[Aine]

Speech: #339966

She'd gone missing.

Well, not really.

It happened shortly after the new arrivals had come to El Dorado- they had come and Aine had been tasked with guarding the border, only to make a fool of herself by harping on her own team for not alerting her to the newcomers. It was embarrassing and it was extremely unthinkable in the hindsight that she would find herself that controlling of any situation, let alone that.

Since that day, newcomers had begun flowing in and out of El Dorado's borders- it kept the Roc busy tending to her flock and watching them carefully from behind the shadows. She didn't want to interfere- she wanted to let her own do their job instead of taking it upon herself to interject at every turn. And Aine was right- they had done a great job at that.  It took her stepping back from controlling the situation to watching it for her to understand that trust was a big factor in her life now as a Roc, and that she needed to make sure she could trust them. And she could.

So she slowly began to walk along the borders again, ears perked and listening to every whisper that entered her ears. Talk about the newcomers had spread; talks about one of them taking the trials and becoming leader. Kukulkan, was it? She'd remembered him, of course, from their wistful meeting at the borders to his swift leading to his trials, but she hadn't seen much of him since. To be fair, she hadn't seen much of anyone since- her entire life drowning in her work as she tried to reinstate her honor with her family for having wronged them so terribly that day.

"...as a rank lead, I'd like to believe that you should know who your larks are, after all, it's your rank to head."

Her talks with Itai shortly after their newcomers had appeared left her frazzled and upset. He was right after all, in some sense, but his smugness was what had gotten to her the most. She had been new to this, and she had failed on her first attempt at being a Roc- it had been a long, overdue time to learn and know who her fledglings were. After all, if they couldn't trust her- how was she expected to lead and keep her pack safe?

Yet as she wandered through the dense forest, the feathered Roc felt that there was still one for whom she desperately needed to see. If he was to be their new King, then it was imperative that Aine made arrangements to speak with him. He would need to trust her the way she learned to trust her Larks, and there was only one way to begin that trust: open communication.

"We can't afford weak links."

Aine's face pulled back in to a snarl as Itai's words stung her brain as she made her way further in to the jungle. Perhaps, if she were lucky, she would find him near the springs. It was a beautiful place that many seemed to flock towards, and even if Kukulkan wasn't there, she'd at least enjoy a moments peace. Yet as she approached, a figure stood in the distance and her heart dropped a bit. She inhaled slowly as she took a step towards him, her head lowering in to a respectful bow.

"My King," she said as she came up behind Kukulkan, eyes watching him before she looked down to the ground, "do you have a moment to spare an audience?"