Redsand Canyon fasst euch ein herz

Sphyra didn't really plan to visit this pack, but she was intrigued when she caught a whiff of her mother's scent here, as well as aunt Rue's. Sphyra was very much intending on forging her own legacy, mind you, so she didn't really think she wanted to stay here herself, but it didn't hurt to pay a visit. Being young and fit, winter hadn't treated Sphyra too poorly. She'd managed to scavenge some food away from coyotes, and she'd managed to hunt some others in the neutral territories. She was holding up pretty alright, and didn't need a pack, as far as she was concerned. Travelling on her own was a little boring at times, but at the same time she did enjoy the solitude and adventure of it all.

The youth briefly took pause at Mereo's borders, gaze trimmed on its insides, while she pondered whether to drop by a visit to her mother and Rue, or if she would simply keep moving on and store the information of their whereabouts for later.

From afar the figure looked like a reedy, dark fox. Like it couldn't decide between a coat of red or of black, and crossed somewhere in the middle.

Glaukos watched from one of the hidden lookout spots for a while, partly because he was still sore from his aggressive spar against Kallik, and partly to study the stranger that lurked beyond Mereo.

If they came any closer he would make himself known. Expend the energy to chase them off if they were here to rob the place, or give an appropriate warning. For now he lurked along the ridge; unwilling to strain his recent injuries any more than necessary.

The fight with Kalllik had somehow drilled patience in to Glaukos' brain, which was a good shift from his usual bite-first policy, at least for the girl.

Sphyra sniffed the air. Definitely her mother and aunt Rue. Funny that they ended up at the same place, she thought, considering they'd disbanded Redhawk Caldera; but maybe not so funny, since they were close. Sphyra wondered if any of the others were here, too. She'd spotted Crackle not too long ago. Was he here, too? Yet his scent seemed absence from this place. Sphyra threw a puzzled look around, as if she expected Towhee or Ruenna to magically appear.

Instead, she spotted someone else. How long had he been there? She wondered as he seemed to be looking at her, but from a distance that was clearly not very hospitable. Hey, you, Sphyra called out, with a distinct lack of manners. Do you know wolves called Towhee and Ruenna? She had no time for being proper. Especially not with strangers who were rather improper themselves by hiding in their territory rather than coming out to greet her.

The girl had spotted him, and called out.

What happened next could be labeled an "oh shit" moment - Glaukos grimacing as he lingered at the edge of Mereo, knowing it was his job to defend the borders, and also knowing he was injured. Striding over there would hurt. Maybe he'd look weak. It was only a girl; he could chase her off and pretend like nothing was wrong if he manned up.

She asked about two wolves whose names were familiar, and that caught Glaukos off guard. He didn't see any connection between the newest arrival and the general's wife.

Maybe I do, maybe I don't. He called back to her, as he made his way over. The girl looked young and a bit wiry, with a resemblance to Towhee more than Ruenna, but he didn't make assumptions.

Who are you? He wouldn't tell her anything without something in return. The look on Glaukos' face held a warning.

Great, he was into playing games. Sphyra rolled her eyes when he said 'maybe I do, maybe I don't'. Then he asked for her name. Sphyra considered telling him she had no time for his fragile little ego to be stroked, but she knew that she risked getting chased off if she did that. And while it seemed like Aunt Rue and her mother lived here, for all Sphyra knew they could be prisoners, or he might have others waiting. No, it was too big a risk to insult him now.

Instead she obliged. I'm Sphyrapicus Redhawk. Towhee's daughter. She lifted her chin proudly as she said it, falsely presuming that Towhee carried a high rank here, considering she was the leader in her birth pack. It didn't even occur to her that Aunt Rue might be the more important wolf, here, or she might've announced Ruenna as her aunt instead.

The mouthful of a name was hard to follow. It was the announcement of the girl's relative - the naming of Towhee - that earned a scowl. A momentary oh. The information slid in one ear and out the other. She could've claimed to be related to Kallik or the saggy flesh-beast, Diesel, and still earned the same lackluster response.

Mmkay, what do you want with Mereo? The thought that Sphere-apparatus might be seeking their mother did not occur to Glaukos, as he would never have done the same. But he didn't know his parents in any way what-so-ever either. What would be the point of tracking down ghosts?

The question was infuriating, because it was pretty obvious what she was doing here. Sphyra barely managed to hide her contempt as she answered levelly, behind a mask of irritation, I'm here to see my mother. And aunt Ruenna. Okay, she hadn't actually come here for that reason, but whatever. He didn't need to know that Sphyra had been unaware that her mother lived here now. Sphyra's eyes sought his in a silent challenge; more of a challenge than she intended to give him on a conscious level, considering she was at another pack's borders.

The girl answered him and that would've satisfied Glaukos had it ended there. A look overcame the girl's face that he knew well: a challenge, rooted in some kind of anger.

He bristled and stepped towards her, flashing a grimace of teeth to wordlessly say, oh? you're gonna give me attitude, little girl? He did not strike, much as he wanted to.

Then you'll need an escort.

Glaukos had learned not to divulge details about Mereo to anyone, especially on the borders, without the go-ahead from his superiors. He could not exactly confirm that Towhee was among them -- but a flicker of recognition appeared in his gaze at the mention of the matrona.

He moved aside enough to let her pass, but would follow closely in case she tried anything. Maybe if he was lucky she'd slip on the path and tumble down in to the canyon's belly, and that would be that.

Sphyra could feel the challenge that he posed to her in her heart as he stepped forward. She knew that it would be clever to back down, but she didn't want to give this brutish guy what he wanted. She stood fast, her eyes meeting his, silently meeting his challenge. She hoped he wouldn't attack, but she was ready for it just in case; though Sphyra felt confident enough that her family wouldn't stand for her being pummeled at their new pack's borders. She was used to being the leaders' kid, after all.

It surprised her when he said that she'd need an escort and actually stepped aside. She was pretty sure that at Redhawk Caldera, her mother — or most anyone — would make a guest wait and call at the borders, or something.

Sphyra smirked at him, with a hint of appreciation in her expression; the challenge she had posed to him earlier gone. That's mighty kind of you, she said, confidently but no longer haughtily so, the appreciation that he was going to help her showing in her voice. Do you mind telling me a bit about your pack while we go look for my family? Or are you more of the strong, silent type? Honestly, if he just wanted to sulk and be quiet while he watched her every move, she didn't mind. It'd probably be more pleasurable for both of them if they talked, though, while she entered Mereo's territory to look for @Towhee or @Ruenna.

She looked surprised by his acceptance. This girl could have been anyone - there was no way to prove her claim as true - and if she was lying to him Glaukos would swiftly turn upon her and take her out, to protect Mereo.

She resembled Towhee enough that he did not hold doubt; her attitude was irritating but that too, he thought he could manage. It wouldn't be long before their path crossed with another auxillary on patrol - or @Germanicus. Maybe even the girl's mother.

Mereo is a barracks. We're warriors, guardians... And none of your business beyond that. Quick, concise.

Her entire body hurt today. Getting out of bed was difficult and stepping out into the cold made Towhee’s breath hiss through her teeth. She shuffled toward the common area and decided to do some “yogurt,” only minus the meditation part. She really just needed to stretch out her muscles or her morning patrol was going to be a really bad time.

He did entertain her by telling her about Mereo, and Sphyra actually thought the concept quite interesting. Too bad her family was here. Joining this warrior pack wouldn't exactly be 'striking out on her own'. Sounds interesting, Sphyra said casually as she walked into Mereo's territory and sniffed the air, trying to catch her mother's or Rue's scent. I'm a warrior myself. She hadn't been in many real fights, but she'd trained all her life and she'd won every fight she'd been in so far, so Sphyra was pretty confident in her own abilities.

Sphyra opened her mouth to ask about what Mereo was guarding — even though he'd implied he wouldn't tell her, anyway — but then she caught scent of her mother and instead she quickened her pace and dashed forward. As she rounded a corner she saw her mother doing some stretches (she was probably going for a run or something, Sphyra thought) and Sphyra called out: Hey, mom!

When the girl commented about being a warrior, Glaukos gave her another once-over with a slight scowl upon his face. Maybe she was just trying to make small talk as she was escorted, or fill the void between them, but he didn't require it. She looked healthy enough, a bit rangy. There was something about the look of her face that reminded him of Towhee; but aside from all of that, he didn't think much of her.
Then they came upon the wolf who was apparently the girl's mother, and the girl was moving at a clip towards her. Glaukos bristled and almost moved to stop her - but figured a split-second later, if this was some kind of assassination attempt then it'd be a good opportunity to see Towhee in action.
The girl too.
So he stayed back and watched the pair with some skepticism, as he did not know the girl's intent and could not trust anything she had said.

She sensed movement and looked up to see a face as familiar as it was surprising. Sphyra? Towhee said, straightening and barely glancing at Glaukos before she moved gingerly toward her daughter. Hey! What are you doing here? As soon as she reached her, she nosed at the girl’s ear, then took a step back to take a good look at her, tail wagging at the sight even as she scolded with a smile, Why aren’t you with the Frosthawks?

Towhee seemed surprised to see her daughter. Sphyra hadn't expected surprise, honestly. She'd forgotten all about the presence of the grumpy Mereo wolf by now. To her mother's question, Sphyra said, I was just exploring and found your scents. Sphyra greeted her mother with a smile and a nod as Towhee nosed her ear. Then came a somewhat accusatory-sounding question. Sphyra said, more defensively than she intended (after all, she was her own wolf and she could go whenever wherever she wanted), Like I said, I stuck around for a little bit and then decided to come back and check things out around here. I've just been exploring.

glaukos with towhee and a child.

germanicus approached. 

she had mentioned she was a woman with an expansive family. perhaps this was only a visit. he did not assert his presence, only made himself available if towhee would like to address him.

Skipping Glaukos per his player.

It sounded like Sphyra hadn’t necessarily jived with the Frosthawks, so she’d wandered back to the Teekons after a while. That was fair. And Towhee wasn’t particularly surprised. Raven was a soft-spoken peacekeeper and Quixote was milktoast… of course Sphyra would grow restless there.

I’m glad you tracked me down, Towhee said, taking a moment to note Glaukos’s position, which was when she noticed Germanicus lurking in the background. She nodded at him, welcoming him to come closer if he wanted to investigate the situation, then turned back to her daughter.

I don’t know if this is just a stop on your travels or if you’re interested in settling down someplace again. But Mereo might be right up your alley. It’s an outpost and all we do, all day every day, is train as soldiers.

Sphyra, too, noticed another's approach, but she also noticed that her mother had noted it so she didn't feel very pressured by it. She just focused on the conversation with her mother instead. Towhee said she was glad Sphyra'd tracked her down (if you could call it that, really; she'd mostly just noticed the scent at the borders).

Towhee then went on to suggest that maybe she could settle down here. It did sound like it was right up Sphyra's alley, because she trained all the time anyway — and it had been a lot harder to find willing subjects to practise with at Redhawk Caldera every day; maybe here, it'd be easier — but did she really want to wander around only to end up in her family's pack again? It didn't seem very adult, somehow.

She looked like she considered it shortly before she said, It does sound cool. I think I'll explore a little more before I make any major decisions, though. Give it some time to settle, y'know. In Sphyra's experience, decisions like these were best made while going for a run (even though she'd made the decision to leave the Caldera and go to the Frosthawks on a total whim. but at the time it felt like she had no choice, because the Caldera was disbanding and all). Meanwhile, can you tell me more about this place? How'd you get here? Can we go see Rue, too? Is she a soldier, too?! About the latter, Sphyra sounded incredulous. It was hard to imagine aunt Rue as a soldier.

The noncommittal reply neither surprised nor offended Towhee. Her children tended to be quite independent, which was a blessing and a curse for their mother. And she’d had a chance to get used to the notion that her children didn’t necessarily want to live with her for whatever reason. Right or wrong about that suspicion, it hurt to look too closely at it, so she didn’t.

Sure. Why don’t you join me on a patrol? Towhee invited, glancing again at her comrades and giving them each a respectful nod before motioning back toward the perimeter. She ignored the persistent ache in just about every muscle. Rue’s actually the Matrona, which means she’s the leader of the civilians—the wolves who live here who don’t train as solders. C’mon, I’ll tell you all about it. And we can try catching up with her later on.

Sphyra nodded as her mother invited her on a patrol and fell into step easily beside her mother. It was natural for her. Ruenna was apparently the one overseeing the non-soldiers, which made a lot more sense than if she'd been a soldier herself. Sphyra nodded at everything her mother said. Yeah, it'd be cool to see Aunt Rue, Sphyra said casually, trying not to sound too desperate. After all, she didn't need her family, or anything. It'd just be cool if there was a possibility, was all.