"Knowledge is power Amaris," the dark woman had said, her voice laced with an accent as ancient as the lands it had originated from. "Knowledge gives you the power to deduce what an appropriate action may be, what the consequences of that actions may be, what the consequences of inaction may be. Knowledge, Amaris, is a weapon as potent as that of the Reaper's in the Basin. If you do nothing else with your life but learn, you will have spent your life well." The mare spoke to her golden child with fondness, resting her whiskered maw atop the girl's poll.

It was the memory of midnight talks with her mother that the girl remembered and lived through. Knowledge had been something the girl thrived on - learning about the unknown was her passion. When she had agreed to join the ranks of the Throat alongside her cousin, she had sought the Divine path. The Gods were great and powerful creatures that she barely understood - what better way to understand them than to learn how to worship them? At least that way she would have learned why they were worthy of worship..

Her lesson with Silk had been short, but not unhelpful. He had earned his rank for a reason, and the girl respected him for that. It had been a strange, whimsical night upon her memory, one of the first friends she had made outside of the comforting embrace of her cousin, and with knowledge shared willingly between them, she had found herself enjoying it thoroughly; even to the extent that she considered switching paths.

But she had stayed where she was, following her cousin on journeys across the country to visit their old home (and what an emotional rollercoaster that had been), learning as much as she could about strangers and kin alike, even sharing what little knowledge she had to those who needed it. As she lived her life, she slowly came to understand her mother's words, to see the truth in them, and still she tried to live by them. Knowledge was power, indeed, and Amaris would use that power to better the world.

The call for a herd meeting is met with nervous relief. The girl had not seen her cousin since the FireDancer had left for the Basin, and the dragon was a rattled combination of nerves and excitement awaiting her return. Tandavi had assured her own safety amongst the friends who were going with her - they had to choose the right number of delegates to send, for too many and it would seem demanding or threatening, and too few and they would be turned away with laughter following their forms.

The girl knew her appearance alone would probably upset the Basin, her heritage screamed itself out across the scales that glistened upon her hide, an she feared of being judged by those she had always known as the enemy in the old stories. Though she herself tried not to hold judgement against them (knowledge learned first-hand was far more powerful than knowledge learned through hearsay, after all), she had silently conceded that this time, she would not attend.

It was eye-opening to realise just how many inhabited the Throat, though the girl had been part of the Edge when it was just as large. Perhaps it was the fact that so many more creatures held wings here, whereas in the Edge, there had been more with pure equine blood than anything else… The girl shook her head, clearing her mind so that it would be ready to see everything that happened today. With hope upon her façade she looked for her cousin, and upon seeing her (with unicorn in tow) she sidled up to her, wuffling her own low greeting under her breath, bending down to also brush her whiskered maw against Natraj's dark hide.

Ears pricked as their leader began to speak. Having not met him, nor many of the others yet formally, it was nice to be able to put faces to the names Tandavi had given her.

Only, she was not expecting her name to drop from his charred lips. Her cousin's name, yes. Other long-standing members, certainly. But hers? How did he even know it? Shock had widened her eyes, their deep honey-gold gaze seeking out the familiar pools of her cousin, hardening slightly as they took on an accusing stare. Did you do this? her eyes seemed to ask, to ever-so-gently accuse. Swallowing, the girl returned her attention to their Sultan, nodding her acceptance of this promotion.

Sleuth. The girl was given a taste of the anxiety and worry that Tandavi must have felt when she rose to Sultana. Though not nearly as large a step, it was significant for Amaris, who still considered herself a newcomer to the herd, a stranger. She would have to redouble her efforts, and redouble them again to even begin to feel worthy of the title bestowed upon her. A sigh filled her lungs, and she used the lull in conversation to regather her thoughts.

But what came next churned those thoughts up again. Tandavi had told her of the horrific murders, the ones that had affected all of Helovia with their severity and lack of discrimination. But to think that it was the Moon Goddess all along? The mystical lady who had breathed life into the Edge, who formed the basis upon which her mother had lived her life?

A murderer?

A breath gasped free from her lungs, as the next words spilled forth.

Gaucho.

Their leader, their sovereign, their Khal and Sultan, the one whose body had committed all those crimes? Amaris' mind whirled at the mere thought of it, she had not known him at all, really, but there were others who did, others who might not see things the same way the Gods did. Amaris used her lack of knowledge, in this case, to her advantage, for in her knowing little about him, she also did not have any affection or emotional attachment towards him that would mar her sight.

She watched as he spoke, listening to the weight of the words, the guilt and shame that hid in their deep depths, even if he did not recognise them himself. The girl stepped forward, hesitantly at first, but slowly gaining more trust in her limbs and her new rank.

"We cannot pretend to understand the Gods." Her voice spoke, not really meaning to go to any other than the fiery steed before her, the one most in need of her words. "Gaucho is not a killer." She said firmly, now raising her scaled crown to challenge any who would say differently to her words. Somewhere, deep within her, a change had clicked into place, and a dragon queen now stood before them, a confident and strong creature of power, that power being knowledge. "We must mourn for the dead, but doing so in anger against our leader is not the way." Truly, Amaris did not know what way they should mourn. She had never honestly mourned before, because she had been in denial about the fact that nothing of her mother had been heard nor seen for nigh on two years.

"You have my loyalty, my Sultan." Draconic features had turned back to her Sultan now, her tiara dipping low as she gifted him with her loyalty.

Suddenly feeling exposed, the girl smoothly made her way back to her cousin's side, nudging her, seeking comfort (and perhaps also giving it, for she suspected Tandavi knew already the outcome of the great murder mystery that had throttled Helovia). The dragoness' mind was reeling still at the news, and she could not help but wonder, if the Moon Goddess was capable of all this, could she also be capable of destroying their mothers?

Amaris