It felt like aeons before he arrived, her heart thrumming with the swaying of the trees as her brother rose within the shadows and debris. He moved deliberately, a hitch in his stride it seemed that made Beltane's eyes linger over him as he watched the trees above them. Something about his appearance felt just as unnatural and surreal as the very place in which they stood, as if a part of her had expected he would not show. Yet he stood there now, willing to listen it seemed and so, Beltane followed his movements like a mirror, taking a place in front of him as she too tilted back to stare up at the swaying arms above them. She focused long and hard on their dance, their whispers, her eyes narrowed and ears back.

When he lowered himself down, her eyes followed and yet her muzzle remained pointed at the sky. She inhaled deeply, sucking in his scent combined with the forest and season surrounding them. It felt like electricity when she did so, her legs quivering for a brief second before she steadied herself and breathed out with a heavy sound.

Then, she lowered her muzzle finally, tilting it down until it lingered over the top of Thoth's own. Her eyes dug deep into his, reaching for the pain and confusion that had brought them together. "This change," her voice was flat, gravely, "cannot be reversed." The air grew heavy then, as if her words had brought down stones from the sky. Again, she lifted her head up, her eyes narrowed once more as she allowed her vision to trace the shapes of the trees, her head slowly tilting with the direction of the wind.

"This is nature...that we cannot control," the sun seemed to hit the leaves in such a way that they flashed copper-gold; the ground beneath them, as she twisted back down to face Thoth, seemed painted in shades of black and russet. "Thoth..." Before she could speak any further, she felt a ball of nerves form in her throat, choking her for air momentarily as she glanced behind him. Her eyes widened, a gasp from deep within her soundlessly escaping. She wondered if he'd see it when he turned too, the way his shadow seemed painted in crimson as the trees parted their arms to welcome the sun.