"Oh, but my tongue is a weapon."
Twilight was upon him.
The forest was abuzz with activity despite the late hour, nocturnal insects coming alive and flitting through the humid air. Fireflies danced through the trees and the bushes, darting in and around his legs with every measured step and about his ears as he moved through the green grasses. The gentle, bubbling babble of the Amare Creek could be heard over the din of nocturnal life, but Somnus couldn’t find it in himself to appreciate the beauty and splendor around him.
The festival had passed, and with its unfortunate passing, the stresses of Kingship and the Court returned tenfold to his shoulders, once more becoming that heavy mantle that so thoroughly encumbered him. While not a foolish man, Somnus still found his ineptitude crippling. It waged a war against his insufferable perfectionism, and right now, his mental stability was right in the middle of the battlefield. Was he doing enough? Would it ever be enough? Did he need to do more? Would the people then be satisfied? There was no greater servant than a King. He understood that now. Everything that he did, every decision, needed to be the best for his Court. The amount of pressure such thoughts inflicted were nearly maddening, and the dunalino found himself seeking solitude before his carefully constructed façade of professionalism began to dwindle.
He had departed the Dawn Court capitol hours before and followed the Rapax, driven by his desire for isolation to attempt to clear his head. Alba had not accompanied him, instead remaining at the Citadel. What she was doing, he couldn’t fathom, but he quite appreciated the natural silence around him without his bond-mate’s judgmental gaze.
A golden ghost he was, listless and wandering, Somnus wove through the trees and the brush, losing himself in the moment. It wasn’t until he arrived at the lazy creek that he paused, cocked a hoof, and lowered his head with a heavy sigh. Verdant eyes rolled upwards, taking in the sight of a star-filled sky, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest. So much loss, so much agony, all buried inside and never addressed… Yet there was no time. There was no time to mourn, to understand, to accept. He had duties now, obligations of the weight he had never before understood, and there still wasn’t time.
I’m sorry…
Letting his eyes slide shut, Somnus did his best to relax and not drown beneath the weight of stress and heartache, his golden posture wretched and forlorn as he stood at the side of the bubbling creek.
---
Hours before and back at the Citadel, an owl swooped through the evening skylight, its pace quick and desperate. The barn owl, for it could be no other, darted through the air with poise and elegance dampened only by her desperation to find a single figure of sunshine and ivory. ‘Where, where?’ The barn owl asked herself, wings pushing herself through the air with silent ease, ‘Where are you?’
Only one person would do on this night. Not Ulric, not Ipomoea, not Orion. Though their presences were loved and appreciated all the same, only one would truly be able to reach her beloved, yet sometimes remarkably idiotic, bond-mate, and Alba would not stop until she found her. Wise as all owls were, when Alba could not find her target in the courtyard of the Citadel, she instead turned towards the building itself. Higher and higher she flew, knowing the exact chamber in which she sought. This would not be the first time she had visited here. Arriving at the window, Alba’s sharp talons outstretched and she perched upon the stone sill.
Puffing out her chest, Alba gave a mighty shriek, hoping to snag the sunshine maiden’s attention. Impatiently, then, she pecked her beak against the glass, quick and in rapid succession. Only when her beckoning was answered did Alba ruffle her wings, clearly disgruntled, wishing that she could use words with Eulalie as she was able to do with Somnus. Still, her actions would certainly speak clearer than any word could.
‘Hurry, hurry! Follow me! If we hurry, we can catch up with him!’
tag: @Eulalie
The forest was abuzz with activity despite the late hour, nocturnal insects coming alive and flitting through the humid air. Fireflies danced through the trees and the bushes, darting in and around his legs with every measured step and about his ears as he moved through the green grasses. The gentle, bubbling babble of the Amare Creek could be heard over the din of nocturnal life, but Somnus couldn’t find it in himself to appreciate the beauty and splendor around him.
The festival had passed, and with its unfortunate passing, the stresses of Kingship and the Court returned tenfold to his shoulders, once more becoming that heavy mantle that so thoroughly encumbered him. While not a foolish man, Somnus still found his ineptitude crippling. It waged a war against his insufferable perfectionism, and right now, his mental stability was right in the middle of the battlefield. Was he doing enough? Would it ever be enough? Did he need to do more? Would the people then be satisfied? There was no greater servant than a King. He understood that now. Everything that he did, every decision, needed to be the best for his Court. The amount of pressure such thoughts inflicted were nearly maddening, and the dunalino found himself seeking solitude before his carefully constructed façade of professionalism began to dwindle.
He had departed the Dawn Court capitol hours before and followed the Rapax, driven by his desire for isolation to attempt to clear his head. Alba had not accompanied him, instead remaining at the Citadel. What she was doing, he couldn’t fathom, but he quite appreciated the natural silence around him without his bond-mate’s judgmental gaze.
A golden ghost he was, listless and wandering, Somnus wove through the trees and the brush, losing himself in the moment. It wasn’t until he arrived at the lazy creek that he paused, cocked a hoof, and lowered his head with a heavy sigh. Verdant eyes rolled upwards, taking in the sight of a star-filled sky, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest. So much loss, so much agony, all buried inside and never addressed… Yet there was no time. There was no time to mourn, to understand, to accept. He had duties now, obligations of the weight he had never before understood, and there still wasn’t time.
I’m sorry…
Letting his eyes slide shut, Somnus did his best to relax and not drown beneath the weight of stress and heartache, his golden posture wretched and forlorn as he stood at the side of the bubbling creek.
Hours before and back at the Citadel, an owl swooped through the evening skylight, its pace quick and desperate. The barn owl, for it could be no other, darted through the air with poise and elegance dampened only by her desperation to find a single figure of sunshine and ivory. ‘Where, where?’ The barn owl asked herself, wings pushing herself through the air with silent ease, ‘Where are you?’
Only one person would do on this night. Not Ulric, not Ipomoea, not Orion. Though their presences were loved and appreciated all the same, only one would truly be able to reach her beloved, yet sometimes remarkably idiotic, bond-mate, and Alba would not stop until she found her. Wise as all owls were, when Alba could not find her target in the courtyard of the Citadel, she instead turned towards the building itself. Higher and higher she flew, knowing the exact chamber in which she sought. This would not be the first time she had visited here. Arriving at the window, Alba’s sharp talons outstretched and she perched upon the stone sill.
Puffing out her chest, Alba gave a mighty shriek, hoping to snag the sunshine maiden’s attention. Impatiently, then, she pecked her beak against the glass, quick and in rapid succession. Only when her beckoning was answered did Alba ruffle her wings, clearly disgruntled, wishing that she could use words with Eulalie as she was able to do with Somnus. Still, her actions would certainly speak clearer than any word could.
‘Hurry, hurry! Follow me! If we hurry, we can catch up with him!’
