Wolf RPG

Phox found himself content in Mereo. Between spars with the locals, he spent his time with @Towhee, amazed yet again by the process of a woman growing children in her. He did his best not to think of Niamh, of Camilla, of the women who had died after carrying his children. But Towhee had never carried his. She was safe and sound. Now she carried the children of some… @Maxim.

Phox curled up outside their door for the night. It was the only place Phox felt comfortable enough to sleep. Here, he could make sure Towhee and her children were safe.

The birthing had gone smoothly, and for that Aquene was relieved. The Matrona had welcomed four beautiful and healthy children into the world and after the laboring was done, Aquene had found her own opportunity to take a nap, having been exhausted from the events that day. As a result, she found herself stirring early into the night, rising with the intention of going to get a drink and assuring her husband she would be right back and perfectly safe walking to get a drink and that he should rest after a busy day.
 
Whether or not he listened… well, that was up to @Kallik. She paused for a moment, noting the man waiting at the marital home of her friend. She had yet to really meet Phox, and so she found herself approaching with a frown. “Is something wrong, auxilia?” Once she had found it weird, but now that she had been in Mereo for months, it seemed only naturally to refer to everyone by their titles.

He was weary eyed when she approached, but he straightened himself up into a sit. He didn’t know the woman who came to greet him, and her question puzzled him.

No? At least, I don’t think so. What makes you ask? Was something wrong with Towhee? Was there any reason for him to be concerned? Was he doing something outside the norm by being here? He had always been there for Towhee, and being outside her “bed chamber” was well outside the norm for him, but things seemed different here. Not bad, just… different. Like he wasn’t supposed to mix the way they had in the past.

He seemed equally puzzled to the situation and she frowned. What made her ask? She thought it obvious. “You are laying outside of a married couples’ quarters…” She trailed off, motioning with one of her paws towards the den he was so valiantly guarding. “I just… figured something might be wrong.” If nothing was wrong then what was the man doing?
 
“I am Aquene.” She realized she never introduced herself in that moment. “Mereo’s medicus… if something is wrong I should be called.” What if she was slacking in her own job? The horror of something being wrong with Towhee or her Russian husband and not being there to assist set in on the back of her mind.

Wrong? Phox echoed. Maybe this place was much more different than he’d realized. No, I don’t think so. Towhee, she’s my sister you see. We’ve been really close since we were kids, so it’s weird not sleeping right next to her. Phox realize he hadn’t even given his name.

I’m Phox! his tail flopped happily against the ground. Phox Redhawk. For a moment, he was quiet, trying to think of a good way to make the conversation flow. And then he remembered.

My sister—a different one—Raven, she’s a medic. Has been one for a long time. She’s helped me through so much. You probably know what that’s like, yeah? Right. Try and be relatable. Kinda. He was socializing, woo!

He did not seem to understand, and his explanation brought the relaxation of her shoulders, being assured in that moment that nothing was wrong. This man was Towhee’s brother? The Redhawks seem to have taken over the canyon, not that she could find herself complaining. She was quite fond of Towhee, and that was no secret. She considered her a close friend. Phox Redhawk. A name was quickly placed and she smiled softly. She had not offered her own surname; she had long since cast the Rayvne name aside and had not spoken with her husband about taking his either.
 
She offered a soft smile, a chuckle as she nodded. “Yes, I do.” She offered more lightheartedly, taking a seat solely as to not be on her paws. “I am currently the only healer here… I see many for their ailments. My friend, Arsenio’s wife if you have met him… she is training with me but she is not a healer in her own right… not yet.” She offered, letting an awkward lull exist. She did not broach the topic further. It was clear his station was more of a guardian. Honestly, Phox reminded her in that moment of her husband, who always placed himself at the mouth of their den while she slept so if an intruder might approach, he was the first figure they saw and he was capable of defending her. “Are you new to Mereo? I try to make sure I meet all the new soldiers as they arrive, but lately my husband has been insistent on me resting as much as possible so unless they seek me out, I’m afraid I am behind in the pack’s changing in roster.”

Can't say I've met the fella, Phox replied in regards to Arsenio. Or his wife, for that matter. What's her name? he asked. Phox knew he was supposed to meet up with all the other... warriors? Fighters? Men? and test their abilities or something along those lines. That's what Towhee had done, wasn't it?

Oh yeah, very new. Soldiers! That was the word! Why's he asking you to rest so much? Is it like a 'women are weak' thing? Because lemme tell you, Towhee can kick my ass ten ways to the sun. Phox let out a guffaw, truly pleased with himself for that particular remark.

He had yet to meet the Roman and his wife? She hummed for a second before she spoke. “Her name is Tamar.” She offered before he clarified that he was indeed very new. She smiled softly and shook her head. “Oh, rest assured it is nothing like that… I would never stand for such a mentality, as Towhee can attest.” She’d been known to go on a feminist rant at the slightest hint of sexism and she’d surely kick Kallik’s ass herself or at least give him a tongue lashing if he tried to pull that shit.
 
He had his moments, but he knew better than to imply anything like that. “I am pregnant; he worries that I’ll overwork myself and the birth will not go well.” She was going to leave it at that, without diving into too many more details. “Towhee has certainly proven the might of all women to him before.”  She added with a smirk, remembering when the praefectus invaded their bedchambers while they were getting busy and Kallik nearly killed her for it.

Phox nodded at the name, then pushed his ears forward to listen to Aquene's thoughts on men and women. He was glad to hear Aquene didn't consider herself weak. Not only that, but she wasn't too keen on letting others think of her that way, either. Good to know she wasn't somebody to be crossed.

His mouth formed an O at the mention of her pregnancy, then grinned at the mention of Towhee's "might of all women."

I guess congrats are in order, then. Who's the lucky guy? Getting to know the ins and outs of a whole new pack that wasn't run by some close friend or relative of his was turning out to be rather entertaining. And while he did feel a pang of sadness that he would not be a father this year, it was good to know that there would still be little ones to help with.

She sensed from his comments that they were going to get along just fine with one another in their interactions, unlike some in the pack whom she preferred to avoid. She smiled softly and dipped her head to show her thanks. “Thank you; his name is @Kallik… you likely met him at the borders when you joined… even if he didn’t necessarily say anything.” She knew her husband answered most calls when someone was at the border, taking his job very seriously. It would not surprise her if he’d already met the serious-natured guardian she was thankful to call hers.
 
She left out any mention of what her husband had told her: that soon they would be leaving to start a sister outpost in the Vale with Arsenio and Tamar. She was not yet sure how public of knowledge it was, so she did not wish to spread the news about.

Oh, that guy! Yeah, he seems like the serious sort. Phox didn't really have a strong opinion one way or the other, except that Kallik seemed rather... uptight. But he'd been that way at times, so he could understand. It was probably a bit nerve-racking to have all these Redhawks show up and kinda... overwhelm Mereo. Phox only hoped his family (extended and close) could be useful to this place. He'd never had any dreams of taking over anything, let alone a place like this, which wasn't really his "style" anyway.

Anybody else I should know about? he asked. It was nice to have a heads up about who he might run into. Maybe give him a bit of a social advantage if he knew their names in advance.

The serious sort. It brought a soft smile to her face as she shrugged. “He gets that way, especially around strangers.” Friends as well… really anyone who wasn’t her, ands he liked to assume their children as well. He would make a good father, just as he made a good soldier, of that she had little doubt.
 
The question of anyone else caused her to pause for a moment to think. There was only one other and she shrugged. “There is Maxim, Towhee’s husband. I am not sure if you’ve formally met him yet, but I personally find him to be a friend.” They shared a language, and he had always been nothing but polite in assisting her… and Towhee deemed him suitable enough to marry even if she described herself as insatiably horny during the season. She could not help but wonder if perhaps that had played into her decision.
 
“And there is Glaukos… him, I am not a fan of… I find him arrogant and abrasive at best, but there is no denying he is loyal.” It was her own personal opinion, and she recognized it.

Aquene gave her opinion on several more wolves, and Phox considered them each. He knew he would make his own opinions when the time came, but it was nice to have an idea of who he was going to eventually encounter here. Phox found himself getting drowsy again. He had come here to sleep after all, and he blinked slowly in Aquene's direction.

I think I should probably get some more shut-eye, he said. Another day tomorrow, which means another round of patrols, sparring, and whatever else it is Germanicus decides for me to do. It was lovely meeting you, though.

She was all for the man forming his own opinions. It was important, but he had asked and she wasn’t afraid to admit her very candid feelings. He spoke of sleep and she nodded. “Me as well.” She agreed, that familiar exhaustion ebbing as she remembered why she had even left her den to begin with.
 
“If you need anything, just let me know. I often treat sore muscles from Germanicus’ training sessions.” And punishments, though she did not voice that aspect aloud. She turned, starting to make her way back towards her den to return to her husband and get some more sleep.