tembovu

The Elephant was tired. Weariness lined every thick muscle that moved beneath his scarred, silvered buckskin hide. The lines around his darkened eyes were deeper, more numerous, than they had been in previous years of his Kingship. But, to the giant Dorobian stallion, it was not his own exhaustion that mattered so much. No.

It was that his actions as King (he felt) were lacking. There were new faces in the Edge that he had not yet met, stories of new member’s lives that he had not asked after, arguments between members he had been disinterested in resolving, new births and companions he had turned a blind eye to. And, though he had remained dutifully in his station and shown no outright negligence, to him, these were grievous faults against any King. A King who did not love his station… well, that was King who was undeserving of those he led.

And there was the matter of his family… His twins ran wild with a concerning darkness in their actions. His firstborn, Hawezi, had been gone so long…a long and prolonged blink hid the self-reproach and pain in his navy eyes. His two spotted twins… Zubari harbored some innate hatred for him and Katua, too, was missing. And Safiri—his sweet flower of a child, she wanted nothing more than his attention and time…and he could barely give her that with his duties. As his dark lids rose, he did not give himself time to think of Rexanna and their arguments or patchwork apologies.

So, despite his tall stature, it was not with his usual proud head carriage that he let his loud and unmistakable elephantine call cover the Edge, “Edge, gather!” But, even to his own ears, it sounded more tired than it had in the past. So he waited, calm and still, beneath the lilac canopy in the cool early morning of Tallsun.

[wait for arrivals]

His dark eyes swept over all those gathered—and, where he normally would grin and greet those of his herd, only slight nods with tired and sad eyes were given to his friends and Edge family. He waited for silence—or, perhaps, waiting to see if there would be some sign that what he was about to say should wait; or that it was the right thing to do. A man whose actions oft have far-reaching consequences does not necessarily become used to those consequences.

A deep breath expanded his slabbed, black-slashed sides before his low voice began to roll over the herd, “My Edge, I call you here first to thank you—I never thought I’d be worthy of a Kingship, and you have all taught me so very much,” he paused, another heavy breath, “And because of what you have taught me, and what you’ve shown me, it is time for another to take my place,” his gaze looked briefly to the Devoted, knowing that his choice in her had altered much of her life—and, now, he was about to do it once again.

And then he looked to Lyanna, “Lyanna will be your new Queen. She has guided both Alysanne and myself in many herd decisions. I trust her entirely to lead you as well—or better—than myself,” another pause as his eyes heavily weighed on the blue-tinged pegasus mare, before turning to the young and dark man with foxes—Mauja had thought so highly of him, “And, to help our new monarch, Sacre shall offer guidance as Emissary. Though young, he has shown both dedication and duty to the Edge.”

Then to the faithful and faultless Moon Doctor, “Tilney, you are as loyal as any to the Edge, and I would have you lead our healing ranks. They need your guidance, my friend. And Yael, I welcome you to our Sage ranks.” The Elephant (King no longer), fell silent then. A strange, heavy buoyancy filled his chest; like a balloon filled mostly with helium and partly lead.

He blinked quickly few times, before his eyes sought those of his children and mate—perhaps in for assurance or confirmation of his choice. Regardless, any further words were stolen from him by the emotions that clouded his chest, mind, and throat.

And the Elephant King bowed his head, waiting for time to flow on and sweep his soul-altering choice to the endless riverbanks of the past.

the elephant king