Ktulu
the Constrictor

”I am tired of living in weakness."

"As I stand here, I know you each feel it, the downward spiral that is us. Us four, we are the strong, the able, the dedicated.”

"I cannot bear for my name to be written with those of feebleness any longer."

"I believe there is strength elsewhere, living in the wilds."

"I have no one but you and as a family we could survive. Should you follow me, understand this—we are not an outcast group, we are family, raw and simple, unlike the Grey lies of family, and we will fight for no one but each other, forever and always."

Archibald and she were more alike than either one of them had suspected, Ktulu thought as she walked across the meadow. Neither of them had anything that they could really call a family. His brothers had run off and her sister, the one who had meant the most to her for so long, had left and hadn't bothered to even try to visit. It hurt that their bond had been severed the way it had because of the Grey and the weight and stress that came with leadership. She was unsure if there was any real way to fix it.

Water splashed as Ktulu trudged through the river. Cool water splashed onto her belly and legs, but she ignored it as she continued onwards. Ever since Archibald had proclaimed the Grey weak and left Ktulu had been thinking about his words. At first she had been ripped apart because she had known it to be true. There was little passion. Little fire. What passion and fire there had been among the warriors and executioners Archibald had taken with him when he left. After agonizing over it for days Ktulu had finally made the decision to take her leave, she just had never expected it to feel as painful as it had.

He hadn't said where he would be when he'd left, but Ktulu had always been rather fond of the Thistle Meadow and had decided to start searching for the giant ex-general there first. She was ready to become part of a real family. "Archibald!" The dark mare called loudly and listened as her voice echoed through the meadow.