All your vivid dreams and nightmares will now fall down from the sky
when it hits you, the painless jump and fall.

It was now the game began, the hard part. How do you convince someone to stay still, to keep their head between too-large teeth and trust the jaws no to snap close? He was uncomfortably aware of the black wings Argos bore, her ticket to easy freedom, just a leap and a beat was all it took and she would be gone, with a tale he'd rather not have her tell. If she tried to leave, could he force her to stay? Could she somehow keep her calm, without giving anything away? She was willing, eager to come home, and he felt almost guilty at how easy it had been to whisk her away. She seemed a mixture of both shy and flirtatious, her tinkling giggle never far away, and he felt more like his other persona – Dreven – than himself as he drew it from her, racing and prancing until they finally stood there, at the start of something. Or was it the end? The beginning of the end? The end of the beginning? He didn't quite know, and stole a moment for himself, eyes sliding shut; his lungs expanded, drew in the cold, cold air.. released it in a white cloud. Calm. It would work out, somehow. Back-up was coming.

And one he didn't mind at all. The sound of paws on snow had his eyes opening again, age-old wariness having his eyes scanning, only to find it was no hungry wolf but the growing, leggy pup of the Doctor. "Aramis!" he called in delight, wondering if d'Artagnan would think him mad. It felt like someone had rattled his brain loose, shaking all the emotions up to the surface, but it was faux joy that lit his eyes, something that wasn't quite real but masterfully replicated. But then, Aramis was standing beneath Argos, fangs bared and a growl rippling through his body, and Mauja gave the hellhound a scowl. He was just as subtle as his bondmate – that is, not subtle at all.

Red glow washed against the snow, like a premonition of what was to come, and Mauja made a half-hearted move to bat the pup aside with one frosted hoof. All for show, of course. He didn't want their prey taking off, and if that meant pushing Aramis aside, so be it, but barely had he commenced the motion that the Red himself came up the hill. At the same time, Irma told him Ulrik was coming up the pass; d'Artagnan's gaze seemed to fly to the mare, her wings, her forehead, and then he bellowed, "MAUJA!". Was it a rebuke? Well, maybe. But Mauja just found himself grinning, and shouted "D'ARTAGNAN!" in his face despite the fact that there was less than two yards between them now. Then, he stole a sideways glance at Argos, as if to assure her that it was perfectly normal for them to yell each other in the face. It wasn't, though. New tradition, maybe?

Red bumped against white, and Mauja half-staggered to the side to counter the shove, an amused look upon his face. Well, at least he was mostly forgiven for bringing the hornless here, but if the Doctor had divined the purpose yet, he gave no sign of it – just called her a rat, in a fashion that was a bit too bold for Mauja's like. Don't scare her off, he thought, trying to level a stare at him, before replying in a mirthful voice, as if it was all some joke. "Maybe I thought the cats were hungry. Or—" He gave his 'brows a wiggle. "—maybe I am still drunk!"

By then, Ulrik had come up to them in his usual silence. The taciturn engineer deposited a small, shaggy pup by their feet, and said nothing, but Mauja was sure he'd start talking soon enough. Still, he was determined to keep Argos on the ground, and had to keep the pretense up a little longer. "Argos, this is d'Artagnan, and never mind the silent fellow there." He'd already yelled d'Artagnan's name, but he wasn't going to drop Ulrik's unless he wanted it. He threw the Engineer a glance that was welcoming, though, before leaning in to d'Artagnan with the pretense of nipping fondly at his ear. But in truth, he spoke, a whispered hush. "Got anything to keep her calm?"