Redsand Canyon backstreet's back alright

it took her a day to muster the metaphorical balls to approach.

well, more like twenty, as this was the plan ever since the scar-faced cunt tore her face up. it was just that, well, if mereo really kept to their soldiering shtick...
 
then they wouldn't think too fondly of deserters.

diesel came to the western lip of the canyon. while it would be an impossible thing to hope for, she was a bit peeved her piss marks weren't around. she smelled her former brothers-in-fangs, though, the stone-faced kull... no. kill...? ka.. kaha... ka-ha-lik... @Kallik... koklik, who desperately needed someone to hop on his dick so he'd feel enough heat to melt his dumb fucking ice cool demeanor... and shitface, too. (@Glaukos) 

there were others, as well, and the mastiff wondered if they'd be as cute as sweet little sugar cream (@Malila) was.

she let out a barking howl. there was no need to convey any message with it. not like they'd soon forget the hottest piece of meat that ever walked between those redstone walls.

The call was familiar and unique. The scutarius knew instantly that it was the mutant wolf. She had deserted Mereo, and he wasn't sure why she would return now. Maybe she had come to grovel at the imperator's paws and ask to be given a second chance. Kallik hoped Germanicus would turn her down. He barely trusted her before and now he would never trust the flaky woman.

When he arrived, he stood in front of her, his gaze icy. Why are you here? he asked sternly. She was lucky he didn't rip the other side of her face off for her betrayal.

she gave the old comrade a sleazy smile. "hvell hvell, look who ve hav here." her speech was now a slurred thing, but that was fine, that was alright, it wasn't the tongue she most often used to communicate after all.

she stood with her flank facing the wolf, the smile everpresent.

"i've come hak from hai vacation." she tilted her head as to better show her now permanently bared teeth. "do you like hai sou'enirs?"

When Towhee came across Kallik in a standoff at the borders, she froze and did a double take. What the fuck was that? Craning forward and squinting, she tried to make sense of what she was seeing and could only come up with one word: abomination.

Wasting no time after that, the Praefectus raised her voice to call all of Mereo to report the mutant deer at the borders. They needed reinforcements if they were going to hunt and eat this… thing.

He wasn't far either.

When Glaukos came upon the scene it was to witness Kallik confronting someone he'd forgotten about almost entirely; but that face, now made even uglier, made him immediately slow down and force a grin. It wasn't a look of pleasure that shot across the young man's features - a trick to stop himself from puking that he'd learned as a child. Did you know that a full-toothed grin will suppress your gag reflex? Glaukos knows.

After forcing himself to remain composed, he lurched in to view and circled around Diesel's opposite side - whichever had the lesser damage - and looked between the deserter and his fellow soldier, waiting for orders. There was only one proper course of action that he could see; but Glaukos would defer to Kallik since he was first on the scene.

Somewhere off in the distance was Towhee's rising caterwaul.

Kallik was so not in the mood for her bullshit. He needed Mereo to be safe for his children and any other children that would be born here. Who knew what kind of trouble she might have led here. She hadn't even spared one thought to what her reappearance here might mean. 

Glaukos appeared and circled around to the mutant's other side. Kallik's fury grew. They should just take care of her right now. He needed to protect Mereo. 

He heard Towhee call from behind him and that was the final spark to ignite the fire in his veins. He lunged for the careless woman, teeth seeking her throat if he could even reach it. He wasn't worried regardless because he knew his fellow soldiers were there to back him up.

Mutant. . .deer?

Killdeer came on scene at his grandmother's summons, and it was clear that something was going down. But that didn't look like any deer he knew. Not even a mutant one.

Still, being the newbie, he was eager to do whatever it took: protecc, attacc, you know.

He began to close in upon the mangled canid with the others, taking his place at Towhee's side and moving menacingly in that direction.

feel free to skip, PP him following whatever orders!

"diesel."

the eagle's voice cut through the voices and through the bodies which had gathered. he paced between them with the expectation that he would be heeded.

kallik was already leaping. towhee seemed ready to do the same. "enough!" came the man's raised voice.

germanicus moved to end the beginning conflict with a growl and a lash of his tail.

she was already wounded. why they moved to brutalize her at the border was not something he understood. she had been one of them and for that reason alone he would hear her.

the imperator studied her impassively. she had been lacerated before and now her face was barely recognizable.

she had been gone a long time and germanicus wondered if this had been the reason. "perhaps after you tell me how you came by these new injuries, you might explain why you departed at all for so many weeks."

the thoughts were correct. she was a deserter. he wanted to know why before his judgement was passed.

amazing how quickly things could go tits up.

at once there was another wolf, some old bat howling like a trumpeteer, and then there came dear old shitface looking as disgusted as ever (she had to admit, she loved that) and then there was another and then teeth flashed white and her former barrackmates lunged at her throat.

well, so much for a warm welcome.

there was a moment where fear and memory seized her and it was what allowed kallik to come too close. his teeth caught the chain collar about her neck, the damned thing finally showing some use, and diesel jerked back and into the bearlike glaukos. she twisted, now both lips curled to defend herself (and she would enjoy spreading her spit over his stupid fucking snout) when a voice commanding so much respect that jesus himself would stand at attention cut trough the racket.

it was the boss.

some part of her wished to show the same old defiance and rowdiness she had back when those whose piss hers mixed with didn't try to tear her innards out, but even her dull wit had its edges. she was at once rigid in her whole body, because enemy fangs were still awfully near her, but her head and tail were bent at a slight angle, hazel eyes staring at the imperator from the slick goo of her whites.

he wished to know who tore her a new one. 

she would tell him.

"shame cunt who did ee in the hirst time." she spat. "big ayt eetch. oolfess. all shcars. had hoyfriend eeth her thish taim."

diesel's head lowered further. "ash for hai i left..." and then came the lie she had been constructing over the past few weeks, and it was an awful taxing job. "... hvell, a girl hash her yearly time." she managed a sleazy smirk.

Others quickly appeared and moved toward the abomination. Towhee began to close rank herself, gulping a little when Killdeer flanked her. She knew he was pretty much a grownup now, with the same expectations as any other soldier, but it was still a little hard for her to see her beloved grandson headed into a risky combat and/or hunting situation.

Right around the time Kallik lunged at the strange ungulate, Germanicus strode onto the scene with all the airs his title afforded him. Towhee did not hear his command, though she could read it in his stance. She halted, throwing out her good foreleg for Killdeer to do the same out of pure reflex. Licking her lips, she watched Germanicus approach the strange creature, nothing about his bearing indicating a predator closing in on prey.

Her brows rose when she realized Germanicus was speaking with the mysterious beast. Towhee’s eyes fixed on its tail, realizing with a jolt that it was a canine of some sort. She had never seen anything like it, though the wounds to its face reminded her of Maegi’s leer. Now that she recognized her own kind, Towhee could only think something along the lines of, Uncanny valley…

From this angle and distance, she had no hope of following what was being said. Hell, as she continued staring at the weird “wolf’s” mangled lips, she realized she probably wouldn’t be able to follow even if she was only inches away. That might’ve been the case even before someone or something had evidently turned its face into ground beef.

Towhee drew in a deep breath and peered around at the others, legs still braced where she stood watchfully. She had no idea that this was Diesel and that she was informing Germanicus of her estrus. But it was like some strange cue. The scent of it wove into her nostrils—not Diesel’s heat but hers. She inhaled sharply as she felt her own blood on her leg.

Wow, she’d really just started her period in front of half of Mereo. And her grandson. And this weird steak.

The mutant still had the strange object around her neck, maybe for this very reason; the object caught his teeth painfully and blocked him from tearing into her flesh. The distraction allowed Diesel to pull back and drag the hard thing across his teeth, pulling a snarl from the scutarius. She hit Glaukos and Kallik was about to lunge forward again, but the imperator's command made him freeze.

He spat blood on the ground and turned to watch Germaicus approach the group. He would hold back for now, but he refused to move from the imperator's side should the order be given to continue his attack.

The maimed woman explained that she left because she was in heat, which he thought was a convenient excuse given there was no way to really prove that. As for who had given her the new injuries, the soldier was having a difficult time understanding that part with her strangely slurred speech. 

Then he smelled blood, and not his own that still dripped from his mouth. He turned and saw Towhee just as the familiar scent reached his nose. It stirred his instincts but his love for Aquene overrode everything the way only love could. He pushed the urges away, never wanting to feel those things for the praefectus ever again. 

He wished Killdeer would take her away from the group now, or her husband maybe. Anyone, so that he could properly focus again. 

He looked away and to the imperator, awaiting his instruction. Kallik was very glad he was not the one in charge here.

diesel was near unintelligible. but germanicus was patient and took the time to parse her words. a large scarred white wolfess had done this. there was one individual who fit that description. he filed it away. kallik waited tensely. glaukos glowered. killdeer seemed on edge.

what snapped at the edge of his attention at once was the sudden responsiveness of towhee's body to the air and to those gathered around. he too was a married man and not one prone to distraction but her nearness made it difficult.

"thank you, praefectus. you may be excused and i will update you with my decision." it was sorry for mereo to lose its second cohort so soon. but as with all else, he had expected it and planned for it. he fixed his yellow eyes upon her for a moment with an implacable expression.

for the good of their focus she must depart now. but not the soldiers, including killdeer. they would stay and be part of this scene.

that she was the only woman among them aside from diesel was unfortunate, especially when aquene had already alluded to his inherent disparity of thought between the sexes. such things were beyond her control, but the ardency surely already rising in the others would tense this situation more.

germanicus turned back to diesel. "where were you attacked?" if this was the same wolf, then he would know it.

diesel's attention was squarely upon the big kahuna, her sleazy smile melting off her lips (what remained of them) with the speed of summer snow. with one word he could have every fang in the vicinity piercing her throat, and she intended to not give him a reason to command so.

(at least not until she put some distance between herself and mereo)

the sweet, enticing scent of heat was like a sugar cube in a bowl of shit. the mastiff briefly eased her rigidness as to look over the boss's shoulder and give the offender an expression that would read as a disappointed "really?" in any language known to canid. 

well, expect that the mangled muzzle might've given her a particularly thick accent.

the imperator's attention was back upon her, and diesel stiffened again, head low, tail low, doing as much as her stupid fucking stick-it-to-the-man attitude would permit her to without betraying what she stood for (she, herself and her freedom). she'd never grovel before the big grey daddy-o of mereo. she had decided that even before the sunspires were on the horizon.

he wanted to know where she was torn a new one.

"hvell ain't it ooious, hai fash-" she began, then realised he meant where as in the geographical location, not which bit the clorox-colored bitch bit off. 

she went quiet and slack-jawed a moment, irises in corners, rewinding her journey back to late winter. drool flowed freely.

eventually she focused back on the boss, licking away the built-up saliva.

"i don't know itsh na'ee, oot there'sh another 'auntain chain hen you crosh the hlatnends. there wash a ravine, full of 'ounsh. ree'ains. and a foresht, 'ery closh. i think.." he brows knit with immense braining. "i think the chreesh there 'ere e'ergreen, 'eecause they had needle lee's."

Towhee began to back away slowly, shaking her head if Killdeer happened to glance her way. She needed to get the hell out of dodge before her downstairs brain decided it was a good idea to ask her fellow soldiers to run a train on her. Last year, the symptoms had been noticeable but mild and she hoped the same could be said this time around. But she couldn’t be sure, so she needed to skedaddle.

Germanicus made a point to catch her eye before addressing the elephant in the room (the one besides Diesel). Towhee could only dip her head and obey, hating to leave Killdeer by himself in this situation. But it didn’t appear too dangerous and the other soldiers were there where his grandmother couldn’t be.

With one last look at the crinkly beast at the center of attention—at least, until Towhee’s hot sauce entered the chat—she loped back toward the married housing, raising her voice to request her mate’s presence at The Maxhee Pad.

Kallik was relieved to hear the imperator dismiss Towhee. He knew it wasn't her fault but she was a distraction they couldn't afford right now. 

His full attention was on Diesel now as he tried to make out her words. Her first answer earned her an impatient look from the scutarius. She seemed to understand her mistake a second later, thankfully. Try as he might, he could only understand about half of the words in her description. Something about another chain of mountains. There was a ravine and a forest with pine needles. That didn't narrow things down much, other than it happened somewhere around the mountains to the west of here.

Maybe the imperator could decipher more than he had. Kallik looked to him briefly before fixing his shrewd gaze on the deserter. He wished Germanicus would make his decision already.

it was a difficult decision to make.

the more that he untangled diesel's speech, the greater the depths of her information. she had perhaps given nyra's direct location and strength. it would be nothing to take a patrol and end the woman once and for all. 

what festered in him was the dog's smugness and admission to having departed during her heat.

it was not something germanicus would ever suffer. but still he could not keep his mind from coldly pondering what foolishness would lead a woman in season away from her pack if she was not intended to be mated.

kallik was still stiff beside him. glaukos continued his stony silence.

"are you pregnant?" the tactician asked. he sought a moment's more time and considered all angles in his mind.

you couldn't slice the tension with a chainsaw.

the imperator had only one more question left for her. diesel's thoughts raced, faster than ever before in her life.

the truth was that she hadn't had her heat. in fact, she hadn't had it ever. her mama explained it was normal for their fine breed, and diesel didn't exactly look forward to it. she saw what it did to older chicks, and the sad gifts it left them with after all was barked and done.

she very much wasn't pregnant; but would the truth or a lie be better in this situation? they were pretty uptight folk, these mereons. merenii. mereas. assholes. the breeding rules were strict from the start, but they showed a soft, malleable side when they lifted the restrictions and allowed non-combatants into their midst. germanicus did, although even diesel suspected it was his old wife whispering into his ear.

so. would they show some chivalrous side and let a pregnant bitch in, or would they chase her off to birth her non-existent litter in the wilds, as punishment for nonconsensual procreation? alternatively, would speaking the truth allow her in the big boys club, or would she lose the other lip too?

her face had gone blank with intense brainage.

the train of thought having finally slammed into its destination, the mastiff shook her head. it was done to mix her mindmush into shape, not as an answer. she'd decided on her course of action.

"...yeah." she affirmed with a slow nod, as if it pained her to confirm. 

"in 'aht," a brilliant idea came to her. "it 'aash the 'oolf oo 'aash 'eeth the shcar'achd 'oolfess. 'eeg 'ashtard. giant. i..." she hesitated. her head bent, as if in shame. "i wash no 'aatch 'or heeh. he..." pause. "he took 'ee." that was the fancyperson word for having been raped, right?

her face hidden from view, diesel gnawed on her lip. fuck, if this wasn't embarrassing to lie about. she'd never let a guy stick it in without permission. he'd be cockless before he finished.

The imperator had more questions apparently. He was thorough, but he supposed it was warranted. Besides, Kallik was curious to know if she had gotten herself pregnant as well. 

When she confirmed that she was, the scutarius felt anger first. She broke the rules (which was rich coming from him), and now she was here with her fatherless children, presumably wanting to be allowed back into the safety of Mereo. He couldn't help but think of his and the imperator's children, Arsenio's future children. Apparently Towhee and Maxim's now. It would take resources from all of their pups, and that didn't sit right with Kallik. 

She continued her story, and stated that she had been forced by someone. Whatever the description she gave, he couldn't understand the words. This complicated things though. Why hadn't she just stayed in Mereo where this could have been avoided? He wasn't sure they could turn her away, not in good conscience. 

He was at a loss for how to even process this news, so he waited for the imperator's next words.

Just a quick reply with Glaukos since I've left him hanging a bit in the background -- feel free to pp him watching/leaving at any point too.

The boss showed up promptly and thus began the discussion over Diesel's status; whether they were still considered a soldier, a mother, a civilian, or soon to be roadkill. Glaukos didn't care for the conversation and eyed Kallik, very much on the same page as his fellow scutarius.

Towhee seemed just as baffled as she arrived. Glaukos' focus was drawn hastily towards her as he noticed the strength of her scent, and when Germanicus instructed that she depart again, his eyes followed her. If he hadn't been so well disciplined by his earlier training then Glaukos might have dropped away from the group to chase after her - there was a tension to his body as he watched her go.

A few minutes later, as the air cleared, Glaukos refocused as best he could. He was on-edge now; more so than before, anyway. Prowling in the periphery of those gathered and waiting for the inevitable order to seek and destroy.

germanicus in his great rein of control was not perceptibly moved by diesel's laborious explanation of her time outside mereo. it seemed that nyra's man had forced himself upon the auxillia.

and now he knew the location of her nest.

germanicus wished to banish diesel and it would have gone without saying had she merely fallen pregnant due to her own choice to leave the canyon. 

but the circumstances had changed. "diesel. you are formally stripped of your rank as a soldier. you will go to see lady aquene — now. your continued presence in mereo is probative. and if you are to deliver children, they will not be born here."

it was unfortunate, but his mind tended toward a culling rather than suffering the spawn of a rapist to exist inside his packland. those ones carried a bad seed within them.

the imperator's voice was somewhat softer now. "i am sorry this has happened. it is greatly unfair. but you have brought mereo a good deal of information upon our enemies, and for that i thank you."

she hated to admit it, but she waited with bated breath for the imperator's final verdict.

come on, fucker, show me the door, diesel dared him in her brain, teeth bared in defiance only within it.

he didn't do it.

she let out a husky breath as the boss merely demoted her, making it pretty obvious she was still part of the gang. he immediately followed it with an order to go see a lady... someone? the winding name rung no bells, and the mastiff did not connect the dots as to the purpose of that visit.

still, she found herself giving a stern nod, posture straightened, soldiery. drool, pooled from tension, freely flowed down her chin.

"leth 'ee 'orry a'ut the 'ai'esh." she assured him. diesel imagined it'd be quite easy to fake a miscarriage of an already fake litter.

then he gave his condolences about her imaginary rape. she blinked in confusion, but it easily and naturally morphed into shock at the guy-in-charge's open display of... softness?

damn. maybe she should lie about getting raped more.

"anything 'or 'ereo." the words came unplanned. diesel thought they fit.

the dogue de bordeaux would remain ignorant to the value of the intel she gave, only grateful to whatever pissed the rains above for letting her fill her belly and sleep undisturbed for at least a day.

she'll wing it from there.

diesel out <3

Kallik was not happy with the decision, but he kept that to himself while in front of Diesel. He could understand the difficulty of the situation and he didn't envy the imperator his position. The information she gave them about the Saints was valuable, though, and he thought that probably awarded her some leniency. Not much, though. 

At least she would be demoted. And the scutarius agreed that her pups should not be born in Mereo; they had enough of their own on the way, and he didn't think they should share resources with a deserter and her children, not at the expense of their own. 

Germanicus wanted her to see Aquene, and Kallik visibly tensed before getting his emotions under control. He didn't like the idea of the deserter being around his pregnant wife, but there wasn't much he could do about it seeing as she was the medicus. He would, however, follow the mutant and wait outside the tablinum while she was tended to. 

Kallik gave the imperator a stiff nod and then turned to follow Diesel; he assumed Germanicus would know why he trailed after the woman.

fading!

kallik's following was swift. diesel did not dissent.

germanicus watched them gravely and then looked to glaukos.
 
it was high time the great stone of a man was shaped into something more tactful.

"come with me. we will head into the north for a short while."

the eagle trotted off with glaukos at his side, mind managing several thoughts at once.