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The day had risen once more, blossoming from the petals of night into a succulent flower of morning. The little mare had woken with a start, feeding on the sound of Argetlam as he howled into the warming breeze. She had been summoned, but for what? She scowled quite resentfully before lifting a stiffened knee into her chest to wake the sleeping limb. Her entire body ached from the journey to the Hills and now she was being called to attend some gathering? She was callous because she was not typically stereotyped as an “early bird” but she rose all the same to amble towards Argetlam and whatever cause he felt so necessary to wake her with. In time she began to feel her legs grow solid beneath her and her mind stir with awareness and with that awareness came concern. She was glad for the wakeup call because she had spent far too long avoiding tasks that needed her attention and introducing herself was certainly one of them but when she finally stumbled upon the crew, she was more than little self-aware.
The edge in their voices was something she could not avoid as there was definitely good reason for them to be here even if she had no real idea what it was. Her shoulders turned inward at the sight of them forcing her to pause in her ascent, nervous and embarrassed that she might be intruding. Argetlam was present and while he looked as majestic as ever, there was a hint of worry in his eyes. She longed to go to him but manners and fear held at her at bay. There were three new faces of which she could not place names to but she tried desperately to recall what her sweet friend had said about their lead- Jackal King of Thieves. Perhaps he was among them? She wasn’t sure what she could make of his self-proclaimed title but it certainly wasn’t one that she thought she would be calling upon today. From the way they circled each other and the way that each brow was furrowed in concern, she knew that this Jackal was not the one running this meeting.
A large paint draft drew her face from the forefront. The tilt of his posture and the strain of his voice suggested youth, one that was not mirrored by his companion Argetlam. They seemed to share heated discussion or… something, but she couldn’t say what. In fact, she couldn’t be sure what meaning their words shared and she took wasted no more time indulging those fantasies. The next creature was another youth, so clearly within the realms of childhood that even Ailith could not pretend otherwise. Her coat was pearly white as if it had not seen a day of hardship. But she knew it would not be long until the child was aware of how heavy the world would sit upon her shoulders.
The last creature was a stallion that reminded her nothing of the Foothills. Even his scent was clearly that of another land, one that she assumed was the Edge. He was out of place among them but his concern grew thick all the same. He spoke of a creature named Romani, one that the sand-colored femme knew nothing of. But of course she had only welcomed herself to the land’s warm embrace just days ago. His coat was a stunning shade of steely slate and perhaps she would have commented on it if it were not entirely rude due to the situation at hand. Each grimace and every scowl suggested conflict but she wasn’t sure what was going on. She moved closer, her heart pounding upon her approach before she let out a sigh.
She sought the comfort of Argetlam’s explanation and she would have it if it was the last thing she did because there was nothing that she wanted more than for him to tell her why he appeared so frustrated. Moving amongst them now she traced her way to his shoulder before beaming out into faces wrought with worry. “Is there something I should know about?” She looked into those widened eyes of confused desperation and wondered what had made them so. She nudged Argetlam to let him know she was there, that she would understand whatever it was that he had to say. In all, she felt as if there was a lot more going on in the Foothills than anyone would let her believe. Apparently their lead was still absent and there were numerous situations of conflict. She was certain that she would get to the bottom of this even if she had to force it out of them. She didn’t care if she was brand new to the land or not, she still had a say didn’t she? If she was going to sacrifice her narrow morals for the sake of family then she felt that she deserved honesty in return.
Aside from her sense of confusion, the small mare felt growing warmth. She was strong beside Argetlam and she would use his strength in order to accompany her own. Hard times were present wherever one went, that was undeniable. But the prospect of something large and looming above their heads was something that seemed to cause more fear than the absence of Jackal… King of Thieves. There was something bigger going on and she was confident that putting a name to it would help put the issue into perspective. But once they had done so… would the puzzle they had put together been safer left in pieces? |
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