It had been hard to decide between being overbearing and distant. On one side of the argument, he wanted to ensure Denali would be safe, particularly seeing as he had no practical healing knowledge beyond what was instinctual; on the other side, he did not want to entrap her into a feeling of being weak. He had been desperate to ensure that Denali grew to be stronger and, perhaps, it had been a fault of his to guard her so diligently in the past. Had his attention prevented her from growing stronger? However, he always found himself inadvertently close to her. Be it intentional or not, he often found himself in the reeds by where she roamed or at the mouth of the den, coiled up to prevent the cold drafts from blustering down into their abode. For whatever reason, his attentiveness to her had only been amplified come the cooler seasons and yet he remained practically oblivious to just why that was. It had even made him avoid Aithne somewhat, her scent driving him away and back towards his den each time he moved to seek her out for one reason or another. Despite all his efforts, Denali seemed to have tightened her grip on him.

Unfortunately, it seemed he had done the same to her. Unintentionally, both of them seemed to have been keeping the other around. Eventually, though, Astaroth needed to venture out, his stomach a rumbling tangle of hunger. The swamps, on the other hand, were as silent as ever. If he wanted to eat, and to feed Denali by extension, then he'd need to travel into the free lands. And so, he had made his move come the rise of the sun, breaking the borders and roaming towards the forest with his nose to the ground. He supposed he might be able to find a plump young deer, pregnant perhaps. If that were the case and he could manage himself, he'd be able to remain within Iromar without a hassle for some weeks. There'd be plenty enough to go around if it were just he and Denali.

However, despite his initial attempts at scouring the forest, he found himself drawn to the stones of the crags. His dark form moved across the pale stone slowly, investigating all the crevices that laced the labyrinth. Perhaps he would be able to find something to scavenge rather than hunt? He did not know why exactly he had come here, only that he felt drawn to continue through the paths and across the rocky riverside. Slowly but surely, the landscape around him begun to look more familiar and he moved less rigidly now. He bounded along, his paws slapping against the stone before he entered into a clearing of sorts; water poured from above, the air suddenly colder with the winter chill and water combined. It took him several moments before he realized where he had ended up. He recognized it: it had been where he had met Denali.

For several moments, he had not noticed her perched above him. Instead, he moved around the area, sniffing curiously at the stones and tufts of vegetation. It seemed there would be no prey here; at least, his mind was focused on that until he heard the sound of fur against stone, and the hint of Denali's scent that wafted down from above. Instantly, he turned to face up at her, watching her for several seconds before he finally spoke, his voice surprisingly casual for once.

"You look like a queen up there."

That's all there was to it. For now, he was content to just... watch, he supposed, though he had to question how he'd ended up here in the first place.