[SWP] it flickers into the night

[Ulric]

U   L   R   I   C Aim your best shot right at me Cause pain, I can take it easily Did you really think I’d fall to my knees Just to pray for some sweet simplicity? Never again would Ulric complain that his patrols were boring or ‘too quiet’. Never again. It was only an hour into his trek around Delumine’s perimeter, deciding to focus on their eastern border. It was the most vulnerable and offered the most cover for anyone or anything that might attempt something against them - not that Ulric expected anyone would, but with the recent happenings during the Summit meeting, the Warden had been on edge. At first, Ulric was certain his eyes were playing tricks on him, certain his sleep deprivation was finally getting the better of him. But as he craned his neck and the flicker of light didn’t fade away but rather grew, the icy cold fingers of fear gripped tight around his heart and sank it. A fire. Something was on fire, crackling and popping as it burned away at the bush from which it had been borne. His disbelief had him frozen for but a moment before the roan propelled himself forward and towards the flame. In a flurry of motion, Ulric brought his front hooves down upon the torched bush in an attempt to snuff out the fire. Again and again he pounded at it, but the flames licked at his legs, persistent. He kicked what dirt was there upon it, yet still the heat grew more intense in its refusal to be quelled, hunger unquenched, and Ulric grit his teeth as he reluctantly backed off. There were thousands of trees in the forest, hundreds of fauna that called it home all now suddenly in danger of burning, and the protector of Delumine was powerless to prevent it from spreading. He whirled as the flames jumped from one dry bush to another, lapping up against the trees as it grew in size and intensity far too quickly. Ulric was a flash of muted blue against the moonlight night, legs carrying him faster than they ever had prior to this moment. His mind was a blur and he felt heavy despite his rate of speed, as though the citadel would never come into sight, as though the fire might catch up to him or reach the heart of the Court before he could warn them. But eventually, he arrived, the fire a distant speck of orange in the night. A sheet of sweat clung to his coat, nostrils flared as they drunk midnight’s crisp air and when he spoke, his voice came in a rasp, but boomed with all its might as he shouted. “Evacuate the citadel!” The Warden commanded as he drew ever nearer, and to those collected outside that had yet to retire for the night, he gestured wildly to the stone-wrought capitol. “We gotta go! There’s a fire coming from the east; help me get everyone out!” With his warning spoken, Ulric blasted through one of the entryways, shouting it again as he went to rouse those in their rooms. The safety of all were at the forefront of his mind and Ulric marked each face he saw from his mental checklist, and now, the roan focused on locating his King and his family.

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