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Date: July 24
#364
Finally, he had made up his mind. Was he a criminal in his wish to protect what he cared for? He thought not. Surely, the laws and culture had never intended for this to happen, for it to happen this way. He had pondered his crimes, pondered whether his intent made it worse or better. Was his crime less shameful because his intentions had not been to commit the crime? He had knowingly done something which was not allowed, and he had kept the secret so long that anyone assumed he had the rank rightfully. But Ayegali had named him Councilmember, not Chief, and the sacred Guides had not named him anything. Still, though he accepted his punishment, he worried. He worried and turned each thought and worry this way and that, and he saw one thing clearly now; he was already a criminal. Should he commit another crime, all they could do was to kill an old, useless man, and Dawali did not think Maska had it in him. Another crime changed nothing, and again it was his intentions that he felt altered the situation. Is a crime a true crime, if the intent is to protect?
He padded on four legs out of the Village, towards the pens. They'd been building them not long ago, digging pens to store various items; the Guardians held an extensive arsenal of weapons as each Warrior had their own set. There was also food and various items stored near the pens, meant mainly as a more convenient supply of food than the Stables, as the Guardians were camped near the Town Hall. Dawali ventured past the pens, outside of the Village, seeking a field. Seeing as most of the land around these parts was made of fields, it did not take him long to find one, and the former Chief sat down there, by himself, waiting. He had a complete overview of anyone who came and went into the field. It was impossible to creep up on him, and ths he could effectively conceal himself in plain view; they could never catch him doing anything... unreasonable. He sat, awaiting someone reasonable, someone who could, perhaps, help.