When she'd gone searching for her daughter and found her nowhere within the walls of the court, Eulalie's heart had tripped over itself in her frantic worry. Perhaps the beast in the woods had not been found nor seen again but that did not mean that it still could not be. She thought of Moore and Casper and did not allow herself to think of her daughter lying in their place. She questioned every guard on duty in the castle until one, guiltily refusing to meet her eyes, had said he'd allowed her to slip out the window.
Oh, how her ire was stoked. This was her child, Princess of Delumine, a mere one year old. What did he think, allowing her to wander off on her own. And if she hadn't been more worried about finding Anemone she might have stripped him of his position then and there, for her anger was the bear of a mother's. It would rip to pieces any who put her child in danger.
“Tabbris, to the sky. Find her.” The demand was short, but the large gryphon was already off the ground before she could finish. As guardian of their family, his interest was in finding her as much as it was his bondmate's. His great wings flapped, carrying him higher and higher until he was soaring great wide circles far above Delumine. After he'd moved southward of the captial, he saw her. “She's moving southeast,” was his revelation, passed across their bond. Eulalie set out, sending a silent request to Oriens that he keep Anemone safe until the woman could reach her.
Tabbris kept close tabs on the Princess, every stop she made, until they at last arrived over Bellum Steppe, and though Eulalie was a fair distance behind Anemone, with every break the girl took to rest her wings, she grew closer. Tabbris hung back a moment as Anemone went to land, and his dark eyes took in the strange sight of the flower covered Steppe.
He was content to wait for his bondmate to arrive until he saw the wraith poised among the flowers that the Princess slowly made her way toward seemingly unknowingly. “She's not alone,” he said, and with a clacking of his beak he circled once, twice, before diving to the ground just between Anemone and the man of silver. The crest of feathers on his head stood, his wings puffing out at his sides, his beak slowly opening to release a warning hiss.
Eulalie's heart thudded in her chest as she, at last, stepped out on the meadow. She only just slowed her racing pace to a trot, hoping above all things that the equine was someone that she'd recognize from the wedding. So many had come, but she thought she would know their faces if she saw them again. And recognize the man made of moonlight she did, but not from her wedding.
No, Eulalie knew his face from a very different place, and her heart jolted to a stop in her chest suddenly. It banged against her ribs as though it were a wall and then lied back, fluttering desperately. His name was no doubt know all over Novus, the man who had attacked Isra, killed a brother and then Seraphina, stolen the Solterran crown. But she did not wilt in fear, she did not shake. No, her soul became a bear again, taking in the sight of her cub with something dangerous.
She nearly stalked through the flowers and even though they whispered across her skin beckoningly they could not touch her wild, protective heart. Their song was merely a humming in her ears, the ticking of a racing clock. Their wiles and whims were lost upon the woman of ivory and gold who only saw the dagger-silver ghost and her daughter mere feet from him. She arrived there, a gilded warning, just as he began to speak.
His words sparked a biting fire within her, for how dare he speak to her daughter of danger and safety, as though he were not the first and never the latter. Her ears flattened upon her skull, her dark eyes fathomless depths. There was no warmth in that earth for him, just the shadows of a grave. She stepped forward, placing herself between he and Anemone and oh, how she wished to make him regret everything he had ever done.
“Sometimes,” and her words were level but her gaze was withering enough to burn every flower in this strange meadow of magic, “the snake in the grass is exactly what it appears to be.” She wanted to say ‘I know what you've done. I know what you are,’ but she didnt. Instead, Eulalie turned and began to usher her daughter away. “Come, we are leaving,” and her tone left no room for arguing.
Once they were away from this place she would be having words with her daughter. Anemone needed to understand that she was far too young to run off in this world of theirs, though she hated that it was so. Oh, she would put Tabbris on her tail for a month after this, and she was sure that Somnus would agree. “Tabbris, do not let him follow us,” she passed to her bondmate, knowing he would come with them but at a distance to ensure that the man did not trail. Her soul might be a bear but she was still just a mother. But she would do whatever it took to keep her children safe.
Oh, how her ire was stoked. This was her child, Princess of Delumine, a mere one year old. What did he think, allowing her to wander off on her own. And if she hadn't been more worried about finding Anemone she might have stripped him of his position then and there, for her anger was the bear of a mother's. It would rip to pieces any who put her child in danger.
“Tabbris, to the sky. Find her.” The demand was short, but the large gryphon was already off the ground before she could finish. As guardian of their family, his interest was in finding her as much as it was his bondmate's. His great wings flapped, carrying him higher and higher until he was soaring great wide circles far above Delumine. After he'd moved southward of the captial, he saw her. “She's moving southeast,” was his revelation, passed across their bond. Eulalie set out, sending a silent request to Oriens that he keep Anemone safe until the woman could reach her.
Tabbris kept close tabs on the Princess, every stop she made, until they at last arrived over Bellum Steppe, and though Eulalie was a fair distance behind Anemone, with every break the girl took to rest her wings, she grew closer. Tabbris hung back a moment as Anemone went to land, and his dark eyes took in the strange sight of the flower covered Steppe.
He was content to wait for his bondmate to arrive until he saw the wraith poised among the flowers that the Princess slowly made her way toward seemingly unknowingly. “She's not alone,” he said, and with a clacking of his beak he circled once, twice, before diving to the ground just between Anemone and the man of silver. The crest of feathers on his head stood, his wings puffing out at his sides, his beak slowly opening to release a warning hiss.
Eulalie's heart thudded in her chest as she, at last, stepped out on the meadow. She only just slowed her racing pace to a trot, hoping above all things that the equine was someone that she'd recognize from the wedding. So many had come, but she thought she would know their faces if she saw them again. And recognize the man made of moonlight she did, but not from her wedding.
No, Eulalie knew his face from a very different place, and her heart jolted to a stop in her chest suddenly. It banged against her ribs as though it were a wall and then lied back, fluttering desperately. His name was no doubt know all over Novus, the man who had attacked Isra, killed a brother and then Seraphina, stolen the Solterran crown. But she did not wilt in fear, she did not shake. No, her soul became a bear again, taking in the sight of her cub with something dangerous.
She nearly stalked through the flowers and even though they whispered across her skin beckoningly they could not touch her wild, protective heart. Their song was merely a humming in her ears, the ticking of a racing clock. Their wiles and whims were lost upon the woman of ivory and gold who only saw the dagger-silver ghost and her daughter mere feet from him. She arrived there, a gilded warning, just as he began to speak.
His words sparked a biting fire within her, for how dare he speak to her daughter of danger and safety, as though he were not the first and never the latter. Her ears flattened upon her skull, her dark eyes fathomless depths. There was no warmth in that earth for him, just the shadows of a grave. She stepped forward, placing herself between he and Anemone and oh, how she wished to make him regret everything he had ever done.
“Sometimes,” and her words were level but her gaze was withering enough to burn every flower in this strange meadow of magic, “the snake in the grass is exactly what it appears to be.” She wanted to say ‘I know what you've done. I know what you are,’ but she didnt. Instead, Eulalie turned and began to usher her daughter away. “Come, we are leaving,” and her tone left no room for arguing.
Once they were away from this place she would be having words with her daughter. Anemone needed to understand that she was far too young to run off in this world of theirs, though she hated that it was so. Oh, she would put Tabbris on her tail for a month after this, and she was sure that Somnus would agree. “Tabbris, do not let him follow us,” she passed to her bondmate, knowing he would come with them but at a distance to ensure that the man did not trail. Her soul might be a bear but she was still just a mother. But she would do whatever it took to keep her children safe.
@Anemone @Raum
***STAFF EDIT
@eulalie has rolled a 6! She has been awarded +150 signos for interacting with the flowers.
