Lace was late for a reason. When the call to gather went out and spread it's echo across the woodland realm, the argent stallion had been unfortunate enough to stand on the opposite side of the region. While he did his best to hurry to the side of the queen with Fajira flitting through the air beside him, it was still a slow pace compared to those blessed with wings, and thus his arrival was delayed.
As he closed in on the gathered horses however, the sound of raised voices made the bright expression on his face fade. A concerned frown drew lines around the golden eyes, and as Fajira landed on his back the grullo he came to a halt, lingering outside the circle of horses in the shade of the trees - listening, watching, as accusations, doubts and complaints were raised against his new position.
When first Kaj, then Vikram and Aaron were through the white-maned equine sighed heavily. It wasn't that he had expected everyone to cheer and congratulate when Mirage broke the news to the herd, but it left a bitter taste in the mouth to hear that so many of the others doubted him. To even hear Smoke leave him hanging... It hurt, but then again he couldn't deny that some of their doubts were well founded. He had a history of coming and going quite a lot, his rank in the herd had changed a lot... He was not a pillar of stability and peace, it was the truth. But then again... Was the World's Edge a prison where you had to have a reason and permission to step outside the borders?
Finally Nato gave the cue to stop skulking about by questioning his lack of presence, and Lace didn't fail to take the hint.
"I'm here" he said and stepped out beneath the open sky, quietly making his way through the herd with his head held high and face unreadable. Pale orbs touched upon the frames of his family members as he moved past them, recognizing old faces and memorizing the new ones, all up until the moment where he found himself face to face with Mirage, who had stood silent throughout all the shouting and bickering.
"I apologize for being late" he said, addressing the WeyrLeader but speaking in a tone that allowed all the gathered ones to hear. "I found myself on the southern border when you called, and it took some time to get back." That said, he slipped in beside her and turned to look out over the sea of faces, feeling the weight of their gazes upon him. For some time he stood silent, quietly trying to grasp the mood of the crowd and come up with some eloquent way to explain himself... Then he gave up and shook the head slowly.
"I've heard your doubts, and recognize them" he said, keeping the voice low as he continued. "I have to admit that you have reasons to hold them, because I am not perfect. My absences have been several and quite long. I have indeed been moving around in the ranks. I could give you explanations and excuses for all that, but truth be told I don't think it matters. My personal search for a place and purpose is not relevant. But I do think I shall try and explain the source of Kaj's accusation of me being a racist." His gaze turned towards the palomino general and rested upon him for a moment.
"As most of you know, this land called World's Edge were once home to a herd of unicorns. The Qian took it over by force two years ago, driving the original inhabitants out in the process. Following that event, the outcasted unicorns wandered north and discovered a new habitable land, Aurora Basin. But, despite their new land they held a grudge against us, and against our allies from Dragon's Throat. Over the past two years there has been a silent struggle going on between our three herds; kidnappings, random attacks on our family, that kind of things. And we replied in kind, taking back our kind and returning the favor in hope that the leaders of the Basin would tire of this game. It culminated last winter, just before the disappearance of the gods, as two of our friends were murdered. Solstice, mother to Aaron and his siblings, and Torasin, father of the same. It has since been confirmed that members of the Basin was indeed responsible in both cases."
Here Lace had to pause and swallow back the lump that grew in his throat, as always when he remembered his friends. Something vital had been lost from the herd since they disappeared, gone from him and from them all.
"After that" he continued with strained voice, "a plan was laid out between our queen and the leader of the Dragon's Throat, meant to stave off any further attempts on our family by offering an ultimatum. Unfortunately, it backfired and the Basin along with the Foothills launched an attack on our herd, as well as on our allies. We were able to stave off the invaders thanks to the brave defenders and volunteers that stood up to them."
"Now, the point of all this" he said, "is that we have a long history of bad blood between this herd and Aurora Basin. As they only accept unicorns into their midst, this unfortunately means that we mostly see hostility from horned ones. I admit that this colors my view on strangers. If I see a horse I don't know attempting to cross through the gate into our land, I am going to stop them, until I can confirm that they are not a threat. This, Kaj, is what happened before you arrived" Lace added and looked at the WingLeader again, taking the opportunity to address the other accusation - of having Fajira bully a cub.
"I saw a stranger, a unicorn I didn't know, examine the wall and then walk towards the gate, and I called out to ask his purpose in coming here. In order to definitely stop him I asked my dragon to cut off his path, which she did by flying in front of him before proceeding to circle above the entrance. Unfortunately her appearance startled both the intruder and his young companion - the young griffin took a leap at Fajira, but ended up falling to the ground as it was incapable of flight. In no way did I or my bonded harm the companion. I do admit that my language when talking to the stranger was far from acceptable however. I jumped to conclusions and made unfounded accusations, which was inappropriate. However, I stand by what I said that day. Anyone who approaches this land I will regard as a potential threat until they have proven themselves otherwise. I believe that respect and trust should be earned - and that goes for everyone."
Finally, the stallion finished and took a deep breath, looking out over the crowd with head held high to see how his words were received. Whether they would make the mood better or worse was hard to say - at least he knew he had spoken the truth as far as he knew it.
"I wish to keep this herd safe. I don't want to loose any more friends. Everything I do, I do to protect you. Each and every one of you, no matter what your race, gender, history or beliefs are. This will not change, whether I stand before you as leader or among you as WeyrFolk. Now, you question Mirage's decision to make me a leader. Truth be told, so do I. But she asked me for help because she felt that she alone was not enough, that she alone could not protect you, defend you, listen to your concerns and fears and ease them with answers. Mirage asked me to stand by her side, and so I will do my best to live up to her expectations, and yours. If some or all of you still hold doubt about my ability, my suitability for this position... Do let me know who you would prefer. Tell me who you think is more worthy, more capable, more trustworthy, and I will gladly step down in their favor."
And with that he finished, looking between Kaj, Vikram, Smoke - the ones who had been loudest in their objections and desire for a vote. Well, here was their chance.
|
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
⇒
[O] Speak Now [ Activity Check - Compulsory Herd Meeting ]
