough to make Tav laugh again. When was the last time anything felt this easy? It feels good to walk beside a friend and chat in her natural tongue.

“It’s not all black and white, no. But canine eyes can’t see red, just blues and yellows.”

“Oh, what!” Karlach laughs and grins with amusement at the idea. “So what do I look like, then?”

“Like a greenish-gray,” Tav replies, wearing a lupine grin, “Not as bright. But still hot as hells.”

Karlach laughs loud and hearty, her head tipping back. And it takes her a minute to catch her breath. Tav’s not sure when the tiefling wipes at her eye if she genuinely laughed that hard or if it was for dramatic effect. Tav likes it either way.

They are nearly to the other side of camp and the blissful reprieve of her own tent. Tav is, admittedly, growing exhausted. She had not anticipated just how dramatically shifting - and the last few days of trying not to - would affect her. Her lupine form burns energy so much faster...

“Sorry I called you a giant zombie dire wolf,” Karlach says as they continue to walk together. “Woulda said it nicer if I’d known.”

“S’alright, Karlach, I know you didn’t mean anything by it,” Tav returns amiably. “I know I don’t exactly look in peak condition...”

“You’re still cute as hells, though,” Karlach counters. “I mean look at you! All big and fluffy! Man I wanna pet you so bad.”

Miri snorts and chuffs a barking laugh. “Soon as we’re sure you won’t toast what’s left o‘ my fur, I’ll gladly let you.”

“Had a good chat with Dammon last night, actually!” Karlach grins back, thumping a fist against her chest. “He’s got some ideas - thinks he can tune me up proper!"

“Really!” Tav barks excitedly, ears perking. Her sluggish gait grows a bit peppier.

“He thinks he’ll have it sorted soon. Once we catch back up with ‘em in Baldur’s Gate, we can give ‘em that piece of infernal iron we found," Karlach grins.

“Well I’ll let you get in as many pets as you like!” Tav’s tail picks up speed and her trot grows more animated.

“A real lythari!” Wyll gives a mirthless laugh. He hums thoughtfully, then smiles wide watching Tav interact excitedly with Karlach. ”Suddenly her strength makes so much more sense. I had thought the lythari were long extinct or in Faerie. A myth, even.”

“Sometimes I wondered myself.” Halsin chuckles.

There’s a distinct thread of nostalgia in Halsin’s tone, and Gale cannot help but wonder about the druid’s history.

As he has been since last night, Gale tries to recall more of what he’s read on the subject of lythari before. It’s sparse literature, to be sure. His lips purse thoughtfully as he watches Tav.

Gale had held back his questions last night, but it’s hard to keep his curiosity at bay. He wants to know more about her people, about their culture and life in the High Forest. Wants to know more about her.

Surely she knows about some rather interesting ruins and magic if she spent decades in the ancient homeland of the elves? Most wizards never get a chance to travel near the ruins of Aryvandaar, let alone to explore safely. Come to think of it, Karsus is said to have fallen to Toril around that region as well... Who knows what Netherese remnants could be lingering in the forest...

The possibilities of Tav’s knowledge and experience are quite exciting, really.

“T'chk. Are there no natural elves in Fae-run?”

Lae’zel’s bark startles him out of his reverie. The githyanki must have just joined them - like the others, her gaze tracks the large wolf moving across camp toward Tav’s tent.

“Do all posses some magical ability?” Lae’zel’s arms are crossed and she wears a disgruntled frown, but there’s a tell-tale gleam in her eye.

“I’m sure my parents were perfectly normal,” Shadowheart counters glibly, having joined them not long after Lae’zel. The cleric gives a thoughtful hum as she watches with the rest.

“Another interesting revelation about one of our companions.” The half elf’s eyes flit pointedly to Gale. “Is anyone who they seem?”

Gale’s brows pitch and he crosses his arms at the unspoken jab. A rather ironic observation from their not-so-secret Sharran cleric with rather convenient memory loss.

“It is no matter,” Lae’zel returns tersely, before her lips tilt in a growing smile. It’s not subtle to see the gears of combat strategy turning already, and she sounds almost eager when she goes on, “It is good to possess such powerful allies. Tav should not hide her skills.”

Shadowheart leverages a usual long-suffering sigh. “Well. So long as she doesn't try to bite me, this bothers me not at all.”

“You don't mind the giant wolf?” Wyll questions cautiously.

“It's easier when you know who's underneath,” The cleric returns with a soft half-smile.

“It is no dragon,” Lae’zel posits with a haughty tilt of her chin. “But a giant wolf is a formidable ally nonetheless.”

While most of his companions seem more or less uplifted by the news, there is something solemn in Halsin’s visage when Gale meets his eye. The druid is quick to mask it with a warm smile. Or at least, an attempt at one.

“Once I have matters settled in the Grove, I would like to join your camp,” Halsin says to him, “If you’ll allow me.”

“Are you sure?” Gale’s brows raise with his surprise. “I won’t turn down your help of course, but you said yourself the journey looks to be a perilous one.”

“I am sure. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t make this offer flippantly. I’ve long sought to return to Moonrise Towers - unfinished business.” Halsin’s tone once more masks the look of impossible sadness in his eyes. He smiles slightly as he goes on, “It seems our fates have aligned.”

“So it seems,” Gale muses.

“I can offer my skills.” Halsin’s eyes flit back toward Tav again, and they both watch wolf and tiefling for another moment. “My counsel.”

As they walk, Tav savors the scents of camp, the dirt shifting beneath her paws, the sun against her skin. Skin untouched by sunlight in ages. Gloriously alive. Her belly full.

By all rights she should be jubilant.

And yet, as she continues to settle into the feelings of her lupine form, she also feels weight in her chest. A guilt and shame she cannot shake. The unicorn sigil at her throat has never felt so heavy. What right does she have...?

"Oh! Oh! Pup - you know what this means?" Karlach looks to Tav excitedly, lips splitting with with a sharp grin.

The ranger looks back at the tiefling with curious eyes, ears perked high.

"Now you can shift, once we get my ticker fixed we can finally play throw-the-druid! Er- ranger!"

Tav drops into a playful bowing pose before hopping around a few times. She barks an excited "Yes!"

"Fuck yeah! We’ll be crushing baddies left and right!” Karlach raises her arms up, flexing her muscles as she trails after Tav into the open front of her tent.

Tav has to be careful as she enters her tent - mindful of the errant sway of her tail as it catches on the fabric edges a few times too many. She had gotten into the habit of making her tent smaller for efficiency’s sake, but that would have to change. Does she have enough fabric? She might have to hew some new support poles...

She sighs slightly as she ducks her head low and moves cautiously. In her lupine form the roof of her tent was not tall enough, nor would she be able to turn around easily between. Tav was more likely to knock the whole thing down.

What a pain.

Tav manages to turn and awkwardly back her way in to the center of her small space. The lythari lays down between the poles carefully, the tent only just long enough that Karlach can follow in behind her, though the barbarian has to stoop.

When Tav spots her clothing neatly folded and stacked carefully just inside the entrance of her tent she chuffs softly to herself, a warm feeling fluttering through her chest. Her tail snags against the back wall of her tent and she has to reign herself in once more.

“Aw, you got it real cozy in here,” Karlach muses, her gaze flitting from Tav’s alchemy bench, to her drying rack stuffed with herbs, leather, and meat, and to the pile of furs that make up Tav’s ‘bedroll.’ “Always wondered what you got up to. Woodsy. I like it.”

“Just practical,” Tav counters softly.

She braces her front paws against the ground, toes curling to dig claw into the ground and steady herself. Then she bows her head - breathing in deep and releasing it steadily.

Tav concentrates on the memory of last night - on how it felt to have that primal energy shifted and coaxed into behaving. The way Gale had coaxed chaos into order and energy had moved from her spine to her limbs... Now to just do the opposite.

She feels that pool of primal magic as she centers herself - focuses on that bright golden light within. Willing it to bend and move at her call, to respond as it once did effortlessly.

Tav’s back arches with a soft growl of effort.

Focus.

Pull in. Feel beneath.

Tav tries - feels the fur pulling in but her hackles raising. The wolf, finally free, resisting. The golden glow of the primal weave simmers beneath her skin, hot tendrils of magic that push and pull at her form.

It hurts. Aches.

And after several tries, Tav manages the shift in a sharp burst of magic.

Loud sounds and powerful scents dull, color and clarity rush back in. The world at once cold and large around her. Tav heaves heavy breaths from the effort. But the hands supporting her are hands, Mielikki be praised.

She glances back up when she hears Karlach clear her throat and excuse herself, but only catches a glimpse of the long red tail as the tent flap closes behind her.

Must have something to get to before they pack up camp.

Tav lifts a hand to her chest, rubbing at lingering discomfort. Hopefully this gets easier again...

Gale cannot help the way his eyes linger on Tav’s tent after she ducks inside. Karlach ducks her head into Tav’s tent, following after the large wolf.

Last night’s shift was so difficult for her... Would shifting back be just as difficult? Should he go help? That primal weave could get tangled again-

He chews idly at his lip as his thoughts speed away from him.

A few long seconds pass where Gale hardly feels able to breathe. Just as he drops his hands and his anxiety presses him to move, Karlach is backing quickly out of Tav’s tent. Looking... hotter than before? If that was even possible.

The barbarian quickly trots back to where everyone is now gathering at the center of camp to make their plans for the next steps. She sidles up next to Gale, looking a bit distressed.

Cupping a hand by her mouth and leaning in conspiratorially, Karlach hisses at him under her breath, “You didn’t tell me she was naked under that wolfy fluff!”

Oh.

Beautiful copper skin bare and bathed in moonlight. Strong limbs graceful and lithe. Silver white scars that litter her skin. Green tattoos that curl down her torso, over the swell of her hips, and down the sides of her powerful legs...

Oh.

Gods above.

It’s difficult to suppress the groan that rises unbidden in his throat as the images taunt behind his eyelids.

“Ah! M-My apologies Karlach,” Gale returns sheepishly, his own cheeks flushing a bit pink. “I didn’t know it would have any relevance.”

“Oh but you did know,” the tiefling ribs back, her lips splitting wide with a sharp grin. “Good on ya, Gale.”

“Karlach!”

Tav has to stop several times while pulling on her clothing. A tremor would roll through her frame, or a wave of that raw, primal energy would make her stop.

The wolf clawing under her skin, already begging for freedom.

She can only hope that control starts to get easier. And quickly. Losing shape emotionally will almost certainly cause issue. Not least of which the pain in the ass it would be to repair her equipment if it went poorly.

Tav catches a glimpse of bright green eyes with a predator's pupils across the tent and startles, her heart flying to her throat-

Before she realizes with a sharp exhale that it's only her. Tav had caught her reflection in the shard of looking glass she kept on her workbench.

At first glance it was like seeing a ghost. At second and third… it would still look like a ghost if not for her honor marks and the red of her hair. It's not Yasha.

Her chest squeezes uncomfortably, but Tav pushes away the thoughts before they can drag her into despair.

There is no time. They must press ahead. No time to linger on decades old sorrows.

Still, she is arrested by her reflection.

For the better part of twenty years Tav has kept her appearance masked- and even then she has been careful about what she will show. Her pale skin she has dyed and speckled by the sun - her silver hair enchanted to a deep red. The rest of her lythari features - claws, teeth, eyes - she has hidden away with help.

Her gaze falls to her wrist - to the bracelet she has worn without fail all these years. The fabric, intricately woven strands of blue and gray, had been worn and fraying well before today. But last night in her stumbling it had snagged on bark, and some of the most fragile fibers has finally snapped.

Clearly the damage was too great, if the enchantment woven into it was lost.

Tav hooks a finger beneath the last few intact threads and snaps them with a claw. She knew it had been a powerful spell… perhaps there were lingering fragments of the weave within that Gale could consume.

"This will keep you safe from prying eyes."

Talmeria had given it to her in those first days out of the forest. Enchanted it to help her blend in more, avoid detection. The matron had been looking for her from the moment she got free… too valuable to lose.

Wearing it had become second nature. She was already used to having her pendant at all times, another permanent fixture on her body was easy enough to manage.

Tav's eyes trail over her reflection once more.

Hells, she had even grown accustomed to her reflection under the disguise. The strange, softened elf - nearly her. Tamed.

Her chest whorls with conflicting emotions as she meets her own gaze. Watches the way her pupils constrict from rounded in darkness to slits on alert.

She had seen Gale’s fear last night. The rapid dart of his eyes over her features - sometimes more animal than elf. The thought of the others potentially being afraid too makes her stomach turn.

But maybe it was just surprise.

Gale had stayed, after all. Would not be deterred, even after seeing her. Really seeing her.

Maybe... maybe it was fine. They had readily accepted Astarion, after all.

She stuffs the bracelet remains into her hip pocket.

Tav leans down to lace up her tall boots, hands shaking slightly. It takes several fumbling tries - her claws have been short for so long it does not make the task any simpler.

These claws which could rescue, craft and mend, fight and protect. The claws of a lythari.

Why shouldn’t she be proud of who she is?

It’s been almost thirty years since she escaped that dark prison. There’s no way they are still looking for her.

Right?

They cannot be. It will be fine.

It has to be.

Stepping out of her tent, Tav takes a moment to adjusts the straps of her armor, tapping the toes of her boots against the ground to ensure they are tied snugly. Thank the gods there was enough room in the toes to accommodate her claws. Uncomfortable enough to wear them, if they are not fit well it is a nightmare. She rolls her neck a few times to shake out the lingering tingles of stiffness and shifting.

Lupus is at her side, nuzzling affectionately at her shoulder. He has been gloating all morning about the shift. Smug old arse. But Tav cannot help the way it pulls her lips and her spirits up.

Ready, she strides to where the tiefling refugees are packing up their camp and equipment, Lupus in tow beside her. Her eyes fall to the fresh deer slung over Lupus’s back and her stomach gives an uncomfortable twinge.

Hunting to feed so many others, Tav has been eating less than ever as a means to protect the ecosystem. A predator her size can have dire consequences quickly - and most forests do not have the same capacity as the High Forest.

Tav could never eat enough with only her elven form to make up for the deficit inflicted upon her. But now that she’s shifting again... she will need more food than ever.

She would need to hunt again - and soon. But she would have to be careful. Too much too soon and she would get sick. An experience she recalls all too well from those first days back on the surface.

So she puts it aside for now.

“Elder Zevlor!”

“By all means - pursue any leads you may have. But I sense all roads will lead to Moonrise.”

“Despite the Shadow curse?” Gale questions, the fingers of one hand resting against chin and lip. “The forces of the absolute can tolerate such a place?”

“So it seems, though I don’t know how.” Halsin answers grimly. It is clear he does not have answers on this either. “You’ll have to choose your approach carefully.”

“Hm.” Gale hums noncommittally as he mulls over their options.

Directly through to the shadowcurse - and potentially in the direction of Lae’zel’s chreche. Or subvert much of the curse by going underneath it. He likes neither option, if he is honest. Minimizing danger is important, of course, but he does not savor the idea of going into the underdark. Too many variables at play with too many unknowns. Not to mention the question of knowing what direction they are headed in and finding a route back up to the surface.

Gale’s well read on the subject, but he’s never actually been before. Perhaps one of their companions has some experience on the subject?

Certainly not Lae’zel, and probably not Karlach. Shadowheart would not remember if she had... Doubtful Astarion would, just based on what he knows of the man so far. Wyll might, as a seasoned adventurer on the Coast.

Tav was their best bet. Hopefully her pathfinding skills above ground would prove as reliable below.

As he thinks, Gale’s eyes drift away from their small gathering and back to Tav’s tent. Everything seems quiet.

When he notices Lupus's absence he feels a spike of panic. Had something happened-

Ah.

There she is, speaking with the tieflings. Gale's fingers press absently at the ache beneath his breastbone, soothing the frantic spike of his pain in tandem with his heart.

She's back in her armor, moving about their camp as if nothing at all has changed. He watches Tav have a discussion with Zevlor, animated but serious. She gives them the deer off Lupus's back and after a few more moments puts a fist over her heart and bows at the waist. Was she always so...small?

When she’s stopped by the young apprentice, Rolan, the height difference looks so stark. It’s not as if the young man is exceptionally tall. It’s just hard to fathom such a large beast lurks within such a compact elf.

Rolan clearly says something off-color, as Tav crosses her arms and leans into one hip. Whatever it is must try her patience - because in a surprising display, the lythari bares her teeth. Gods above, they look large even from this far. Were they really that prominent before? They certainly were intimidating last night…but surely if they had been so obvious he would have noticed canines like those well before then.

Back at her tent, Tav accepts the rabbit from Lupus’s mouth, ruffling the fur at the top of his head affectionately. She strides to Astarion’s tent next door, where he’s emerging to stretch languidly and bask in the sun. Slow to join the group discussions, as usual.

The spawn catches her eye and gives her a lazy grin.

“Sooo,” he drawls when she approaches, clearly smug, “I noticed you and a certain wizard were missing all night. I didn't think you'd manage - you're wilier than I gave you credit for.”

Tav rolls her eyes, before offering him the rabbit. Astarion gives it a skeptical look before turning that look to the smaller elf. She returns his look with an imperiously arched brow.

“Breakfast,” Tav insists.

“It’s wet,” he counters.

“You are too picky,” she huffs, “Be grateful I thought to catch something for you at all.”

“Oh, yes, excuse me,” Astarion retorts with an exaggerated sarcasm. “Forgive me for not groveling at your feet for a rabbit soaked in Gods know what.”

“I kept it intact for you!” Tav scowls. “Not an easy task for a creature this small. Do you want it or not?”

Astarion eyes it skeptically for another moment. Then his lip curls up in a sneer that shows fang. “I think I’ll pass.”

“Ungrateful wretch,” she growls back. Finally unworried about it, she sneers back - showing her own sharp canines.

Astarion’s eyes widen and his brows fly up to his hairline. But she doesn’t give him a chance to comment before roughly shoving the limp hare against his chest and storming off towards the others. He catches the thing and stares at it mutely.

Lupus, who was trailing behind Tav, snorts a wheezing laughing sound and the spawn shoots a glare at the dire wolf.

“Here, you eat it,” he mutters, tossing the rabbit to the wolf who catches it with a happy snap of his jaws. It’s gone in a blink as the wolf trots after Tav once more.

* * *

Underdark.

The sound of it leaving Halsin’s lips feels like a death knell.

'It’s likely the safer choice to avoid more of the Shadow Curse.'

The team agrees it's the safer option. Less exposure to the curse and they have everything they need to make the journey successfully.

Underdark.

It echoes in her heart. It reverberates in her mind. The air in her lungs suddenly feels stale. Too still. Because she is not breathing.

Underdark.

Precious sky lost to crushing caverns. So much of the world lost to the gray of darkvision. To eerie darkness. Sounds that echo and bounce in the distance.

“Tav...?”

Treachery around every corner.

And the rotten stench of blood. So much blood. Hers. Theirs.

Underdark.

Silver biting in her skin. Gods it burns. The collar, too tight. Not enough air.

“Tav?”

The silence of the absolute dark. Empty. Alone.

Not enough air.

“Tav!”

She jolts. Wyll is gazing into her eyes with a worried expression, hands braced tentatively on her biceps.

“You alright?” He asks softly, soft enough the others still speaking to Halsin miss it, “You were shaking.”

Tav clears her throat and blinks away the dizzy feeling of the world shifting off kilter beneath her feet. She raises a hand to return the grip, and puts on a smile. Albeit a tired one.

“Yes, fine. Just adjusting to the return of my shifting,” she returns with a soft murmur. “Thank you.”

Wyll seems mostly convinced, though some worry lingers in his gaze. Surprisingly perceptive, this young one. He would make for a fine ranger...

“If you’re sure,” he returns with a soft incline of his head and a half-smile. “If it becomes difficult, don’t hesitate to speak up. We’re all in this together.”

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#MIRI MY BELOVED #what a great chapter #asdfkljdfasldk makes me want to re-read the whole thing again (again and again and)#gale dekarios #pls read this if you havent #fic rec

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