A blue cat with thick fur and silver eyes watched the gathered members of the Serealie clan. Kanni was an old cat, older than most of the others, but she still knew how to address a crowd. She waited for them to get settled, then hopped upon an old tree stump to address them. She looked down at the gathered clan and wondered for the millionth time that morning what Askane would think of these goings-on. The entire clan was not present, and, quite frankly, Kanni was not surprised. Ever since Askane's death, the clan had been leaderless, and not every cat accepted her inklings of authority. Mostly, it was the old and the very young who had gathered to listen to her, as well as some of the young adults who lived very near to the central location where this meeting was being held. In a voice made quavery by advanced age, Kanni began to address the crowd.
"Most of you don't remember Askane very well, but she was known throughout the clans as a thoughtful, sympathetic leader. Today, we are given the opportunity to continue her heritage. There is an infant clan in Domoria, and it will not flourish without assistance. It will provide stability for our brothers and sisters, and be an excellent trading partner for us for northern delicacies and supplies. Although we are the farthest away from them, I say we help them and nurture them, sending envoys with supplies and manpower to assist them in setting up a government."
From somewhere in the gathered audience, a cat called out in dissent. "What right have you to make a clan decision? Askane didn't designate you her heir!" The voice was young and sullen, and Kanni sighed.
"No, but she didn't designate you, either. I was a friend of Askane's, and I'm the only living cat remaining who was on her advisory staff. Trust me, this is what she would have wanted. You know the sort of life those wanderers live. It's not safe; consolidating is about the smartest thing they can do. And they will need help. We can't offer them much, because we are so far away, but we can offer them support, as well as sending runners with supplies. The problem will be Sahar; I doubt they will take kindly to this idea. I can imagine that some of you will sympathize with them," she said, noticing that a few of the younger cats who did much border patrol were murmuring. "We have no quarrel with Sahar; we are at peace with them, and we wish to remain so. We also have no quarrel with Domoria; their clan will likely be an asset to us all, even if Sahar refuses to see this right now."
"What makes you think that they'll be an asset?" came the belligerent voice again. Kanni squinted; she vaguely recognized the cat. The speaker was a lovely young thing; a silver tabby cat with brilliant golden eyes and blue tips on her ears and tail. Kanni recognized her as Juska, daughter of Minkka, a cat who had also been an advisor to Askane, rest her soul. Juska had been a restless kitten; it seemed now she was a restless adult.
"I know, Juska. It's always better to bring cats together, not push them apart. Once we have helped them, they will help us in return. You are young; you have much to learn about the ways of the clans." Kanni shook her greyed head; this young rip was going to open up a whole new set of problems. The crowd parted a bit; in response, Juska was weaving her way up to the tree stump. She turned and fixed her yellow orbs on Kanni's. It was clear that she saw the elder cat as an equal, not as a better.
"And you, I think, have a lot to learn about the present. Askane is gone and we're barely held together as a clan," Juska whispered harshly, then turned to address the gathered Meosians. In a confidant voice, she spoke. "Domoria is none of our business. I propose that we simply ignore them. It will take too much of our own effort and resources to deal with them, and we don't want to risk upsetting an already established clan." The female licked a dainty paw. "We've ignored Domoria in the past; let's not waste our time with them now. In case you haven't noticed, our lives aren't perfect. We have a lot of work to do to keep the clan together, and without a leader, it will be too much to support another clan. Askane left no heir, and she didn't leave much of a clan. It would be dishonorable to her if we put all our effort into others' work. Who agrees with me, that it would be better to keep our own lives intact? And who agrees with her, who would risk our well-being as the price for the benefit of strangers, strangers who might see our weakened state as an opportunity to move south?" Juska looked out at the crowd; much to her chagrin, however, most of the older cats, the cats with influence and importance, seemed to be agreeing with Kanni. It seemed that she and her group would need some new recruits...
"Most of you don't remember Askane very well, but she was known throughout the clans as a thoughtful, sympathetic leader. Today, we are given the opportunity to continue her heritage. There is an infant clan in Domoria, and it will not flourish without assistance. It will provide stability for our brothers and sisters, and be an excellent trading partner for us for northern delicacies and supplies. Although we are the farthest away from them, I say we help them and nurture them, sending envoys with supplies and manpower to assist them in setting up a government."
From somewhere in the gathered audience, a cat called out in dissent. "What right have you to make a clan decision? Askane didn't designate you her heir!" The voice was young and sullen, and Kanni sighed.
"No, but she didn't designate you, either. I was a friend of Askane's, and I'm the only living cat remaining who was on her advisory staff. Trust me, this is what she would have wanted. You know the sort of life those wanderers live. It's not safe; consolidating is about the smartest thing they can do. And they will need help. We can't offer them much, because we are so far away, but we can offer them support, as well as sending runners with supplies. The problem will be Sahar; I doubt they will take kindly to this idea. I can imagine that some of you will sympathize with them," she said, noticing that a few of the younger cats who did much border patrol were murmuring. "We have no quarrel with Sahar; we are at peace with them, and we wish to remain so. We also have no quarrel with Domoria; their clan will likely be an asset to us all, even if Sahar refuses to see this right now."
"What makes you think that they'll be an asset?" came the belligerent voice again. Kanni squinted; she vaguely recognized the cat. The speaker was a lovely young thing; a silver tabby cat with brilliant golden eyes and blue tips on her ears and tail. Kanni recognized her as Juska, daughter of Minkka, a cat who had also been an advisor to Askane, rest her soul. Juska had been a restless kitten; it seemed now she was a restless adult.
"I know, Juska. It's always better to bring cats together, not push them apart. Once we have helped them, they will help us in return. You are young; you have much to learn about the ways of the clans." Kanni shook her greyed head; this young rip was going to open up a whole new set of problems. The crowd parted a bit; in response, Juska was weaving her way up to the tree stump. She turned and fixed her yellow orbs on Kanni's. It was clear that she saw the elder cat as an equal, not as a better.
"And you, I think, have a lot to learn about the present. Askane is gone and we're barely held together as a clan," Juska whispered harshly, then turned to address the gathered Meosians. In a confidant voice, she spoke. "Domoria is none of our business. I propose that we simply ignore them. It will take too much of our own effort and resources to deal with them, and we don't want to risk upsetting an already established clan." The female licked a dainty paw. "We've ignored Domoria in the past; let's not waste our time with them now. In case you haven't noticed, our lives aren't perfect. We have a lot of work to do to keep the clan together, and without a leader, it will be too much to support another clan. Askane left no heir, and she didn't leave much of a clan. It would be dishonorable to her if we put all our effort into others' work. Who agrees with me, that it would be better to keep our own lives intact? And who agrees with her, who would risk our well-being as the price for the benefit of strangers, strangers who might see our weakened state as an opportunity to move south?" Juska looked out at the crowd; much to her chagrin, however, most of the older cats, the cats with influence and importance, seemed to be agreeing with Kanni. It seemed that she and her group would need some new recruits...
