Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
All his dreams begin and end with her. When he closes his eyes, sometimes he can envision her beautiful face staring back at him, looking at him with pleading eyes and all the love in the world. When he blinks his eyes open, however, all he can imagine then is blood and bones, a broken body cast out to sea as her spirit lives now among the dead. Amaroq, too, feels like death. He lives with all these painful memories now.

A filtered haze sweeps along the earth, bringing elaborate winds. Cold, wet, saturated by spring rains, the soldier's breath spills out in a fine, tempered mist, suspire billowing past his jaws as he draws in the crisp air. It is morning-tide when the crimson behemoth stalks beneath the under-cover of copse trees. The scent of spring air lingers against the atmosphere, a damp calamity shrouding the earth in its diaphonous veil. Strands of sunlight weaves through the dense canopy above, accentuating the vermillion tresses of his thick, rugged fur. The soldier wanders alone, careless of his destination. There is a void within him that he cannot seem to fill.

@Fallon

we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

Well, well well, she announces her arrival with a simper, having recognised @Amaroq's scent during her travels through the Grove. Not that he was making any effort to disguise himself or keep himself hidden -- the Lorien Noble had watched him from her loft in the tree tops as the red guard ambles without purpose. Or at least, he was in no hurry to get to whatever destination he may have. Agile, the lithe woman descends from her pedestal, trotting smoothly to take stride alongside the familiar beast. You stick out like a sore thumb, she remarks idly -- somewhere so green certainly did not suit him. Are you lost? Fallon asks innocently enough, perhaps making a dig at the fact that he resembled an aimless zombie.

code // art // do not use without permission

Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
He has never felt more mortal. More sorrow. Every step feels like leaden misery, every breath an affliction carried in variable silence. The vagabond soldier travels deeper into the thickets, allowing the branches to snag against his thick, plush fur, feeling their spindley twigs caress and scratch against the hardened surface of his toned, vermillion flesh as verdant leaves swayed and thrashed against his sides.

He doesn't know where he's going anymore, his wandering aimless and dreary. Hungry, wretched, aching, yet the torment remains, shrouding his rugged features in a perpetual scowl, twisting his lips into a perment frown that lingered on the edge of a hurting sadness. He needed to move on, to heal, but how? How can he heal when his whole world had crumbled down? He had nothing to live for now, nothing to gain, and it made him feel both mutable and dangerous.

He tries to draw deeper into the shadows of the forest, into the darkness, and that is when he is interrupted by the silver-hued lady, one he had met on his travels past. Under normal circumstances, Amaroq would have something snarky and dickhead to say, but there were no words, not even a whisper. Her lively jest and graceful quip falls to pinned (near deaf) ears, and as he slowly turns towards her with a ghastly look, it is evident how empty and faraway his eyes appear.

"What do you want?" His whisper feels broken against his lips, but even as she trots alongside him, he does not pause in his tracks, breaking eye contact once more, traversing deeper and deeper into the shadows of the forest as though bewitched by an invisible song.

@Fallon

we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

There is something quite different about the red beast that now wanders the earth like he were braindead. Back in the day, @Amaroq may have returned a biting remark and found something about her to insult. Now, he merely manages a dismissive and tired comment that causes Fallon to quirk a dark brow in reply. Never being one to beat about the bush, the Lorien Noble is quick to ask, What's wrong with you? For something was wrong. Did she care if he were hurt or needed help? Fallon wasn't sure if they shared enough history for her to care that deeply for him but it seemed rude not to ask. Since when had she been the type to worry about what was rude? Domestication had done a number on her, that was for certain. Nimble paws keep up with the red beast as he continues on his aimless journey, Fallon not fussed if they were going around in circles. Wait, were they?

code // art // do not use without permission

Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
Every dream feels dark; untouchable.
He feels numb, forsaken -

His heart feels decayed; faded. Flesh and spirit devoid of color; his heart no longer feels whole, complete. In its place were visceral shadows, a darkness that grew and grew; snarling beneath carmine skin, with every passing, manic second. Wrath festers in silence, as did his grievance. Where once he beamed bright, masculine and feverous as the sun, the soldier no longer held such charismatic vibrancy.

Still, the silver-hued maiden follows him into the dense foliage, the rustling of her graceful feet giving him a momentary pause for distraction; the lull of her gentle voice made curious along the wind's song, pulling him into her sensual orbit. He pauses, then, looks to the black earth, his gaze downcast until his eyelashes feel heavy with the darkness. Her question hangs like a noose against his mind, and with a dark, weary sigh, he finally turns towards her and whispers quietly: "I just need more sleep."

@Fallon

we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

He takes a moment to mull over her question, Fallon waiting quietly and instead focussed on keeping up with @Amaroq. She wonders if he will answer -- if he even has an answer worth sharing. What was with all these brooding men all of a sudden? Was it something in the water? More sleep is what the red beast lands on after a pause and brief closure of his eyes. She knows what that feels like -- unable to quieten her mind and tormented by her own worries. It is both relief and dismay that washes over her when she catches glimpse of the morning light. But there is reason for sleeplessness -- it does not unfurl and take hold on its own. "You could do with a bath and a meal too," she chides, doing her best to keep the mood light though it is a rather difficult task considering just how downtrodden her counterpart seemed. "What's keeping you up at night?" Fallon asks with a small hum, intrigued and pushing her nose in business that was not her own.

code // art // do not use without permission

Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
The wretchedness consumes him; his soul feels shattered, weighed down by all the emotions he was forced to feel. Even so, his facade remains cold, as though he were untouchable. He feels too empty now, too emotionally fragile, to fully pay attention to the woman as she speaks in her soft words. He is not used to this sort of kindness and he can only assume that the feeling she had expressed had been one of concern. Or, pity. But, did she really care? This stranger with a beautiful face and a calm, maternal smile? He doubted it.

When he looks at her, he sees a woman who has come from a place of love. There was confidence in her step, and the lines of her face were touched by a tranquil, unwavering beauty. Have you ever lost a loved one? Apart of him wanted to ask, to seek clarity and comfort within her. But the heavier parts of his soul, the secret parts of him, feels like he is going insane; as though he were desperate for closure, for relief. The relief would never come. The gaping hole in his chest, remained.

As if sensing his despair, the clouds begin rolling, the sun begins to hide. A darkness took to the horizon and suddenly, the air becomes soft and moist with the would-be sensation of rain. Her question and comments goes unanswered. Instead, Amaroq looks through her.

"I'm tired of everything."

Tired of living.

It's the first real thing he had ever said.

@Fallon

we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire