Redsand Canyon where habits have teeth and the words carry knives

Aquene mentioned the location of her den for reference, then the name of her apprentice. Malila, Towhee committed to memory. She smiled quietly at the reference to punishment. She was infinitely curious about what merited punishment around here and wondered if she might find out firsthand. Especially since she was new to the whole ethos around Mereo, it was entirely possible.

She hadn't actually meant for Aquene to regale her now, though when she launched into the descriptions, Towhee didn't stop her. She fixed her orange eyes on the woman's lips, digesting every word with rapt attention. She did not interrupt, though many questions rose in her mind as her new acquaintance covered what she knew of the Auxillia.

Was Diesel simply not like other wolves, or was she literally not a wolf? Was she a coyote then? Glaukos sounded a lot like what she knew of Kallik so far: he was silent and unfriendly. That wasn't how Aquene described Kallik, though. Towhee couldn't hear her fond tone, though the civilian only had good things to say about him. Guidance and patience might go a long way with him. What about Arsenio, though? Aquene made no mention of him.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit gleaned from Aquene's intel was that a wolf could be a soldier or a wife, not both. She found that really interesting, though ultimately irrelevant to herself. She might've entertained notions of bearing more pups someday, though she was still on the fence. And even if she did, she knew she would never again take a mate. That was a mistake Towhee Redhawk would only make once in her life, thank you very much.

"I'm going to make a point to meet everyone in Mereo," Towhee assured when Aquene was through. "Thank you for the intel. So, it's Arsenio, Kallik, Diesel and Glaukos..." she thought aloud, tail swishing. Yeah, she could see no reason not to assess all four of them, plus Aquene and Malila, for that matter. At least, she would spend as much time with the latter as they wanted, supposing the leaders supported that.

"Alright, Aquene, would you like to spar?" Towhee asked next, orange eyes sparking.