Click. Click. Click. Click.

The heels of Lieutenant Nezhui drummed sharply against the floor as she paced between the rows of recruits who all stood at stiff attention. She said no words, only the staccato rhythm of her footsteps filling the silence. A statuesque shetona, one wouldn't think at first glance that this woman, with her honey-blonde hair and guileless sky blue eyes would be any level of formidable. Yet, as she paced through the ranks of cadets, not one of them dared to move. Some even barely remembered to breathe. When those piercing blue eyes flicked toward one cadet, he actually flinched. 

"You." She said to the flinching man, as if that slight movement had drawn her attention. "What is the 'Lay of Gold'?"

The cadet blinked, his lower lip and chin moving slightly as he blankly strove to come up with some kind of answer. The lieutenant's eyes narrowed.  She came to a stop with one stomp of her foot before she sharply turned the opposite direction in one, fluid motion. "Anyone? Did any of you bother studying the Tuliyollal Saga as you were assigned?"

Xochitl raised her hand. "Yes, Lieutenant."

Nezhui's eyes snapped to the white tiger xbr'aal, those sharp footsteps carrying her over until she stood alongside her. "Let's have it then."

The tigress cleared her throat, keeping her argentine gaze straight ahead. "The Lay of Gold speaks of the time that the Dawnservant, Galool Ja Ja, met the Pelupelu of Urqopacha. He learned that they were clever merchants and shrewd businessfolk, despite their diminutive size. He also learned that the Pelupelu are unfailingly honest in their transactions, because their belief is that everyone must walk away from a trade happy and satisfied, elsewise it is not a good trade. So, Pelupelu are renown across Tural for their fair and equitable trades, making them welcome visitors to any settlement."

The blonde shetona woman gave a curt nod, "Excellent. Top marks, Cadet Xochitl." Turning on her heel once more, Nezhui made her way to the front of the assembly where she made another sharp turn-around to regard them all. "I don't make you learn our history out of a frivolous desire to provide you with busy-work, cadets. The Dawnservant has worked tirelessly to build Tural into the unified nation that it is today and it falls to us to preserve that legacy. We protect not only the people of Tural, not only its lands and borders, but we also protect the way of life that has given us peace going on some eighty years now.

"But you cannot help a people you do not understand. We teach you about the various peoples of Tural so that when you arrive in their provinces and villages, you already inherently understand who they are as a community and how best you can provide for their needs.  Not what you assume you think they need, but a genuine understanding of who they are as a people and a culture so that your help actually serves them and not yourself and your own vainglory.  If you signed up for the Landsguard looking for glory or to be a hero, you might as well go right out those gates." She lifted a hand, pointing out of the gates of Brightbloom Post. "Because you're here for the wrong reasons."

A couple of cadets shuffled uncomfortably, but as the shetona leveled that keen-eyed gaze on all of them in a wide sweep, none of them dared to move toward that gate. She gave a brief, satisfied nod. "All right then. You all know and understand what you signed up for, which is why I'm not going to hear a single sound of complaint when I punish all of you with a sennight's worth of kitchen duty for not doing the assignment." Her gaze flicked to Xochitl. "Except for you, Cadet Xochitl. You will stay behind with me after dismissal."

"Oh, for vidraal's sake... an entire sennight of kitchen duty?" Izco grumbled a couple of rows behind Xochitl.  Lieutenant Nezhui's one, good ear snapped toward him.  Lovely as the shetona might be, she'd clearly been through some things in her time.  She only had one long rabbit ear, the other little more than a nub on the side of her head.  Yet, even with that singular ear, she could hear better than pretty much anyone they knew. 

"Make it two sennights for you, Cadet Izco. I'll be sure to update Staff Sergeant Tenoch so he can adjust your duty roster to accommodate." Nezhui said curtly. Looking around to the rest of the assembled recruits, she gave another small nod. "Dismissed, cadets."

As her peers filed out, Xochitl remained standing at attention as they departed. Pixie, Atlan, and Izco lingered near the gate to wait for her, which made her smile. A smile that was quickly dashed away as the Lieutenant's clicking bootheels brought the shetona toward her. Her ears angled forward attentively but she made no other move.

"You're Ixchel's eldest daughter, if I'm not mistaken?" Nezhui asked as she came to a stop in front of the cadet.

Xochitl gave a small nod. "Yes, Lieutenant."

Nezhui smiled. "She's a good, strong huntress with a fantastic recipe for xibruq pibil. Not even Aunt Tii makes better."

A chuckle escaped the tigress. "Secret family recipe."

"I know it's early in your training yet," Nezhui said as she regarded Xochitl with that pale blue, almost hypnotic gaze. "But have you considered registering for the officer track?"

Xochitl blinked, looking at the shetona woman in surprise. "I... hadn't really given it much thought, Lieutenant."

"You should," said the rabbit woman. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, Xochitl, and an innate understanding of what it truly means to be a Landsguard. You're not here to prove your worth, you're not here to make a name for yourself.  You're here to genuinely serve your people and help in the preservation of everything the Dawnservant has built for us as a nation. We need more people like you in leadership." Nezhui sighed, her one ear tilting back against her layered, golden curls. "With people like Zoraal Ja in our ranks and his expansionist conqueror ideals, I feel a splintering in the future of Tural and it falls to people like us to hold things together when the tumult comes."

The xbr'aali woman tilted her ears back slightly, "If that's what you feel I'm capable of Lieutenant, I can certainly try.

Nezhui clapped her hands together, beaming as her one ear lifted almost straight upward. "Excellent!  I'll inform Staff Sergeant Tenoch."  And with that, she turned sharply on a heel and marched off toward the Officers' Quarters.

For a long moment, Xochitl could only stare off after her, a little bewildered, but also a little concerned. 

I feel a splintering in the future of Tural...