Blackfeather Woods Sell your soul, not your whole self

Taikon momentarily walked ahead of her without realizing it, anger pushing him forward. He stopped when he noticed it so she could catch up, his expression dropping to an anxious frown. He could tell he was firing himself up and that seemed unhelpful for the sake of discussion. He just struggled with the idea of a young man telling them what they could or could not do. Breeding rights weren't something he was used to fighting for or having to prove his worthiness for — he had been born with this privilege. It had been ripped away from him with Cella, and now Zephyr was holding the one desire they had over their heads, taunting them with their dream at the end of some kind of shitty maze he had created for his own perverse satisfaction.
Taki nuzzled him, and he blinked, sighing to let loose pent up frustration. Somehow, it was validating and helpful to have her agree that she didn't love the idea of a boy-leader putting restrictions on them. He nodded to her words, wishing that Zephyr was just a touch older, but knowing well that experience hardly made much of a difference in good leadership. His mother had been 'experienced.'
He smiled, an odd, almost goofy curve on his lips as she expressed her wants, and that she didn't want to override him. Nah, this isn't about me, he said, breathing out a slow breath. He's just got this way of getting under my skin, hitting my weak points, I don't get it, Taikon tried to explain, but his train of thought was all over the place. But, you know, to be honest I don't think an older leader would be more stable. Zephyr is Zephyr, but stability is what we make of it all. If it all goes to shit and, I don't know, a famine hits or a flood happens, or the Saints are a problem, we'll keep them safe. Just like we're keeping Taktuq safe, he went on, furrowing his brow a bit in thought, finding the whole thing strange. If they'd never met Zephyr, he wondered where they would go. They would still have Taktuq in tow. He just didn't know. Taikon just knew what was in front of him, and that was a whole lot of unknown.
If Ivory Rose could keep them more stable than wandering about the wilderness on their own, then it seemed better than nothing.