rise and resurrect
☼
There was no nourishing milk or sweet honey for him to use. Not a single drop of soothing water or spiced wine. He had no blade in hand to cut away a lock of his aged hair, or a single flame of fire on which to burn the libations.
No, all there was were the golden blade of grass that bent beneath each step he made, the sky that held the sparsest dotting of clouds, and the chilled fall breeze that gently played with the faded cloak that wrapped around his neck.
These yellowed colored grasses were not the waving grasses of a prairie he once called home, nor were they an arid piece of land were billowing clouds of dust played beneath the sweltering rays of the sun.
However, at the very least, it was something.
Something more than scorched and ruined ground, burnt black and charred. It was more than a glade that no longer held any water within it, and more than a gloomy sky that lacked the familiar shape of mahogany wings. There was no sign of death here, no matter the lack of green around. It was better than where he had come from by far.
And yet.
This peaceful place was not home. This land and her Courts were not home.
It's not as if he had a home to begin with, though.
A souring thought, one that makes his lips twitch in discomfort as he walks, pursuing the new world he finds himself in. This, hopefully, will be the last one he has to familiarize himself with. After all, his life has been long, and the heaviness in his bones has noticeably grown. He is older than many and has long since grown tired. A year from now could be his last, perhaps, even tomorrow.
That's why he left.
It pained him to do so, for Avallac'h was not a man that gave up on those he loved and cared for. But with each stone he turned over, with each trail he followed, his hope dwindled until he could do nothing but accept.
Accept a reality he did not wish to.
The reality, though, is that there is a sandglass looming over him, casting a terrifying shadow that grows with each grain of sand that falls. It's why he needed to go, needed to find a sense of security in a Court despite his wandering heart.
There was still life in him, of course — plenty of it for his age, but Avallac'h knew the days were numbered. He couldn't continue to dream and wish.
As saddening as the thought might be, Avallac'h knew it was the truth.
Coming to a gentle stop, Avallac'h directs his ghostly gaze towards the southern horizon, eyeing the towering peak that acts as a quiet backdrop to the plains. It's a beautiful place, truly. Avallac'h can appreciate it easily and tries his best to simply forget for but a moment, but all his memories and pains are not things he can readily release and then pick up as he pleases. He carries them, all the time, no matter how much he wishes he didn't.
However, he does his best to enjoy the cool air that brushes his skin; lets himself bask in the gentle bath the sun gives him.
He will try, for once, to give himself something. Because this is it. He can feel it in his bones.
This will be the last, and that is fine.
Speech
No, all there was were the golden blade of grass that bent beneath each step he made, the sky that held the sparsest dotting of clouds, and the chilled fall breeze that gently played with the faded cloak that wrapped around his neck.
These yellowed colored grasses were not the waving grasses of a prairie he once called home, nor were they an arid piece of land were billowing clouds of dust played beneath the sweltering rays of the sun.
However, at the very least, it was something.
Something more than scorched and ruined ground, burnt black and charred. It was more than a glade that no longer held any water within it, and more than a gloomy sky that lacked the familiar shape of mahogany wings. There was no sign of death here, no matter the lack of green around. It was better than where he had come from by far.
And yet.
This peaceful place was not home. This land and her Courts were not home.
It's not as if he had a home to begin with, though.
A souring thought, one that makes his lips twitch in discomfort as he walks, pursuing the new world he finds himself in. This, hopefully, will be the last one he has to familiarize himself with. After all, his life has been long, and the heaviness in his bones has noticeably grown. He is older than many and has long since grown tired. A year from now could be his last, perhaps, even tomorrow.
That's why he left.
It pained him to do so, for Avallac'h was not a man that gave up on those he loved and cared for. But with each stone he turned over, with each trail he followed, his hope dwindled until he could do nothing but accept.
Accept a reality he did not wish to.
The reality, though, is that there is a sandglass looming over him, casting a terrifying shadow that grows with each grain of sand that falls. It's why he needed to go, needed to find a sense of security in a Court despite his wandering heart.
There was still life in him, of course — plenty of it for his age, but Avallac'h knew the days were numbered. He couldn't continue to dream and wish.
As saddening as the thought might be, Avallac'h knew it was the truth.
Coming to a gentle stop, Avallac'h directs his ghostly gaze towards the southern horizon, eyeing the towering peak that acts as a quiet backdrop to the plains. It's a beautiful place, truly. Avallac'h can appreciate it easily and tries his best to simply forget for but a moment, but all his memories and pains are not things he can readily release and then pick up as he pleases. He carries them, all the time, no matter how much he wishes he didn't.
However, he does his best to enjoy the cool air that brushes his skin; lets himself bask in the gentle bath the sun gives him.
He will try, for once, to give himself something. Because this is it. He can feel it in his bones.
This will be the last, and that is fine.
