"What are we supposed to do, we can't just leave him behind!"

"We can't search the entire sea for him either…", the silent one muttered with regret, not enjoying the fact that he had to say the obvious, despite the dire circumstances. They had just lost another one of their group…

His friend sighed in utter frustration as he stared into the large and frozen landscape of the Tundra, their task still at hand. With no option to search for Darren, the only thing they could do was to search for that stone in the hopes of gaining a lead towards Ben.

Staring at the pickaxe in his hand, he spared a last glance back onto the wide sea that had stolen yet another dear friend from them before he braced himself, heaving another deep sigh. Their ship was waiting for them back at the coast, and the longer they took, the more they risked for a monster to spot them.

They had to keep moving, keep searching…

…

Their breath was well visible as the two entered a lonely cave, the frozen air following them wherever they went. And the light from outside was only reaching so far… but if one were to search for a potential mining spot, then the caves were their best bet. However, as they stepped further inside, his silent friend held a hand in front of him to stop him in his tracks, irritating his companion slightly.

"We mustn't let our guard down, we don't know what might potentially be lurking further inside.", having noticed his friend's stern expression, he couldn't help but worry that he was advancing too much in a reckless manner. If they weren't careful, these frozen lands would take them as well.

For a moment his friend resisted the urge to shrug the hand away, but after a moment of calming himself, he merely sighed with a huff.

"Fine…"

It wasn't long until they were at work, mining away on every single piece of ore that they could find, the sounds of their pickaxes echoing far into the cave. The silent one stopped for a moment as he held a piece of ore closer towards him, trying to regard it as best as he could with what little light still managed to reach into the depths of the cave. It was shimmering in an unusual glow, radiating a faint glimmer in his hand.

"Over here, I think I've found something…", inspecting the strange stone a bit closer while waiting for his friend to arrive, he shifted his attention away from it once he realized that no one was coming.

"Is something the matter? Where-"

A gasp escaped him when a shadow suddenly moved on the ground, with no monster anywhere nearby. And yet, before he could move at all, a drop of saliva suddenly dropped onto his helmet, prompting him to gaze upwards in shock.

A terrible roar suddenly pierced through the cave, echoing on its walls as he was forced to cover his ears before he could hear a scream from above, his friend falling down on him from the ceiling.

Realizing what happened, he gently shook his friend who was covered in saliva, the latter staring back at him with horror reflecting in his eyes.

"That was… horrible…", the monster finally fell down onto the ground as well, causing the silent one to narrow his eyes in anger as he stared into the sickly eyes of the being in front of them.

A Gigginox.

Realizing that his friend was in no state to fight, he slowly set him down on the ground before he unsheathed his weapon, the poisonous creature stretching its elastic head to scream once more. Gripping his sword tightly, he braced himself before he rushed ahead, his opponent stretching its head once more to bite him.

Having accounted with just that, he rolled to the side to avoid it, continuing his charge with determination until he was close enough to deliver a strong strike against its ghastly wing. It resulted in another shrill scream, its head pulling back all of a sudden. Its head was looking the exact same as its backside, and it was hard to distinguish which part was truly its head. For he realized too late that its secondary head stretched forward to swipe him away from itself, knocking him to the ground.

The monster didn't hesitate for a moment as it reared its other head towards him, intent to swallow him alive. Noticing that his sword lay a few paces away from him, he did the only thing that came into his mind in that moment and threw a small barrel bomb into its mouth, causing it to rear back in surprise before it exploded in its stomach.

A mere pained screech escaped the Gigginox as it succumbed to the ground, the adrenaline that had sustained him slowly fading away from. An exhausted sigh escaped him before he slumped down onto the cold floor, trying to catch his breath.

And yet, they were successful, and they were still alive.

Night had already replaced the setting sun as both Ben and Blackclaw simply admired the stars, having chosen to lay down near the river in content. And yet, Ben couldn't help but feel more self conscious about himself as Blackclaw didn't seem to tolerate the idea of leaving a gap between themselves in the slightest.

Beyond that, she seemed to have taken a liking to simply rub her head against his in a subtle but noticeable manner, her tail brushing against his own. And yet, she didn't utter a word, not minding the silence that hang in the air in the slightest. It was not the first time they had been in a position like this, he felt as though it had simply become a habit ever since she had allowed him to stay with her… however, he couldn't have known that her actions meant so much more than that. For actions spoke louder in this world than any kind of words.

As such, he failed to notice her glancing at him from time to time as well, understanding his silence and unresponsiveness in the only way that she could, despite knowing that he was different from anything she had seen in her life. Glancing at him once more, she purred to gain his direct attention.

"Glowscale… you know that when I offered you to stay with me, I wanted nothing more than for it to stay like that constantly… didn't you…?", Ben regarded her with mixed emotions as she stared at him with a gleam in her eyes, an obvious intent reflecting from within.

"What I mean to say is-", she suddenly paused, a small growl escaping her before her tail began to wrap around his own, causing his eyes to widen slightly.

"-do you really not know…? Is it not obvious to you…", finding himself unable to do anything as he lost himself within her gaze, she slowly wrapped her tail further around his own, placing her head beside his own as she purred, not diverting her eyes once from his own. It was an opportunity like no other, and whether he knew it or not, she would not miss it for her life.

"... that I want to be your mate?", trying desperately to restrain herself not to go any further to keep in line with her own instincts, she had to wait for his approval. For if he didn't…

Not knowing what to say, Ben could merely stare back at her with multiple thoughts coursing through his mind, her intention now more than clear to him. And whatever was he supposed to do…?

"I… can't-", upon hearing that single word, her eyes widened in horror before she curled herself around him entirely, gazing at him with utter desperation, not leaving him any chance to speak further as she placed her forehead on his own, not allowing him to look anywhere else but herself as their flappers brushed against those of the other.

"Have I… not done enough? Have I not earned that from you yet…? And if so, what is it that you-"

"Wait!", forcing her emotional turmoil down for the briefest of moments, she stared at him with a single glint of hope in her eyes, allowing him to speak once more.

"I don't… I don't mean it like that… it is, I-"

"Did you already have… another potential mate in mind…?", not being able to help herself, she wanted her fears to be either chased away or proven to be true. There was nothing else she could do, and if it should turn out to be true… then…

"No, I never had… it is simply… will you allow me to be with you just as we used to before, if only for bit longer?", contemplating his words in her mind, he could feel her tail brushing against his own once more before she purred, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

"If that is what you want, Glowscale, then of course. I will wait… for as long as it will take. But never forget, even if you are yet unsure…", she opened her eyes again, and he could witness the predatory glint within her eyes as she regarded him with a long purr.

"... that I want nothing more than that."