he smelled them on the breeze. a pack lived in the canyon. he had peered from the peaked trails he needed to follow to even get to them, but overall had been unable to tell much of anything. no one immediately ran him off, but he assumed if they were worth their salt, somebody surely already knew he lingered nearby.
a boy on the cusp of manhood was often detected this time of year, his travels had taught him that.
so there was no more time to waste twiddling his “thumbs” and watching with intrigue.
he descended to their borders proper. aware that they likely already knew he was here, but still summoned out a call for them anyway
the imperator watched the young wolf wind down the trails and call.
his step was prompt. he left off his current job, where he had been lining stones along the walkup to the den he shared with ruenna. it was not beautification, per se, but perhaps it was the closest the eagle might come to it.
mereo had seen an upswell in activity.
"hail." he stood before the young stranger in the attitude of a man who has put his hand upon the hilt of his sword. "this is mereo. i am its imperator. state your business."
a man greeted him and the boy thought of his father. much in the way the man seemed as if he might wield tooth as dagger at any moment.
he was in the right place.
slowly he lowered his posture.
i need a home,
he stated plainly in a gravely voice lilted with the barest hint of a russian accent. i dispersed from old home. i need somewhere new and in exchange i offer my body for defense and my teeth for hunt.
things that were necessities. things he had been taught how to do since he could toddle around.
germanicus at once appreciated the straightforwardness of the man. the stranger reminded him of artyom but he did not allow himself to consider the elk woman.
"this is a military pack. you would be a soldier which means the conflicts you fight will be my decision, including war." he did not think the newcomer would demur. but it was important that germanicus say it aloud and have it confirmed besides.
maxim did not see how it changed much of anything. a warlord was as much akin to a simple ruler of a pack. made no difference to him.
okay,
simply understood with a nod.
i am maxim, for your record.
then he waited, a bit stone faced as he waited for what the man would have to say next. the near grown boy was not exactly the best at compelling conversation.
maxim.
"i am germanicus."
he turned on his heel and strode away, beckoning maxim to follow with a flick of his tail.
they headed through the nameless southern forest and crossed the nameless creek in front. germanicus did not halt until he had come to the soldiers' housing. "do you have questions about your role here?"
germanicus. it was a name that felt like rolling a stone in his mouth, but somehow pleasing. a good fit for the man.
no.
the man had been clear he would be a soldier. for a brief moment he was silent, a shadow to the older man. jade eyes soaked in the scenes.
is everyone soldier?
"no. there are commoners. we call them plebians. many are women. soldiers and plebians are allowed to marry but do not father children outside a marriage sanctioned by mereo. you will be punished."
"we rise before dawn and do not stop until the sun has gone down. i would like to examine your skills, maxim. now or later, you decide."
the eagle stood more loosely now.
i am ready to show but i do have another question.
if germanicus was willing to hear it out, he was prepared to ask. one that lingered at the forefront of his mind with the season, his manhood before him and his new life he had swiftly started.
do you arrange the marriages for your soldiers?
maxim had heard stories of how his mother had been arranged to marry his father. he had little idea if that was common or even in practice anymore.
"i do not. that is not a practice i wish to employ."
it had been the practice of his homeland. and it had bred resentment. briefly he thought of malila, who had not yet made her choice of where she would stand. the girl was young but maxim was scarcely older.
he indicated his head toward their sparring arena.
he supposed it was a way of old then. only to remain as a story from his mother of how she had met his father. maxim would never see such a story in his life.
this, too, was okay.
he followed to the sparring area. the blood pumping through him was hot, he thrived from it and assumed a defensive position.
germanicus approved of how swiftly maxim readied himself.
he too took a position, gripping the cold sand of the arena with his paws.
"begin."
thus started the appraising of their newest auxillary.
maxim’s skills lied mostly within defense, so when he was the one to initiate he felt a bit…lost. except he rattled his brain quick. remembered all the things he did when somebody was too close.
explode. detonate.
a snarl bubbled up, but only out of instinct. quick to lunge towards the older male with clicking teeth. he wished to scare him backwards, sending harsh snaps towards delicate limbs and toes.
it was an interesting move. germanicus kept one paw planted and vulnerable to the gnashing teeth. the other he brought up, aiming a kick to the back of maxim's shoulders.
his muzzle struck down a moment later. as with the wordless woman he meant to strike the base of the skull. but he would not hit so hard as to stun the man unconscious. only to blur for a moment.
a fuzzing of his vision, quick and blurring. he certainly felt the repercussions of attempting to herd the man.
maxim may have been sloppy now but not without passion in his actions.
he whipped his upper body, sought to slam it right into germanicus’ chest.
the man bruised his chest with a buck. germanicus used its momentum to move leftward, propelled by maxim's own energy.
he slid to a halt and circled back, leaping for the new soldier's shoulder. at the last moment he swung himself sideways, hoping to bash the entire sides of their bodies together.
he flared with pride and joy at the connection of his body to the imperator's chest. what a short lived moment it was for him, though.
a body slam was returned to him, their sides connected with a deep thud of ribcages against each other. maxim could feel the ache that rippled the places germanicus had touched and stumbled some for it. this only inspired boldness in the boy, to try something more offensive.
he hoped to latch teeth onto the curve of the imperator's hip before he could get too far.
the white teeth flashed.
defensive indeed. germancius found maxim creative.
it inspired his own. he stepped hard when the new auxillia bit toward his hip, bunching the muscle in his hindquarters.
he whirled next, framing his attack in imitation of the other's: toward the flank nearest him.
was maxim prepared for a mirror?
germanicus was worth his position, it was teeth in maxim’s own hip that proved this much to the young man.
and he can only peel lips to expose teeth in the face of the war general. a low seething hiss of pain as he sharply clicked teeth toward’s the older man’s face.
germanicus opened his own jaws wide and sought to grab maxim's muzzle.
at the same time he drove his shoulder into the open ribcage as he had done with aquene.
the imperator was impressed. for now he did not allow this to show.
maxim was overcome. he briefly was reminded of the way he had been forced out of his home, driven off to disperse and do something of his own with the coming season.
he was too thoughtful.
so he fell, limbs locked harsh with a jolt before they gave out below him. he would go down in a snowy tumble.
a sound of anger directed toward no one but himself.
germanicus did not hesitate.
he lunged for the new soldier's throat, seeking to hold the grasp a moment, to keep the other there.
and then the imperator backed away. "you are a good defender. there are those here who will teach you to be a warrior. i am a tactician. you will learn all these things and more."
he gestured across the canyon at the apartments. "go to rest." the eagle pointed in the direction of aquene's den. "the rest of the day and tomorrow you will be sore. see our medicus if you need something for the pain."
a good defender was what mattered most to him — but he would be taught to be a warrior and tactician too. he assumed it would be good to know. especially if they went to war one day and his strength would be needed in a way that was not just protecting borders.
thank you,
he grunted as he found his footing again.
then if all was done, he'd take off towards somewhere to lay his head for a few hours.