Taiga's eyes exuded an electric silver glow, and her heart was racing at a mile per minute. She breathed deeply and walked back to Kaeligar. The group was at a standstill, stunned by Kiron's sudden outburst. Hakan saw the ice burning inside of his sister and knew that there was no way this was going to go over well.
She stroked the Sleipnir's velvety nose with an too natural smile. What Kiron didn't know was that she thrived on intensity and pride. When those were combined, she was nearly unstoppable. "Raukaas, come down here, please." She helped the little drakkollis down from the massive horse and handed him over to his father. Hakan grabbed Taiga's hand, and she smiled again. "I'm just going to talk to him." Everything about her expressions and voice was just too relaxed. That's how everyone knew she was about to fuck things up.
She mounted Kaeligar and spurred him into a full speed gallop. The eight-legged horse was immune to the elements, meaning he could run on water, air, through fire, etc. She managed to stay on him purely through strength of heart and the bond between horse and rider.
It took barely ten minutes for her to reach the ship. She hopped down from Kaeligar's back and looked at the ship. It was humble, yet grand at the same time. Beautiful craftsmanship with plenty of room, while also being not obscenely large.
She gripped her frost-tipped staff, rolling it in her hands as a way to calm herself down. Taiga was too wise for her age, but she was still young and fiery. This made her reactions sometimes more harsh and rash than they should be. She ran through the air on ice steps created by her staff until she got on board the ship.
Hearing a creak from above, Taiga glanced upward and saw Kiron way up in the crows nest. He seemed to be rather stoic, and Taiga wanted nothing more than to literally freeze him to the actual platform, but she held herself under control. She ran on ice to the crows nest and perched on the side. "I'm not here to fight you," she said, her eyes still radiating the silver glow.
She couldn't tell whether Kiron was listening or not, but she sure as hell was going to say her part.
"I'm going to hold myself together enough to get through this without killing you because I think that would put some tension between the members of this little group." She took a breath and noticed Kiron tilt his head in the slightest, which she took as a sign he was listening. Good enough... she thought.
"You don't know what I've been through," she said, suddenly getting very quiet. Taiga was a closed person, so to be truthful with another was nearly unheard of for her. "I was raised without a home in the most unforgiving place in the land. I don't giving a shit about you or your dead grandpa. I'm here because I sometimes need time away from the hell I live in. You think I created the guild to give myself power?" She scoffed. "No fucking way. I created that band of misfits and outcasts as a way to maybe create some kind of unity in the worst place to ever exist. Hyoite can offer a sort of haven for war criminals, thieves, rapists, and everything else you think of simply because nobody is going to hunt them down in the ice desert. Every now and then, a child is brought into the world and is forced to either fight to survive or die trying.
"I survived, Kiron. You may have visited Hyoite a few times with soldiers, but it takes a special breed to live there. You may lead shitty soldiers, but I maintain the people who have done such horrible things they ran away to the tundra. My guild gives them a purpose, so that they have something to work for and survive for. I manage the misfits so that no one else has to. I may be young, but I'm a fucking leader. That's the only reason why I didn't shoot you full of icicles the moment I got here. Because I know what it takes to earn and keep the respect of those who follow you. That little outburst...you didn't earn shit with that. Darkhor might be loud and sometimes obnoxious, but you better learn to respect his culture.
"As for facing beasts, you're full of shit. I do fight the tundra and the natural beasts, but what you don't know is that I have been part of every fucking war that I've been alive for. I have fought alongside others, not because I had to, but because I believed in them. I don't fight because I'm a soldier. I fight because if I don't, who's to say others will?
"I respect your leadership, Kiron. I really do. And I'm not candid like this with anyone. All I can say is if you ever disrespect me or undermine my authority in any way again, you will have a serious problem. I won't fight you directly. I will undermine your leadership with every single member of our group until you don't have an ounce of respect from any of them. I know how to destroy people, and I will not hesitate in destroying you. So, I'll be damned if you think me anything less than equal because it is very possible I outrank you."