Oberon had seen countless seasons pass, yet he couldn’t recall having ever been so cold in his life. Snow crunched underneath his hooves with every step, and the biting wind penetrated his clothes and seeped further into his bones with every passing. Whenever he looked upward to catch a glimpse of the pale sun, the imposing silhouette of the mountains was all he could see. The cold wood that he now traversed through was a far cry from the sylvan forests of home. He was a creature of spring and summer, wholly unused to the hardships of this land, but he had a purpose. Love often did drive one to extremes.
His beloved Queen, his Titania, disappeared years ago. Both King and Queen of the Fae were as fickle and capricious as their subjects, and prone to wanderlust—they went wherever their fancy carried them, roving the kingdom and gracing their subjects with their presence; throwing extravagant feasts and resuming conversations with friends that started seasons ago as if they had never stopped at all. It wasn’t uncommon for King and Queen to spend weeks or even months apart from each other, such was the vastness of their kingdom, yet they always reunited, their love undiminished by time or separation. At first, he thought Titania was merely diverted, engrossed by a new interest… but Titania did not come. A fearful Oberon sent agents to every corner of the sylvan realm, yet the last fae to see Titania claimed nothing was unusual when she left their hospitality. Titania had simply vanished without a trace. Grief consumed Oberon, but he held out hope that she would return; a hope that faded with the passing of seasons, and was supplanted by desperation. So Oberon set out, leaving the familiar trees and groves of his homeland in search for Titania. The kingdom would survive his absence, but he wouldn’t without Titania. With no trail to follow and no clue to Titania’s whereabouts, Oberon wandered without direction, scouring the land for any hint of his Queen’s presence. His journey had led him to here. He just needed to cross these mountains to the other side… if he didn’t freeze to death first.
On his shoulders he carried a lush grey hide, draped along his broad shoulders and down his back. From beyond the cape of fur, brilliant gold armor glistened in the light, leading down to violet fabric that flowed behind him. Heavy steps carried Harka through the icy woods, withered and frozen brush crunching beneath his feet. The wind above howled past him in a flurry, rustling the trees, but even the most bitter wind did not phase him.
Above, the sky had begun to darken. With the setting of the sun, came even harsher winds, near cold enough to freeze anything in its tracks; Even the animals most suited to live in such a climate were wise to take shelter. Harka would occasionally wander the woods and search for any animal he could help avoid such a death. Today he had found a pair of stags in a horn-lock, ones that would most certainly die if left in their position. Though Harka was frightening in appearance, the two deer begrudgingly let him untangle their horns, and off they went to their dens. As the sun set and darkness overtook the land, he would follow suit and return to his cavern.
However, as he began to make his way towards his home, an unfamiliar aura beckoned him. Powerful and alluring– yet he felt its stress. It was not far, it seemed. Sure enough, nearing closer to his abode, he found a pale, horned figure. It stood braced against a tree, shivering from the cold– Yet Harka felt no sympathy for it.
“You there.” Harka roared, the winds whistling violently at his command. “What business do you have in my domain?”
gamechangershow
titsay
stormborns
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
romaincrisis
