Perhaps the mare is too smart to fall for his simple tricks, but that doesn't mean she satisfies him with her answer. The cracked velvet on his nose wrinkles with an irritated sort of acknowledgement. Is it better that she spoke or would she have lasted longer in his graces with her silence, as the colt has proven himself to be?

Knox nods at the child, a soft gesture that perhaps comes from being a father himself. The chances of this are unlikely.

"What a very careful response," the hunter tells her with a shrug and a snort--a faint roll of his eyes. "Don't try to be too clever, no one expects you to be. Just try to not be a damned fool," Knox adds.

He swallows at the sight of her, the memories, the understanding of how he has hurt her... and she doesn't even know.

The hunter does not plan to reveal himself in any way to her or any other who come to the call, but there's a horribly guilt-ridden part of him that wants to shift before the mare and show her the face of the murderer she might recognize. But...

{Dovev:} You wouldn't dare, colt.

No, he won't.

Another thankfully stumbles in late, and Knox is able to focus his attention on that rather unfortunate display of foolishness. A name, a reason for being there--really, the stallion is asking to be used as an example.

"If I can say anything for you, mare, it is that you have not come barging in, late to a meeting and thrown out your name as if it were not a precious secret," Knox nickers in a manner that seems almost threatening. He snaps his gaze to the stallion, eyes narrowed, and goes on: "If you come to join the stealth rank of the Falls, you have indeed come to the right place, simply in the wrong manner. But you would do well to keep your assumptions in check, for these are not my ranks, I am simply a messenger serving within his clutch."

A snort, a soft sigh, a sort of delicate revelation. Thus begins the disappearance of Knox from the very existence of this world. "The sleuth of this herd is a stallion named Knox, and he did not deem it necessary to arrive in person here today. I've come to deliver instead his simple set of instructions, which is this:" Knox pauses then, smiling softly, reveling in the satisfaction of a molded lie, "If you go looking for your leader, you will not find him. If you work hard, learn all that you can, keep yourselves hidden, steal only for others and only at his orders, and have loyalty to no other factions outside of this herd, then you might succeed."

Knox looked down even at Murtagh then; the boy was too young now, but perhaps he would remember the words. "If you are willing to follow these tenets, then Knox will consider you his thieves in the night. Should you take issue with them, it would be better that you leave. Should at any point you violate them..." his voice trails and the threat is evident. Need he say more? No, better not to, lest he get carried away and reveal the true, more sinister consequence. Surely, if this were his own herd and not his brothers, he would kill them for such betrayal. Instead he simply tells them all this with a stern tone. It's true--he doesn't have time for equivocation. Knox isn't sure what the other herds are doing (due to a lack of intelligence agents working at his side, up until perhaps this very moment) but he doesn't care that they are in a time of peace. He is always, as he has been trained to his whole life, preparing for war. Knox has never forgotten how to punish and kill. There are secrets that must be kept, and should they be spilled then so will be blood.

"And you, mare," Knox says with a snort, "expect to be assigned a new name shortly, Knox will pass it to you as he desires. Should you have come up with a reply that yielded a useful response merely than just parroting what you heard, perhaps you would have been able to choose it yourself. Consider this both a reward and a punishment, and take what you've learned from it into every conversation you have from this point on--all of you."

"You boys will forever be branded as Murtagh and Azoth, but not as you were before; consider your identities switched within this circle. Consider that to be a mark of shame, why don't you?"

{Zekiah:} Aye, always pickin' on the little ones aren't ya Knox?
{Zsoka:} But brother, it's just so easy!

He lowers his head, his postures slackens, and he tries to make himself appear less intimidating to the crowd before him for a moment. "Now, do any of you have any intelligent questions for me before you are left to your devices?"






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