Redsand Canyon And the highway signs say we're close

early afternoon, sunny, 46 F

So far the only thing that had been different was his lack of constant wandering. He supposed he had given up looking for his cousin for the time being, which came with its own set of heavy guilt. The opportunity to be what he was meant to be without the help of his father had been too much to pass up. He hadn't even known the desire lived within him until this life was offered. 

For now, he still spent much of days in solitude, endlessly patrolling the edges of the canyon as he did now. His paws were usually painted red by the end of the day, requiring him to clean them off before finding somewhere to rest for the night. Sleep evaded him most of time, as it usually did, but that never kept from being productive.

He paused to inspect a rock and when he determined to scent marking was too faded, he lifted his leg to refresh it. Then he continued on, paws moving and mind busy.

germanicus had returned.

like akashingo, the canyon was filled with passageways.

he had found a large but solemn cave facing out of the wind. inside were a pair of mean skins on the floor for a bed and a pile of bones just outside the door.

it was hardly fitting.

and he would rarely sleep there. today he found kallik upon patrol and silently joined the younger man.

His usual solitary patrol was soon interrupted by the presence of his imperator. Kallik slowed and greeted him with a respectful nod and a flat: Sir. If anyone was to join him, he supposed he preferred Germanicus. 

How are you? he asked. Although he was fine walking in silence, he felt some strange obligation to check in on the canyon leader. He felt an obligation to do more than check in—he needed to follow the rules and not make waves. He wanted to be a good soldier. These desires came from somewhere he wasn't familiar with. They belonged to a version of himself he didn't yet know. But he was willing to figure it out.

"i am well."

a lie. and not a lie. he acted. he functioned. and so he was well.

"what have you learned about the layout of this place?" he asked, seeking a report from the dour young wolf. as he waited, his eyes searched their path ahead.

He only nodded when the imperator answered his question, grateful to not have to answer in return. 

He was even more grateful when Germanicus shifted the conversation to the canyon. He asked if Kallik had learned anything about the layout of the territory. The northerner nodded. I was exploring the passageways in the most northerner section and found that they led to a system of caves, he explained. I haven't explored the entirety of them yet. He honestly wondered if they led out to the other side of the mountains, which they could use to their advantage.

"show me."

it was an invitation between soldiers.

germanicus turned their steps north. "the canyon is large. i may divide it into parts for both you and glaukos to protect."

he was indeed keen to see these passageways. the conception reminded him of the broken boulder.

Kallik nodded at the request and turned to head in the direction of the caves. 

Germanicus explained that he was thinking of dividing the canyon up between Kallik and Glaukos. That is manageable, he offered. He would patrol wherever he was needed. It would be nice to have the structure he had been lacking while wandering on his own. 

Soon they were making their way up the rocky path that would lead them to the passageways he had mentioned, and he lifted his head to indicate they were near.

germanicus did not respond. he knew that kallik would not expect it.

this feral silence after the cloying halls of akashingo clanged within him. he knew he must become accustomed to it once more. it felt almost as if some small part of him must now be undomesticated.

there was the mark of an animal across their path. he looked to the polar man in expectation.

Kallik smelled the fox too; it took the path in front of them, heading into the passageways. The animal had definitely not been here the last time the auxillary had explored the area.

The imperator was expectant, and Kallik immediately turned and headed into the carved path. He followed the scent until there was a fork in the path. He paused and carefully drew in the air from each direction until he was sure he knew which the fox had chosen; it was also the path that would eventually lead them to the caves. 

He turned to the left and continued on the path as it wound through the canyon and eventually led them to the mouth of a large cave. Kalllik stopped once more and pulled a deep breath through his nose. He knew inside, there were openings to many smaller caves. He could also scent the animal, and he knew they might find it inside too.

kallik was silent. germanicus quietly appraised the man's skill at tracking. he found he was impressed. the pale soldier led himself and the imperator to the networking of caves.

germanicus thrust his shoulders and head under the shadowed lip. the smell of water and fox led into the deeper recesses. the eagle chose to move right at a smart clip, trotting through the darkened corridors.

eventually they came to a half-wall. he climbed it and looked back for kallik, gesturing to the expanse of black space in front of them. this far into the caves there was no light. "what do you smell?" he asked.

The imperator continued forward into the caves, and Kallik followed closely behind. The deeper inside they moved, the less he could rely on his sight. Eventually, they were in complete darkness and at the mercy of their hearing and smell only. The first time he had wandered into the darkness, it had been alarming; he had promptly made his way back out. But now, he knew what to expect, and he tuned into his remaining senses. 

He stopped when Germanicus did and then followed him up onto the wall as the imperator spoke to him. When the auxillary stopped, he drew in a deep breath. Water, he said first. And the fox we've been following. It had definitely come this way. He wondered if the creature used these caves to travel unseen through parts of the mountain.

germanicus grunted in reply. he began to feel back through the edges of darkness. eventually he felt water upon his paws, and waded out into the blackness. there was a dropoff he felt with his toes. the imperator returned to kallik. "it is an underground lake." but it would not be one traversed by mereo, he did not believe.

again on firmer ground, he began to follow the fox once more. the slight sounds of their footsteps echoed against the scarlet walls.

Kallik remained where he was, even as the imperator swam out into the darkness. There was no light to take into his eyes, so he could see absolutely nothing. The auxillary relied on his hearing and scent still. 

Eventually Germanicus swam back and pulled himself from the water. When he began to follow the fox's trail again, Kallik followed closely behind. 

They came to another fork. Kallik inspected the passageway to the left. The scent was there, but it didn't extend very far. So he moved to the one on the right and found that the scent seemed to continue far into that passageway. 

Even in the darkness, he could tell the path was narrowing the farther they moved. His heart began to beat faster in his chest as he felt the stone walls against his shoulders. Soon he could no longer keep moving forward because he couldn't fit; panic pooled in his chest at the thought of getting stuck in here.

kallik led them through the veins of stone. they were squeezed into a passageway. 

germanicus did not panic. he merely grunted. "back slowly toward me." he himself stepped backward, moving along the path they had come. it was odd to have one's back the world.

but he would extricate them both. it was the nature of exploring caverns. often their depth could be deceptive.

He had shown weakness in his moment of panic. He had not been able to stay of sound mind when his fight or flight had kicked in. The auxillary was disappointed.

But the imperator's voice reached through the shame and fear and set his mind right again. Kallik began to move backwards until the walls widened again. It was dark, so thankfully, Germanicus could not see the anger in his expression. I'm sorry, he offered once he was able to control the tone of his voice again. Shame roared within him still, and he knew it would not dissipate for some time. He would just have to push through it until the feeling dulled and slid to the back of his mind.

he shook his head. "do not be sorry. you were able to keep calm. this matters the most."

the imperator gestured back the way they had come. the caves, for now, had barred their way.

once in the cold sunlight once more, germanicus nudged the pale soldier. "go and eat. rest. i will call you again."

The imperator's praise did little to ease the frustration Kallik still felt with himself. It would take days of self-loathing before he could separate himself from the feeling. 

He followed silently as Germanicus led them back outside. He was thankful to see the sunlight again. The imperator nudged his shoulder and urged him to eat and rest. Then they would explore again. 

Kallik offered a curt nod, and the started to make his way through the stone passages, looking forward to the solitude.