It was the very first thing Aldwyn noticed in the grey light of morning, before he'd even opened his eyes. It was quiet in Homewood. Nothing scurried in the brush. No young foals scampered in the early light, forcing their mothers to surrender the peace of sleep. The leaves didn't dance. The birds didn't sing. It was quiet. The air was still. Aldwyn lifted his head from his bedding, plush ears flicking forward and back while the rest of him lay stock-still as if to gauge the environment beyond the confines of his den.
He heard nothing. He saw nothing. His maw parted, tasting the air for danger or anything out of the ordinary. But this too, yielded no more information than he'd had a moment ago. Nothing smelled or sounded off, but something in him felt... tight with expectation.
And then, as if the earth had been shocked by his rousing, there came a rustle, sharp and nearby and crackling within the leaves as-
As Aria revealed herself. She roiled in her own bed of leaves, causing a shattering of the silence before her head poked free of the foliage, vibrant scales glistening in the dim light. She regarded him with blue eyes pinched in annoyance, and Aldwyn let out a quiet sigh of relief. Ah. He must have woken her with his movement. Her tongue flicked out, usually a gesture of greeting, but today it felt like something closer to dismissal as she sank back into her bed.
So she hadn't sensed anything out of the ordinary... Aldwyn emerged from his den to be greeted with a quiet and empty clearing. Perhaps it was only him who woke feeling anything unusual in his soul. And everyone else was simply still asleep...
Aldwyn stepped quietly through the clearing, intent on ensuring none woke simply for his sake, and headed to a nearby stream. Maybe it was just the remnants of a dream, and a drink would help dissipate the tension?
It didn't.
And neither did a quick graze.
But there was little else for him to do besides wander and wait for the herd to wait. His hooves carried him from the clearing, slowly and without purpose. It was still odd, he thought, that even the birds slept on, and the only sounds to accompany him where his hooffalls, the brush of branches against his flank, and his tail where it slid through the underbrush.
Aldwyn didn't know what had roused him that morning, why he woke when everyone else slept, but it was only a matter of moments that he found himself carried to the roots of the Grandfather Tree, its branches nearly blotting out the sky overhead in its great mass. Aldwyn looked up, his ears lowered in reverence. "Was it your doing?" He queried lightly, softly, to the great white tree overhead.
Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 4:22 pm
Though no breeze passes through, Grandfather Tree's leaves rustle as Aldywn approaches.
Choose one of the following prompts for Aldwyn's dream vision.
Quote:
While travelling the Barrens you come across the skull of a massive animal. You don’t have the magic to resurrect it here but dragging it back to Homewood on your own would be exhausting or nearly impossible. What do you do?
Quote:
You meet an elder noulicorn while travelling the Barrens. They appear near death and cannot stand. They ask you for water. You know it’s almost a day’s journey to the nearest water source and you can’t be certain the elder will live that long. What do you do?
Quote:
You are in the ruins of Erli. Smoke billows out of one of the laboratories. You hear a cry of fear. What do you do?
While travelling the Barrens you come across the skull of a massive animal. You don’t have the magic to resurrect it here but dragging it back to Homewood on your own would be exhausting or nearly impossible. What do you do?
Though the great white oak didn't answer, its leaves gave a rustle, as if to signal awareness of his presence, and after only a blink, Aldwyn was left standing alone in the Barrens. He tipped his head, ears flicking, tail dusting experimentally over the ground behind him, but all sign of Grandfather Tree had vanished. The plateau he stood on was no longer, and he was surrounded only by the desolate, cracked, dry, and empty earth of the region the great tree had stood in only a moment prior. He was alone, with no one to guide him and nothing to do but wander.
His head lowered, gaze roving over the plains as he took his first hesitant steps deeper into the area.
The Barrens. Because of what their species was capable of, because of what they'd been placed here to do, most noulicorns of his age should have at least had the opportunity to explore the area. It was as dying as any other, in desperate need of aid and repair, but Aldwyn had never set hoof in the Barrens before approaching Grandfather Tree the first time. It was only his spirit that had led him to the white oak's roots, rather than memory of a previous visit.
But without magic, there was no reason to explore the damaged earth. There was no foliage to eat and no life-giving water to drink. Someone with no capabilities had no hope of offering any aid to this land.
And if not here to help, the sight of this desperate environment was simply depressing. The sight of most land outside of Homewood was depressing, and Aldwyn had never seen reason to explore. His parents and comrades his age had of course spoken of their exploits in the areas and had encouraged him to at least see, so that he might truly feel the need of his purpose. But he hadn't wanted to. Aldwyn was one who watched more than acted, and he was content enough to simply observe as noulicorns his age developed their magic and lent their services to lands he had never even seen.
He should've been ashamed of himself.
Others of his heard had frolicked with glee to Grandfather Tree's roots, eager for his gift as soon as they were able. Aldwyn had waited, waited for the great oak to summon him because he could not inspire himself to tread over such sad lands.
Perhaps that was why Grandfather Tree had sent him here now: to let him experience what of this earth had decayed, while he simply waited.
He had to walk tall. Maybe he had never been here before. Maybe he hadn't wanted to try. Maybe he'd been frightened or wary or simply lazy, but he was here now, and if he were to be a functioning member of his species, he must take in everything he saw and accept his place in repairing it.
The ground crackled under his hoofs, tiny rivered trenches opening up deep into the earth, so desperate for water it was. The remains of brown sprouts reached toward the sky, scraggly branches clawing at the air in desperation for survival, only to be met with heat that scorched them to the core. The earth, the plants, even the wild beasts had found no solace here. His grey-green gave traveled ahead, toward a great lump that disrupted the flatness of the earth.
Aldwyn shook his head as he approached, mane swaying gently in the still air. Creatures greater than he had walked this land, if this massive skull was anything to go by. If they had been charged with the same duty, they had failed, and now this ones remains were as still, dry, and lifeless as the Barrens it slept on.
He looked around, searching for one of his brethren. It was unlikely, of course, for anyone to be near, but not impossible that another had been charged with tending to the area... But there were none.
Of course there were none.
The great beast's head was too massive for him to move, and it lay so ingrained in the heavy grasp of the earth that Aldwyn couldn't even roll it from its grave. He frowned and snorted, ears flicking.
There was nothing he could do, nothing to do for these remains. Except, perhaps to preserve them for another time. It was laborious work, scraping at the dry clay ground with his hoofs, pouncing to drill tiny bits of sand that he could kick over the skull. It was so large, and the ground was so unforgiving, and the sun was so hot on his back... But what other choice did he have? If Aldwyn had been more eager as his herdmates were, perhaps he could have been here sooner, to tend to the carcass of this sad beast. Instead, he could only scrape what he could of the earth, to shield the bones from the sun's scorching and unforgiving rays.
The cool ground would protect it from further decay, and after what felt like hours, Aldwyn seemed satisfied with his work. "I will return for you," he promised solemnly. "And if I am unable to meet your needs myself, I will bring with me others who can. I will not leave you here to rot eternally, but for now, this is all I'm capable of." He dipped his head in respect to the fallen. "Please wait for me."
It was all he could do. With that promise, Aldwyn was forced to move on.
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:35 pm
Grandfather tree's leaves settle and a soft green light swirls around Aldwyn, cool to the touch and smelling sweetly of flowers.
Aldwyn has been bestowed with the Botanic gift.
His initial ability is Pollinate.
the user creates a small cloud of pollen, which quickly disperses into the air +1 botanic healing to an area
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