Welcome to Gaia! ::

Watching. One after another, Lamia watched them, pledge their hoof or paw to this convoluted war. A war that was not their own. It was taking so long. Lamia's stomach twisted and growled. So hungry.

No, she was thinking. She didn't care for this war. Didn't care to spread word of them. The more word spread, the more they knew she might be one of them, and the harder it made to lay her honeyed trap with others. Harder... but not impossible. Others did love a redemption story. And a kind heart among monsters was not a hard game to play. Nocturne did it so well she fooled herself. She was a great one to model her game after.

But while she didn't care so much to spread horrors... something in Lamia's monstrous mind did have a heart for family. Her herd. The ones like her. While she had not been alive yet when there were foals about, she wanted to be. She dreampt of it.

Maybe there would be foals there... Otherfoals... scruptuous foals... If she couldn't have some of her own to tend for... why should they?

She moved forward with knocking, bony knees. "You are my family." She murmured, "Of course I will go."

"Yes. Family." Lamia reasserted, her ears having picked up Grimoire's snark. She was not afraid of the mare even though she might be able to grow larger than she.

"Perhaps you anger because you are not my family... my blood... not Taraxippus's family or blood..." She saw fury flash in Grimoire's eyes, and she smiled. There was the switch, and now the carrot.

"BUT - you are of this herd. Your mother - I have herd the herd..." she giggled at her homonym... "said she did not have the mettle. But you do. You can belong here... you just have to choose to. There are others here... others here who do not share flesh and blood - some of us, even, have less flesh and blood," She scuffed her bony hoof against the forest floor. "But together we are strong. We ARE a family. And we will act together as one."


Taraxippus was surprised by the eloquence - even in Lamia's mad ways that ran intermittently through her bloodline and had struck her as well at adulthood. She tied the knot together... and made a good, motivating speech. Good.

Chemosh turned his attention towards the obvious head of this grand gathering of weirdos, his uncle Taraxippus. He'd never been close with many of his family members, he was very much a member though, part shadow and full of vicious vices. His wiles were his pride, he thought himself more intelligent than the average soul and thus made absolutely sure, even surrounded by family that he could keep an eye on the lot of them. Just in case. " Only if you promissse it will be sssso uncle" he replied cooly, not all that interested in lengthy conversation, or drawing attention to himself. His opalescent eyes narrowed, one could never quite tell where Chemosh's attentions were due to his complete lack of pupils, all the better for him. He listened to the others nearby bicker and hiss amongst each other, oh the joy of family reunions.

Europa was hanging around the back the crowd, growing ever more uncomfortable with the goings-on. She always knew the company she kept was... unconventional, sure, but never had she been asked to be the outright aggressor in this kind of attack. This would not be some small scuffle -there were Soquili ready to die and be killed rabble-rousing right behind her.

Her jaw slacked at his own father was so eager to throw his life away. He stomped his hooves and bucked his head- a fire burning in his eyes scared her a bit. She didn't remember much about her mother, but she knew she would be saddened by that look. It was a look of desperation...suicide via loyalty.

"Taraxippus!" she called, trying to push her way to the front of the crowd. "Tell me! Why are doing this?" she asked, a genuine need to know. She her family was going to kill and die for him, she needed to know why.

Nodding cooly to Chemosh, Taraxippus smiled darkly. "Of course, Chemosh. For them, a surprise party."

Taraxippus had been long-skeptical of Arcana's progeny, much as he had been of his sister herself. He didn't trust Grimoire, and still doubted her actual mettle. Lycenadae seemed to be living in another world in her head. Although, Diogenes had grown to be a powerhouse. He still was not much one for words or strategy, but that suited Taraxippus just fine as long as he was loyal. So it pleased him a great deal to see the glowering brute join the cause.

And with a patient and practiced smile, he turned to the sister, "You can show me the price in flesh that butterflies demand." He responded. Her enthusiasm - or at least the dark streak - that he could at least approve of. "I promise you will see their blood, little one." Even if she viewed the battle as one of her waking-dreams, she would still be another to their number.

Taraxippus turned his attention to the blue mare crowned with long spirialing horns like her father, but large feathered wings with a darkening expression. "Did you not pay attention?" He said with a curl of his lip, but before he loosed his anger, he reigned it in, reminding himself to maintain control, a strong face, and to lead and inspire.

"Why? We are doing this to become truly great. Too long we have contained ourselves to these woods, only those nearby hearing whispers of the monsters that lived within. With this victory - that mighty herd trampled under our hooves - and paws - we will become one of the great herds of the land. Our herd is strong, but what is the point of strength if it is not tested... not used?

"Power and influence - it is not something merely given. It must be taken. Earned. Proven. The names of each and every one of us will be known by all soquili in the land if we take this prize. We will be kings and lords among our kind. Each of you should know in your blood that you are special. Meant for Great things. Let them fear us... but let them respect us all the same. You can go out into the world, and they will KNOW you. Know who you are and the herd that stands behind you. Know their place on their knees before you." His amber eyes burned with intensity.

Taraxippus felt his temper churning, but he kept it swallowed down. Violence was not the answer here. Directed publically against one of their own herd, it would cause dissention more than cohesion.

He could see that Europa might be a lost cause. Arcana's weak bloodline shone through, even in her grandchild. Even the strongest of her children bore a weak-hearted whelp.

"'Better than that?'" Taraxippus laughed darkly, throwing her words back in her face, "I am going to show that we are indeed better. You can turn those words around to mean something different. But never will you lead me - or our herd - to believe that weakness and abhorance from violence is strength. You take that philsophy out into the world, Europa, and see what it gets you. Roll over to those that call your horns and spikes of yours a sign of evil. The strength in your blood as something to be feared and attacked. Alone, you are vulnerable and you will succumb to fearmongering and hatred. Together, We will show the herds of the land our strength, our cohesion, and they will respect us. ALL of us. We are meant to be feared, but as a unit, as a herd, we will be a ruling class. And even then, out by yourself in the world, you will be shown the respect you deserve."

While he directed the words at her, he was speaking to the rest of the herd, to bolster their confidence in front of her naysaying.

Inkling was fairly tickled about the whole thing, She shook herself, her scales making a papery rattle, in a way, much like one of those small spiny creatures that rattle their spines when they walk, or are threatened. She was glad she had chosen this herd to be friend to, it was an exciting place, why, the stories there were to tell! She would be sure to spread this one across the land~ This great herd deserved to be much more than scary bedtime stories and the creatures of this plane would soon find that the nightmares were very real and were biting at their hooves. Her hair writhed like snakes, her living ink swirling around, creating half formed images of her thoughts and scrawling quick notes atop of her many scales. Taraxippus was a good commander, truly worthy to be the spearhead of this story - she admired his commitment and drive to see this whole thing through- Now she just waited for the rest of the characters to step into her literary playing field. Her long tail curled around her back legs, making sure no one would step on any of her "notes" as she listened intently to everything that was going on.

Diogenes didn't answer his daughter. He gave a snort and stomped the ground where he stood, indicating his desire to stay. If he felt any remorse or hesitation at the pained look on her face, he didn't let it show.

The last little light in his dark life was leaving, so he couldn't even find the desire in his heart to prevent it.