Even without verbal words spoken between the two of them, Aten could practically hear the hunger knawing at Kalil's belly, the weanling foal having decided to accompany his sire during his daily investigation of the meadow. Lethia herself was not nearby at the moment, watching over Poppy, Owin, and Orion, while Kalil had asked to spend time with his sire.
Aten had a suspicion that the colt wanted to be around him more since Poppy and Owin had a tendency to leave him out of their games, since the colt could have trouble keeping up with the older foals. He was getting stronger and faster by the day, of course, but that didn't mean his mental state grew with the same speed. He was still young, and wanted to play with his siblings. He couldn't help it that he couldn't keep up with them all the time yet.
Even though Kalil also still drank his dam's milk, the colt also appreciated knowing at grass, which he'd started doing around three moons. During winter, however, food was very scarce, and Aten had a hard enough time finding food for himself and Lethia back when it had been just the two of them, and then Poppy and Owin.
But of course he would work to find his colt some food. So, on that chilled winter day, with a fresh layer of snow on the ground, some of the flakes still peppered on Aten's back, the stallion pawed at the snow with his front hoof to get at the grass underneath. Every so often, he would find a small patch, and encourage Kalil to eat, the colt nickering happily before munching on the grass.
This would continue for some time before they were approached by Lepis. Kalil was now laying on the ground, his legs curled up under him, resting at Aten's side, as the stallion slowly chewed on a new patch of grass he uncovered. Turul was not currently with them, but Amica was curled up on the weanling's back, happy to share in their warmth.
Aten's ear turned when he heard the sound of another approaching, the snow scraping against the fresh layer as it was pushed aside to make way for the new arrival. He looked up, seeing Lepis on the approach, and already a negative feeling began forming in the pit of his gut.
Before she could say anything, the stallion turned his head and nudged Kalil's shoulder with his muzzle to stir the colt from his nap. Whickering as he woke up, Aten nudged the colt to hustle to his hooves, helping him gain his balance as in his hurry the colt was wobbly while still drowsy. Amica hissed at seeing Lepis approach, not fond of the mare, and the stallion started pushing Kalil to head for the trees.
Kalil wasn't happy to leave his sire's side, not without his dam nearby, but knowing where she was, and that he had Amica, the colt departed for the trees. Aten reached out to Turul and asked him to find Lethia and lead Kalil to her, letting the raptor know the path the colt would be taking so he could spot him later.
With his son out of danger, Aten moved to face Lepis, stepping away from the grass patch he'd been eating in a way to block Kalil from her sight so he made it clear her focus was to be on him since that was obviously what she came here for. He could tell in the way she walked, how she carried herself; she obviously had an important matter to speak of.
Lepis greeted Aten with a nod and small smile, but Aten did not return her show of greeting. He wanted to get right down to business, wanting to know what drove the mare out to meet him today.
As soon as she mentioned Castile's name, the stallion's blood boiled, but he contained himself for the time. Lepis' words were delivered calmly, but little did she know the more she said, the angrier Aten was getting. By the time she began speaking of the ties between Loess and Taiga, how she does not wish to lose them, the nature inside the stallion had sparked, causing his body temperature to rise and the snowflakes on his back to melt from the heat he was now starting to give off.
A foal... a foal of nothing but several seasons... would be placed as the ruler... and she did what Aten suspected all along...
She chickened out... she broke her word...
But what do words mean among comrades, if they were suspected of breaking them in the first place?
Lepis said she would defy her king to keep her word to Aten... if that was not a lie, Aten was a mare.
The stallion let out a breath, frost forming around his muzzle, but if Lepis had been any closer, she would've felt the heat in that cloud, a hint at the nature that now stirred in his blood. His eyes were close to shifting, his golden coat shimmering, but he held it in. Not enough change was instigated that Lepis could see it, and the heat in the frost cloud could just be mistaken for his breath.
He would not let her know of his gift now... not until she deserved it...
"Lepis, I believe we both know you would not defy Castile. I do not know your full history, and frankly, I do not wish to, for unless it is a threat to Taiga and my loved ones, your story is none of my business.
"Whatever instigated this power struggle between Nerine and Loess concerning Taiga, I had feared the day it would come. Seeing horses at each other's throats, making threats about drawing blood all for acquiring a source of power, a land that was wished to be a neutral place for horses to come for sanctuary. I had hoped to prove my own word to a friend who entrusted me with that responsibility, and not only did you uproot it from under me by forcing my hoof, you have now placed the forest in a dangerous position, and Nerine and the Isle as well. They will not do well without Taiga's support, and Heartfire will not submit to Castile's grab due to not only her own pride, but for a desire to spare innocent residents from whatever plans you have made with him that involved you and Wolfbane storming in.
"Heartfire made an argument moons ago, to hopefully see me as Taiga's ruler one day so that not only could I uphold the alliance and help give Nerine support, but to continue my wish and see Taiga as a land others could call home without threat of war. She is not without her flaws, but Castile has not made a compelling enough image for me that I would dare call him any king of my own.
"You say he speaks as Taiga's king? A king would not bring bystanders into a power struggle as he has, and you allowed him to do so without the consult of any other horse. You would put a foal in charge of the Forest? He will be a mere puppet; Castile will be the true leader, Pteron is merely a front. He may have knowledge, whatever you taught him, but he lacks experience.
"I will not abandon Taiga, however," he continued in a calmer tone now, trying to cease the fire, "It is my home, and I made promises I intend to keep. I stand by Heartfire as a friend, and will give her the support that she needs to help keep Nerine safe too. But if Castile is the one who holds power behind Taiga's forests, I cannot call Heartfire my Queen. I never have, and never will. To me, she has always been a friend and nothing more. A title doesn't change that.
"What I have heard about Castile could perhaps be proven wrong, but until he gives me a good reason to believe that Taiga is truly in better hooves while under Loess' leadership, and until I see you grow a backbone again," it was a cheap shot, he knew, but he kept going, "I will not serve him either. I will serve Taiga itself, whoever is in charge, to keep it and my loved ones safe, but never will I use the titles of leadership until some horse truly worthy is here."
@[Lepis]
Aten had a suspicion that the colt wanted to be around him more since Poppy and Owin had a tendency to leave him out of their games, since the colt could have trouble keeping up with the older foals. He was getting stronger and faster by the day, of course, but that didn't mean his mental state grew with the same speed. He was still young, and wanted to play with his siblings. He couldn't help it that he couldn't keep up with them all the time yet.
Even though Kalil also still drank his dam's milk, the colt also appreciated knowing at grass, which he'd started doing around three moons. During winter, however, food was very scarce, and Aten had a hard enough time finding food for himself and Lethia back when it had been just the two of them, and then Poppy and Owin.
But of course he would work to find his colt some food. So, on that chilled winter day, with a fresh layer of snow on the ground, some of the flakes still peppered on Aten's back, the stallion pawed at the snow with his front hoof to get at the grass underneath. Every so often, he would find a small patch, and encourage Kalil to eat, the colt nickering happily before munching on the grass.
This would continue for some time before they were approached by Lepis. Kalil was now laying on the ground, his legs curled up under him, resting at Aten's side, as the stallion slowly chewed on a new patch of grass he uncovered. Turul was not currently with them, but Amica was curled up on the weanling's back, happy to share in their warmth.
Aten's ear turned when he heard the sound of another approaching, the snow scraping against the fresh layer as it was pushed aside to make way for the new arrival. He looked up, seeing Lepis on the approach, and already a negative feeling began forming in the pit of his gut.
Before she could say anything, the stallion turned his head and nudged Kalil's shoulder with his muzzle to stir the colt from his nap. Whickering as he woke up, Aten nudged the colt to hustle to his hooves, helping him gain his balance as in his hurry the colt was wobbly while still drowsy. Amica hissed at seeing Lepis approach, not fond of the mare, and the stallion started pushing Kalil to head for the trees.
Kalil wasn't happy to leave his sire's side, not without his dam nearby, but knowing where she was, and that he had Amica, the colt departed for the trees. Aten reached out to Turul and asked him to find Lethia and lead Kalil to her, letting the raptor know the path the colt would be taking so he could spot him later.
With his son out of danger, Aten moved to face Lepis, stepping away from the grass patch he'd been eating in a way to block Kalil from her sight so he made it clear her focus was to be on him since that was obviously what she came here for. He could tell in the way she walked, how she carried herself; she obviously had an important matter to speak of.
Lepis greeted Aten with a nod and small smile, but Aten did not return her show of greeting. He wanted to get right down to business, wanting to know what drove the mare out to meet him today.
As soon as she mentioned Castile's name, the stallion's blood boiled, but he contained himself for the time. Lepis' words were delivered calmly, but little did she know the more she said, the angrier Aten was getting. By the time she began speaking of the ties between Loess and Taiga, how she does not wish to lose them, the nature inside the stallion had sparked, causing his body temperature to rise and the snowflakes on his back to melt from the heat he was now starting to give off.
A foal... a foal of nothing but several seasons... would be placed as the ruler... and she did what Aten suspected all along...
She chickened out... she broke her word...
But what do words mean among comrades, if they were suspected of breaking them in the first place?
Lepis said she would defy her king to keep her word to Aten... if that was not a lie, Aten was a mare.
The stallion let out a breath, frost forming around his muzzle, but if Lepis had been any closer, she would've felt the heat in that cloud, a hint at the nature that now stirred in his blood. His eyes were close to shifting, his golden coat shimmering, but he held it in. Not enough change was instigated that Lepis could see it, and the heat in the frost cloud could just be mistaken for his breath.
He would not let her know of his gift now... not until she deserved it...
"Lepis, I believe we both know you would not defy Castile. I do not know your full history, and frankly, I do not wish to, for unless it is a threat to Taiga and my loved ones, your story is none of my business.
"Whatever instigated this power struggle between Nerine and Loess concerning Taiga, I had feared the day it would come. Seeing horses at each other's throats, making threats about drawing blood all for acquiring a source of power, a land that was wished to be a neutral place for horses to come for sanctuary. I had hoped to prove my own word to a friend who entrusted me with that responsibility, and not only did you uproot it from under me by forcing my hoof, you have now placed the forest in a dangerous position, and Nerine and the Isle as well. They will not do well without Taiga's support, and Heartfire will not submit to Castile's grab due to not only her own pride, but for a desire to spare innocent residents from whatever plans you have made with him that involved you and Wolfbane storming in.
"Heartfire made an argument moons ago, to hopefully see me as Taiga's ruler one day so that not only could I uphold the alliance and help give Nerine support, but to continue my wish and see Taiga as a land others could call home without threat of war. She is not without her flaws, but Castile has not made a compelling enough image for me that I would dare call him any king of my own.
"You say he speaks as Taiga's king? A king would not bring bystanders into a power struggle as he has, and you allowed him to do so without the consult of any other horse. You would put a foal in charge of the Forest? He will be a mere puppet; Castile will be the true leader, Pteron is merely a front. He may have knowledge, whatever you taught him, but he lacks experience.
"I will not abandon Taiga, however," he continued in a calmer tone now, trying to cease the fire, "It is my home, and I made promises I intend to keep. I stand by Heartfire as a friend, and will give her the support that she needs to help keep Nerine safe too. But if Castile is the one who holds power behind Taiga's forests, I cannot call Heartfire my Queen. I never have, and never will. To me, she has always been a friend and nothing more. A title doesn't change that.
"What I have heard about Castile could perhaps be proven wrong, but until he gives me a good reason to believe that Taiga is truly in better hooves while under Loess' leadership, and until I see you grow a backbone again," it was a cheap shot, he knew, but he kept going, "I will not serve him either. I will serve Taiga itself, whoever is in charge, to keep it and my loved ones safe, but never will I use the titles of leadership until some horse truly worthy is here."
@[Lepis]