Cad Kin was far from home.
The peach-masked wolf lifted his head and traced the mountain’s peaks with his eyes. He’d never seen something so magnificent. The snow painted the stones in white. Cad shivered as he stood at the mouth of a long canyon. The scent of wolf was strong there.
One puff of his breath later, Cad lifted his head and called to the leadership. He stood shivering, waiting patiently in the cold. Mossy eyes searched to see if a figure would appear from the ocean of white snow.
AHHHH
germanicus had come home and yet it no longer felt that way.
or had it.
winded from running, tangled with leaves and mud, windswept and tousled, he did not immediately wish to answer.
and yet he did.
his eyes told him first of the youth's complete beauty and then appraised the other's bearing. "hail." it was rote and easy. the soldier stood before the stranger with palm to proverbial hilt. "you stand outside mereo. i am germanicus, its imperator."
It had not taken long before a man approached on dark legs, windswept and earthily handsome. His eyes were sharp yellow – like the brightest sun on the sands. Cad had almost gazed for too long at them.
Ears fell flat to his head. Cad lowered himself in submission – snout so near the earth that he thought he might breathe in the snow.
The man had introduced himself as Germanicus of Mereo. He was the Imperator to those lands. The words were not familiar, but their meaning was one that offered the young soldier a sense of home. He believed that he could learn new phrases. He had taken orders since he had been no more than a boy.
Sir,
spoken with youth evident in his tones. I am Cad Kin, Imperator.
Only after he had spoken did he dare to lift his eyes to the man. A soldier of the Spice Sands. I’m afraid I’m far from my post, sir.
cad kin went down in the snow as if he were making an obeisance. "rise," germanicus said. he did not keep with a tradition of groveling.
a military man. he looked at the boy again, more closely. the eagle did not know these spice sands. "did you defect, soldier?"
his voice did not offer the option to lie.
Cad could feel the familiar tone from the man, could sense that this was a superior officer asking for an answer.
Had he defected?
No, sir.
Damn, his memory was foggy. It had been hot. There had been blood in the sand. Cad blinked, hoping that he might summon some recollection of his last moments in the battle. Officer Kid said they were sending me to the northern post – six months journey.
The trip from the Spice Sands to the White Sea was one of the most honorable journeys. Many did not survive the trip.
Something must have happened, sir. I washed ashore-
peachy features turned, west, no north- north of here. A bay I do not know.
the eyes, hue of an inner forest, arrested the eagle.
he kept himself impassive.
the shadow floated through his mind.
the soldier was answering. he had not fled his post, he was only lost from it. despite the other's youth and soft voice, he had kept himself alive from shoreline to canyon. it was impressive and led credence to the story.
"do you mean to return to your company? i will make inquiries, if so."
This was a valuable question. Did Cad intend to return to his post?
Yes, sir.
One ear swiveled back on his head. The soldier was not sure if he was closer to the Spice Sands or the White Sea. He wondered if the Imperator would know.
I may be closer to my intended post than my original, sir. The White Sea is my goal. A mountain in permanent winter.
Cad kept his head held low. Mossy eyes scanned the Imperator’s outpost. It was a sturdy canyon with familiar reddish stone that peered from beneath the snowy blanket. Were these lands in between?
Sir…
Cad’s ears perked forward. If I may, I can serve here until I find answers.
Perhaps he could get word back to Officer Kid.
germanicus nodded. and when cad asked that he might serve here, there was another nod.
"i am sorry not to be of more use. neither the white sea nor the spice sands are known to me." yet mereo held access to traffic through the mountains.
"what are your specialities?" the imperator inquired, keeping his tone measured.
he would evince no struggle to anyone. this was an interview.
There was no need for the Imperator to apologize. Cad dipped lower, humbled by the man’s kindness. The young soldier thought that his father would be furious with him – so far from the fight that this man had not even heard of their battlegrounds. Perhaps he had defected…
Scouting, sir. And- And medicine. I’m a frontline medic.
The blood in the sand…
Cad wished that he could recall his last moments before waking on the shores. He did not understand what might have happened. The harder he tried to remember, the more difficult it became.
a field medic. "that is a noble undertaking," he said to cad.
the yellowpaint eyes studiously being pulled into the mossy depths.
"i will accept you as a veles here. you will have access to the herbs of mereo, provided that you are beneath supervision of the imperatrix fennec or the lady aquene."
he was quiet a moment, not wishing to overload. "have you questions for me?"
Veles was his granted role. Cad’s muscles were taught in submission. He was fortunate to have found a place like this. It would give him purpose while he waited for commands from his officers. The Imperator had even said that he would make inquiries – this was the closest he might come to knowing what had happened.
The soldier was told that he would have access to their herbal stocks, provided he was supervised by the Imperatrix Fennec or Aquene. Cad nodded in understanding.
Sir, if there are any tasks you would like me to see to. I would be happy to begin at once!
No questions, only the burning need to busy himself.
an eager soldier.
youthful. hopeful despite being so farflung in a strange land.
the imperator wanted to say something more.
"scout the topmost paths. acquaint yourself with how the canyon looks from above." he pointed with muzzle toward a path that winnowed almost to nothing, a trickle of red sand heading steeply upward into crimson stone.
"then choose a densite."
three tasks.
he stood taller. "dismissed, veles."
Cad’s ears were pricked sharply to the Imperator’s words.
Scout the topmost paths, learn the canyon from above, then seek a den site. The young soldier nodded his head once in a confirmation of understanding. He would begin his work immediately. The fresh scents of the canyon would prove motivation for hours. If he kept at it, he believed he might know Mereo well enough to traverse with confidence in just a few short days.
Thank you, sir.
Moss green eyes fixed to the sharp yellow of the Imperator’s stare. Their gazes connected for a brief time. Cad pulled himself away from the dark man’s intense figure. His peachy limbs hurried him away to begin his work.