OIABM - October Sneak Peek
This is part of a scene with Remus and Firenze, and as usual for these sneak peeks is unbetaed.
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“Cub, is that you?”
Remus stood back as the gate swung outwards and Firenze trotted out to greet him. “Don’t call me that,” Remus muttered. “I’m not a kid any more.”
“Sure you are,” Firenze replied with an easy grin. “Compared to me, anyway.”
Remus rolled his eyes and looked back at the gates that were now closing once again. “So, when did all this happen?” he asked, waving towards the wall.
“We finished it a few months ago,” Firenze replied with a wary glance behind him. He drew Remus away from the camp before he continued. “Magorian suspects the Ministry will try to take our lands by force. He’s taken these precautions to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“The Ministry doesn’t have enough land of its own?” Remus asked. “It’s not like the centaurs have that much of it.”
“It’s not so much how much we have, more like what we have,” Firenze pointed out. “The forest is rich with plants and herbs, many of which can’t be found anywhere else in Britain. Then there are the unicorns to consider; this forest is one of only three locations in Britain where they’re still found. Well, let’s just say the Ministry know how valuable the land is and Magorian believes they’ll use any means they can to get it from us.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I’ve not been party to the discussions with the Ministry,” Firenze replied, bitterness evident in his voice.
“You’re still being shut out?”
“As much as they can.”
“But you’ve been doing everything Magorian has asked you to.”
“Not quite.”
Remus waited for Firenze to elaborate, wondering what it was that Firenze had refused to do. He had thought the young centaur would do anything to regain his birthright, but it seemed he was wrong.
“Magorian and Ebony had a son a couple of months ago,” Firenze explained. “Magorian has made it clear that their son is going to be raised to lead the herd, and he wants me to be his sponsor.”
“Sponsor?”
“Keep an eye on him, help to raise him and train him…”
“But he’s your nephew, wouldn’t you do that anyway?”
“Yes, but as his sponsor it also means that I’m giving away any rights I have to the leadership. Only the heir of the Chief is sponsored.”
“Were you?”
Firenze snorted and stamped his hoof in the dirt. “By Magorian,” he replied. “My father’s most trusted friend was chosen to sponsor me and instead…”
“He stole what was rightfully yours.”
“And now he wants me to sponsor his son, knowing that I’d never do to him and his son what he did to me and my father.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“What does Ebony think about all this?”
“She agrees with Magorian.” Firenze snorted with barely concealed contempt. “As long as she gets her own way, she’ll agree with anything.”
Remus didn’t know what to say to that and when he felt the first spots of rain beginning to fall he used them as a chance to change the subject.
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November choices
1. A scene from Christmas at Uncle Alphard's.
2. A Sirius and Regulus scene.
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“Cub, is that you?”
Remus stood back as the gate swung outwards and Firenze trotted out to greet him. “Don’t call me that,” Remus muttered. “I’m not a kid any more.”
“Sure you are,” Firenze replied with an easy grin. “Compared to me, anyway.”
Remus rolled his eyes and looked back at the gates that were now closing once again. “So, when did all this happen?” he asked, waving towards the wall.
“We finished it a few months ago,” Firenze replied with a wary glance behind him. He drew Remus away from the camp before he continued. “Magorian suspects the Ministry will try to take our lands by force. He’s taken these precautions to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“The Ministry doesn’t have enough land of its own?” Remus asked. “It’s not like the centaurs have that much of it.”
“It’s not so much how much we have, more like what we have,” Firenze pointed out. “The forest is rich with plants and herbs, many of which can’t be found anywhere else in Britain. Then there are the unicorns to consider; this forest is one of only three locations in Britain where they’re still found. Well, let’s just say the Ministry know how valuable the land is and Magorian believes they’ll use any means they can to get it from us.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I’ve not been party to the discussions with the Ministry,” Firenze replied, bitterness evident in his voice.
“You’re still being shut out?”
“As much as they can.”
“But you’ve been doing everything Magorian has asked you to.”
“Not quite.”
Remus waited for Firenze to elaborate, wondering what it was that Firenze had refused to do. He had thought the young centaur would do anything to regain his birthright, but it seemed he was wrong.
“Magorian and Ebony had a son a couple of months ago,” Firenze explained. “Magorian has made it clear that their son is going to be raised to lead the herd, and he wants me to be his sponsor.”
“Sponsor?”
“Keep an eye on him, help to raise him and train him…”
“But he’s your nephew, wouldn’t you do that anyway?”
“Yes, but as his sponsor it also means that I’m giving away any rights I have to the leadership. Only the heir of the Chief is sponsored.”
“Were you?”
Firenze snorted and stamped his hoof in the dirt. “By Magorian,” he replied. “My father’s most trusted friend was chosen to sponsor me and instead…”
“He stole what was rightfully yours.”
“And now he wants me to sponsor his son, knowing that I’d never do to him and his son what he did to me and my father.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“What does Ebony think about all this?”
“She agrees with Magorian.” Firenze snorted with barely concealed contempt. “As long as she gets her own way, she’ll agree with anything.”
Remus didn’t know what to say to that and when he felt the first spots of rain beginning to fall he used them as a chance to change the subject.
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November choices
1. A scene from Christmas at Uncle Alphard's.
2. A Sirius and Regulus scene.