Tuor was sheathed with a quick, aggressive motion. His metal slid out of sight with a wink, the viewing plane cut off from Ampere’s critical gaze. Her efforts thus far to find the missing cloak had been futile; how do you find something when its very nature is to remain unseen?

It was a question that had been bothering her more and more as the days wore on, because it made her wonder, just how had this thief known to take the cloak at all? Yes, a thief, of that she was sure. Maybe if this had been under Gaucho’s reign, if her daughter had been younger, she wouldn’t have sided so strongly with the little ghost’s firm remarks that it wasn’t lost. That wasn’t the case though- Tae was grown, and Gaucho was dead.

Gaucho was dead, and the herd was weak.

He had been an impressive stallion in countless ways, but his prowess as a lead was something else entirely. He had patrolled the lands relentlessly, chasing down any possible threat with a ruthlessness sure to last in their memory. If something of his, somehow, was taken- he hunted it down like a man possessed.
That, or he used his herd. Gaucho was only one horse after all, and for all his god’s favor, he couldn’t have done everything he did alone. That’s what made him the Sultan of legend, what left his mark on the land long after his body had cooled. The Wildfire raised up his kin, appointing a strong lead to govern beside him, and a full deck of ranks to keep watch below him.

Meanwhile Ampere couldn’t even find a goddamn healer to mend the ache Megaera had left in her side since their fight.

Maybe the question then wasn’t what thief took the cloak, but what member of their herd didn’t stop it? Ampere hadn’t seen a member of their sneak rank in ages, which might have meant they were doing a good job if not for the proof otherwise. Still, she saw their sneaks more than she saw Sikeax.

She’d hoped the mare would prove her initial thoughts wrong - had wanted to believe the Sun God saw something more in her than Ampere could, if she’d just have faith. If there had been anything better in Sikeax though, the bright flames of the God’s attention must have scorched it out of her, because Ampere only saw the burnt remains of a herd that once blazed wild, now grown dead and empty as ash.

Contemptuous, Ampere was returning to the Throat after her futile search, angling down when she spotted her daughter. The thoughts still rankled inside her as she landed near the ghost, so she had little to offer in way of calming advice when she gazed at her clearly enraged child. She should be angry, Ampere thought with a bitter snarl.

"We’ll find it," she reassured after a moment of contemplation, but her tone suggested that wasn’t the entire solution. Ampere didn’t doubt they’d find it, but she wondered, would that be enough?

Ampere’s mouth ran dry as she watched her child’s magic transform her. She felt responsible, and the continued absence of it drove home the failure. No matter how old her daughter became, Ampere would always be her mother, and in that role it was her duty to protect her little ghost. This time it had been a pelt, but what if next time it was Tae herself? If Ampere couldn’t even protect her daughter’s things, much less find them and return them, how would she ever do the same for Tae herself?


Of course Ampere knew she couldn’t always be around, that was the whole point in giving Tae the pelt in the first place, but facing the reality of that truth, as she was now, was never easy. If Ampere had been doing her job, patrolling instead of mourning, would she have spotted the specter sneaking in?


Why hadn’t the Gladiator yelled at her yet? Why hadn’t anyone shaken her from her misery. Was it really an attempt at kindness, giving her the space and the time to heal, or was it just as a combined apathy that would gradually swallow them all whole- the herd that sunk into despair and broke off into the ocean. Poetic, but not desireable. So Ampere returned back to anger, the only force strong enough to overshadow her grief, a sensation that was still present inside her, settled into the marrow of her bones that worked within the muscles of her rage.


About to speak, Ampere stilled as she turned her head and watched the descent of Aithniel upon them, the girl visibly seething, which surprised Ampere. She still didn’t know much about the Sun’s daughter, and as always felt that prickling, nagging worry that this might be her daughter too as she traced the stout lines and the golden markings that suggested familiarity. Again, Ampere pushed the thought away, too uncertain to take the leap into acceptance, too modest to assume. Still, whatever she did or didn’t know about Aithniel, she was startled to see such willingness from the girl when it came to bearing her frustrations to barely known horses. Sure, they were family (because they were herd), but that made it all the more precarious when you were complaining about family to itself.


Ampere, being the more mature mare present, ought to have moved to calm them both. As a mother, as a prior Sultana, as their recent Chancellor, she ought to have soothed their troubles. Yet Ampere hadn’t built a reputation upon calming situations, quite the opposite.


Besides, the girls weren’t wrong.


So instead Ampere flicked into life, a brightness entering her gaze as she stepped closer to the two, her breath soft between them, but lined with a hard edge of suggestion. "There is something we can do about this." She skipped dancing around the cactus bushes. It was evident to her they were already speaking the same language, and the time was upon them; plus she’d rather pull Aithniel under her wing now than let the girl run off and spout similar frustrations to an ear that would be less forgiving. "We are capable of seizing the ranks which are precious to this herd and most capable of re-definining it." She paused, glancing at them both with a seriousness and tact she didn’t often afford.


"If we want the Throat to return as it was, we must be willing to fight for it… literally." Here she glanced specifically at her child. Tae’s profession of wanting to join the warrior ranks did not surprise her, and unlike Ampere reaction towards Zekle whom was her… special son, she had no qualms about Tae becoming a soldier. If anything she felt that pang of guilt as Tae complained about the lack of warrior participation, Ampere again feeling as if she’d let her daughter down, and now the rest of the herd. Something definitely needed to be set straight around here.


"Challenge Sikeax for her title. Just because the Sun appointed her does not mean she holds it forever. The Sun favors the strong, so if Sikeax cannot defend her own rank, clearly she cannot defend the herd." Now Ampere was looking at Aithniel, aware that the demi-goddess knew the Sun better than anyone. Was she wrong? "He saw something in Sikeax, so the herd has stood behind that decision. Trying to take her from her role may upset some- those who would continue to believe in the Sun’s choice. We must be prepared for their outrage." Ampere exhaled gently, thinking of Maren. "Sikeax has served this herd for years. I respected her as a healer; she helped me a few times. I think the Sun saw that too, but she hasn’t been able to rise to her new role." She didn’t seem to have the sense to step down from it either, but pride was a funny thing. Maybe this challenge would be a blessing for them all. Still, Ampere hoped Sikeax could see it like that, and return to the post she excelled at.


"We have to watch her warriors though. If they’re decent, they’ll step in to protect her." Two of her warriors were already in this meeting, and some were too lazy to bother, but Ampere wasn’t sure about their gladiator.


A long pause then, because Ampere knew she wasn’t in fighting condition to aid in this plan. She didn’t mind the idea that someone else would do what she had been thinking about. She wasn’t wanting to wrest Sikeax from the throne for glory. Ampere just wanted to serve the herd, serve Gaucho’s memory.


"I’ve not seen a healer since my last fight. We have none…” She tried not to sound bitter as she trailed off. "I could probably still take Sikeax in this state, but my experience may best serve us if I hold off the Gladiator.” She certainly wasn’t afraid of fighting in a broken condition, but it was vital they be successful. If they were going to do this, they needed to ensure they could complete their plan, or else they’d be ousted.