see—

I’ve already waited

too long

and all my hope is gone.

The decision had been made and Lotherarius felt like a weight that had been suddenly placed on his broad shoulders was now lifted off and allowed to roll away in the same instance. He knew that this was what he had wanted all along, to be part of something, part of a herd, that would allow him to stay. He missed the heirachy with him at the top of the chain, naturally, but being part of the Hidden Falls in the sense of being useful and helping to make a herd great was duty enough. And to think, he had been invited. His pools showed the surprise in them at the thought of this prospect, that he had been sought after, and with the thoughts filling his brain his skull cocked to the right hand side just a little, which let his long ebony tassles tassles fall messily over his neck.

Coming back to reality he shook those thoughts from his skull, letting his azure pools take in the smile that once again came from Huri. In return, he reciprocated with the same smile that went only so far around his velveteens whilst his pillars began to make a dance of their own as he wondered what was going on in the background of this strange new territory. Territory that was now going to be his home. Lotherarius was one troubled soul, a perceptive, intelligent creature on one hand, and a boiling cauldron of mess and paranoia on the other. He was the best of both worlds, even if the one of those worlds was going to hinder him. He had his roots to blame for that...

Still, he still attempted to listen as he felt the chill winds of the dying season on his bodice, and Huric continued. The brute's words were very humbling to the blood-red brute, not rescinding his offer and giving him a very important decision to make - his path into the herd's upper ranks. He was already being ushered into the ranks, something that was so quick that it was like a fleeting glimpse of prey before it was snapped up by the predator. How interesting.

"...there are five paths you can follow. There is masonry, warfare, intelligence, holiness, and healing."

He continued to listen to Huric's description of the intelligence core, heeding to the creature who had blinded him, a creature called Knox, but the stag was unfamiliar with the name. He tried to let that slide even though that Knox was the creature who had blinded him, in the hope that he did not ruin his chances of becoming one of them in the ranks. That was just it though, what would he choose?

"I can relay your choice to one of our Czars or rank leaders for you; I trust you will meet them soon as you explore."

He nodded in reply, hoping to fully understand the reasoning for his being in the Hidden Falls. But his thoughts continued to spiral around the prospect of becoming a ranked member of the herd, but it now lay with the difficulty of choosing between his already-known and probably very unsuccessful experience of being a warrior and choosing a new path: intelligence. With a little thinking he tussled with the ideas, feeling very wary of the mockery he would receive from his fellow herdmates once they found out just how he had lost such a prestigious position all that time ago. And there came his answer,
"I thank you, Huric, for your help. I am glad to become a part of you and would like to serve as part of the Hidden Falls' intelligence, should your leader and the network permit it." He dipped his handsome cranium in a friendly gesture before taking a step back in case the brute did not like his decision. He was still unsure even at this point whether this wasn't just a huge ploy to beat him up.

" . "

Lotherarius