[center]Stalker Owl
Wings beat like a heart
but they don't make a sound.
In the night forest
only one quarry matters.
Not prey
the curve of a familiar shadow
edges made soft with desire.
The owl's hunger pangs
can be sated with a look
what he craves
is a sigh, a voice
the shift of a beloved outline.
And in those woods
he would follow them forever.
The Counting Hare (Storytelling)[/center]
history:
A son from a strong family, Stalker seemed destined for leadership, and was expected one day to take responsibility for his own tribe. Fussy and pedantic, as Stalker grew up he found he enjoyed taking inventory and organising responsibilities more than he enjoyed inspiring speeches and navigating social circles.
Awkward and nervous, he wished there was a way to help organise kin without having to interact with them.
King of Shadows seemed in every way his opposite. Beautiful, strange, ethereal, and with a commanding presence that inspired confidence and mesmerised attention from others. Almost immediately after meeting they seemed to fall into easy step. Unburdened from chatter and speeches, Stalker could focus on the responsibilities he had always loved best. He loved King for it too, and grew into one of his most devoted subjects, in both loyalty and affection. The tribe prospered under their attention. As King's chief advisor, Stalker was often called "King's Owl" or "His Owl".
The Fairy Tribe was set in a part of the swamp that had bountiful springs and summers but particularly difficult winters. The tribe was split accordingly. King of Shadows reigned over the fall and winter, and his court was a devious and sometimes brutal lot, focused on the harsh necessities of survival and ritual. Fair reigned over the spring and summer, and her court was frivolous and playful, enjoying all the indulgences of the warm seasons.
King of Shadows and his other, Fair, soon had a clutch of eggs together. Their two sons, twins, were afforded all the advantages of their station. As King's second, Stalker acted as their minder and tutor, and held them in greatest affection. He shared duties with Fair's second, Cockscomb. Stalker had every hope that the twins would one day be effective leaders. All is Mended was clever, fair, and thoughtful but was often sickly. We Shadows was strong and loyal, but blind. The two were rarely apart. One spring after days of heavy rain, the twins went to play by the river and never returned.
King of Shadows took the most loyal members of his court and set off to bring back whatever the river might give up, but the mission was ill-fated. He bid Stalker to stay and look after the tribe in his absence. Stalker did his best, but without King, much of his careful planning fell on deaf ears. It took every bit of scheming, conniving, and guile he was capable of to see the tribe through one brutal winter after another, but as the tribe's numbers dwindled he held on to the hope that one day he would see King again.
After too many seasons, King did return. He was alone, and sobered from a grim and fruitless journey. The death of the twins had effected King, Fair, and Stalker in turn, and each of them carried the burden of that grief differently.
Fair had another clutch in King's absence, with a strong but empty-headed Kio. The hardy clutch survived the difficult conditions, and was nearly all that was left of a once prospering tribe. King, feeling ever the need to answer his opposite, had a clutch of his own with an eldritch stranger. King and Fair did not have another clutch together.
Stalker was overjoyed to have King back in whatever state and under whatever circumstances. Stalker was also head over heels in love with King, and had been for many years. During the Festival of Abundance King at last returned Stalker's feelings. King took Stalker as his consort as well as advisor, and Stalker's happiness at King's return increased tenfold. His only reservation was his inability to give King children, but King only requested his company and the faithful services Stalker had always provided. They were able to start again from where they had left off, and together with King's charm and influence and Stalker's organisation and planning began to rebuild the tribe to prosper through the decadent summers and hard winters.
One night, King returned changed, become something else, Ascended, as a gift from the Swamp itself.
Stalker was conflicted. He loved King, even changed, but worried King had become something beyond him. At another Festival of Abundance, Stalker made his own wish to the Swamp, that he would be able to follow King always and in everything, even to the high and strange places where nobody should be able to follow. He hoped desperately that the Swamp had heard him.
ascension:
Stalker would make an interesting legendary because he values logic, and has strong feelings about loyalty and service. He is at his best when he is equipped with the correct information, and he would lend his services and grant blessings to anyone who was willing to listen to impartial advise. He would also be vastly more at ease in a position where he could help shoulder some of King's responsibilities, as long as it doesn't involve too much socialisation. He is most comfortable as a watcher and information gatherer, a spy able to navigate the swamp and his tribe's activities as a discreet and unhindered pair of eyes.
wrote:RP LOG
Welcome Home, Sire (+1 Fairy Tribe) (924 words) +5
White Flowers (+1 Fairy Tribe) (386 words)
To New Horizons [META ORP] (+1 Fairy Tribe) (668 words) +5
JOURNEY - To the Desert Obelisk! [META ORP] (+1 Fairy Tribe) (774 words) +5
Found Eggs (+1 Fairy Tribe) (1002 words) +5
Six Legged Race (48 words)
The Swimming Hole (538 words) +5
Turn and Face The Strange (1506 words) +5
A Generous Donation (903 words) +5
Nom (626 words) +5
Dandelion Dreams (643 words) +5
Finishing All Four Festival Wandering Prompts +5
Meta ORP Journey to the Mountains (140 words)