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Post by Indi on May 22, 2023 23:02:32 GMT -7
He was gone.
Nikko's Melody could hardly believe it to be the truth. Her parents had always seemed so strong. Like they would be a part of her life always and forever. And yet, despite that notion... her father was gone. Peacefully, at least. Still, it seemed so hard to believe. He might not have been perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Certainly not a saint by any degree of measurement. She knew he had done plenty of wrong in the course of his life. However... he had still been her father. And she had loved her father despite the many flaws he possessed. To think that he was gone now, that she could never spend time with him ever again... grief flooded the bay tobiano damsel anew as she pressed close to her mother for comfort. She could see her brother out of the corner of her eye, aware when he drew close enough to press a comforting brush of his muzzle against her shoulder. She returned the gesture, trying to blink back her tears as she peered up at him. Dorak's expression was unreadable, but there was gentle sympathy in his eyes when he met her gaze.
Despite her grief -- or perhaps as a method of distracting herself even for a moment -- Melody wondered what her brother might be thinking. The bay and ivory damsel knew that her father and brother had not always gotten along or seen eye to eye on things. She knew there had been much of her brother's life that her mother had essentially raised him on her own, without help from their father. Add to that the disagreement that had occurred between her father and brother as a result of Dorak's feelings for a mare by the name of Yasmine and... well, suffice it to say that the relationship between the two stallions had not been in a good place for a long time. In fact, because Dorak had refused to back down when it came to Yasmine, her father had stripped him of the position as heir to their homeland of Shadow Canyon. Which, Melody reflected, meant that if anything happened to Mama, she would be supposed to lead. As young as she was, grieving the fresh loss of her father, Melody most assuredly did not yet feel prepared to lead. In time, as Mama continued to teach her, surely that would change, but for now... the idea was just a tad overwhelming.
Which led her to wonder... even though her father had stripped Dorak of his position as heir, what if she and Mama gave it back? Considering Mama was in charge now, would it not be up to her? It was a thought that frequently crossed Melody's mind in the weeks to come as life settled back into a routine. Different, because one of the family was gone, but routine all the same.
Melody had joined Dorak on a patrol of the border one afternoon when she finally broached the subject with him. 'Do you ever regret not being heir anymore?'
The palomino tobiano blinked, steps slowing as he focused his attention on her. Rolling broad shoulders in the equine approximation of a shrug, he answered, "Not particularly. Why do you ask?"
Contemplating her answer carefully, she responded, 'It just... doesn't seem right that Dad took that from you. Especially just because you love Yasmine.'
Again, Dorak shrugged, saying, "He made the decision he felt was best. He seemed to think Yasmine only wanted me for the position I held. I do not regret that things played out as they did. At the very least, she certainly proved his fears groundless."
'But... it still wasn't right,' Melody persisted, frowning a little. 'You could... I'm sure Mama would be happy to reinstate you as heir. If you wanted?'
An affectionate chuckle escaped him at that, nudging her shoulder lightly, "Do not trouble yourself, little sister. I am perfectly content as I am. Guarding Shadow Canyon is more than enough for me. Of course, I'm always here if you ever need me, but I think you will make a far better leader someday than I ever could."
In the days to come, Melody did try more than once to see if her brother was certain, but he never wavered from his choice. Knowing her path to be set for certain, then, Melody threw herself all the more into learning absolutely everything she possibly could from her mother. If she was going to someday become Lead of Shadow Canyon, she wanted to make sure that she was going to be the very best that she could be.
And she was going to make sure her brother's belief in her was not in vain.
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