[AW] pyramids of salt | Ulric/Any

[Rouge]

Rouge

I saw you hiding in the ivy, I know you're too afraid to call. They're getting ready for the winter here, they've gathered pyramids of salt....


Early morning mist coats the ground in a fine dew. Autumn leaves trickle down from their branches, various shades of copper and crimson, crunching beneath his hooves as he walks. A faint cool breeze brushes his mane back and forth soothingly. He closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath of petrichor and musk, and smiles, if only for the briefest moment.


Rouge had been acclimating well to Dawn Court, and kingdom life in general. It was comforting to know he was somewhere he belonged, and the friendliness he felt amongst the herd was reassuring. There were souls he’d yet to meet, and considering the high tensions among Dawn and Day, he decides when daybreak comes, it would be a good opportunity to acquaint himself with more faces. Most of the kingdom slumbers this early, but he is up patrolling - not because someone asked him to, but because he felt it was his duty. How selfless had Somnus been when he welcomed the russet stallion among their ranks; so willing, it seemed, to help those in need.


Rouge fully intended to return the favor.


The stallion makes his way out of the capitol’s borders, trotting against Rapax’ edge until he finds the meadow’s break. He gallops through the rolling fields, feeling like a child again, feeling free. He is unsure how long he runs, but by the time he halts he is covered in a thin layer of sweat, chest heaving as he catches his breath. Rouge lifts his head, cerulean eyes absorbing the terrain - Delumine in all its beauty.


Peony and amaryllis buds peak their way out of the sea of emerald - sickly sweet, he cannot shake the powerful aroma, and he stands in quite a daze as he allows it to resonate. It wouldn’t be long before winter took this flora away...so for Rouge, there is no time to waste worrying about anything else. It is in this moment, his nose pressed against a delicate scarlet bloom that his mind wanders to Aurora - feathers blanketed against his side, her usual warm and tender skin ice cold, those honied eyes blinking their last time. She’d shivered a while and then...nothing. He remembers tears falling against his cheeks - pain crawled up his back and gripped at his throat. If only he could hear the sweet melody of her voice, if only he could feel her affectionate caress, If only he could see those amber eyes light up at the first sign of spring again.


This bloom - a cruel reminder he couldn’t save everyone.


He steps away now, tears brimming along his ducts, turning his head to the sound of hoofbeats upon the ground. “Hello.” He says politely to the stranger, putting on a smile and trying to forget his nostalgia...but it never leaves.


Not for long.


...You saw them having trouble breathing, I know you think that it's your fault. I saw you hiding in the ivy, keeping quiet through the fall.

im not afraid of leaving, not of god & not of death.

@Ulric & any who wants to join! :D Sorry this took so long annnnnd sorry it is poop xD

[Ulric]

my name is a war song Of all the seasons, winter had always been at the bottom of Ulric’s favorite. Oh, it was beautiful the way snow coated the ground and enveloped the land in a glittering, ethereal shimmer, but… that was the only upside. The cold caused his wing to ache a terrible deal where it had been cut away, and every now and then a joint or two would moan in protest every morning when he rose. But the worst of it all were the recurring nightmares which plagued him, vividly replaying in his head over and over again as though it was only yesterday he’d been abandoned on that old, forsaken mountain.   In the wake of one such nightmare, Ulric had risen particularly early that morning to clear his head and remind himself that things were different now. This place called Novus, this family he called Delumine – they were precious to him, something dear to hold onto and protect at any and all costs. Something rare in a world that was oftentimes so cruel and relentless to those that inhabited it.   Having already made it to the furthest reaches of their northern border, Ulric had looped around and was headed back toward the Court proper when a crimson figure standing against a verdant backdrop caught his attention. At first the Warden ponders whether it was a figment of his distracted mind, but with a shake of his head and a more focused look, he knows it isn’t. Whoever it was, Ulric failed to place a name to them, even if they did have a striking similarity to Somnus’ estranged brother. Maybe they were just passing through, unaware of the closure of Delumine’s borders.   “Good morning,” he offers in response to the other roan who, upon closer inspection, was a great deal taller than him. Unperturbed but cautious, Ulric followed up with a strained smile of his own, standing a comfortable distance apart from the stranger. “I’m afraid I’ve never seen your face around here, friend – are you new?” Despite the threat that might still linger somewhere in their forests, the Warden simply wasn’t the type to immediately eject anyone from Delumine, and certainly not so rudely. “The name’s Ulric. Warden to King Somnus.” @Rouge So sorry for the wait! I'm excited to get to know your lovely boy more <3 "Speaking."

[Rouge]

Rouge

The figure comes to him - bruised, a glimmer of black and blue, he is polite upon approach. Rouge's cerulean gaze meets the flames of the stranger's, and he's quite surprised to see how much smaller in stature the fellow is compared to him. Not that it mattered very much - Rou had been bested by those who didn't match up in size to himself before. The stallion introduces himself immediately: "The name's Ulric. Warden to King Somnus." 

Rouge cannot help but smile; it was just the man he had been interested in seeing. Turning to face the other roan, the russet stag bows his head in greeting. "Ah, yes, Ulric! King Somnus has told me much about you," He replies, lifting his head up and standing tall. "My name's Rouge...Rou, if you will. I recently made Delumine my permanent home. Somnus told me to speak with you. I'm a soldier, you see, and I was hopeful we could hash out details about patrol..." He pauses for a moment, catching his breath but also allowing Ulric time to let this sink in. "...I know the devastation this Court has suffered. I will do anything to help."

im not afraid of leaving, not of god & not of death.

@Ulric ahhhh this is short im sorry it will get better <3

[Ulric]

my name is a war song It was a relief to see that whoever this man of russet tones at least had manners, and with a genial smile Ulric returned the gesture with a respectful nod of his own masked head. There was a moment of surprise as he, Rouge, began to explain just who he was and his purpose of being here. Through it all the Warden stood and quietly listened, nodding when he felt the need and already coming up with a list of things of which he could use assistance. “Well,” the roan began with a hearty chuckle, “I hope he only told you the good bits. It’s a pleasure to meet you, though, Rou, and welcome to Delumine. I’m actually just now finishing up a patrol, but it’s quite a ways back to the citadel…” He looked thoughtful, an ear twisting halfway back as he did so, before gesturing south. “Maybe you wouldn’t mind accompanying me on my way back so we can talk, and I could show you a few of the most commonly used routes for patrol?” His face darkened considerably then, his mind clouding with the dark memories which had plagued him over the past several months – the visit from the Gods, the outrageous fires that had nearly destroyed their home, the other tragedies that had attempted to do the same to every other Court, the blood thirsty beast roaming their land which was still unaccounted for, the petrified, bloodied faces of those it had killed – and Ulric nearly shivered before taking a step forward to begin heading back, hoping Rouge would follow. “… Thank you,” he stated sincerely, “That means more than you know. Our numbers pale in comparison to the other Courts, but I believe Delumine has more heart than all of them combined.” It wasn’t often Ulric spoke so directly from his own heart, especially to someone he had only just met, and so he wasted no time in switching the subject. “So, tell me a little more about yourself if you don’t mind, Rou. Where are you from? Why go the path of a soldier?” @Rouge "Speaking."