Sacre was nursing a troubled mind when he heard Tembovu’s call to a herd meeting. He almost thought he’d imagined it in the myriad of thoughts that kept bombarding him, an intricate mix of Roux, fighting, guilt, fear and funny raccoons… Just a few of the topics that passed through his mind. In reality, he had reached a point in his life where, for the first time ever, he had started to care about what he was actually doing with it. Or the lack of doing, that is, or so he thought. Often, he found himself meandering down the fatal path of comparing himself to others which, in turn, encouraged a sense of self-loathing as he did so. Sacre knew, behind these insecure thoughts, somewhere in the wiser parts of his mind, that these were silly things to think. Yet still they came, unbidden, captivating, ensnaring him to the darkest doldrums of self-pity causing the fox-boy to start moping around for no particular reason other than perhaps adulthood was creeping up on him a little too fast.

Sighing, he looked down at Inari and Ríona, who gazed back at him with grim lines set on their faces, their eyes rimmed with a tenuous annoyance that caused a sudden laugh to erupt from the once brooding fox-boy—he had forgotten they didn’t like herd meetings.

“It’s important, you know we can’t miss it” he reminded them, in a gentle chiding tone, but they simply ignored him and huffed off in the direction of the gathering. The Doctor shrugged and began to follow them, wondering what would come up in this particular meeting.


After a while, Sacre arrived at the gathering spot; he wasn’t the first, but he wasn’t late either. He arrived in time to nod at one or two members he recognised, casting a friendly smile at Alysanne whilst his two mischievous friends craned their necks in search of Hemlock. Instinctively, the Doctor’s vibrant gaze scanned the crowd of gathered for Mauja, whom he usually stood near during meetings, but to his sadness he didn’t see the familiar spotty form of his father’s old friend. All of a sudden, he felt a little lonelier. He hoped Roux or Tandavi, or even Mesec, might appear soon to ease his disconcerting anxieties. Then the Elephant King began the meeting and his attention turned fully onto Tembovu.

The fox-boy listened on with shock as the bulky King of the Worlds Edge, a King he hadn’t yet gotten the chance to know properly, relinquished his crown and became, well, part of the masses. Though a King still he was, Sacre thought, as legend remembered him as one ruler of elephants. He smiled sadly at this now former monarch and hoped that one day he might have a chance to get to know him. However, the one who replaced him filled Sacre with quiet pride, that it was one of his own rank, of the healers, that would become Queen, and it was Queen Lyanna who would leave the precious healing arts to take on yet another great responsibility, just like Alysanne had. A role that Sacre was sure she would excel at just as she had as a Doctor.

He wanted to send his congratulations, but Tembovu was not yet done with his announcements and he waited patiently, not expecting his name to be part of it, so he almost missed it when he was suddenly made Emissary. Sacre looked blankly at the Elephant King, the cogs in his mind clunking slowly until it finally dawned on him and he opened his mouth, then closed it again. Wasn’t that what Mauja had done before? His silence dragged on until Inari nudged him and he spluttered, before finally getting his words out.

“As you wish, I hope I will not let you down Tembovu, Alysanne… Lyanna” he nodded to each, but his eyes lingered on the new monarch a moment “congratulations” he beamed his best grin at her. 

Returning to his thoughts then, the fox-boy felt a confusing mixture of sadness and excitement, he had liked being a Doctor, he was also just getting used to the responsibility that came with it and now—he was something else again.

Emissary… but… I am not Mauja he thought with a sudden growing trepidation.

What if he gave the wrong advice?

The what ifs only got more inventive from then on.