The first step

Ivory hoof on cloven ones, her support strong as she could manage it to be. He seemed to relax a little, or at lease find himself in his story. It was a little sad, imagining such a stoic creature all alone for the rest of his days. There was so much more to find in life, Lumi was sure. Maybe she was just naive, she thought briefly. He mentioned that he perhaps wasn't as unique as he claimed and Lumi shook her head a little, "Unique, yes, but not alone."

Rannoch said she seemed to be on a mission and the doe thought for a bit, "Maybe," she said almost as if she too was wondering. "Where I'm from, we call this place the Wolves' Land. I grew up with many beings intermingling. My mothers were a doe and a wolf respectively... My brother is a Rhino..." Lumi shrugged, but searched emerald eyes for understanding. Their group knew they were the minority, even in the lands they came from. "There's a council where the heads of packs and herds and murders all get together and discuss... important things." She went silent for a while, her eyes flickering to different parts of the ground as she remembered the raised voices, the chaos, the threats... She shook her head to clear it, honeysuckles eyes traveling back up to look at Rannoch, "They think the Wolves' Land is a threat. That it's too populated with predators... Unsustainable."

Luminosa's eyes fell back to the ground. She could hear her brother's scolding. He thought she was too young to attend the meetings. When she said she wanted to go to the Wolves' Land, he was the most hesitant. By hesitant, he was really outright opposed. They thought the lands needed a purge, a reset back to the natural order. If there were too many predators, they'd run out of prey, wander, eventually leave the Wolves' Land. The doe blocked out all of the thoughts, the consequences, what was at risk.

She looked back up to Rannoch, a smile on her face, but her eyes fiercely determined, "I'm here to show them that this place isn't what they think it is... That it's worth saving. That those here... we're all fighting for the same future." The counsel had no right to take that from them. "I have one year... maybe less." There it was, her truth, one she needed to tell to someone, anyone on the outside. One that most predators may laugh at, but one that maybe, just maybe, Rannoch could understand.