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To be frank, the purpose of this meeting was of no importance to him whatsoever. Kings, Queens, Gods... none of that held any meaning to the young stallion, nor did he find the appeals of the gathered horses to be very interesting. The only reason he was there to begin with was because of Amaris' sudden departure once the messenger had finished speaking. He had followed her out of curiosity, cantered in the shadow of her wings as the landscape flashed by, and when she landed he kept to her side like a shadow, quiet and observing with a lazy expression masking the growing contempt.

He knew none of the horses that gathered in the dark forest. Neither names nor ranks burdened him until they were revealed by the person in question, and so the equine was able to observe without bias, listen without preconceived notions. The things he heard... It was all enough to make him wish to roll his eyes. Wasn't all gods the same, in the end? Who cared which one they had to bow to in the end, the fact that one had to incline their head remained regardless. Fickle and cruel, warped by a never ending existence, such was the nature of all immortals - wasn't it better then to live beneath one everyone knew to be wicked? At least then one would never have to be disappointed once the pleasant mask fell from their faces, when their true nature was revealed.

As for the claims of these power-hungry no names, they all sounded the same to his ears. Pick me, pick me, I'm better than all the rest... Cathun had no such preconceived notion. He was young, inexperienced, and he knew it. Heck, every single one of the stallions present could surely bring him down, and quite a few of the mares as well. But the current state of things would only last for so long.

He was young but he would grow, he was inexperienced but he would learn. Provided that he actually wanted a throne...

"Rather than strength and wisdom, I'd say you need some fresh eyes and new ideas" Cathun said, after listening for a while with growing impatience. He turned his gaze upon the white unicorn mare, gaze challenging as it burned through the gloom under the canopy.

"All your gathered compassion and leadership was not enough to prevent a war, it seems. As far as I'm concerned you are all the same, sticking to the same old patterns without ever getting anywhere.

How many times have you fought over land now? Was the reason ever a good one? Truly? You leave the service of one god to serve beneath another... Do you really think you will escape just by changing the color of your banners?

If you really want to get away then I suggest leaving Helovia altogether."

Not that that would help them much either. There were gods everywhere, in every land, whether named or not. Cathun shifted where he stood, cocked a steely hip in a cool, collected manner that stood in sharp contrast to the firebrand speech he offered. In a way he surprised himself; when had he begun to care? Did he truly, even though he said so much?

And yet, he couldn't stop. The words demanded to be delivered.

"That Kiara woman, she said something good there. Uniting the four herds. Wouldn't that be something?

If we were to speak of suitability to lead the World's Edge, then anyone can lead a region, if getting along with the neighbors is the biggest requirement. If we were to address birthright to this place then Amaris or myself, Cathun, would be most eligible, being the daughter of the DragonHeart and son of the Silverthorn.

But personally I would find it rather pointless to simply repeat what has already been attempted, as it is a system that clearly doesn't work. Why not try something new, hm? Would you be up to such a challenge?"

His smile was easy as he looked around the gathering, the voice calm and smooth. But beneath the silver-touched forelock his eyes burned with a passion that did not lose to his challenge, and somewhere along the way Cathun had forgotten that he wasn't interested in sitting on a throne. Possibilities, ideas, they all exploded into existence even as he spoke, and the more he said the more he felt that he believed in it. Hadn't Lace always spoken of Helovia as one land, even while mentioning places like the Edge? Even if it was a misconception on Cathun's part the idea simply wouldn't leave him, and if he considered it further the vision only grew more solid, more alluring.

One land, one nation... Ah, now that was something he could bow his head to achieve. If proving himself able to rule a herd and get along with a god was a first step on a road to accomplishing such a feat... well. How difficult could it be?

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Permission to read his mind granted!
Cathun applies for a Military lead