VulgariS
" i could be ugly in loving you. filthy and soft-mouthed. wolf-tongued and terrible.
i could carry my heart in my mouth like a bird dog to you, so gently i wouldn’t leave a mark. "
i could carry my heart in my mouth like a bird dog to you, so gently i wouldn’t leave a mark. "
It’s only been a few days since he visited Tephra but it already feels like another life to him as he wanders along the borders of Loess. He misses her – her kiss, the smell of her hair when she first wakes up – but he knows that that chapter of his life has come to a close. It drags like a weight behind him and keeps his mind in a fog until he hears the sound of someone struggling. Vulgaris lifts his head, ears upright and swiveling to find the source before he takes off running. When he finds her, tiny son bundled close to her side, he’s surprised at the sight.
He’d been there for the birth of four of his own children but never anyone else’s. It feels so strange to be present while she cleans her newborn baby and encouraging him to stand up for the first time. So he waits, keeps his distance and watches any movement nearby in case anyone sought to interrupt her first moments with her son. When she settles and whispers so delicately to him, he approaches with his head hung low and steps purposely slow.
“Are.. are you alright? I’m sorry for intruding, I was just..” he begins but he doesn’t know what else to say. It just doesn’t seem right for her to be alone right now. “I’m Vulgaris.”
He recognizes her as one of the healers they had captured and imprisoned. He wonders if an apology is appropriate at a time like this, or ever really. But how could be even begin to explain the depth of his remorse at harming her, someone he doesn’t even know? He swallows nervously and takes a step back as he worries if she has enough space to feel comfortable around him. His gaze inevitably drifts to the newborn as he realizes how sickly the boy seems to be despite his age.
