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S O M N U S Dawn’s early light did not bring a soothing reprieve for the troubles of Delumine’s new King. Even at Alba’s earlier incessant pestering to go out and watch the sun rise above the churning waters of the Rapax River, the tactician’s analytical mind did not rest. It mulled over the tasks that awaited him, formulating schedules and solidifying time-tables. Ulric would surely throw a fit if he knew that, even within his downtime, Somnus was focused on his duty and never truly ceased working. Ever since the incident on his birthday, the roan had been focusing quite a bit of his time ensuring that the Dawn King did not spend too much time lost amidst the dismal pit that were his thoughts. The crown weighed heavy, indeed. There was simply so much to do. It felt as though every breath had to be directed towards the task at hand, that every moment, his focus had to be on bettering Delumine. While not in a state of disrepair upon his inheritance of the crown, there was far too much work to be done for Somnus to simply stand idle. It was quiet. Too quiet, even for a land of sages. Their numbers were few, their flanks barren and exposed. They were vulnerable… But Somnus was determined. They all were. Quality over quantity. How very true. Lost among his thoughts and surrounded by the beauty of the verdant forest about him, the dunalino felt his stresses slowly begin to fade away. Just a single moment was all he would take. A few selfish minutes to himself, and then he would return to the Capitol and resume his never-ending workload. That was the plan, at least, but life tended to never go as planned, schedules be damned. Water droplets fell from the tactician’s lips as he soothed his parched throat, lifting his head at the sound of rushing wings nearby. Somnus turned, verdant green eyes peering upwards and into the sky towards the sound, only to spot the familiar form of Florentine rushing his way, dripping wet and far more flustered than he could ever remember seeing her. She landed, throwing grace and dignity to the wind, and without even uttering a greeting, darted behind the safety of Somnus’ larger frame. What in the world? “Flora?” The question hardly left the golden’s dark lips before he spotted just what it was that had harried the Dusk Queen, petite and small and unassuming save the righteous fury that swam within beady back eyes. A duck. Well, a mallard, if one were to get technical, and Somnus was a man of technicality. The duck seemed to stare at them, judgmental and harsh, and for a moment they did not move. What a sight they surely made; two full-grown equines accosted and frozen by a single duck. Upon his croup, Alba watched the duck with a look of contempt, spreading out her wings before letting out a loud, intimidating hiss! The barn owl hobbled to the end of the stallion’s dusty gold croup just above his tail, popping her beak all the while, watching with glaring black eyes as the mallard finally gave up on its pursuit and turned to fly away. The barn owl, however, would not have it. With a loud screech, she took to the skies, intending to chase down the mallard just as it had done to Florentine. Somnus did not know if barn owls hunted ducks, but he supposed they were about to find out. Please do not kill it, Alba. The young owl gave no notion if she heard his plea or not. Leaving his companion to her own devices, Somnus instead turned to focus upon Florentine’s dripping frame. Water clung to her features, her tresses rivulets of clinging sunlight against her neck and breast, the water darkening the bright sheen of her golden coat. He could only fathom what must have happened for her to arrive in such a state, harried by a Delumine duck. The tactician only smiled ruefully and shook his head, amused. Things were never simple with Florentine, but he would have it no other way. “I must say that I hadn’t a clue,” he admitted warmly, reaching out to delicately brush his muzzle against the cool wetness of Florentine’s own, keen verde meeting rich amethyst and subtly checking her over for injury as he did so, “But I do my best to refrain from accosting the local mallards. Now, since you are free from the clutches of Delumine's great evil, are you alright?” xx |
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