A Leader's Lot: Ember and the Wild Hunt's Civil War
by Howard Yune ("Kir")

In considering whether Ember or Scouter was in the right when dealing with Lehrigen (a story now reprinted in the book “Shadowstalker”), some readers have sided with one or the other, but others have said, in effect, “a pox on both houses”. While such readers may concede Scouter’s irrationality in trying to take down all the Wild Hunt’s human enemies, they believe that Ember had only herself to blame for losing (temporarily) the chieflock, and that her loss was moral, justifiable, and right - and by implication, that her return to the leadership was a miscarriage of natural justice.

The main charge brought against Ember is that she is too arrogant to take advice, even from elders, and that her creed is "my way or the highway." This trait is even presented as a moral cancer in her personality, something to render her unfit to rule the Wolfriders. Much is made of her “confession scene” at the end of the “Lehrigen” story-arc, in which she admits to brushing off advice after “we returned to Howling Rock” (in EQ II 6). The picture, to those of this view, is of a woman who likes being chief too much, and is corrupted by power.

I believe that nothing could be further from the truth; not only does the wolf-chieftess take her duties seriously, she has often seen her duty more as a burden than as a prize. It is indeed true that she felt herself born to the chieflock, being Cutter’s daughter; but it doesn’t follow that she relishes exercising this power for its own sake. If only because of her father’s imposing reputation, Ember sometimes feared the day when she herself would become a leader; in her youth the thought that her father would live long – and thus, that she would not have to rule for many years to come – actually gave her a measure of comfort (see Hidden Years 13, the scene in the holt while the tribe awaits the return of Scouter and Tyleet). And again, after her spat with Skywise in HY 24 over Teir’s place in the tribe, she ponders the difficulties Cutter has overcome in his career, and feels inadequate to the task: “Oh father, please don’t die. Don’t make me do this forever, not yet.” While she later shows herself capable of taking a hard line with tribemates, she privately admits to Teir that this persona is one to be assumed, then put away until the next time it is needed:

TEIR: You’ve changed; I don’t see my ‘Firehair’ anymore – just a wolf-chief.

EMBER: That’s what the tribe _needs_, so that’s who I am. (EQ II 6)

Having dealt with Ember’s attitude toward wielding power, I move on to the other bone of contention: her mode of thinking. She has been criticized (both by characters and readers), as her father was, for being a progressive, a bringer of new and strange ideas to an essentially conservative folk. Her tribemates’ reaction to her freethinking has ranged from gentle skepticism (Pike and Skywise, when she had the tribe hunt mice to ward off hunger (HY 19)) to brutal scorn (Scouter, during the Challenge in EQ II 27).

But those who criticize Ember for not leaving well enough alone (here I address characters, not the reading public) must remember into what epoch she was taken, when she and her family were ripped out of the earlier times – and from Cutter – when Rayek stole away her and hers in GN 8. Cutter, even in a simpler world, often had to think on his feet not only to protect his tribe, but sometimes to save his own skin (for example, daring to accept aid from Nonna and Adar – a human couple – when he was dying in a mysterious forest). His daughter must now oversee her own tribe in a time when advancing civilization has made humans far more numerous, powerful – and volatile. The Way, in its old, “pristine” form, certainly does not account for nation-states, organized armies, advanced weapons, not to mention Stalin-like despots who stop at nothing in their efforts to exterminate the elves and all other “enemies”.

Under such conditions, an inventive mind is no longer a luxury for a leader, but a necessity. From the basic store of knowledge gathered in her youth, Ember must find a way to defend her tribe in a changed world where complete isolation is now impossible, and in which the elves must somehow deal with the humans without being harmed. Furthermore, because the five-fingers are already suspicious of the Hidden Ones in their midst, the wolf-chieftess must ensure that her tribemates hold themselves, in their character, above their would-be persecutors. If any of them treat the humans as the humans would treat them, the Wild Hunt loses its moral ground – ultimately its only one – to exist in the world. The Way was originally formed, in part, on the understanding that elves could and would avoid humans altogether (in the wake of Two-Spear’s atrocities against a human village; see BoTC 3-4, and Two-Spear 3). But with millions of humans alongside mere hundreds of elves on Abode, Ember’s elfin band cannot completely avoid human society. And with potential elf-allies so rare, Ember is right to perceive the importance of making an ally of the bounty-hunter Lehrigen. Despite his totally misguided outward views about “demons”, his actions show his innate understanding of the elfin spirit – his understanding of, and closeness to, nature; his approach to hunting and tracking; his loyalty to his animal friend, the hunting-dog Morri; his fierce independence and contempt for most human leaders. Despite the perils of approaching a human adversary, Ember perceives that the reward – the future support of a friendly, enlightened human – is well worth the risk. The price she pays – being beaten nearly to death, and expulsion from the tribe – is higher than she imagined, but put in the same situation again, she would deal with the Still One again; opening his eyes was worth the pain it caused herself.

But while Ember sees the Way as a guide to her thinking, Scouter understands the Way as a substitute for thinking, which is what makes him so dangerous in this situation. He yearns for the peaceful times of past years, when the Wolfriders had occupied the same Father Tree Holt through four chiefs and countless centuries. This yearning is not itself objectionable; most Wolfriders have sought another “green-growing place” to call home. But Scouter’s conservatism shelves into an unwillingness to adjust to changing conditions; his reminiscences of the old holt symbolize the fact that while he understands that his world has changed, he does not accept the changes in his heart.

This, by itself, is a recipe only for conflict with Ember, not for provoking a tribal crisis. But Scouter’s capacity for indignation – most famously in the two instances when he held Skywise responsible for endangering his family (the kidnaping of the infant Windkin, the capture of Tyleet) – too easily clouds his judgment. As reliable and resolute as he is in peaceful times, he can also be the first to crack under the weight of a crisis, the first to act irrationally when pressed by circumstances. The combination of Scouter’s misunderstanding of the Way, and his capacity for “righteous rage”, can make him a greater threat to his friends than to his enemies. Indeed, Lehrigen’s one encounter with Scouter-the-chief (EQ II 28) reinforces, in the Still One’s mind, his low moral opinion of elves in general; the bounty-hunter has none of the respect (even the respect due an enemy) for Scouter that he has for the rightful-but-deposed chieftess. Scouter seems, to the human, every bit the “demon” that he assumes him to be. In repudiating Ember’s efforts, and in seeking to wipe out his perceived enemies, Scouter loses perspective, not realizing that winning the battle (gratifying his war-lust, and beating off the threat to his power) will lose him the war (gaining the tribe’s respect, and giving them a life worth living, not a life as killers). Only his few signs of uncertainty – not killing Ember outright (killing one’s opponent is not strictly “illegal” in a Wolfrider challenge), privately quaking at his chiefly responsibilities, letting his lifemate and son talk him out of shooting Lehrigen – indicate that his conscience has not yet been destroyed; but the survival of his soul was a very near thing.

Finally, returning to Ember, I must comment on her manner of leading the Hunt. To those who say she is too fond of power and unwilling to listen to others, I must say that those who have new ideas generally arrive at them alone – this is precisely why they seem alien at the time. A Wolfrider tribe is by no means democratic, and if the leader’s thinking is obviously ahead of that of the other elves – or simply correct when others’ thinking is wrong – it can be necessary to lay down the proverbial law to keep the tribe out of danger. It is all well and good when the command is uncontroversial, like hunting mice to feed the tribe. But when Sust’s carelessness caused the needless death of a human boy, Ember had to let him know the full weight of his error. When Teir told her a half-truth about the dangers of using itchleaf as a weapon – a half-truth that led to another human death – Ember was prepared to discipline even him, her own lover, in full view of the tribe. Because her thinking is a step ahead of her tribe’s, she and the others are best served when she acts as decisively as her chieflock entitles her to do. On the other hand, as our hell is paved with “good intentions”, so Abode’s doom-pit is lined with the bricks of “good advice”; many of her errors have come from asking others’ opinions – taking the human stranger Gifa into the tribe, on Tyleet’s suggestion and against her better judgment; allowing Scouter to spy on a human house, leading to his injury and his wolf’s death; letting Teir talk her into using potentially deadly measures against Lehrigen’s men, and risking the Still One’s enmity. Ember sometimes doubts her insights not posessed by others, and in these cases the resulting seed of doubt harmed her tribe. This is not the static, relatively safe world of Tanner’s time, when an easygoing leader had the luxury of letting his tribemates do what they would. Ember, a chieftess with uncommon insightfulness, must sometimes go over the heads of her tribemates, even at the risk of ill will or worse; to do less would be irresponsible, when her skills are needed to protect her folk in a complex and dangerous world.

Her willingness to offend and even anger the other elves, in support of the truth, can be called a social flaw, even a serious one; perhaps it will be Ember’s lot to be respected rather than adored, as Huntress Skyfire was. But these are faults of behavior, not of moral character; any such flaws in her personality are put in the shade by her courage, integrity, and even her mercy. It is this last trait, her mercy, which is most unexpected in her, given the circumstances of Scouter’s challenge. In trying to regain the chieflock, she could have fought him to the death; she could have settled scores and banished him; she could even have ostracized and humiliated him without actually booting him from the tribe (i.e. “You can stay, but I’m only doing this for Tyleet – not for you – and don’t you forget it”). Instead, once she won back the tribe leadership, she let the matter drop right then, allowing the “usurper” to retain his place in the tribe. Indeed, her very confidence in her right and mandate to rule, and her knowledge that the truth is on her side, gives her the confidence not to retaliate against Scouter; her clemency stems from this “noblesse oblige”, a born ruler’s self-felt need to act in a way becoming a ruler. The most lasting impression of Ember’s character is not of her bravery or intelligence, but of her magnanimity.

To summarize, Ember is one who has been blamed for the very traits that make her a true leader. The seriousness with which she handles her power is mistaken for aloofness; her inventive frame of mind is considered frivolous if not dangerous; her determination to act on her knowledge is interpreted as arrogance. Ember, then, does not seek to be popular – only to look after her people, regardless of the consequences to herself. This is the goal that guides her ways, allowing her, having lost her tribe, to regain it.

Knowing where to look: Ember looks down, not up, to feed her tribe. From Hidden Years 19. © 2001, 1995 Warp Graphics. Artwork by Steve Blevins, colors by Suzanne Dechnik.

Laying down the law: Ember disciplines Sust—and teaches the boy a life lesson. From Second Elfquest 1, “The Wild Hunt.” © 2001, 1996 Warp Graphics. Artwork by Steve Blevins, colors by Cathy Purchis.

Not with force, but with reason: Ember takes the tribe back from Scouter’s grasp. From Second Elfquest 30, “The Wild Hunt.” © 2001, 1998 Warp Graphics. Artwork by Lorraine Reyes McLees, colors by Cathy Purchis.

The perils of good advice: Tyleet vouches for Gifa - and brings an enemy into the elves' midst. From Second Elfquest 15, "The Wild Hunt." Illustration © 2001, 1997 Warp Graphics. Artwork by Lorraine Reyes McLees, colors by Cathy Purchis.