12-23-2019, 05:56 PM
Lilliana's words about stepping out of a parent's shadow strummed a chord in the golden stallion's heart; he knew all too well what that could be like. The pressure that accumulated on the shoulders of a young foal just trying to survive and learn the ways of the world. Aten's own sire had not been around the home herd much, but even to this day, he sometimes felt haunted by thoughts of what his parents might think of him.
What would his sire say about the stallion's place in the kingdom? Would he express displeasure that Aten had not taken in more than one mare, instead devoting himself to a life partner? And his dam... how the stallion missed her, and Aten suddenly felt very small once again, wishing he could press his thin coat up against his dam's side to snuggle close for warmth during the chilled winter nights.
The stallion wondered if he had unknowingly been placing pressure on his son, and the other foals he was raising with Lethia for that matter. Was Kalil feeling the burden of one day taking over his sire's place as Taiga's protector simply because it seemed a number of his other siblings idolized what Aten stood for? Was the colt subjecting himself to deprecating, suffocating punishments and allowing the responsibility to build on his shoulders with some fantasized notion that by doing so he would grow stronger?
Aten knew he could seem stoic to others, including his family. Was that how Kalil saw him?
But Lilliana has more positive things to say of the colt he bore with Lethia; that he was a fine young thing and he would grow to be a proud, handsome, and no doubt headstrong stallion. For despite how he was willing to listen to his parents and follow rules employed by them, he could still be rebellious and wishing to go out on his own adventures.
Aten would also take Lilliana's suggestion in mind; he would surprise her one of these days, proposing a kingdom they could go visit to either build or establish relations with the redwood kingdom.
A peaceful quiet hung in the air for a few moments, and Aten watched the chestnut mare. He could tell she wanted to say something, but seemed to be choosing her words carefully, not out of a fear of hurting Aten, but rather trying to figure out what exactly she wanted to learn from what she would ask.
Lilliana started by bringing up a topic that Aten still wasn't too keen on mentioning. He'd had a difficult time telling the story of Taiga's history, from the time he started living there before it was destroyed, and whenever he neared the portion that consisted of being separated from his friends and the fire that lit up the redwoods like the sun, the scars on his fetlocks, pasterns, and belly burned with a vengeance, almost like they were screaming at him, reprimanding him for the mistakes he had made and how he was unable to save his home the first time.
Even as Lilliana mentioned it, he felt a tingling sensation on his barrel, and Aten lifted a hoof to paw at the irritated scars. It did little to help in the long run, for the pain continued; whether the pain now existed physically, or only in his mind, Aten could no longer tell.
"To the best of my knowledge, yes," Aten informed the mare. "Taiga was always a neutral land in the beginning; leadership was mostly exchanged between horses, rarely ever passed on directly from dam or sire to colt or filly. Taiga eventually joined Nerine for protection since the other lands had been joining together after lands were handed over for political purposes, or taken over by aspiring rulers who wanted to increase their power. Prime example is actually Lepis' parents; Ivar and Heda ruled Taiga and eventually gave Loess' crown to Lepis when she was young. They ruled Taiga, and it one day ended up in Ruan's hooves.
"Taiga's history has been confusing, and in recent years, it's the first instance of leadership being handed down from dam to colt," Aten said, obviously referring to the current leader, "And it will be interesting to see how he handles the leadership. I do not disrespect Pteron, but he has not yet given me a reason to trust him as a fit ruler for the kingdom. I will not compare him to his dam, for she has done both good and bad, including breaking promises. I spoke with Lepis before she had the kingdom meeting where she appointed Pteron the leader. She asked me which Taiga I would serve, and I said the one that proves to have a worthy leader, not a puppet master pulling the strings.
"If and when Pteron proves he can be a capable ruler and continue having Taiga flourish under his hoof as Ivar and Ruan did before, then I will acknowledge him as a good ruler and one I will serve instead of just Taiga as a kingdom."
@[lilliana]
What would his sire say about the stallion's place in the kingdom? Would he express displeasure that Aten had not taken in more than one mare, instead devoting himself to a life partner? And his dam... how the stallion missed her, and Aten suddenly felt very small once again, wishing he could press his thin coat up against his dam's side to snuggle close for warmth during the chilled winter nights.
The stallion wondered if he had unknowingly been placing pressure on his son, and the other foals he was raising with Lethia for that matter. Was Kalil feeling the burden of one day taking over his sire's place as Taiga's protector simply because it seemed a number of his other siblings idolized what Aten stood for? Was the colt subjecting himself to deprecating, suffocating punishments and allowing the responsibility to build on his shoulders with some fantasized notion that by doing so he would grow stronger?
Aten knew he could seem stoic to others, including his family. Was that how Kalil saw him?
But Lilliana has more positive things to say of the colt he bore with Lethia; that he was a fine young thing and he would grow to be a proud, handsome, and no doubt headstrong stallion. For despite how he was willing to listen to his parents and follow rules employed by them, he could still be rebellious and wishing to go out on his own adventures.
Aten would also take Lilliana's suggestion in mind; he would surprise her one of these days, proposing a kingdom they could go visit to either build or establish relations with the redwood kingdom.
A peaceful quiet hung in the air for a few moments, and Aten watched the chestnut mare. He could tell she wanted to say something, but seemed to be choosing her words carefully, not out of a fear of hurting Aten, but rather trying to figure out what exactly she wanted to learn from what she would ask.
Lilliana started by bringing up a topic that Aten still wasn't too keen on mentioning. He'd had a difficult time telling the story of Taiga's history, from the time he started living there before it was destroyed, and whenever he neared the portion that consisted of being separated from his friends and the fire that lit up the redwoods like the sun, the scars on his fetlocks, pasterns, and belly burned with a vengeance, almost like they were screaming at him, reprimanding him for the mistakes he had made and how he was unable to save his home the first time.
Even as Lilliana mentioned it, he felt a tingling sensation on his barrel, and Aten lifted a hoof to paw at the irritated scars. It did little to help in the long run, for the pain continued; whether the pain now existed physically, or only in his mind, Aten could no longer tell.
"To the best of my knowledge, yes," Aten informed the mare. "Taiga was always a neutral land in the beginning; leadership was mostly exchanged between horses, rarely ever passed on directly from dam or sire to colt or filly. Taiga eventually joined Nerine for protection since the other lands had been joining together after lands were handed over for political purposes, or taken over by aspiring rulers who wanted to increase their power. Prime example is actually Lepis' parents; Ivar and Heda ruled Taiga and eventually gave Loess' crown to Lepis when she was young. They ruled Taiga, and it one day ended up in Ruan's hooves.
"Taiga's history has been confusing, and in recent years, it's the first instance of leadership being handed down from dam to colt," Aten said, obviously referring to the current leader, "And it will be interesting to see how he handles the leadership. I do not disrespect Pteron, but he has not yet given me a reason to trust him as a fit ruler for the kingdom. I will not compare him to his dam, for she has done both good and bad, including breaking promises. I spoke with Lepis before she had the kingdom meeting where she appointed Pteron the leader. She asked me which Taiga I would serve, and I said the one that proves to have a worthy leader, not a puppet master pulling the strings.
"If and when Pteron proves he can be a capable ruler and continue having Taiga flourish under his hoof as Ivar and Ruan did before, then I will acknowledge him as a good ruler and one I will serve instead of just Taiga as a kingdom."
@[lilliana]