02-29-2020, 02:54 AM
There would be many days that he would doubt he was ever truly fit for a position like this... his ability to protect his loved ones... the strength he would need to make the necessary hard decisions to help Taiga prosper... the time he would need to devote to keeping the kingdom running, recruiting new horses whether they were in search of a home or something more...
He worried certain areas of his life would suffer by taking leadership once again, but even as a protector, his love and their children had been there for him. He certainly hoped they would continue to do so, even though his love's youngest was now growing into a young adult, and his own blood son, Kalil, was turning into a fine young stallion himself as well. Their daughters were becoming beautiful young mares, and, of course, Lethia was just as gorgeous as the day Aten first met her. She had been the rock that even the proud, mentally stable stallion needed on some off days, especially after Wolfbane and Lepis had first arrived and uprooted everything.
But he'd let his hatred go... he buried his anger, his discontent, and now would focus on bringing Taiga into the bright future it deserved. He knew there was trouble out brewing on the horizon, especially with Wolfbane on the loose, but he knew there were horses who would stand beside him.
Not long after he had spoken with Pteron, Aten had done some thinking on his own, what exactly he would say, before deciding what he needed to do. The stallion, one early morning, made his way to Taiga's gathering meadow, and let out a call to the residents of Taiga and asked them to meet him before the sun proceeded to crest the halfway point of it's journey in the sky. He waited patiently was Taiga's residents trickled in, his eyes overlooking all who had decided to remain in the protection of the redwoods.
Aten normally would not stand atop one of the bigger kopjes that littered the meadow, providing him a greater vantage point, but in this case, he made an exception, if only so all the horses that gathered could see him. He walked atop one smaller-sized kopje, but big enough to support a stallion of his size, and cleared his throat before speaking to the gathered residents.
"I wish to thank all of you who have answered my call to come and meet me here, for I have news I feel it is imperative that I share." He hesitated a moment, "Following a careful discussion with Pteron, it has been decided that I will inherit his position as Taiga's leader. I will not treat it any differently than I do my position as a protector, for all I wish is for those of you here to live out your lives in peace, to know that Taiga is a peaceful kingdom offering a home and sanctuary for those who are searching for one.
"However," he continued, "I will not sit idly by as I did in the past while I tried to figure things out on my own, as I know there are a great number of you here who will be able to provide not only unique perspectives, but also good council that I will gladly accept so it may help me make decisions that could hopefully only positively impact Taiga's future. For those of who who appreciated Pteron as a leader, and his dam before him, please know that I did as well. I was sad to see Lepis depart, for she did what a leader would and protected her home while she was here. I did not doubt Pteron's intentions to do the same, even if some of you may have thought otherwise in the beginning."
It was not exactly a secret how Aten felt about the family that ruled before him, but he did not further comment on it.
"Therefore, while we are gathered here today, I wish for those of you who wish to say your piece, whatever it may be, to do so. If you wish to keep it a private matter, I will gladly adhere to that as well. For now though, whatever opinion or suggestion you would like to offer, please, know that I will listen."
OOC: Terribly sorry I disappeared everybody! I meant to get this up sooner, but there was a sudden incident in my family and I was away longer than I thought! I am happy to be back!
He worried certain areas of his life would suffer by taking leadership once again, but even as a protector, his love and their children had been there for him. He certainly hoped they would continue to do so, even though his love's youngest was now growing into a young adult, and his own blood son, Kalil, was turning into a fine young stallion himself as well. Their daughters were becoming beautiful young mares, and, of course, Lethia was just as gorgeous as the day Aten first met her. She had been the rock that even the proud, mentally stable stallion needed on some off days, especially after Wolfbane and Lepis had first arrived and uprooted everything.
But he'd let his hatred go... he buried his anger, his discontent, and now would focus on bringing Taiga into the bright future it deserved. He knew there was trouble out brewing on the horizon, especially with Wolfbane on the loose, but he knew there were horses who would stand beside him.
Not long after he had spoken with Pteron, Aten had done some thinking on his own, what exactly he would say, before deciding what he needed to do. The stallion, one early morning, made his way to Taiga's gathering meadow, and let out a call to the residents of Taiga and asked them to meet him before the sun proceeded to crest the halfway point of it's journey in the sky. He waited patiently was Taiga's residents trickled in, his eyes overlooking all who had decided to remain in the protection of the redwoods.
Aten normally would not stand atop one of the bigger kopjes that littered the meadow, providing him a greater vantage point, but in this case, he made an exception, if only so all the horses that gathered could see him. He walked atop one smaller-sized kopje, but big enough to support a stallion of his size, and cleared his throat before speaking to the gathered residents.
"I wish to thank all of you who have answered my call to come and meet me here, for I have news I feel it is imperative that I share." He hesitated a moment, "Following a careful discussion with Pteron, it has been decided that I will inherit his position as Taiga's leader. I will not treat it any differently than I do my position as a protector, for all I wish is for those of you here to live out your lives in peace, to know that Taiga is a peaceful kingdom offering a home and sanctuary for those who are searching for one.
"However," he continued, "I will not sit idly by as I did in the past while I tried to figure things out on my own, as I know there are a great number of you here who will be able to provide not only unique perspectives, but also good council that I will gladly accept so it may help me make decisions that could hopefully only positively impact Taiga's future. For those of who who appreciated Pteron as a leader, and his dam before him, please know that I did as well. I was sad to see Lepis depart, for she did what a leader would and protected her home while she was here. I did not doubt Pteron's intentions to do the same, even if some of you may have thought otherwise in the beginning."
It was not exactly a secret how Aten felt about the family that ruled before him, but he did not further comment on it.
"Therefore, while we are gathered here today, I wish for those of you who wish to say your piece, whatever it may be, to do so. If you wish to keep it a private matter, I will gladly adhere to that as well. For now though, whatever opinion or suggestion you would like to offer, please, know that I will listen."
OOC: Terribly sorry I disappeared everybody! I meant to get this up sooner, but there was a sudden incident in my family and I was away longer than I thought! I am happy to be back!