12-24-2019, 11:59 PM
i was born, on the highway, in a train wreck
with a heart, that was beating, out of my chest
Many months ago... hell, perhaps even a whole year ago at this point, Aurum had been in a very similar position to this one. Not completely similar, of course. Back in the pride, he had been hated. The focus of resentment, and ridicule, and on every wind came whispers of why is he next in line to be king? or who in their right mind would choose him to be heir? Back then, he had just been able to ignore it, despite the pain that stabbed deep into his heart with their every cruel word. He had been able to ignore it because he had the guarantee that he would be leader one day, and they would all have to listen to him... and they couldn't make him feel like garbage then. However, everything had been pulled out from under him by Judith, her cold eyes boring into him as she spoke, her words soft and mockingly kind as Poet stood nearby, "your brother will be king. What, did you really think that you would be the one to lead us?" That had been the day that Aurum had lost everything, and he had felt like he would never be worth anything again. Hell, that had been the day he had started planning his brother's murder, all in a misguided grasp for any sort of power. Of course, the main difference between then and now was that... now he finally felt like he was worth something. He finally had friends and family who loved him. He had already made a significant mark on Tanglewood, and he had every intention of defending the group until the very day he took his last breath, and none of that came just from ranks. Sure, he had certainly felt proud whenever he had been promoted, but that was mainly because it meant he was doing good in the group, and was helping others. He no longer felt like the only thing that could give him purpose was to one day get his paws on the crown, and no longer having that feeling... it was so freeing it was hard to even begin to describe. He felt lighter than air, and it had led to him smiling more, joking more, doting more, like a stressed little mother hen. His life had purpose beyond just standing around making the rules, and he couldn't be happier about that if he tried.
Aurum had certainly been working hard at his job as Captain of the Guard, and he felt incredibly proud of everything he had done, what with the tavern and all, but that hadn't really been in the pursuit of being promoted. In fact, when he heard Leroy's call echoing out for them to gather, he fully expected to receive no sort of promotion at all. He figured Leroy would wait longer to pick a proxy, or would choose someone entirely different. Who? Well, truthfully the lion wasn't sure, but whoever it was, he would've supportive. Leroy would make a good decision, he was sure of it. The large lion's heavy pawsteps carried him over to where the statue was, and he found himself settling down beside Abathur, eying the spider curiously. He couldn't see the minuscule movements in the other's hypersensitive hairs, but he could certainly tell the male was tense, and he wasn't sure why. He wasn't given too much time to dwell, however, because Leroy was already speaking, and immediately the Captain's blue eye flicked up to the canine, attention rapt. He listened carefully to what the General had to say, chuckling softly at the male's comments about Christmas and Hanukkah. He didn't have huge plans for the holidays, but he would at least be giving out small gifts, just to put smiles on the faces of his clanmates. He then nodded a bit at the mention of the newbies, trying not to dwell too much on the unsettled feeling that Raymond had caused him. He still wasn't sure what that was about... ranks. Ranks were spoken about next. Aurum immediately felt himself frown when both Moth and Selby were given warnings, his heart sinking for his sister and friend. Even he could admit they hadn't been around much, but he still felt bad that it had to be said. He then nodded approvingly at the shoutouts, his eye flicking around quickly to each of the names called. He agreed with pretty much every one of them, since they had all been very helpful and active since they had arrived. Next... what?
Aurum felt himself freezing when his own name was called, in conjunction with the word 'proxy'. Proxy? Leroy wanted him to be... proxy? Next in line for leader of the fucking group? It felt like he had just been gut punched, but like... in a good way. He could practically feel the wheeze in his voice as he raised his head, hesitating before he stammered out, "I... I-I'd be honored to be proxy, Leroy. Thank you... thank you so much." He then let his head fall back into a neutral position, staring down at the ground for a moment. He heard rumblings about the tavern and the gift gala, but he was still mostly just processing what had happened, listening coming in as a mostly secondary task. He was able to refocus again at around the point where Leroy began to talk about the events they had been invited to, and he found himself nodding almost on auto pilot. He knew of both of them, although he hadn't been around for the unfortunate Halls invitation. Shifting his paws a little bit, Aurum spoke firmly once Leroy was done, "I will definitely be going to the festival, so if anyone wants to stick by me because of the Pittians, they can feel free. And... if anybody chooses to go to the Halls dance, I will accompany them. Again... just in case." He then fell silent again, listening as Leroy moved on to titles. Aurum hadn't heard about titles... well, ever, really. So he found himself blinking in surprise, head tilted to one side. Once again, his name was called, although this time it was several times in a row. Hell, he felt vaguely embarrassed with how much praise he was receiving, his face faintly heating up beneath his thick fur. Berserker, revenant, and gatorbait... all pretty fucking important titles, all rewarded to him. It all felt so fucking surreal, and he found himself staring at his paws again before he quickly spoke up, "Ah... thank you, again. So much..." He continued nodding as Leroy moved on to the mask vigil, unable to focus on much more than the rapid slamming of his own heart against his ribcage. He was so excited and happy, but also so utterly caught off guard that he felt a little lightheaded.
Aurum had certainly been working hard at his job as Captain of the Guard, and he felt incredibly proud of everything he had done, what with the tavern and all, but that hadn't really been in the pursuit of being promoted. In fact, when he heard Leroy's call echoing out for them to gather, he fully expected to receive no sort of promotion at all. He figured Leroy would wait longer to pick a proxy, or would choose someone entirely different. Who? Well, truthfully the lion wasn't sure, but whoever it was, he would've supportive. Leroy would make a good decision, he was sure of it. The large lion's heavy pawsteps carried him over to where the statue was, and he found himself settling down beside Abathur, eying the spider curiously. He couldn't see the minuscule movements in the other's hypersensitive hairs, but he could certainly tell the male was tense, and he wasn't sure why. He wasn't given too much time to dwell, however, because Leroy was already speaking, and immediately the Captain's blue eye flicked up to the canine, attention rapt. He listened carefully to what the General had to say, chuckling softly at the male's comments about Christmas and Hanukkah. He didn't have huge plans for the holidays, but he would at least be giving out small gifts, just to put smiles on the faces of his clanmates. He then nodded a bit at the mention of the newbies, trying not to dwell too much on the unsettled feeling that Raymond had caused him. He still wasn't sure what that was about... ranks. Ranks were spoken about next. Aurum immediately felt himself frown when both Moth and Selby were given warnings, his heart sinking for his sister and friend. Even he could admit they hadn't been around much, but he still felt bad that it had to be said. He then nodded approvingly at the shoutouts, his eye flicking around quickly to each of the names called. He agreed with pretty much every one of them, since they had all been very helpful and active since they had arrived. Next... what?
Aurum felt himself freezing when his own name was called, in conjunction with the word 'proxy'. Proxy? Leroy wanted him to be... proxy? Next in line for leader of the fucking group? It felt like he had just been gut punched, but like... in a good way. He could practically feel the wheeze in his voice as he raised his head, hesitating before he stammered out, "I... I-I'd be honored to be proxy, Leroy. Thank you... thank you so much." He then let his head fall back into a neutral position, staring down at the ground for a moment. He heard rumblings about the tavern and the gift gala, but he was still mostly just processing what had happened, listening coming in as a mostly secondary task. He was able to refocus again at around the point where Leroy began to talk about the events they had been invited to, and he found himself nodding almost on auto pilot. He knew of both of them, although he hadn't been around for the unfortunate Halls invitation. Shifting his paws a little bit, Aurum spoke firmly once Leroy was done, "I will definitely be going to the festival, so if anyone wants to stick by me because of the Pittians, they can feel free. And... if anybody chooses to go to the Halls dance, I will accompany them. Again... just in case." He then fell silent again, listening as Leroy moved on to titles. Aurum hadn't heard about titles... well, ever, really. So he found himself blinking in surprise, head tilted to one side. Once again, his name was called, although this time it was several times in a row. Hell, he felt vaguely embarrassed with how much praise he was receiving, his face faintly heating up beneath his thick fur. Berserker, revenant, and gatorbait... all pretty fucking important titles, all rewarded to him. It all felt so fucking surreal, and he found himself staring at his paws again before he quickly spoke up, "Ah... thank you, again. So much..." He continued nodding as Leroy moved on to the mask vigil, unable to focus on much more than the rapid slamming of his own heart against his ribcage. He was so excited and happy, but also so utterly caught off guard that he felt a little lightheaded.
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— Reggan