Dawn is still a few hours off yet, the clearing lit only by moonlight and the faint, lingering shimmer of whatever old magic keeps this particular stretch of forest from ever going fully dark.
The Beast Mother sits cross-legged in the middle of it, tearing steadily into something raw and freshly killed, blood dripping in a steady rhythm off both claws and fangs, painting small dark constellations across the grass beneath her with every bite.
"You're taking forever," she says around a full mouthful, not bothering to look up. "I already hunted two shadow-deer out of sheer boredom while you scratched around over there like a nervous mole."
She flicks her wrist without further warning, and an entire deer carcass sails cleanly across the clearing, tumbling end over end before landing with a wet, heavy thud at Lucien's feet.
