Dissonance
He picks up on rhythms easily, almost too easily. Everything has a rhythm, and walking is no different. Breathe in, breathe out; heartbeat steady; well-worn boots crunching softly, so softly, against the grass. His pack shifts with the motion, side to side, in and away. It isn't as resonating as his drum, but he doesn't care. It's steady just the same.
He closes his eyes as he walks, just listening to the rhythms as they mix and combine. The weather is getting warm, warm enough that the mountains should finally be thawing out. Perhaps he'll head there next. It would be a welcome change from the grasslands, and he always enjoys the mountains. They're almost like home, but they're different enough that he can still feel welcome there.
He opens his eyes again and rocks his head back, staring up at the sky as he walks. The deep blue depths of the sky... For your own safety, do not look back into it. The Void will stare into you, but do not look back.
"I do not fear you," he says to the sky, not slowing down. "I have never feared you."
He hears it, the wordless, soundless laugh. He takes a deep breath and blows it out louder than necessary. In, out. Rhythm. His mind is steady; he will not falter this time. Instead, he continues walking.
The grass sounds different, he realizes, and where before each breath carried the faint scent of flowers, now he smells water. There shouldn't be any water around here, not enough to smell like this. He lowers his head to look ahead of himself again and sees a lake. A large lake sparkling in the sun, its almost-calm water reflecting the sky above.
Did he manage to get turned around while he was walking? It wouldn't be the first time. Yet when he looks around, he doesn't like what he sees. Or rather, what he doesn't see. Gone are the familiar mountains and ridges on the horizon, replaced with a mountain ridge he's never seen before. There's some kind of large hut nearby, though it seems oddly ornate and heavy.
Very strange indeed, he thinks, continuing to look around. He doesn't know this place, nor has he heard any tales about it. How did he get here? Is this some kind of hallucination? The Void seems to enjoy testing him, and he has been staring at it today...
If it's a test, then he'll just test it back. He walks down to the edge of the water and sets his pack down. The plants along the edge seem healthy, so the water must not be stagnant. He kneels down, peering at his reflection. Nothing seems unusual about it. He looks closer, leaning in until some of his hair is floating on the water, coppery whirls on blue. No, his face is still his own, his eyes still gray. He isn't being tested.
He stands up and shakes his head, slinging water in all directions. If this isn't a test, then what is this? Where is he and how did he get here? He finds a rock and sits on it, pack at his side. And then he closes his eyes and just listens -- to the wind, the water, the sound of a very unfamiliar place.
((Hello. This is an odd character idea, but it sounds like fun, so I'm going with it. This is basically the Fierce Deity before he became a god.))
He closes his eyes as he walks, just listening to the rhythms as they mix and combine. The weather is getting warm, warm enough that the mountains should finally be thawing out. Perhaps he'll head there next. It would be a welcome change from the grasslands, and he always enjoys the mountains. They're almost like home, but they're different enough that he can still feel welcome there.
He opens his eyes again and rocks his head back, staring up at the sky as he walks. The deep blue depths of the sky... For your own safety, do not look back into it. The Void will stare into you, but do not look back.
"I do not fear you," he says to the sky, not slowing down. "I have never feared you."
He hears it, the wordless, soundless laugh. He takes a deep breath and blows it out louder than necessary. In, out. Rhythm. His mind is steady; he will not falter this time. Instead, he continues walking.
The grass sounds different, he realizes, and where before each breath carried the faint scent of flowers, now he smells water. There shouldn't be any water around here, not enough to smell like this. He lowers his head to look ahead of himself again and sees a lake. A large lake sparkling in the sun, its almost-calm water reflecting the sky above.
Did he manage to get turned around while he was walking? It wouldn't be the first time. Yet when he looks around, he doesn't like what he sees. Or rather, what he doesn't see. Gone are the familiar mountains and ridges on the horizon, replaced with a mountain ridge he's never seen before. There's some kind of large hut nearby, though it seems oddly ornate and heavy.
Very strange indeed, he thinks, continuing to look around. He doesn't know this place, nor has he heard any tales about it. How did he get here? Is this some kind of hallucination? The Void seems to enjoy testing him, and he has been staring at it today...
If it's a test, then he'll just test it back. He walks down to the edge of the water and sets his pack down. The plants along the edge seem healthy, so the water must not be stagnant. He kneels down, peering at his reflection. Nothing seems unusual about it. He looks closer, leaning in until some of his hair is floating on the water, coppery whirls on blue. No, his face is still his own, his eyes still gray. He isn't being tested.
He stands up and shakes his head, slinging water in all directions. If this isn't a test, then what is this? Where is he and how did he get here? He finds a rock and sits on it, pack at his side. And then he closes his eyes and just listens -- to the wind, the water, the sound of a very unfamiliar place.
((Hello. This is an odd character idea, but it sounds like fun, so I'm going with it. This is basically the Fierce Deity before he became a god.))