Dawnlark Plains I'm so sorry. I thought you were the waiter.

Skagos' frosted blue eyes assessed her for a few seconds while she was distracted digging at the hole, presumably looking for something, noting that clumps of up-heaved earth and grass were scattered haphazardly through her brown fur. He was sure not to stare long, however, knowing his place in the world and in more importantly: in comparison to the female gender. There was a certain degree of gravity to her stare, not unlike like the stare of the Old Queen, how it pressed upon you though she did nothing but stare and examine. Skagos had always said that it felt like the Old Queen was slowly skinning males with her eyes, picking them apart, which probably wouldn't be far from the truth. After all, she made no secret to hide her particularly cruel habit of killing the males that sired her children after she affirmed the Gladiator's seed had taken within her womb. Why anyone would even volunteer to fight knowing that was their fate was beyond Skagos; and it wasn't as if he could just go and ask his father — her last partner why he'd taken to the arena for her. To have her? Skagos wasn't sure if it was worth the risk: to win but to lose your life? Especially when she would have only the best and legendary Gladiators to sire her daughters. Though it was true that according to blood and genetics the Old Queen was his mother (the term is used loosely) and so he could not see the appeal she held that might attract those not of her blood.

The earthen female's command was sharp, blunt and to the point. Used to this, Skagos didn't even flinch. “I have been sent by Queen Quetzalcoatl to seek the...,” Idiot joke of a prince; for a moment Skagos struggled with the words he wished to use knowing that likely the male he was partially sent to search for and share the news with wouldn't remember and likely wouldn't care. “prince,” The word was forced, harsh as it left Skagos' lips. The women were not alone in their disdain for his status, for many of the Gladiators felt the same. Of course only Five held any true affection for him, despite not being able to communicate with Tezcacoatl. Skagos happened to be one of the ones that shared the disdain. “and Manauia, or any of the other Garrison that the Gods have blessed Coatl's Rise. The Queen has given birth.” The specifics of the children he did not know, having left before he could find out as Quetzalcoatl had commanded him too; and while Skagos could not be sure she was of Coatl's Rise he told her anyway. There was no harm in trying to send some fresh blood to Quetzalcoatl if his sense of familiarity proved to be wrong, as far as he saw it.

“I am Skagos, second Doctore of the Rise's Gladiators and slaves, my lady.” Five mostly dealt with the children having a natural affinity for the young, though Skagos credited this to the fact that he was a father and he was eager to take the frightened boys under his wing, be the father he could never be to his own children. Even though he bore the rank of Doctore, Skagos still answered to Five, the senior Doctore; but both were still lower than the lowest ranking female. Their “leading” rank was only for the males and did not and would never apply to the females, as it should be, the gunmetal colored Gladiator thought. There was strength in their hierarchy and none of the males could complain that the Amazons weren't fair with them. Serving them, giving them strong daughters, it was an honor and what all of the Gladiators should strive for even though Skagos knew that was not always the case. They were weak and the weak were killed in the pits and arena; natural selection at it's finest.