The brush of feathers along her side worked wonders for such a light touch. It served as a calming hand and quick rebuke. Steady! It seemed to say, and she was steadier for it. The mare felt her temper ebb slowly and dark eyes turned to watch the beast beside her. He would know how to maneuver this situation, and she would be doing neither of them any favors by provoking their opponents. Relaxing her posture she took a step back, not in retreat, but acknowledgement of Gaucho’s leadership where she was concerned.

Immediately, her war with her own temper was challenged when the dun lowered his antlered head towards the Basin’s Lady. What on earth was he doing, lowering his defenses in such a manner? A short snort left her nose as her eyes flashed toward the white unicorn, if they dared attack they’d have Megaera to deal with(if that was even much of a threat).

Confusion replaced ire when the other mare spoke. Look into his mind? Could she do that? From her words, Meg though she was at least determined to find the truth unlike the quick accusations of the young one, but Meg wasn’t sure just how far she could trust any of these strangers.

The two leads seemed to stand still for a moment, and Meg looked between the two as if to see something passing between the two. Ophelia was suddenly thrown backwards, pushed by some invisible force and Meg’s ears flattened to her skull. What of earth was happening? She did not understand what had passed and that frustration pushed at her temper again and the words that the Blood-Tipped spoke only worked to make Meg unsure. “Gaucho…what happened?” She leaned to ask her sultan, but was interrupted by the explosion of black that burst onto the scene in an angry fury. She tensed, ready again to charge and fight but apparently the two pegasai were not the target.

Meg had been quick to see this collection of unicorns as a unified front; now she was starting to realize that may not be the case and she kept her sharp eyes moving from body to body, trying to pick up all of the nuances as the new black beast raged at Mauja.

When Ophelia addressed Gaucho, the bay mare was brought back to the matters at hand, and her frustration with the situation mounted. Still the white questioned Gaucho, laid the wisps of evidence at his feet again. But hadn’t she seen into his mind? How could she have done that and still be unsure of the his innocence, for meg was sure that innocence of these crimes was all that Gaucho’s mind would have shown, not believing for a second that he would be capable of such things. Did her power fail, did it even exist?!

The black spoke, too, and connected some of the pieces to Gaucho and all Meg could do was make impotent angry noises in the back of her throat. Her heart was so eager to slay and belittle any shred of evidence that might suggest that her Sultan was not as she imagined him to be. Set to anyone else’s account a trail of items like this would have assured Megaera of guilt, but here her mind made them only trifles, coincidences that could not be looked upon as anything useful. She could not, wouldn’t allow herself to believe then. If Gaucho was guilty than what did that make her?

The black called for opinions and Meg could restrain her tongue no longer, even if she still worked to keep her voice steady. “Gaucho is right. These items might have been dropped or placed by anyone, and with the dead so varied, who’s to say that they must all be assigned to one account. And the gods? Surely it was right to go to them, Meg had had few dealings with two and none with the others, but it was they who had commanded the investigation at the scene of the first murder. “We should call the gods, if we can. They commanded us to find the murderer and they would not abandon Helovia at such a time.” She hesitated, this kind of diplomacy and argument was not her realm and she wondered if she would be corrected for forgetting her place as a soldier but her commander had so recently tried for a ceasefire with the Basin and she thought he would agree with her. “The other herds should be sought as well. This is not a war between the Throat and the Basin and all of Helovia should have a hand in if it is justice that we seek.” Her last sentence blazed as a challenge, if they didn’t agree to that than they must be the warmongering fiends she’d heard rumors of.