Even as good a climber as the prince was, it was made abundantly clear he was not the best: Ranuk let him make some headway, but as soon as the demon started working up the mountainside, it took no time at all for him climb ahead, several feet above Tam within moments.  The demon was made for this kind of setting, perfectly adapted for the rocky slope, and there was no small amount of awe and jealousy.  The prince had to stop after a little while, just to breathe and readjust his grip while planning the rest of his climb...<br/><br/>And then he felt something brush against his hair.  Tamlin tensed and looked up, wondering what had touched him-- some of Ranuk's tails, soft and feathery, nothing to be alarmed over.  When he met Ranuk's gaze, he saw the demon's smile and the shine in his ice-blue eyes, humored by teasing the elf.  It seemed Tamlin was engaged to someone more playful than he'd expected, but that wasn't a bad thing.<br/><br/>He watched Ranuk sign, and quickly ran through the thoughts in his head.  They were losing light, the elf could tell that the sun was drooping lower and lower in the sky, and it would give them more time to finish the hunt...  Fine.  There wasn't much choice, and they were so close to their goal.<br/><br/>[Yes].  Tamlin signed the word with one hand, a short agreement, and then reached for Ranuk's tails.  He was gentle as he used them for leverage, helping to climb up towards the demon until he could also stand on the slim precipice; from there, the prince climbed onto Ranuk's back as directed.  It was awkward and inelegant, but secure enough once Tamlin was in place: he would not be dropped, that was more important than anything else.  Ranuk's horns served as anchors, and Tamlin's dark fingers curved around the bone, tapping a fingertip to let his fiance know he was ready.