The utter lack of presence of the herd was deeply troubling to Ampere. She had been asleep as of late, caught in the nightmare that was Gaucho's death, but gradually she was waking. Problem was the wider her eyes opened, the stronger the nightmare seemed to grow. Not just something within her, but existing all around her in the rubble of their once great nation.

That and a shit ton of foals. Gaucho certainly had left his mark in the sands, one way or another.

Ampere's gaze drifted to her son, a small smile twitched at the edges of her maw as she recognized the same wonder she felt before their god. Her attention drifted to each herd member that arrived, nose bumping towards Maren in greeting as the tiger priestess settled beside her.
Ampere was disheartened by Cera and Sohalia's absence, and her daughters were surprisingly missing as well.

Ampere didn't have time to dwell on this though as the Sun God began to speak, and his news was troubling indeed. That he sent Aithniel away chilled Ampere to her core. Aside from her being their recently crowned Sultana and their demi-goddess, Aithniel was also her daughter - no matter how new and firmed this information was, Ampere already felt the swell of motherly protection in her chest for the ashen girl. She had always suspected it of course, but the confirmation just solidified her heart; Ampere clenched her teeth, the motion akin to the tightening of her entire being.

Of course Ampere worried for all the herd - they were her family whether blood or not - but the loss of Aithniel was a series of blows that shocked the electric mare. Other factors aside, the removal of yet another leader was not a promising renewal for their once proud herd. Having lived the entire time under Gaucho's reign, Ampere was not accustomed to such political turmoil, and it gnawed a worry into her gut. She might have cried out, have begged the god to reconsider, but he left no room to breathe, already sweeping into more news.

Volterra.

Her blue gaze skipped unapologetically towards the black stallion in clear scrutiny. Her stare was not damning however, merely assessing. She agreed with the god's notion of selecting another military head, and unlike much of the herd Ampere did not condemn him for being new, or even for being brought in under Sikeax. It was undoubtedly the Sea Soul's brightest move, and the brute had proven his loyalty to Ampere when he stayed in the sands even after the dethroning of Sikeax. That Volterra fought and bled for their herd daily did not escape Ampere either, which only strengthened her approval. Her one concern was how little he seemed to lead his rank though. After all, Ampere hadn't caught any flak for skirting her duties, and though perhaps her depression was understandable, if she was being unbiased, it was not excusable. She'd needed her ass kicked, and he hadn't done it. Was he worried to upset any of the herd given some of their doubt of him? Was he just thinking he'd take up the slack himself? Either worried her, but as always she'd do her best to trust in the Sun.

Her assessment complete, and a nod of acceptance given, Ampere's attention drifted back to the Sun. Invigorated by his closing words and the need to rally, Ampere's voice lifted through the crowd.

"By Sun and Flame we will thrive! Long live the Throat!"