[ P ] la légende du druide roi

He was surrounded by trees, not an unusual feeling for him, but these trees were different than the ones he was used to. All were red here, no sign of greenery anywhere. It was odd, to say the least. The shadows had followed him here though. So did the whispering. Did some sort of Fae live here as well? They were rumored to live in the place of his birth but perhaps they were here too.

Maybe that was why everything was red. The Fae were upset that the Mainlanders weren't paying due homage to them. Or it was blood. There was that story about this place. But aside from the color of the trees it really didn't seem that much different from the forest up in the Highlands.

"Carson a thàinig thu?" Question was posed in Gaelic to the shadow that had changed shapes at his left. Or maybe shadow wasn't exactly the right word for it. It was more like a void, a complete absence of light lingering at his left side.

Carson a thàinig thu? = Why have you come?

Alexei often traversed walks through the woods that he had made his home in. Snow coated the ground beneath him. The trees were still somewhat full. What would have been evergreens in other parts of Rionnach were red trees here. Most of the burgundy sprouts had been taken away by winter’s harsh grasp, killing all within sight. But, barely, a few reds still stood, keeping its color among the white heaven. Birds still flocked in the somewhat empty branches. It was hard to stare at the tops of the trees for too long; the sun coming through but offering no warmth, only bright light. He looked away, back towards the ground, fresh prints throughout the snow. Others lived within the Wood, but not so many that he had seen in the days he had been living here. Everyone seemed to pass through and his neighbors were silent about their existence at all. Just like he was. It was the perfect place for him, even if it was enchantingly haunting. A ghost of the past that had its eyes on him throughout his life. Just when everything seemed like it changed, it hadn’t at all.


The red man stopped dead in his tracks,a. voice making his ear flick backward sand then forwards again, as if he were prey caught in place. The unusual words startle him every so slightly. He remembers the words of the demon wolf that put her jaws around his neck, not entirely words that he spoke. And whatever just said something, it sure sounded like the rabid beast that assailed him. He drew a sharp breath in his frozen posture, trying to let calmness roll over him in heated waves, to unfreeze what had made him go frigid in the first place. Violet eyes flit around before he shifted his head to the side, observing a teen not far off. Alexei let out a breath, even though he doesn’t really know if he is in the clear at all. He’s too far for one of the beasts to find him, but there’s always an underlying feeling that death isn’t as nearly as done with him as he’d thought it would be. “Hm?” He seeks, steadfast, as if the stranger is communicating to him. His frame would have shaken, if he hadn’t planted his paws in place and concentrating on unclenching his white knuckles.

"Speak and be heard."

table by amanda

@Vercingetorix

A voice cause his ears to prick. Or not a voice necessarily for no words were spoken but simply a sound was made. It distracted Ver from the void that followed him. The new shadow had mass to it and when he turned his right eye towards it the shape became that of another wolf. But still the yearling couldn't help glancing back for the void again. Yep, still there.

"A bheil thu ga fhaicinn?" He asked in soft tones of the wolf while he kept his left eye turned towards the void lest it should dissipate as soon as he turned his focus from it. The muted tone male wouldn't be surprised if the other couldn't see the void that stalked him. Ver mostly seemed to be the only one that could pick up on these things. The Fae followed him, or at least that is what he believed them to be.

A bheil thu ga fhaicinn? = Do you see it?

A chilly breeze whispers its way through the light snow, kicking up the freshly laid snow. Clouds crowd in the sky, creating a gray gloom that fogged over the Red Wood. No matter how bright the surrounding area shone, winter would be made sure it was heard. Underfoot, Alexei's nails stayed clenched in the icy debris. Whether it was a frost that held them that way or fear, the red man stayed put. The young man spoke again, in a hushed tone that Alexei had to lean in, ears forward, to even try to hear. He'd dealt with different languages that he did not know and mutes that only used body language to speak. The stranger seemed to be focused on something in the distance. When Alexei looked, there was nothing there but air. Finally, the frost grows warm and he can move a step forward once more. He treads closer with one step forward, “Do you see something?” He asked, looking to where the boy was looking. Alexei isn't this calm on usual encounters, but there's something desperate about the eyes of the young creature. Even if they don't speak the same tongue, he'd find a way. He always had when there were those in need.

"Speak and be heard."

table by amanda

@Vercingetorix

Of course the other couldn't see the shadow. The Fae didn't always show themselves to everyone. It was more a bad omen to see them and Ver saw them constantly. But then he was Fae cursed so of course they would stalk him and keep a constant eye on him. It also made sense that the Fae wouldn't reveal themselves to someone who wasn't from the Highlands.

"A Fair One." Melodic lilt remained with the hushed words. He supposed it couldn't get any worse for him to call them by name but still that superstition stuck with him and he was careful to address the shadow being with the utmost respect. There was no reason to risk upsetting the Fae any further than his birth already had.

"You don't see them." It wasn't even a question anymore but a statement. Of course the other saw nothing. Possibly saw him as insane for staring so intently at nothing. Just another idiot Highlander and their superstitions.

The branches of the old, towering trees swayed above and around them, creating an ominous sound that whispered through the woods. There were very few creatures living in the frigid snow. Of course, it wasn't just him living within the matured woodlands. There were other wolves, but they were scarcely seen. Everyone seemed to keep to themselves, mostly. 'A fair one.' Alexei's ears are relieved to hear the language that not only they know, but so does he. Though it wouldn't have been hard to find a way for the two of them to communicate, or so he thought. He tilted his head to the words, eyes forward, purples straining to see whatever the other must have seen. Lex was still very new to the land. Even though he had been here for a season, there was still much he didn't know. Some history that would probably never catch on to an outlander. 'You don't see them.' He reconized the tone, that the other probably knew that he didn't see anything. Alexei slowly shook his head in suit of it, but still tried to find what the other man may be talking about. ““No... but I believe you." After all, the stranger seemed so sure. And there had been things that Alexei had seen, that no one else had. Whether it was emotions or actual things in front of him. It was hard to believe that they were all blessed enough to see the same things. Maybe others had the ability to see what some could not. "Do they hunt you?" There is a look in the stranger's eyes that he knows of; one of somewhat fear.

"Speak and be heard."

table by amanda

@Vercingetorix

It was a shock to be believed. This shock showed vividly upon his features. He was much more used to being brushed off as being some sort of oddity and then therefore was seen as unimportant and ignored. But no, the other still seemed engaged, asking further questions even.

Hunted? It wasn't exactly how he would phrase it but he also couldn't think of a better phrasing either. "They are there. They don't touch. Usually don't get to close. They are always following, always watching." So far they had never caused him any harm. At least, nothing physical. Instead they caused others to remain wary of him and had ostracized him in that sense. But Ver couldn't pretend that he just didn't see them either.

The shifting movement of the shadow caused him to glance away briefly again. Of course once he looked back to the other wolf again Vercingetorix had the sense to look abashed. "I suppose hunt is a good word. Sometimes I hunt them too."

Rustling of the red leaves above made some fall down, shimmering brightly until they touched the floor of the Redwood, then they seemed as still as ever. Alexei's eyes did not follow them for once, but stayed on alert for whatever the other saw. He looked almost taken back; as if he wasn't used to anyone believeing him. For a second, Lex's lips twitched, almost into a frown. He, too, knew the feeling. Not that it was something so much as he could express to anyone. But he knew feelings that others did not know. Lengths of heartache that could only be described as, well, dread mixed with loss atop a mountain, with chains straddling his chest but leaving his paws to dangle. Tied up. Stopped from moving forth. But this is more of a physical thing that Alexei cannot see, so all he can do is ask and learn about something he is unfamiliar with, instead of turning it away. 'They are there...' Alexei's ears twitch as if to tune into the pitch of his voice, how quiet and timid it was. The red man nodded to each of the statements as his unguided eyes fell back to the other instead of straining them for something he could not see, and fully let his attention to the one explaining it. "I see.. Uh.. Like... how that would feel." He twisted his words, as he often does. Because he does not "see" but can feel how it must have felt. He always had to explain himself, even if there was no explanation needed.

'Hunt is a good word...' Lex gave a worried smile to the other, but it was somewhat comforted because he too, hunted them. "Interesting. But, why would you want to hunt them?" A pause, "And.. what are 'they'?" He asks, a tilt to his head, ears perked. He's never really been interested in something like this before. But, he too, can understand fear and curiosity of the one causing it. He once had that to face once as well. He hoped it ended better for this fellow than it did for him.

"Speak and be heard."

table by amanda

@Vercingetorix