February: Cracking the Bone

[Samael]

Keisha Still-Waters stands up, moves forward to take the bone. She holds it in her hands, takes a moment to collect her thoughts.

"All right. So, I'm not arguing for one side or the other, because like Avery said that's not really why we're here. We're here to share ideas and submit thoughts for the Great Elder to consider before making his decision. I just feel like there are some things that need to be pointed out."

She takes a breath, lets it out. "First...with all due respect, Final Word. None of what's been discussed violates or otherwise goes against the Litany. Certainly no one is suggesting we go against it. There are multiple laws written about the leader, yes. No challenging during wartime, we may challenge during peace. If you want to argue submission to higher station or respecting territory, I suppose you can count those too. But none of them say Each Sept must have its own leader. The Leader can be challenged or inviolate to challenge just as well from twenty-five miles away. I think there's a lot of merit to the rest of your argument though."

The bone is turned over in her hand, an unconscious motion as she looks out. "I see a lot in both debates that make sense. Yeah, of course the city Sept will have different concerns than this one. It was definitely worth mentioning. Most of what I hear argued, I hear argued in terms of defense. That's something the Warder would handle in a more direct fashion. But Phoebe's also right that there are things that might come up which may need quick decisions. If we have our own Sept Leader at Cold Crescent, a representative of Forgotten Questions empowered to make that call or there is some way to get a message back here via spirits or runner or a dozen other ways, there needs to be some system in place. Whatever the case, the only thing that is truly necessary is that the system is there. Exactly what that system is..."

She shrugs. "Well, it just needs to work. Phoebe and I...we've both thrown our dedication to Cold Crescent, but we also tend to the same mission that was decided when we formed our pack: to tend to the spiritual needs of the city. Both Septs, as we are needed. I don't believe, and I don't know if anyone here does, that having separate leaders will mean we're not unified in purpose. Because we are."

She looks at Ruby now, who has said that they need to start acting allied. "We are allied. We're passionate creatures and when we argue, we argue passionately. But nobody is at each other's throats here. Erich and David, when they're out there together and they have to...they'll be united in purpose. That's why we have the Revel, and that's why we do so much here at the moots to unify us. I don't agree with a lot of people here on certain things, and they don't agree with me. But it doesn't mean that we don't have unity.

"Do we have to have a Sept Leader for Cold Crescent for it to stand on its own and remain strong in vigilance over Denver? No, not at all. But neither do we need to have it under the Great Alpha's purview for us to be unified. I get the point behind both of those arguments, but I don't really agree with them. I think that in the end, no matter what we decide, we need to recognize that both options are perfectly valid ones. It is simply a matter of which one works a little better than the other one for us here in Denver."