“Of course you don’t know what that means,” Jaskier says, rubbing his face. “You have to stay.” He points at the ground and Geralt immediately leans down, sniffing curiously. “Geralt,” Jaskier says, exasperated, and Geralt pants happily at his name. “Sit,” he says, but Geralt ignores the command and runs up to him instead, headbutting Jaskier happily and licking his hand. Stay.” Geralt takes another step forward and Jaskier shakes his head. Geralt looks puzzled as Jaskier backs up a few feet, and when he stands to follow, Jaskier sighs. I’ll be back as soon as I have my horse.” See?” He bares his teeth to show Geralt the lack of sharp incisors and Geralt huffs. “You can just eat anyone who looks at you funny. “Well, of course you think that,” Jaskier says, shaking his head. “Well, it won’t do either of us any good if I end up arrested for… honestly, I don’t even know what they’d arrest me for, but it would end in trouble and I’ve had rather enough of that for now, haven’t you?” “Can you do that for me?” Geralt whines at him. “You’re going to have to wait here,” he says as he scratches behind Geralt’s ears. Bringing a wolf into the town is definitely not an option, no matter how well-behaved – or adorable – he is. Jaskier sighs, looking down the hill with his hands on his hips. “You,” he says to Geralt, who has sat down on his haunches and is looking at Jaskier with his tongue lolling out one side of his mouth, “are far too big to come to the inn with me.” Geralt cocks his head to one side, one ear tipping forward while the other stands straight up. It’s only once they’re within sight of the town that Jaskier realizes their dilemma. He slows to a gentle lope that matches Jaskier’s pace and the two of them make the rest of the trek in a comfortable silence. “You’re ridiculous,” Jaskier says affectionately as Geralt returns to him for the sixth time, having seemingly run off most of his excess energy.

Geralt runs ahead for a bit, then circles back and trots up to Jaskier, barking at him happily before bounding away into the bushes again.

A gentle breeze carries the promise of spring, and now that the sun is higher in the sky, it’s warm enough for Jaskier to shrug off his overcoat.

The animal i have become