The time spent in the Cadejo Den for the young No-Hoof lasted well on through the next cycle of the moon, spending much of her days hidden away within the darkened hidden rocks and corners of the den she had adopted into her home. Both Cujo and Synth took care of her throughout these feeble weeks, and while taking care of a No-Hoof was a fair challenge for a carnivore to handle, that challenge turned into a sort of "practice" by the time the true cubs of the Cadejo pair were born. For each day the father or mother would do their hardest to keep them all safe, as any parent of any child would do. But for every day and every night that passes by, and every other inch that both the No-Hoof and the Cadejo foals grew, is just another day closer for the time when the parents must bring them forward.
And that day was about to come, possibly sooner than the parents would've expected.
On the first light of the secondary moon cycle, the Jungle was center stage for the year's gathering of the Cadejo pack. Male and female, all members sleek and white in the light of day, all gathered in a circle with a space opened for their special event. One of the Cadejo laid on a tall curved rock, which to the pack was only set for the leader of the Pack to speak and observe those around him.
As for the leader, he was a fine specimen of any Cadejo, more fine than many of those around his council rock. His fur appeared brighter than his subjects, as if dirt can't even land on his fur without disappearing, flowy like a river and as delicate yet as sturdy as a spider's silk. There was a reason he was named Widow after all. And it was through him, along with all others present in the council, that will decide the fate of any newborns old enough to walk.
This includes Sila. Sila, while old enough to keep her balance steady on her thin legs, was kept down by a stern look of Cujo whenever she tried to move away herself.
"Keep still, Sila. It's not your turn yet," Cujo quietly told her. It's hard to say if she understood him or not, but she sat down next to her "mother" anyway, alongside the other small pups by her side. She'll have to wait her turn same as everyone else.
"Look well, pack of Hoof and Horn," announced Widow, "Look well to the next generation before you!"
This statement was repeated over and over again with each new parents pushing their offspring to the center, just enough so everyone else could take a good look at them. Each young pup, plucky and bright, was accepted in without a fuss from anyone in the pack. Good time so far, but fairly soon it was Cujo and Synth's turn. As soon as Widow was finished speaking the statement to look, they nudged their cubs forward.
They only had three cubs this year, and at first the council and the pack itself didn't seemed to be bothered by any of them ...
But then it came to Sila.
For a start she bounded forward herself rather than be pushed out, standing up and looking around to all of the Cadejo around her. This already began causing some ruckus amongst the pack.
"Wait ... is that a No-Hoof?" asked one of the Cadejo.
"What're those two thinking bringing one here?" questioned another.
"She's not even a hunter, let alone a Cadejo," remarked another.
Things like this spread around in the pack quietly, though they all can hear the main message quite clearly: this No-Hoof wasn't gonna just be brought into the pack so easily. The only one who wasn't surprised was Widow, who simply stared down at her with a knowing look.
"Look well, pack of Hoof and Horn, look well!" Widow repeated. They were looking, but they weren't exactly thrilled by the idea of a herbivore, No-Hoof or not, to be even this close to the pack. As for Sila she didn't seem to care, as she wandered around the circle and occasionally playing with the other Cadejo, bounding about and basically acting as if she were a pup.
"Psst. Synth, Cujo," whispered a nearby mother to the two, "What's that doing in your family group? Unless you're planning to have a snack afterwards."
That only got Synth growling a little, "That No-Hoof is saved from that dreaded Okpe. If we'd let him have her, it would bring even more of her kind to the Jungle."
"But to put her in the pack?" the other mother questioned again.
"Either that or let Okpe have his dinner."
"Quiet down," Widow shouted. The casual talking must've gotten too loud for his liking, and it was mostly down to the council anyway to decide the fate of this creature. With a silent signal of his head, the council went forward and moved away all of the accepted Cadejo pups to their own spot in the meeting, leaving only Sila standing alone in front of everyone.
"Cujo. Synth. Explain yourselves," Widow said. They expected him to be upset, but Widow kept his anger down. Cujo was the one who stepped forward, clearing his throat as the rest of the pack looked on.
"Chief Widow. I know this is unorthodox, but my wife and I had to keep him to ourselves, otherwise that cursed Okpe would've eaten her. He is hunting once again in these hills, and if it weren't for us, he would've gotten his prize," Cujo explained.
Now that this is made known, the other Cadejo started realizing the pressure that came with that choice. Sila may be a herbivore all and all, but the largest law in any wild Jungle, nevermind the Basin, was to not kill or devour those of Pony kind, for that would force more to try and venture into their territory and take control to make their lives at peace ... and make those living there more troubled. Not that it would matter to one like Okpe, but it mattered most to the council.
Speaking of, Widow looked down to Sila again, the No-Hoof sitting down and looking up to him as if silently admiring him.
"I see. ... A wise decision, father Cadejo, but there's still the word. Talacon Pack. Who amongst you speaks for the -"
*SQUEEEEE!*
Before he could even finish, the horrid screeching sounds of Okpe's squealing broke up the quiet, even making some of the pack jump aside as he plowed through the foliage towards the No-Hoof. Just one rough nudge was enough to knock over a tree, which made some of the pack scatter to avoid getting crushed. Sila spun around, but didn't bolt away on sight of this large rocky pig, snorting and drooling with anticipation.
"I knew you'd drag my prey out of your dog's den. Give that No-Hoof back to me, thieves!" Okpe demanded in a gravel-ish bellow. However, Okpe wasn't alone, as the head of one Spotted Fox Aihue poked out, and he slinked over towards the side of the large bulky animal. No guess as to how Okpe found them now.
"Not on your life, lame one!" Cujo warned, getting in between the pig and the No-Hoof. "Why should we reward you for breaking the law of the Jungle?"
"Why should YOU be rewarded for stealing my prey? Give that No-Hoof to me or I'll -"
*HOOOWWWWWL*
Widow's howl finally silenced the would-be chaos. Even if she wasn't scared of the creatures at first, even Sila felt humbled hearing such an ominous and ghostly howl emit from this otherwise holy being. It was enough to make Okpe shutter in his rocky plating.
"Okpe. You have no right to speak at our council, AND YOU KNOW IT," Widow made crystal clear. Okpe, as rebellious and hungry as he was, knew the law of the Cadejo too but that didn't mean he was gonna give up.
"O-Ohh, magnificent and wonderous Widow," Aihue said, "I have no right to speak, but isn't it also true that two more must speak for the child to be accepted into the pack?"
Aihue kept behind Okpe just in case any Cadejo suddenly got hungry and wanting a spotted snack. However, Widow settled down and looked amongst the Cadejo hunters and huntresses again.
"We were just getting to that. Who amongst the Talacon Pack will speak for the No-Hoof?" Widow asked.
This law was more than just the Talacon Pack, but for all parents of animal groups in the Tenochtitlan Basin. This law dictates that if any young child, cub, foal, or otherwise has any doubts towards ownership by members of their group, then there must be two or more to speak on their behalf for acceptance, besides the mother and father. But the question now was who was going to speak for him? Surely Widow himself wasn't going to do that, and many of the Cadejo didn't seemed too fond of the idea either.
Good news for Okpe and Aihue, but terrible news for the parents trying to protect her. Okpe couldn't wait to take that No-Hoof away for his long-awaited meal, his drool dripping like dew off a tree after rainfall.
Seconds ticked by, and still no word ...
Until ...
"... N-Hoof? A No-Hoof? ... Why, I speak for the No-Hoof."
"What?" snorted Okpe.
While many animals weren't allowed to be more than observers to such a council meeting, there was one who was allowed to speak freely in the pack that actually was NOT a Cadejo. The pack turned their heads towards a spot by the council rock, and found another creature lumbering over towards the center of the area. None of the animals could forget this creature. His back was covered in fresh green leaves like the quills off a hedgehog, walking slow with a large pair of webbed feet in the back, and some strange digits at the front (five links - four even at front with one on the side). He lumbered forward on all fours at first, but when he got close to Sila he reared back perfectly on his back feet, making him taller than many of them but not towering over enough to be taller than Widow on his council rock.
Typically an animal like this wouldn't come forward, but the Cadejos made it an exception for Mu, the Kayeri. Kayeri don't really compete with Cadejo for the same food anyhow, plus Mu in particular had a history with these pack members that earned him a spot in their council meetings.
"Mu. Speak then."
Mu sat down comfortably, patting Sila on the head after he did so.
"This youngster's thin but she's a brave one," Mu said, "I don't have a talent of words, but I speak the truth. I've heard through the grapevines that No-Hoofs are plenty smart, and can adapt quickly. Let her run with the Talacon Pack, and of no one wants to, I'll teach the young No-Hoof myself."
Sila laid her front legs on one of Mu's big feet, not afraid of him in the slightest as Mu gently fluffed her head. After that speaking, the pack waited some more for anyone else to step forward, but not much was spoken after Mu's word.
"She's a playful one too," Mu chuckled, taking time to even play with the little No-Hoof some more. But playfulness doesn't mean that much for the Cadejo, so they just moved on.
"That loud-mouth rodent, blabbering for MY PREY," Okpe rumbled.
"Easy, master," Aihue snickered, "He did speak yes, but that's still one. She needs two, remember?"
Okpe just snorted but kept quiet yet.
"That's one who speaks for this No-Hoof. Anyone else speak besides Mu?" Widow asked towards his fellow Cadejo hounds. It was so quiet even a pin landing in the soft grass can be heard, as the Cadejo didn't utter a single word above a mouse's whisper. The more seconds ticked by, the more Okpe felt like this deal was done.
"Go for her, Aihue. No one else is speaking for her," Okpe quietly ordered. Aihue was just about to do so with a sinister smirk, but this was quickly stopped thanks again to Synth, snarling at him.
"Don't you dare intervene," she warned. This time Okpe wasn't letting her anger get in the way, and he shoved the Cadejo aside with a whack of his huge head.
"No one else talks for her. Then SHE IS MINE. That's the law!" Okpe reminded to not just her, but everyone else amongst the council meeting. The rest of the pack, to make matters worse, didn't stop Okpe's advances towards the young No-Hoof, even with Mu standing right there beside her. The sight of this lumbering mountain of a predator made the young No-Hoof slowly start to back up, one hoof at a time to Okpe's two. It didn't take more than a rabbit's hop for Okpe's large and disgusting muzzle to be inches from this No-Hoof, and not a single voice would speak of her behalf aside from Mu. Her fate seemed almost sealed ... ALMOST. ...
hehehehe "And is it also the law of the Jungle that only pack members can speak in a council meeting?~"
Now who said that?
The voice that seemed to come from nowhere along the wind got the pack to turn on edge, even including the pack leader himself as he bolted up to his hooves, ears erect and senses sharpened for this newcoming creature. No matter who seemed to look where, there wasn't any animal in the area that could've spoken those words, or at the very least spoken from any voice they could normally see. Not even their sharp sense of smell could pinpoint this voice's origin amongst the many pieces of foliage around them. That didn't mean this voice kept itself hidden for much longer; as he cowered and hidden away in the shadow of his master, Aihue started to feel something gently brush against his back. It was enough to make the spotted Fox jump in a startle, as quick as a spring hare to spin around and find ... a tail. Not just any tail, but a braided one, tied in a ring of knots that almost appeared like the coils of a rattlesnake's rattling tail, or even a string of No-Hoof-made beads. And as for the owner of this string of beads, well she took it upon herself to move out into just the right amount of sunlight through the trees to have the world below see her in her glory.
Standing diligently up on a sturdy tree limb stood the feline that the beaded tail belonged to, looking down to all that she could see with a smirk only belonging to the slyest of animals. The light slid along her back like water, and flowed in such a way that almost made her glow in hues of midnights of blue, purple, and green. Her eyes shined above it all though in an emerald glow.
"O Widow," she cooed, her voice making any fem fatale envious of the talent she brought forward, "Council of the Cadejo. ... I myself don't usually have the right to speak. But I ask this time for permission on behalf of ... Your little No-Hoof."
"Why can YOU speak? You're not even a Cadejo!" Aihue managed to bark. All that did was humor the fluorescent feline.
"Look who's talking now. Eh, Aihue?~ Okpe?~"
... Well she got them there. Okpe and Aihue moved back a bit, realizing that there really wasn't any room to talk anymore with this creature. As for Widow, the head Cadejo calmed down and settled once again on his throne, as the rest of the pack warningly considered to let her speak or not. They did kinda allowed Okpe to speak amongst them yet they said nothing for them, so denying this creature the chance wouldn't paint them well beyond hypocrisy.
"Very well, Santer. You may speak amongst the pack meeting," the head of the Talacon decided.
Santer found those words comforting to her mind, and she began to make her way off of her comforting tree branch towards the pack. Her movements could not be tracked by even the sharpest of eyes as only the faint glimpses of her could be seen without the light to show off her outline. Santer only became visible in full once she moved out of the shade and into the light, showing her full feline body to all. She may not be as large as Okpe or Mu, but she did stand just above the height of an average Cadejo, yet sleeker than one herself as she moved in such a way she almost appeared to slither along. Sila was a bit more wary of this creature, hunkering down as Santer looked her over with intrigue.
"Talacon Pack. ... She is such a frail and thin No-Hoof, her legs as thin as the branches on that tree. What shame it would bring to your pack if you went ahead and killed her now," Santer emphasized.
The second she mentioned "shame" made the entire pack squirm. The vice towards any animal with a self-aware mind is pride, and anything that can make that tainted was avoided as much as they could help it. Of course, Santer knew this better than any in the Basin, and she also knew that no creature valued that more than the Talacon Pack. That one point alone would be enough to turn to the vote, but Santer wasn't completely finished yet. Her vote doesn't technically count in the pack, so she began to settle herself.
Santer actually laid down right next to Sila, her tail making a gentle coil around Sila as she stretched her legs along the ground, giving one of her forelimbs a moment of grooming before she spoke again.
"Now then. Talacon Pack. Mu has already spoken on her behalf, but that's still only one, and according to the law it takes two ... However," and she licked her leg again before speaking, "The law also states and I quote: if there is ever a dispute for the ownership of any child of any species. Then the life of that child may be bought at a price ... but it doesn't say who will pay that price. Am I right?~"
Cujo and Synth nodded in agreement to the statement alongside several other members, and Widow could possibly already guess to where Santer was going with this as she sat back up. Some of the Cadejo licked their muzzles on what Santer said next.
"In addition to Mu's generosity and kind word. I myself will add one juicy. Fat. Freshly killed Giraffe, not even a mile away from here, only if you accept the No-Hoof into the pack according to the law. Dinner's on me.~"
To Cadejo of any nature, a Giraffe was the hardest prey to catch and take down, so just the idea of a freshly killed Giraffe waiting for them made them all feel hungry. It's such a large delicacy and a rare one at that. Despite this though, some members of the Talacon Pack were skeptical of this news.
"You sure now? As a delicacy as it is, it's hard for one feline to capture and kill a Giraffe. You have any proof of this catch, Santer?" one of the Cadejo questioned. Santer's grin reached just beyond her muzzle before she turned to an unlikely source standing just a bit aways.
"Okpe?~ Take a whiff of the air, about to the north. If anyone could prove there's fresh meat, it would be you," Santer bribed. He didn't know if she was being stupid or not, but Okpe decided to humor her anyway and brought his flattened yet large nose skyward, taking a few deep breaths of the air around him. Such a tracker his nose, it would be impossible to avoid any scent from his snout.
In short time, they all started to see a stream of drool drip from his hungry old muzzle. Whether he wanted it or not, that was enough proof of a fresh kill nearby.
"What is the decision of the council?" Widow questioned.
The highest ones underneath the leader of the Talacon pack started to consider their options some more. They could see that the other pack members were at the very least swayed by the thought of Giraffe meat, but the idea of a herbivore joining a carnivorous pack was a little bit more to consider. They all looked over to Sila one more time before they began to make their opinions known.
"You know what? ... How much harm could a measly No-Hoof do to us anyway?" questioned one of the council.
"Yeah. she'll probably get swept away in the next rainstorm," agreed the second.
"Either that or just shrivel in the sun's heat," added the third.
There was some more banter between them for the next half a minute, before a representative of the council stepped forward towards Widow and spoke their decision, to which the leader himself addressed everyone there.
"It is decided! The No-Hoof will run with the Pack," Widow announced.
Synth and Cujo breathed a sigh of relief, as Okpe could only groan. No way he can just snatch that No-Hoof meal now, no matter if he found her first or not. The Cadejo, each one hungry and ready for a good feast, started off towards their awaited meal, each member following their sense of smell towards the waiting giraffe meat. Okpe will have to wait a bit longer for any chance, but for now all he could come up with in his rocky head was a rough snort, before turning and making his way back into the Jungle, but not before giving his piece of mind.
"This is an OUTRAGE! I can't have her now, but you can't hide her from me forever. And when the day comes for that No-Hoof to be casted out, I'll have her. Just you watch!"
Santer snickered as the large rock boar moved out of sight. "Keep squealing, my rocky pig. Before you know it, she'll grow up, and we'll just see who'll be hunting who.~"
Hehehehehe~ "If I don't know the Equestrian Ponies~"
And so it came to be. Sila was accepted into the pack, thanks to the price of one Giraffe, and Mu's kind word.