The King waited, looking down on the winged boy with hard eyes. He did not convey cruelty or anger, but was simply emotionless and solid in his posture and facial expression. Large, inky ears twitched atop his head as the stallion spoke, introducing himself and giving way to his lineage. Alysanne, it seemed, was this boy's dam. Archibald's eyes narrowed some. He had never seen this boy before, but it was true that Archibald knew nothing of his healer's life before he joined the World's Edge as their Captain. Loretta moved her eyes to look at Resplendence, and her tail lowered and her ears relaxed. After their encounter in the Secret Grove, Archibald had told the cur to be softer in her presence. After all, the fierce canine struck fear into the heart of many, but Resplendence did not need anything more the fear from them. Loretta even let her tail wag--a slow, long, sweeping motion--thrice to show her new disposition.

Archibald rose a brow, however, when the child before him spoke of his little talents. Archibald gave a snort, unafraid to be blunt towards this smaller creature before him. "I do not accept stagnancy in my ranks." Archibald's voice was hard, authoritative, and deep, but did not give way to any emotion. "You will practice your craft and grow in it, or we will place you elsewhere, where your desire to improve will increase. Do you understand?" Archibald, and his other leading counterparts, were not out for anyone in their herd to be weak. While they did not expect perfection out of the hooves of their subjects, they did expect effort and an unwavering dedication to attempting to achieve excellence.

Archibald shifted his eyes to Resplendence, wondering for just a moment what her own thoughts on his words were. "Nonetheless, welcome to the World's Edge. You will now be marked as a philosopher. Evangeline, a flaxen mare with a dragon companion, is the head of your class. Should you need her, she is not hard to find. I suggest you meet with her." Archibald nodded, lifting his head some to look out into the world beyond the winged boy and the claybank healer. His golden eyes roamed the horizon, and he nodded once more, though it was mainly to himself. "If you will excuse me, I must finish my patrol."

With his last words, the bonded pair turned towards where they came, and trotted back into the treeline, to survey the rest of the border.

[ARCHI OUT.]