The rain did not cease falling until the early hours of the morning when the sun had still not fully risen and the earth was draped in a misty glow. Fog had settled in, drifting up to where their shelter was. Crowfeather had watched the eerie cloud stretch across the ground and stone. It looked almost like water, the way it moved.
The weariness he had felt traveling with Germanicus had faded some. The rest had been good to him. Being with someone like the silver guardian had also been good for him. The dark seer could not think of how fortunate he had been to encounter the patient figure.
With a sneaking look toward
@Germanicus and his handsome figure, Crowfeather moved to rise and see if he could gather food before the older male woke.
when germanicus woke, he did not expect that crowfeather would be near.
and yet he was watched over as he had done for the young man. the eagle came fully awake now, the training of a life spent sleeping upon edges and precipices. cliffsides. plateaus.
yet he did not stir, noiselessly watching the smooth strong back of the younger wolf disappear from their cover.
only when he was alone did he let out his breath, evince the long-held control of his more primal self, the frustrations that had started to irritate him at their closeness through the night.
Once in the fog, it took a short while for the dark wolf to make his way down the slope and into an area where the scent of prey was thick enough to track. The wetness that had been left by the rain did not make hunting easy. Crowfeather prowled until he captured the smell of rabbit and had tracked it to where it ate on herbs.
The hunt was much swifter than he had imagined it would be. The rabbit would be good enough to restore some strength. The blood was sweet and filled Crowfeather's nostrils as he made his way back up toward the pine branch and resting Germanicus.
Pushing his way past the branch of the tree and stopping with his torso in the entrance, he lowered the rabbit to the ground and nudged it toward the silver guardian. I hoped I could get this back to you before you woke up,
he murmured quietly.
the ranger was forced to admit to himself most uncomfort truths. but he was saved from further introspection by the return of crowfeather.
the cloying smell of rabbit's-blood filled thickly the space between them. with no distance between them, germanicus could see the miniature, perfectly formed drops of dew clinging to the boy's guard hairs.
"i am alert even when in sleep. it makes my nights far less restful." tone apologetic, and suddenly their proximity weighed upon the eagle. in a series of swift motions, he had risen, picked up the rabbit, and swept beyond crowfeather to the clearing just beyond.
germanicus gave the young hunter a stark look of thanks and then filled his mouth with flesh.
Apologetic as his tone was, Germanicus had not dampened the admiration of the dark seer. Crowfeather nodded his head as though he understood, stepping aside so that the silver guardian could move past him. The scent of sleep on his coat and the warmth of the hidden outcropping overwhelmed him.
When Germanicus had made a place for himself in the clearing outside, Crowfeather turned and joined him a few paces away. There was a place within the morning fog where the sun had begun to strike through. The dark wolf sought to drink up as much of that warmth as he could manage. The smell of the rabbit filled his nose and washed away all of Germanicus' aroma.
The dark Crowfeather reprimanded himself internally for being so willingly intoxicated.
Did you have to teach yourself how to do that? Sleep while remaining alert.
"i learned out of necessity. when it was no longer necessary, i continued to do it." not truly a rejoinder. crowfeather would have to make of that what he would.
"where will you take us today, celes?" germanicus asked next, moving them onward. he scraped gristle from legbone with a smart plucking, ears tilted for crowfeather's answer.
there was something truly now existent in the way that the youth regarded him. germanicus was foolish to pretend it had not happened.
and yet he went on, ignoring what he had seen these past days. this was an easier path.
Crowfeather's hunt had given him an opportunity to scout the area. The only downside to this plan had been the mist and fog that had surrounded the area. He had been fortunate to see in a few places where the clinging white clouds were not too dense for him to search through.
The height they had climbed to had given him a nice view of the lake that had been left behind. It was a good distance, he had thought. Crowfeather never would have believed he'd journeyed that far in a day. It was the first day that he had woken and felt stronger.
There is a glen just- just out there,
he gestured with a nod of his snout to the northeast of where they were. We should be able to make it by nightfall, at least I believe we will.
The young wolf's dark ears splayed slightly on his cap. The trek had taken them further than a day's venture from the lake, but he had not been reprimanded for it yet by the silver noble.
"you learn quickly," germanicus commented. it had been longer a trek than needed, but he had not found the extra time unenjoyable. lapping blood and marrow from the cracked femur, he stood to his feet. again the bevy of stretchings: every muscle of a ranger must be kept fluid and supple.
if crowfeather watched, he did not look. "every morning, prepare your body for the day to come." germanicus said no more upon this, only looked at the youthful mercenary. the other seemed more confident in his step. the instructor was pleased to have expanded this feeling.
"what do you recall of the caldera?" the eagle pressed.
Germanicus began his stretching the same way he had before. Crowfeather watched until the silver guardian spoke and instructed that he should do the same. Prepare your body for the day to come, he heard in his father's frustrated tones. It did not sound bad coming from the soldier across from him.
Crowfeather lowered his torso to the ground, stretching his legs and paws out in front of him. His dark rump rose into the air and remained there for several seconds. The dark wolf could feel the muscles pulling along his back in places he had not even felt sore. He wished he could remain that way for hours.
A question had been presented to the dark young wolf.
It was grassy, had its own water, and protection with the rocks. It didn't look like the best place for a pack but after being closer it became more. A sparkling stone in a bog,
he answered, thinking for a moment of the girl he had met in the morass and the offerings they had made to their lost loved ones.
Crowfeather looked to Germanicus with a tilt of his head. Was that the answer he had wanted?
"the ranger has training in poetry," germanicus commented in a start of laughter, a low snort from his nostrils. not at the impossibility. only at his lack of surprise. the boy who spoke of stars also knew how to paint. it was not a skill with which germanicus had been blessed.
where there was imagination for crowfeather, there was only parchment for the eagle. he mentally re-mapped the glowing words into ink-lines.
"you are correct. and the mountains here form their western border. it is difficult to wage war from a cliffside."
a glance, one germanicus told himself was only observant.
Cheeks scorched hot with fire, Crowfeather looked down at his paws. The laugh that he had expected to be mocking was instead surprised, pleasant. If anything, it suited the rough and diligent nature of the silver guardian well. The dark wolf was not ashamed to have heard the laugh, not even in reference to what he might have said.
He was touched.
Do most wolves claim their packs thinking of those things?
Crowfeather asked.
It would make sense if the wolves of Redhawk Caldera had selected the rough edges of their home with intent. Smart, but they had not seemed the type of wolf to have many enemies. This was naive of him, yes.
All he could think of was the Saints. Were they not the most likely to have enemies nipping at their paws? Crowfeather began to wonder if he was easily fooled by generosity.
after a pause to see that crowfeather was not wounded by his mirth, germanicus answered. "yes. you must protect your land by knowing how enemies might attack you." with the title of sovereign in their midst, with a surname to match the caldera's own, it had become a dynasty in his estimation.
"if you were a founder, where would you choose your territory?" germanicus inquired. he had gathered himself up, and stood awaiting the younger to lead them off again.
he stood resigned against any sidelong glances.
Crowfeather began their trek in the direction he had plotted while hunting. He thought carefully about the question that had been posed to him. Germanicus would analyze his answer and would tell him whether it was a foolish choice. Crowfeather only wished that he could think faster, present something that would be soundly considered.
A forest perhaps,
came the words after that stretch of thoughtful time. A forest at the base of a mountain.
That part felt as though it was a necessity. If he had only left Germanicus with the woods as his response, the guardian might think him a simpleton. He may have thought that already.
Where would you settle?
Crowfeather asked, not to learn but because he genuinely wished to know.
a forest at the base of a mountain. it suited crowfeather. the mention of the stone spires intrigued germanicus. "why do you choose something like that?" the extension of another hushed test, to see what of strategy his cohort had retained.
editum. the eagle thought of his homeland. but it was only a birthplace now. "a high mountain with snow at its cap, and sharp hills at its bottom."
he tipped the other a look of amusement.
I just like it. I feel a forest has its own safety. The mountain is just in case. You could put the dens at the base or along the climb and have an entire wood for hunting, to protect...
Crowfeather felt he had babbled too long and silenced himself quickly. There was a thrilling prospect in the idea of making a claim for one's self.
With Germanicus' answer, Crowfeather wondered if the silver guardian had any plans of his own to lead a band of wolves. He would be an amazing leader, the dark wolf thought to himself.
A snow capped mountain,
the seer repeated in a reverent tone, seizing the words and storing them for later.
Crowfeather increased their speed with a smile lingering on his narrow snout.