[P] both pure and earthen

[Maerys]

there are nights when the wolves are silent
and only the horses howl

The years took no pity on the Viride Forest; the elements battered the hickory bark season after season, peeling outer layers off but like chalcedony statues, they remain resolute in their beauty. 

Maerys tilted her head upwards, her silver tresses displaced from the movement, slipping off the bridge of her skull and exposing more of her substantial porcelain blaze. The deciduous trees were a height that seemed essentially enchanting, their tangled offshoots stretching up to the heavens in search of the sun's golden light.

A smile embroidered itself upon her countenance, velvet-rose lips illuminated by the dappling of light filtered through the swaying leaves far above her spine. When she began to walk forwards once more, it was with the tender footfalls of a child afraid to damage the harmony of the world she had found herself in.

The Viride Forest was a place of ancient souls, of giants that hugged the earth with thick roots and creatures that dwelled in the sweet serenade of birdsong and crickets. Maerys was an infant in comparison to these testaments of life and longevity, a creature only the age of four.

@Somnus

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x

force and magic always permitted

[Somnus]

so dawn goes down to day,
                           nothing gold can stay

Somnus was not surprised to find another out amidst the Viride, but it did not mean he was anymore prepared for it.

Occasionally the dunalino would leave the Library behind to take a stroll through the forest, letting his steps lead him with unnatural grace along a winding path between the thick trunked trees. Once, he would have tripped over an upturned root, but almost eerily so he could now step over it as though his eyes had never encountered injury. His afternoons among the trees would be reminiscent of younger years and fill him with peace, but he would only be out for a few hours before returning to the leaflet book filled halls of the Library.

Typically whenever he emerged, the former Sovereign did not encounter other travelers. He quite enjoyed the solitary respite. Other than Andras, no one else knew of his return to Delumine and he quite preferred it to be that way. The peace and quiet was pleasing after years of servitude and stress, but it would not last. It could not last.

With the rays of sunlight cutting through the canopy to warm the pale gold of his back, the white strands of his mane grayed with age tucked up in a braid to keep from snagging, Somnus made his afternoon trek. Alba glided through the air ahead of him, darting from tree to tree, doing her best to keep an eye out for a wandering vole or forest mouse for a mid-day snack. It was a quiet day, he noted; no breeze, the branches still, and the earth breathing peacefully beneath his hooves. The air smelled of thick vegetation and the last dredges of the morning dew, a damp, earthy smell that made him feel terribly warm… But the familiar smell of the Viride was not the only one in the air.

The sound of hooves nearby, traveling with notable caution, caught an ear and a digit of pale gold flicked forward to listen, the milky white-green of his eyes staring without truly seeing. A moment of assessment told him that he did not know who it was that was also ambling through the woods, but their steps were dainty and sure. As though his useless eyes could see, he focused upon the other traveler and smiled.

“It’s grown back beautifully, hasn’t it?”

Somnus still remembered the wildfires that had raged through the forest, leaving naught but destruction and charred remains in its wake. To feel the forest now, reborn again and vibrant, healing from its wounds…

… Well, it was only another reason why he adored this place so very much. They truly weren’t that different.

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tag: @Maerys