The Departure of Kota Truehoof

Kota Truehoof tells you, "Brother, might I have a moment of your time? At Master Eurytus' cairn?"

<travel travel travel>

A circle of gnarled trees.
There is a very light rain shower. Two circles of trees ring this clearing, the outermost composed of towering trees with vast, ancient trunks, and the innermost consisting of slender, more graceful younger trees. A yew tree stands near the centre, weathered and dignified, bearing company to the burial mound occupying the very centre of the clearing. Vivid red yew berries lie scattered across the earth, strewn amidst the sparse plants that survive on the forest floor beneath the shadowing boughs that branch overhead. Sprawling white sores covering its trunk, a sickly yew tree is rooted here. A delicate silver scroll lies here. Centred beneath a concentric circle of trees, the weathered cairn of Laron Oakvine has been raised here. A lean dryad is rooted into the ground here, her features grim and cold. Resting beneath the concentric circle of trees, the weathered cairn of Eurytus has been raised here. Reaching up as high as the eye can see looms the awesome presence of a living totem. A birch sapling clings tenaciously to the ground here. The young centaur Kota is here, looking distraught and deep in thought, avoiding any contact.
You see exits leading north, northeast, southeast, south, southwest, and northwest.

You bow respectfully to Kota Truehoof.

Shifting his attention to you, Torgaddon powerfully slams a fist against his own chest in a tribal display of respect.

Folding his wings and lowering his voice, you say to Kota Truehoof, "Hail, little brother."

You incline your head politely to Torgaddon.

As still as a statue, Kota Truehoof has a hand placed upon the cairn. As the two of your arrive, he greets you with a thin smile. "Hail, Serenguard."

Everiine lowers his head, hooking a beaded and feathered charm behind his ear. "That tribe is no more," he says, the pain hidden in his voice.

Torgaddon starts to tug his lips into a smile, then looks at the cairn, and his face goes to a neutral position, pondering something.

Comprehension flashes across Ejderha's face.

Ejderha bows respectfully to Kota Truehoof.

You can see that Kota Truehoof's face is red from crying, his eyes still puffy and raw, and the tear-stains on his cheeks, though mostly dry, are slick. "I..." he whimpers, trying to hold himself together. "... I wish to say goodbye. Since you are the last of our kind about."

A sense of warm serenity settles upon the surroundings as Bandeon strides in from the north.

Torgaddon looks at Ejderha then you, he sighs heavily. "...a goodbye does sound fitting."

Old Man Bandeon Hartfire says, "E'erythin' alrigh'?"

Everiine tilts his head, blinking in confusion. "What do you mean, 'goodbye'?" he asks Kota Truehoof.

Inhaling deeply, as if sucking in all the snot in his nose, Kota Truehoof says, "I cannot stay here, brother." He looks at Everiine plaintively. "Even though I could not help myself... I..."

Kota Truehoof gasps a mighty breath. "I slew him."

Torgaddon hangs his head low in mourning.

Everiine can't stop himself and pulls the young colt into a hug. "Where will you go?" he asks after a long silence.

Ejderha quietly selects a stone from the middle of the clearing, carrying it in two hands to Eurytus's cairn. He lays it gently on the cairn, remaining in a kneeling position. Tears well in his eyes as he tries to drag his gaze up to Kota Truehoof.

Kota Truehoof squirms uncomfortably from your grasp, doing his best to pull away from the embrace. "I-I don't know," he says as he struggles, freeing himself. "I just know it cannot be here."

Kota Truehoof spares a glance at Ejderha as he places the stone, and then he looks away as if not to start crying again.

Old Man Bandeon Hartfire murmurs, "Ye think tha's wha' 'e'd want?"

Torgaddon walks over to Ejderha, kneeling and places a hand on Ejderha's shoulder for comfort. He looks down at the cairn, giving Ejderha company.

Everiine backs away and droops his wings behind him. "You will always have a home here, little brother." Extending a hand, as if in blessing, he says, "Wherever you go, you will carry with you the spirit of our ancestor, and the blessing of the Three Warriors." He pauses to wipe a tear from his freshly painted cheek. "When you come home, we will be here to welcome you."

Ejderha finally lifts his hand from the stone, rising back to to his full height. "No one of us is to blame, yet we all bear blame. I called myself Warden of the Moonhart, when the Moonhart was slain. I was not even there to defend the Lodge. Should I also flee, just when the Serenwilde needs help? Needs to come together and rebuild?" He shakes his head sadly. "Everiine is right of course, and I hope you do come back. I looked forward to seeing your progress, Kota. Yet we each must walk our path."

The centaur's ears perk in Bandeon's direction, but he does nothing with it: face still away, staring down at the ground. Kota Truehoof looks up once you and Ejderha speak, a steelness on his face that is on the edge of breaking.

Everiine stands up straight and slams his fist across his chest in a tribal salute to Kota Truehoof, a gesture he hasn't used since the end of his tribe.

Torgaddon stands up, staying silent, not knowing what to say. He watches everyone. His head still hanging low in mourning. His ears tucked back. He slams his hand against his chest in a tribal salute, but it sounds weak and pathetic.

Bandeon shuffles his feet uneasily, opening his mouth and then slowly shutting it, shaking his head sadly.

Choking up, you say to Kota Truehoof, "Send word, when you can."

Kota Truehoof nods his head gently, as he too attempts to do a tribal salute. Much like Torgaddon's, it is less impacting, but he attempts it again: the hand slamming against his chest in a heavy thump.

Shifting your attention to Kota Truehoof, you powerfully slam a fist against your own chest in a tribal display of respect.

Ejderha slams his fist against his chest as he faces Kota Truehoof, his eyes still shining with tears even as he sets his jaw. He holds his hand over his chest as he finishes, as though to keep his heart from leaping out.

Kota Truehoof gives you each a glance, even Bandeon in the background, before he takes a few steps forward and then gallops away.

Pointing toward the north, Kota Truehoof gallops away in that direction.