Rehoboam watched the Lagoon come alive again beneath the looming shadow of the elections. He had only just announced his own bid for Marauder, and while he was certain of his choice and firm in the words that he had offered, he wasn't sure that it was enough. He knew that he had waited too long in his announcement; the timing of it now would surely been seen as a cowardly way to avoid running against the upstart brown-black stallion rather than for what it was: a chance to consider all angles and benefits to his options.
Rehoboam would be lying if he said that he had not considered running for Boss himself. The obvious choice for the position was himself or Tyr, as they had been the only ones that had worked to uphold and rebuild the Lagoon's reputation from the start. But to run against Tyr would mean that both the Marauder and General's positions would need to be filled.
And considering
both of the potential candidates were terrible options, Rehoboam could not countenance risking it.
ışıksız was impulsive and rash, displaying absolutely zero respect for any authority or any notion of brotherhood beyond what he thought the Lagoon should be. Everything Tyr and Rehoboam and the rest of the brothers had worked on meant nothing to the new arrival, and he had no loyalty with which to consider his own error. Had Rade still been present, Reh would have been firmly pushing for a demotion to trinket until the upstart had a chance to learn a basic set of manners... but Rade wasn't, and so the Lagoon had been forced to watch as the idiot ran around catching all sorts of heat and bringing it back home for Tyr to deal with. And while it was encouraging to see someone industriously working to increase their numbers, the desert stallion had gone about it in the exact wrong way.
Which should, in theory, have made supporting Frey the better choice. Frey was at least familiar with the Lagoon's structure, and had mellowed in recent months, as much as it annoyed Reh to admit this. But he was also untried, and quite frankly, Rehoboam still held a grudge for the cavalier way he treated his baby sister's safety.
Rehoboam didn't agree with ışıksız on much, but he was also firmly in the camp that if you wanted to play at being a herd stallion, you should take your sorry rump and become a herd stallion. The Lagoon had never been meant as a backdrop for bachelors to play house. This was, of course, one of the few reasons Rehoboam was leery of Tyr's promotion. More than anyone else, the massive General had filled the Lagoon with all manner of his romantic conquests and had more or less begun to outnumber actual members with the multitude of his spawn.
But if Rehoboam had to compromise a good moral character for a few misplaced children? He'd take it in a heartbeat.
The tobiano Marauder walked quietly through the heavy humidity of a summer afternoon, his gaze quietly thoughtful as it roved over the various forms and figures that had come to call the swamp home. He still had his problems with bachelorhood, but this summer had ushered in a feeling of belonging that Rehoboam had not had for many months. It was good to feel as if they were working toward something again, and his visits to the islands had given his desire to
do something an outlet that was constructive.
His gaze landed on the massive General and he paused thoughtfully, absent-mindedly realizing that they had not truly spoken with each other in a rather long time. Rehoboam had always intended to seek him out after his disastrous encounter with Frey and Bellona to solicit his support in kicking them out, but the subsequent conversation between himself, Frey, and Tyr had illustrated that the General would not dismiss his son, no matter what evidence Reh had to support his position. The fact that their familial loyalty transcended that of their loyalty to the Lagoon was yet another reason Rehoboam refused to back Frey, but he knew that if no one else stepped up to run against Frey, there would be nothing he could do to stop the Lagoon from taking on a herd-like king and heir structure.
"Tyr," Reh called out in greeting as he made his way through the thick air to join the General. Questions about the election sat heavily in his mouth, but he opted to speak of something else first, instead.
"I was thinking of going to Atlantis next and I know you've been before. Would you want to accompany me in speaking to the herds there?"
Rehoboam didn't know what Tyr's relationship was like to the herd he had vacationed in all those months ago, but he was the only stallion that Rehoboam knew of that might have connections there. And knowledge of the landscape - even if the chimera had no friends there - could still be invaluable.