The Sunspire All these lost halos wash away

What is Akashingo? The boy asked over one shoulder, to @Germanicus, who prowled the prickled hillside. He had not seen many others during the heat of battle, but his own eyes were fixed upon the bear-wolves, their rage, and the blood that was shed, before he had run and saved himself from turmoil.

He was curious, and it made sense to know who it was he — Glaukos now — served.

"it is the mesa west of us. pharaoh ramesses and queen satsu rule there."

glaukos. it was the name that his large young companion had given.

germanicus gestured at the empty stone walls of the canyon. "you know this place. show me the the paths to leave." the exits were integral. if the saints regrouped they might well return. he wanted to be ready for this possibility.

He did not know what a Pharaoh was. A Queen, maybe. He took the information with care and pocketed it in the back of his mind; it might come in handy later. Their names were unlike others he had heard.

The order that came earned a dull grunt of acknowledgement, but Glaukos took the lead and trundled along afterward, showing the elder one path or another, a series of hollows in the rock, and such things that might be tactically of value.

Why did they fight? It had occurred to him that Nyra might have done something to instigate it. She had returned to the canyon proclaiming such things, but at the time Glaukos did not heed her well. Then he had found Aventus, heard of the death of Astara — but that was Ursus, not Akashingo.

What reason did they have to join forces?

"the saints sent them to build an outpost. when pharaoh had what he wanted, he broke free of the saints. nyra saw this as a betrayal. it was. but anyone who looks upon that man knows he is not to be trusted."

he did not care that ramesses might hear his words. it was an old bitterness between their worlds.

"akashingo is not a place of war. it is one of pleasure."

To Glaukos there was no difference between war and pleasure. He had only known struggle throughout his lifetime. What was pleasure to him?

It sounded like a different place. One that he would fail to truly comprehend without a visit — but equally so, Glaukos had no desire to see this mesa or meet the royals ruling over it.

They were strong enough to face the Saints and live, The boy went on to reason aloud; he did not know that the Saints had greatly changed before his arrival to them, and even as he spoke these words he scoffed.

Then again, even I could have ousted Nyra if all it took was a few bared fangs. Said the boy who had seen war and run from it.

germanicus snorted a laugh. "you are unwise to disrespect her. she ran from battle. but she killed twice before that. she has seen war and she is willing to act maliciously. she is therefore unpredictable."

he gazed at the hard-packed earth of a trail wending up one side of the canyon. "if you remain with me, glaukos, i must tell you the rules for remaining here."

The boy was silent as he made his way, pausing over a scratch in the earth that carried a sour smell, but this turned out to be nothing. He raised his head, turning his ears to listen to the man speaking; something about rules. His attention was now focused on Germanicus, though he said nothing it was clear he was paying attention.

"firstly, i am your imperator. you will do as i say. my word is final."

he searched the boy's face. 

"i am not a war-monger. i do not seek battle. you may trust these things of me."

there was a flick of his ears.

"it is my expectation that you guard this canyon diligently. that you do not stray."

there was a pause. 

"you will honor and respect those who may also join us. you will receive the same in kind. and lastly: i do not know your age, but surely you are close to being a man. i do not want children here. along with managing your anger and learning to redirect yourself, you will learn to control every impulse of your body. i do not suffer those who cannot curb themselves."

"this place will only succeed if there is cohesive work. you will be trained. you will be disciplined. you will be educated. and above all, you will be free. leave now if this framework is too rigid. i intend to enforce it."

There was little to no resistance within Glaukos as the rules were relayed to him. They were not so different from that of the Saints: obedience was key, strength was honored, and the canyon was to be guarded.

Where it diverged from what Glaukos knew to be right, he only listened. The elder watched him and the boy did not like to be watched, yet he remained attentive and thoughtful as all was outlined to him.

Germanicus spoke of things that Nyra had tried to teach: self-control, redirection, the focus of one impulse over another. Ultimately the warrior sought control over his subjects and Glaukos lived in such a way already — always under heel of someone, at their beck and call, upholding their ideals as he lacked his own.

What the man asked for was discipline.

The boy let the silence come between them as he stood there, thoughtful, digesting what had been shared. He dipped his head towards the soil soon after and continued to patrol the path; leading Germanicus onward, as if his decision had been made already.

Glaukos could become these things Germanicus asked for.

their contract seemed to be bonded now.

"this place is called mereo," he decided. "and you are its first auxillary." he did not think that glaukos would find pleasure in this.

it would not be a place of pleasantries. already he saw the rough edges of the boy. 

he thought of crowfeather and pressed on alongside glaukos. 

"choose a den for yourself," the eagle instructed next.

I sleep where I drop for the night. He answers sharply, refuting this first order given to him as an auxillary from his general. Quills rising over his shoulders.

If he had true freedom he would be able to enforce at least this much. Glaukos would never again sequester himself in such a tight space as a den, not when it reminded him so vehemently of the crevasse upon Moonglow's cliffside.

Prowling on, shoulders tense but easing in their expression as the fur smoothed, Glaukos looked along the ridge of copper rocks. If the night is cold I will endure it. Better that than crawling in the dirt.

as imperator germanicus could enforce any order.

but he knew to choose his battles. fighting with glaukos over a den was not a conflict he would endure.

"you will learn to sleep close to others." it was not a request. "a cohort of men must trust one another, and that is also while they are not awake."

"nyra has given you some training." another observation.

It seemed a battle would be had between them, though not now. Perhaps once the general had more reason to fight. Glaukos was pleased with his temporary win; he took the words as a teenager would take any instruction from those with experience in the matter: with a bored cant of his muzzle.

The mention of Nyra brought alertness to him again. A shoulder rolled in a shrug. Yes, what of it?

the eagle stepped away some twenty paces and then turned to face glaukos.

"come at me again. as you did before. control your snap."

it would be both a spar and a demonstration.

germanicus waited, balanced upon his paws. the boy was like a boulder. but such things only rolled in a single direction.

This new order redirected his interest in the paths of the canyon. He looked to the elder man now, slowly squaring his body towards him as he thought over the statement.

A spar? He wished for a fight? As Glaukos moved in to position he gave ample time for the man to recant the order, yet that did not happen.

His head lowered slightly, in case this was a trick to teach him some manners for his distracted behavior, or to bring him true harm. He did not fully trust this man yet.

In another breath Glaukos was moving towards Germanicus with his heavy stride. The incline of stone added further momentum to his progress and yes, like a stone gathering speed, Glaukos hastily closed the distance and lunged.

germanicus was ready for it. 

glaukos gave much time to prepare. his step was heavy and the swiftness he gathered might have crushed a lesser man.

the eagle held fast until the moment was crucial. he side-stepped and struck the boy in the side of the neck, where the pulse met the shoulder.

"you are larger than i. you will have the advantage of size against your opponents. do not burn away your speed at once. reserve it for when you are closer."

if glaukos was not coming for him a second time, germanicus would nod, positioning himself to the left. 

"again."

He moved efficiently for the space, having spent enough time within the canyon to know how to manage himself; though he was indeed large and oftentimes too burdened by his own momentum, such as in this moment.

The man stepped around him and struck out, landing a decisive blow to Glaukos' neck that made him gag, and also to twist, nearly toppling him as he made to counter against the pain of it. As he skidded in the dirt and caught himself, Glaukos glared at the man.

Again.

Incensed, Glaukos adjusted his weight and lightly shook the dirt from his shoulders, but did not take long — and again, was charging for Germanicus. This time he had to fight gravity uphill and was slower as a result. The boy aimed to grab the man by the neck or clip his silvered jaw with his teeth.

germanicus saw the snap for his neck. this time he did not evade the attack.

the tactician turned the full force of his shoulder into it, a longshield snapping into formation.

a tuft of his own fur floated in the air. the bruise spread through the hard muscles of his upper body. the younger man was far more built for the motion of a battering ram. germanicus held fast at their impact and cut his teeth upward.

Feeling confident as he neared the man, Glaukos all but grinned through his teeth as they parted and as he sought to grab the man's face, he was surprised by the twist of his old body and the sudden, abrupt, painful eruption of a shoulder against his own chin. It clipped him hard and forced his mouth closed across empty air. The boy very nearly bit his own tongue with how sharp that closure was; he would feel the strain of this in the next few days throughout his jaw and neck.

With a snarl of frustration Glaukos pivoted on his heel and pushed off the earth at a strange angle, driving himself again towards Germanicus without heeding how the elder had repositioned himself. There was a thrust of something against his own throat as Germanicus' teeth cut upward through the air and his grizzled muzzle slammed against the side of Glaukos' neck.

The boy had to relent in that moment, sputtering for breath, spitting dryly as he twisted away and punched at the earth, tail straight-out and whipping.

he watched the boy shift and spit.

"when your mind is angry, your body will follow. you will lose your battles. you may land your strike, boy. but anger removes your preparation."

he stood back. a wave of his steelgilt tail told glaukos that their spar was at an end.

"you are quite powerful. but you must learn not to react."

he drew closer. his yellow eyes watched the young auxilia. 

"calm yourself. breathe in through your mouth. out through your nostrils. do this before every spar or battle."

What sort of spar was this? The man did not descend upon him to pin him down. He did not strike to draw more blood, or seek him out when there came a moment of quiet. A wave of the tail denoted the end of it rather than the snapping of teeth.

Glaukos was left feeling unfulfilled. Frustrated. Sore as well, but that he could manage. The feelings that arose within him were new and petty things he had no use for.

He was snorting piggishly and flashing his teeth while the man spoke his advice, refusing to do as he was told, while his heart hammered and soon enough his aching muscles were stiff and dead-feeling; he paced, grimacing, until the feelings abated and he could breathe, but it took longer.

If I do not react I will be killed. He states when he can talk again, pointing out what he thinks is a flaw in the elder's logic. For too long Glaukos had been targeted by others and made afraid, unable to defend himself. Now that he was capable this fool wanted him to hold back? It was wrong.

"if you react too swiftly you will be slain also."

germanicus crossed to stand more squarely before glaukos.

"a reaction happens in two parts. first the mind and then the body. you must learn to react first in the mind and then in the body."

the eagle was quiet. he studied the auxillary.

The boy's grimace lifted for a moment.

He understood but disliked that he needed to be taught this. He disliked losing, and above all, he was confused by the lackluster response from the older man. In place of physical abuse there was only conversation and Glaukos attributed these unmet expectations to the unspoken fact that Glaukos was, somehow, stronger and better than the grizzled veteran. That was what he committed to memory here; that was his lesson, wrongly interpreted as it may be.

As such, the elder's look was met with irreverence.

I'll get you next time.

Glaukos coughs the words, and pulls away. He won't give the man the satisfaction of teaching him anything and equally so, reserved a sense of superiority for himself, whisking his tail at his hocks as if he's somehow victorious after-the-fact, despite the results.

germanicus did not answer. "find a den. keep it in order. these will be your barracks, and i will inspect them each morning."

it was not a request. if glaukos did not mean to learn one lesson, the eagle would give another.

a curt nod was the large boy's dismissal. germanicus kept his yellow eyes trained upon the other wolf, expectant that his order would be heeded.

Taking this order as a dismissal, Glaukos huffed, but dispersed from where he had been standing and glaring at Germanicus. He'd appear to be focused on this new goal but once distance was made, return to sulking and roaming the canyon to his own ends. The lesson that had been granted to Glaukos left a few bruises behind, as well as a seething sort of frustration.