[ P ] I am that merry wanderer of the night.

The ever so slowly creeping cover of darkness didn't bother the diluted male in the slightest. Upon his left side that was all there ever was, dancing shadows that dogged his every step. But then the pupil of that eye had bled into the iris. His right side picked up all the colors of the world but they lacked the vibrancy that others spoke of.

So as the sun dropped from it's pinnacle perch there was very little change for Vercingetorix. Maybe the colors did dim a slight bit more but beneath the canopy of the trees nothing was bright and brilliant, all light had already been filtered.

"An cluinn thu sin?" Gaelic words rang out to speak to the twisting and ever changing shadows upon his left side. The wind brought the sound of distant voices and made them sound as if they might be through just the next entanglement of roots and limbs. Head tilted so that right eye could peer off towards the sounds of the voices. It wasn't the subtle whispering of the Fae that he was used to. No, more earthen voices were these.

An cluinn thu sin? = Do you hear that?

burn like a fire,
willful and woe.

“Investigate the surrounding woods for any source of disturbance. We’ll regroup here once we have scouted every inch of this forest. Understood?” His fellow soldiers relayed their understanding before turning on their heels to do as Ramses instructed. The man wasn’t someone who would remain idle while his men worked diligently to perform the tasks given to them. He believed the only way to properly lead others was to exhibit the finer qualities of an influential leader. The male didn’t think anyone could gain respect when they simply refused to toil alongside their men.

The young captain picked his way across twisted roots, his sharp sulfur yellow eyes remaining vigilant as he picked his way through the forest. Ramses placed his paws quietly on the ground, the soldier taking his time to ensure his strides would be undetected by any who lurked nearby. They had gotten reports of someone suspicious looking lurking within the trees, and Ramses believed they warranted a quick look around the area.

He paused in his movements when he heard a voice, though he couldn’t understand the tongue spoken. Ramses’ head lowered to remain level with his shoulder blades, his body dropping toward the terrain to hide himself from prying eyes. He wasn’t ready to reveal his location yet. With precise movements he crept forward, his head peering through twisted roots and brambles alike until he spotted the owner of the voice - or so he presumed.

”Halt,” he commanded, his body leaving his cover as he approached the stranger. He stood tall, his crown raised high and regal as he presented himself with all the confidence any Imperial Soldier should have. ”Who goes there?”

-

Don't close your eyes, safer to stare into the sun than to turn away from what you could become.

template by bean

@Vercingetorix

A commanding voice rang out and then a body emerged from the tangles. Ver turned his head to be able to view the other male from his right eye. The male was still dark but not as dark as his left eye had made the male. He was more earthen hued versus the shadows that had cloaked the other to begin with.

"Vercingetorix." Name was given easily enough. He could have lied but what did his name matter? He was no one of importance, an outcast among his own kind. Extra toes and a left pupil that bled through his iris, he was a face that wouldn't be easily forgotten should he decide to do something worth noting. And these same features had him shunned.

"Who are you?" Though the words were spoken in English there was still a lilt to his voice that caused the words to dance. A name for a name, the exchange was fair enough.

burn like a fire,
willful and woe.

Vercingetorix. Ramses’ first opinion on a name like how much of a mouthful it was. He reserved judgment past that. For now, that is. The male looked to be little older than a yearling, if one could properly judge another’s age from physical appearance alone. Orbs of sunshine remained ever vigilant on him all the same. He had done nothing wrong that Ramses could tell, but he was in an area where a man hunt was currently taking place. Ramses could take no chances just because someone looked innocent.

”Captain Ramses Tarek of the Imperial Army,” he responded curtly, though he wasn’t unnecessarily unkind. There was no need to throw his rank around with the intention of smothering someone beneath the heel of his paw. ”You have done nothing wrong, but I have some questions for you.” For now, Vercingetorix wasn’t under arrest. As long as he answered his questions, Ramses felt they would get along swimmingly, and they could both go on their merry ways. ”What brought you to this stretch of land?”

-

Don't close your eyes, safer to stare into the sun than to turn away from what you could become.

template by bean

@Vercingetorix

"Caiptean." The rank was repeated back in Gaelic, though it rang more of an inquiry than a statement. It wasn't a true question, nothing that was expected to be answered. Instead it was a relay of information for himself. It was a fairly high rank for someone not much older than himself. Of course he could be wrong on both counts though. Still, rank held some weight to it. And Imperial Army, something that should be thought of as an enemy due to the tensions between Highlanders, such as himself, and Mainlanders, as he assumed this wolf must be. But Ver didn't feel that. Ver was an outcast among Highlanders for what he was, Fae cursed.

The question asked of him was easy enough to answer but he doubted he would be believed. Still he answered. "They did." Lilting voice rang out as snout was tossed in the direction of where the shadows danced off to his left. Ver wouldn't be surprised if the Captain didn't see them. It felt rare that anyone else ever saw them.

Caiptean = Captain

R

amses didn’t need to ask what the word spoken to him meant. He may not speak whatever strange language that was, but it was obviously a reiteration of the word Captain. He waited patiently for an answer, but the one he received caused the man’s impassive stare to falter for a moment. A brow arched high above one of those pools of sunshine as he followed the gesture to… nothing. Seconds ticked by as the Captain waited expectantly, giving the boy the benefit of the doubt. For all he knew, there was someone hiding in the trees just beyond his vision, but nothing crept out into the open.

Ramses looked back to the boy, but his face was smoothed over to reflect the same expressionless facade he usually wore. ”Who is they?” Many others may have written the boy off as having a few screws loose, but Ramses wasn’t willing to make that assessment yet. ”And what do they want?”

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

@Vercingetorix

This Captain didn't see them. Exactly what the yearling had expected. Still they danced there upon his left, mocking him as they always did. Ver waited to be called out on what could only be assumed to be a fib if no one else saw what he saw. But rather than an accusation there was more questions instead. The first one was easy enough to answer and had Ver speaking up straight away.

"The Fair Ones." That melodic lilt of an accent remained in his voice despite the language being spoken. The youth knew exactly whom it was that continued to follow him about. Or at least he had always been led to believe that it was the Fae that tracked his every move.

Now the second question was a lot more tricky. "I don't know." Ver answered with the utmost honesty. "They are just always there." They never spoke to him, at least not in words that he could understand but they were always there and were always watching him.

T

he fair ones.

Ramses tilted his head in thought, but he didn't offer a response right away. What could the youth mean by such a statement? Perhaps he was referring to the Fae? There was always a certain reverence associated with the mystical beings, but the male didn't know much of the lore. His mind had been focused on other matters: like climbing the ranks as quickly as he could. Further explanation from the yearling brought his attention back to the conversation at hand.

'They are just always there.'

"And you follow them wherever they lead you?" Truthfully, the story sounded outlandish, but Ramses was never one to make rash decisions. Besides, from the sounds of it, his men were still searching for the source of disturbance. He had time to spare. "Do you think they lead you here for a reason?"

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

@Vercingetorix

There was a brief nod in response to the question that was proposed. "Mostly they follow me. Always watching. Always whispering." So even if he wasn't chasing the shadows they still remained with him. But this one had been particularly insistent. This one didn't hang back like the others did. Ver wasn't given the option to just ignore it.

"Perhaps..." The response was drawn out as attention had shifted back to the shadow, head tilting so that his left eye could focus more upon it. "It wants something..." But what that was the yearling couldn't begin to say. He had never been able to decipher the Fae's whisperings.

The youth focused his attention on the wolf before him once more, turning his good eye back to the other. "Why are you out here if you are not following them?"