For a time, it had seemed as if the days had simply blurred together with no clear distinction between day and night, no clear markers existing between dreams and the waking world. Cerberus remembered only snippets of it, hazy memories of mist and scattered sunlight shifting to moonlight, pounding headaches and aching muscles and @Ygritte's gentle voice caressing his ears as she tended to his wounds. And the children - his nieces and nephews absent from where he'd expected them to be, but where they were was no mystery to the hound. He thinks, that in his dreams, he stumbled his way into Ecrosia's lands through a maze of mist. But there, only cruel voices and ghoulish figures answered his desperate calls.

But he has recovered more in recent weeks, pulled away from the gates of the underworld by Ygritte's healing touch. His mind is his own once more. His body is...less so, considering how his weight had dropped, his muscles growing weaker from the extended period of disuse they'd experienced as the hound had seemed to fade in and out of existence. But all in all, he is...better now. Physically, at least. The scars upon his heart will take far longer to heal than the ones upon his skin.

The seeress's visits have helped. He still cannot claim to know precisely what he had done to earn Ygritte's kindness. But he is grateful for her presence all the same, his one spot of light in the dark abyss he had fallen into. Can he ever repay her for all she has to done for him? For everything she has come to mean to him in his darkest of days? He doesn't think he can really, but he would like to try.

It's part of why he has ventured out now, to stretch his muscles and properly test his limits now that he can properly move again without feeling his hide was on fire. He will be making the trip to the swamp sooner rather than later, once he is certain he has the strength to make it - but for now, he will settle for a simple hunt, something that will give him a meal to gift Ygritte when she returns again from wherever her duties have called her. Not necessarily the worthiest 'thank you for everything' gift he could possible come up with, but it was a start, for now.

Oh, but it really did take the breath out of him to bring down that gazelle, almost ridiculously so. It's not even that heavy to carry either, but he is out of shape indeed. It might take him longer to return than he'd first thought.

SENTINEL

and we don’t need saving

We’re hell raising

When she was not busy in the Brook restoring her herbs or out talking to ghosts, Ygritte was out checking on @Cerberus to make sure his wounds healed properly and didn't reopen. She was making one of those trips today, though his wounds were nearly healed if not completely, Ygritte couldn't find herself to not leave him alone for longer than just a few days, if not a little longer. Her mind still troubled her about her feelings for the hound but Ygritte had yet to actually really confess to him.

Delicate paws carried her back through the Grove and to where she had left him each time she went home. Ygritte had told him about the Mire King's scent that had been in the place he had described to her. The children were gone but she had followed the scent to the swamp pride and then back to Cerberus to tell him. At least they were safe or at least he had hoped that they were safe. Ygritte didn't know the Mire King very well, if at all, and therefore had just prayed that the children would be safe in his care.

Once she got closer to where Cerberus had been staying, Ygritte would let out a few calls to the Hound. She didn't expect him to stay still for long if he did at all when she was gone but Ygritte didn't want to go looking for him either. There were to many scents in the Grove and though she could easily pick out his - a mixture of his own cologne and the herbs she kept on his wounds for the time - Ygritte was tired. She hadn't been sleeping that great as of recently, her nightmares haunting her again but he didn't need to know that.

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Fortunately, Cerberus had made decent progress on the return journey back to his temporary shelter by the time @Ygritte's calls reached his dark-rimmed ears. He stirs promptly from his moment of rest, heaving himself up with a low grunt and dragging his catch back across his shoulders in a well-practiced movement. Just this one last push, and then perhaps he can allow himself to call it a day. He has no desire to keep the seeress waiting for long, after all.

He arrives not terribly long after, announcing his presence to the sapphire woman with a low chuff. He drops the gazelle in a shady, sheltered spot amongst the sprawling roots of one of the larger trees before he moves to approach her, distantly hoping that she won't notice his elevated breathing. "Ygritte. Care to share a meal with me today?" He greets evenly with a hint of a half-smile, his voice returned to its smooth, low tones. On the outside at least, he appears to have pulled the shattered pieces of himself back together. One must look closer to see the cracks, the parts of him that still wobble and creak and bleed.

But he would prefer not to think about himself for too long. His focus turns upon his healer instead, his brows knitting together in bemused concern as he properly took in the angles of her delicate face. The lines around her clouded eyes seem a bit sharper, more shadowed, her posture slightly sagging, her blue fur not as carefully tucked into place. It's so very, very subtle, but..."Is there something troubling you?" He asks after an extended pause, lavender eyes narrowing as he waits to study her reaction.

He would like to think that she would feel comfortable telling him if something was bothering her, but well - what has he done for her, really, besides bleed at her feet? She has done far more to protect the hound than was the other way around, honestly. He's still not entirely certain what to make of it.

SENTINEL

and we don’t need saving

We’re hell raising

@Cerberus' scent grew stronger and eventually his voice came behind it. One ear twisted in the direction of his voice and she would shift in that direction of his voice and the fresh smell of a killed animal. At that point both of her ears pushed forwards as she would get closer to him with a soft smile on her face, Of course I'd love to join you. She would state to him in her kind voice, though a hint of exhaustion could be heard if one listened to her closely. I hope you didn't push yourself to hard to get this. Ygritte didn't know what animal it was but her stomach growled all the same as she would tear a piece off and settle down on her stomach to eat it between delicate paws.

Though Ygritte wished to think that he was healed, both physically and mentally, she knew better than that. It was the one thing that benefited her the most, Ygritte could hear and see things that others couldn't unless they focused but for Ygritte being blind had forced her to look deeper into the words that were spoken to her because - well, she couldn't see expressions and even though Cerberus was a harder case to understand, Ygritte had been able to pick out a few things since her time with him. And since their last meeting, Ygritte knew that he wasn't fully healed. He had just lost his sister, who would recover from that.

But for some reason, the Hound focused on her and she blinked in his direction with a mouthful. Oh.. Um.. I haven't been sleeping that great.. She would state, though that was only half the truth. There was still that underlying fear that he would reject her if she were to tell him she was in love with him. Especially now that he had lost someone who had been dear to him.

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He feels pleased enough by her acceptance of his offer that it almost seems to counter the dull soreness settling within his muscles. Interesting, how that worked. If he were a more extroverted individual, he might even purr. Yet when @Ygritte voices her concern over him, Cerberus is quick to dismiss it a flick of an ear she cannot see, a shoulder shifting up in a half-shrug. "No more than I could handle." Worrying about himself has never been a particularly strong point for the hound, at least not to the same extent that she would probably like him to. For the most part, he considered things 'fine' so long as he was still breathing and able to function properly. Which he was now. Was anything else really necessary?

It's simpler to focus on her, in any case, his sharp eyes watching her closely as he settled down across from her to eat. The wear around her misted eyes, the faint tremor of exhaustion in her gentle voice...Whether it's actually true or not, it feels easier to deal with this than it does to deal with the aching sense of loss that still grips his heart.

He would've surely lost his mind if he did not have the healer to ground him with her visits.

"Oh?" It's an answer that makes sense, all things considered, but it is still a curious thing. It would surprise him if she did not have some herb in that pouch of hers that could settle a bout of insomnia, after all. "Do you receive visions in your dreams, seeress?" He asks, a hint of curiosity competing with the gentle concern in his voice. It's something he has wondered about before, given her talents. And maybe thoughts of visions and premonitions are heavy upon his own mind as well, with the nightmares that still haunt his own dreams. There is something about that misty dreamscape that just feels...too real, at times. He wonders...

Well, in any case, he hopes that she is not losing sleep because of him, in some way. She's suffered enough troubles already.

SENTINEL

and we don’t need saving

We’re hell raising

No more than he could handle. Well, she knew that he could handle a lot physically but it still worried her and caused a small sigh to form from her inky lips. As long as nothing reopened. She would tease him before she would tear into her piece of meat again and chew on it politely as she let her mind wonder through not only her own issues but what she could do to help @Cerberus more with the children. She didn't really know Alaric or anyone in the Mire but surely they were safe.

I guess I have in a way. I think of them as nightmares. She would state, her toes kneading themselves into the undergrowth of the Grove. Death is all I see in my nightmares, or visions. I don't really know what it means honestly. She would admit, but there were more than just her nightmares that kept her awake. And as she continued to knead into the ground Ygritte even chewed on her lip.

If only, Ygritte could truly look at Cerberus maybe then she'd be able to see his expressions. Maybe then she wouldn't be so afraid to tell him about her feelings but because of the unknown Ygritte was hesitant to tell him her thoughts completely.

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"I'm sure you'd be able to tell if anything had, dear seeress." He would surely never be able to hide the smell of his blood from her acute senses. It would be foolish to even try. But no, his new collection of shiny pink scars had indeed managed to hold his skin together during this little escapade. Though they certainly still stung at times, he doubts that he could really try to demand more than that from his own flesh and blood. So long as his paws have the strength to carry him all the way to the Mire and his sister's children, he'll call it 'good.'

@Ygritte's answer does little to ease the furrow in his brow. In fact, it only grows deeper. "It's rarely easy to untangle the meaning of such omens. I suppose the fates would deem our lives too easy if we were to be given a clearer picture of what lies ahead. Or so I've been led to understand." He muses aloud, before gently, hesitatingly reaching to touch his pink nose to her shoulder in a comforting gesture. He's not often, inclined to such casual physical contact, but, well...After everything, he can hardly say that he is uncomfortable with Ygritte's touch, when it is all that kept him alive.

"I fear I cannot offer you much insight. The gift of the priests was not destined for me - it was one of my brothers who had a true talent for it." Where had Arkadian disappeared to? It was like he'd faded from this world without a trace. "Though I've found that I too, have been seeing unusual visions in my dreams, lately. Ever since...since you found me here." No need to bring up the tragedy that that day had brought. "I wonder...if I have been allowed to see the realm of the dead itself." Perhaps for him, the veil has grown thin.

There are stranger tales out there.

SENTINEL

and we don’t need saving

We’re hell raising

A small smile formed on her inky lips and she would let out a soft chuckle as well. You would be correct. If he had opened up anything Ygritte's nose would've picked up the scent of fresh blood and yet there wasn't any which meant that his wounds were healing and - if not already - closing up to leave behind scars or fresh fur. Biting into the meal he offered her, Ygritte would chew the meat and listen when @Cerberus would speak about her dream.

She knew that Cerberus wouldn't be able to offer much input on her dreams but there was much more to her insomnia other than her nightmares. A small shrug formed on her extra small features just minutes before his noise touched her shoulder and caused fire and electricity to shoot through her body. It caused her foggy jewels to close and a small gasp to come from her lips as she would release in his touch before it was gone just as quickly as it had been found and she was breathing normally again.

Opening up her foggy jewels to darkness - once again - Ygritte would sigh out a breath before speaking. I'm sure I will be able to understand it eventually, but right now it's just a jumble that I can't understand. Ygritte would admit as she would lay her head down beside her feet. I appreciate you trying to understand and help, Cerby but this is on me. However, his next words did offer some kind of shock from the seeress and she would lift her head back up and tilt it in his direction. What dreams are you seeing? Ygritte had felt the unsettling power that had gone over Amaryllis. He wouldn't be the first to have such dreams.

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There were many who might believe that it would be an easy thing, to keep any myriad of secrets from one who did not possess their sight. Cerberus is not so easily fooled, a corner of his mouth quirking up faintly at her confirmation. He suspects that few unafflicted lions would be as attuned to their surroundings as @Ygritte is, simply because they have never had to find their way through the dark, day after day. Sight is a rather easy thing to become dependent on. Even for him, it is no different.

Though perhaps, there will always be some things that are difficult for the seeress to predict. The slight hitch in her breathing does not go entirely unnoticed, a hint of a frown tugging at the hound's lips. Had he startled her? It's likely that she must have grown familiar enough with his habits by now to know that touch was not such a commonplace thing for him. Perhaps she preferred it that way. He could restrain himself accordingly. (Though it was such a pleasant thing, to breathe in the warmth of her flowery scent.)

She speaks again, and he hums lowly, contemplative even though it seems she means to turn his thoughts away. An ear twitching slightly at her shortened use of his name, though he lets pass by without comment, distantly amused. Must it be?" He asks, genuine. The world beyond the veil is as mysterious as it is fascinating, but he likes to think that he might be able to unravel some things, with enough time. A game of patience, as most things are. But perhaps this is a test intended just for Ygritte, and Ygritte alone. Such tasks are common, in the tales of gods and their chosen.

He tucks into their meal slowly while he considers, lavender gaze flicking back towards the sapphire seeress when she questions his own admittance further. Eyes slowly sliding shut as he thinks back on what he's seen. "I'm caught in an endless expanse that is both like and unlike our own world. There is no sky overhead - only a dark abyss devoid of stars. I wander through a heavy mist, along a straight path that somehow bends in countless circles." Such an impossible-seeming place, the underworld. Perhaps only the dead could have a chance of understanding it. But I'm never alone there. Voices whisper to me from the mist, though when I question them, they do not answer."

SENTINEL

and we don’t need saving

We’re hell raising

Must she have to deal with these dreams alone? Couldn't she let him help her and yet, there was something gnawing at her to keep this to herself and to figure out what it meant. Though she may end up sharing her thoughts with another regardless of what her gut was telling her and @Cerberus may be the only one that she shares these dreams with. For now a small smile formed on her features, and a small shrug formed on spotted features. Maybe. She would muse at his words thoughtfully before hearing his own words.

Listening to him carefully on how he explained his own dreams and his words confused her. There was once a mist here in Amaryllis. It would come in and take others and I thought it was because of all of the strangers who came in, but then it vanished. She would admit, letting her words ring between them. I was never taken into the mist but as of recently there has been talk of the mist again. She wondered if he was having those dreams himself.

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