Ranuk had nearly forgotten the freedom of sleeping with the stars above him. Sometimes, on clear nights, he would climb to the very top of the demonic nest just to catch a glimpse of the sky. The miasma was thinner in the high branches and he could sit for hours without fear of the poisoned air corrupting his lungs as long as the wind did not kick up. But if it wasnt the air it was the bugs that drove him back inside, biting, pinching little nuisances.<br/><br/>The swamp was so hostile that sitting idly like this in the open was a death sentence.<br/><br/>Ranuk could hardly describe how beautiful it was to simply lay in the soft grass and breathe. He was almost asleep when the elf made his gentle statement. Ranuk's ear flickered, and he forced himself to open an eye so he could gaze at his betrothed.<br/><br/>He could ask what it was that Tamlin expected except the demon already knew the answer. The elf had expected a beast, savage and blood thirsty and cruel. He was not wrong to do so. Ranuk was capable of being such things, he used to be in the past, but nowadays he found he could only muster up the energy for it when he was commanded. And only one person was capable of commanding him.<br/><br/>Ranuk flicked his tails and considered what to say in return. Such a confession needed a response, but he was too tired to be witty. All he had left was honesty.<br/><br/>"You are sort of what I expected," he rumbled.