What's Left of Me

He had just been leaving the Maw to come to check on the health of the altars more or less left abandoned near the volcano for most days. Though they were mostly well hidden behind peaks of volcanic rock, he still made it part of his daily routine to ensure that none of his pieces were missing. The skull and the knife of Ruina's first day still laid on top of its bed of goat hides atop carefully placed boulders. Elias admired the bleached look the sun had given the skull throughout the days now as it stood there.

One of his paws tipped it over slightly, weight holding on to the top of the skull as he inspected it. It had not been used, though the bloodstains of the past ritual still remained along the underside of the skull. He set it back down carefully and inspected the dagger, precisely running the bottom of his paw pad along the blade to test its durability. He had always been a bit of a masochist, truth be told, the knick of the blade bringing a smile to his lips for two reasons; the blade was still good, and it filled him with the delightful taste of pain he craved every now and then.

The howl rang incredibly close and the titan lifted himself immediately, withdrawing from the altar. He made himself visible from around his rocky hiding place and cautiously made his way to answer it. It didn't take long for him to spot the pristine white fur and it's apparently glowing presence atop such dark foundation. He hadn't recognized the howl, but he recognized the wolf before him. He recognized those eyes.

He held himself up with a little more pride as his pace quickened, droplets of blood left from the fresh cut to his paw along the rocky surface.

"Curiosity finally setting in?" He smirked, his voice thick and healthy as he warmly welcomed the man before him.

"I am glad you came." No matter how much time it took Cloud to make his way here, no matter what reason, he could claim this statement as true.