Redsand Canyon i will make myself steel

a fine mist colors the morning in drab shades of grey and haunting opalescent whites. it is cold; but not cold enough to freeze and a layer of moisture clings to mulberry's back as she follows the familiar path towards home.

only to find as she draws nearer to redsand canyon that it is occupied: the scents of wolves clinging to it and growing stronger with each mile she travels towards; unfamiliar.

the saints? she doubts it. there is not a single scent that she finds familiar as she stops; leaving a respectful distance between their scent markers and herself. dull gold gaze scans the red rock of the canyon ...just beyond her reach with a yearning.

even if the saints no longer lingered here, the canyon spoke to her in a way she could not put into words; could not truly examine. the bone deep desire to tread the sands of the canyon once more made up her mind for her; her head tipping back to let out a howl, alerting guardians and leaders that she was there.

tagging @germanicus and / or @ruenna

mereo was becoming a place of more activity.

he left off overseeing a spar in the training ground to attend the call. his yellowpaint eyes settled on the girl at the redsand borders.

it was his immediate response to refuse her. germanicus was already aware of malila's great youth and inability to yet fit into his ranks. this child was younger.

"this is mereo. i am the imperator. why have you called?" the eagle asked.

her eyes reminded him of crowfeather. he kept himself locked in the present.

it does not take long for someone to approach; cloaked in silver-grey, reddish accents and a gaze of soft gold — not terribly unlike her own. remembering herself, mulberry lowers her chin in soft submission, her posture neutral despite it. she defers to him here, calling this place mereo and naming himself as it's imperator.

the word might not mean anything to her but the way he speaks it inflicts importance.

for a heartbeat, mulberry considers her response. the saints had a soiled reputation before she'd left with her mother and brother; chasing the ghosting disappearance of her father. though from what she remembered, they had taken great pride in being the scourge of the wilds.

this canyon used to be my home, mulberry answers; ears fluttering back to rest at half mast atop her skull. i was hoping it may be again. she could assimilate herself into whatever shape this pack took, she is confident — if this imperator saw fit to take her in, that was.

three young wolves had come to mereo in the same time frame. this one spoke of how she had once lived in the canyon. 

there was only one set of wolves that had resided here to his knowledge and their name was not well favoured by mereo. "who was your pack before this?" germanicus inquired.

their interview could not begin properly until he ascertained her appearance and what it meant for mereo. the imperator remained quiet now, stern despite his inner approval of her submission.

as arlette liked to remind mulberry during the bulk of her childhood — honestly was the best policy, even if it did not turn out favorably for her. how arlette had fallen in among the saints, where she did not seem to have the same sort of savageness of them was a mystery that mulberry had never sought to investigate. if the imperator did not know of her past affiliation with the saints: he no doubt suspected; or so she assumes.

the saints, mulberry replies. but only because i was born to them. my mother had never really fit in and that one was one of the reasons we'd left them. derg's continued absence being the primary part of it.

her mother was soft downy feathers; a ray of kindness despite the scars that marred her face. a very odd tune to be singing in the midst of the wolves of the dying light.

i have no affliction or contact with them now. i only been back in the wilds for a few days. although, the fact that she was at redsand canyon might seem suspicious, she realizes. i came back to the canyon because i had planned to make my home here, whether or not it was occupied by the saints or not. although, to the best of her knowledge, when arlette, thyme and her had left it had been teetering on the edge of ruin to begin with. their boisterous reputation and lack of soldiers to back it up, in mulberry's mind, no doubt played a role.

the saints.

germanicus listened. he found it a credit to the girl that she spoke honestly. she mentioned her mother and no affiliation to the saints.

the eagle was a tactician first. "a day ago, two wolves your age came to my border. one had mismatched eyes and spotting. the other brindled with dark red eyes. i believe they were brothers. the striped one called himself malacath. they were your age, i believe. do you know these faces?"

the imperator's posture had slightly relaxed. she was only a young girl. and she wanted to return to a place that was familiar. it was the task for germanicus to decide whether or not this familiarity could be dangerous for the ones who now inhabited the canyon.

she is surprised to hear of the boys that the imperator spoke of; describing them in detail that brings to her mind their names. alduin and tulok, mulberry names them with a sage nod, recalling them by name and visage despite that she had never interacted with them much. nevertheless, they did not go unseen as sons of the grandmaster; and it was hard to mis-place them given the uniqueness of their appearances. they are kynareth's sons. he was the grandmaster of the saints.

she feels no sort of loyalty to what she believes is dead to keep up their secret little game; and in truth hadn't felt a particular kinship to the saints. she only remained due to her youth, arlette and because she'd hoped that derg would return.

she was old enough now: to take care of herself. to forge her own path, make her own decisions — and that is what mulberry intended to do.

alduin and tulok, son of a man whose name he did not recognize. the eagle gave a sharp nod. "tell me your name."

when she gave it, he went on.

"this is a military post. there are soldiers and there are plebians, commoners who must show talents necessary to mereo's cause. i am germanicus and my wife is lady ruenna. i oversee the soldiers and she does so for the plebians as the matrona."

he paused to ensure that the girl had digested this information before continuing: "what can you do?" she was still a girl but so was malila.

i am mulberry. she offers her name as prompted; a bit sheepish that she had not offered it sooner prior to being asked. nevertheless, she does not focus on that detail for long; tuning into how the imperator describes mereo. a military outpost. he details the ranks and then introduces himself and his absent wide, matrona ruenna, he calls her.

dull golden gaze focuses upon him; soft furrow of brow emphasizing that she was taking his words seriously. somehow, perhaps strangely, this pack reminds her of derg and a pang of longing for her father swells up like an unquelled tide.

mulberry swallows it back, afraid it might ( embarrassingly ) consume her.

i can hunt well enough, mulberry offers, adding after a heartbeat. but i'm eager to hone my fighting skills. my father ...he was a soldier. she does not mean to speak of him in a past tense but death is the only reason she would accept for derg's wordless abandonment; true or otherwise.

"and where is your mother now?" 

perhaps she might see him cold. but germanicus had gleaned much from their meeting.

first, her name. it was soft and did not fit the perception of the saints that he had gleaned from nyra. her mother had not been a soldier and therefore had not fit into the pack's aim for their pack. but she had not said this of her father. mulberry had said the opposite. 

the eagle chose to believe that her father had been a soldier fighting in the employ of the saints. it would have made him dangerous if germanicus had not gathered that he was dead.

"if you are allowed to stay, you will be taught to spar. and hunting is a skilled practice appreciated by this outpost. but the decision of your residence here is not only mine to make." he turned and led her along the borders, traveling in silence until they had come to an easier footpath. there he called for @Ruenna, standing tall along the gentle rise of red sand. 


mulberry would not gain entry if his wife did not agree.

When Ruenna approached, it was with a limp that was somewhat less pronounced than had been typical for her in the last few moons. Germanicus might notice that she seemed lighter, but of course the stranger would have no bar against which to measure. She would no doubt see Ruenna as everyone always saw her; disabled and a creature to be pitied. 

Ruenna met her husband's gaze with a lively air, a smile playing at the edges of her expression. She then turned to the young woman. "Hello. I'm the Lady Ruenna Caeso-Redsand, Matrona to Mereo." She kept her expression warm, but her heart sank as she took a good look at the girl and realized she had barely aged out of puphood. Why was she travelling all alone? Was she lost and seeking refuge?

permission given to skip & intro!

"lady ruenna. this is mulberry. her mother and her father were once part of the saints. her family experienced discord inside the saints and disconnected from them. her father has passed."

germanicus would have told ruenna of the two visitors to their border. "she tells me that the young men who arrived were beneath false pretenses, at least one of them. she has given me their names and their status."

the visitor from akashingo paled for a moment. 

this truly might be the moment for a far more dangerous spy.

he looked to his wife now. her step had been easier. he saw the brightness of her features and found himself intrigued despite the moment's potential grimness.

"Mulberry," Ruenna spoke to the girl, "I'm sorry about your father."  The heavy subject muted her lively mood, and sympathy weighed upon her face. 

The girl knew of the two other youths who had come upon their border. Ruenna met her husband's gaze for a long moment. Were they to believe that this was a coincidence? 

Hmm.

"She knew the boys from her time with the Saints," Ruenna guessed, connecting the dots. She sighed out a breath. Moving forward, they would have to assume that the Saints knew they were here. Ruenna turned back the the girl to regard her. "What brings you here now, Mulberry?" 

the imperator introduces her to his wife, the lady ruenna and mulberry dips her head in respect; feeling a small twinge of nervousness that had not taken root before hand. confidence was key, she knew, but beneath the judgement of both alpha's, her youth brings with it the first vestiges of insecurity. thank you. mulberry murmurs; brow furrowing in the mourning she feels, soaking up their kindness.

i did. they'd been born around the same time, after all. grown up together a little bit despite that mulberry had stuck closer to her brothers. the canyon, silly as that may sound. she speaks honestly, a bit sheepishly. i miss it. was that enough, though? the imperator, she motions towards germanicus. has mentioned it is a militaristic. i can hunt and i want to learn to fight. my father was a soldier. and mulberry feels that by learning his trade she can perhaps preserve his memory.

hunting was a useful skill and one imperative to mereo. she was not too young to join his soldiers, though as usual no quarter would be given due to her age. 

it was for this reason that germanicus felt she would be better suited to a plebian rank while she acclimated. but he would not deny mulberry the chance to surprise him.

after all, malila had joined his sparring.

she was young and considerate of her father's memory. "the saints are not gone. only scattered. do you believe you are in danger from them?"

Mulberry missed the canyon. It didn't sound silly at all, especially if this was a place that Mulberry remembered being happy with her father when he was alive. 

The girl's next words seem to indicate that she wished to stay in Mereo. This surprised Ruenna-- she had mentioned the death of her father, but nothing about the whereabouts of her mother. Wouldn't the girl rather stay with her mother, or in the absence of a mother, with family or other relations? That seemed easier on the psyche of a child than adjusting to a militaristic lifestyle surrounded by strangers. 

"You wish to stay here, as part of Mereo?" Ruenna clarified, "But what about your mother?" Germanicus added an additional question specifically about the threat of the saints. This was also a concern, but perhaps not as critical as the girl might think. The Saints already posed a danger to Mereo by virtue of their connection to Akashingo.

yes, mulberry responds to ruenna's first question: about staying in mereo. the question rises once more about her mother, realizing that she hadn't answered it the first time that the imperator had asked it. she is with my brother in a land far away from here, mulberry replies; unable to describe the foreign land they had ended up in for a time. i am old enough to make my own decisions. she says this softy; not defensively. a belief that her mother had instilled in her.

she did not answer. but she was young and perhaps had missed it. there were two wolves focused upon her now, both older and in positions of power.

germanicus could pose it again.

mulberry's assessment of her own decisions closed that chapter for the imperator. she was present. she wished to hunt. she wished to fight. 

all that remained was whether or not the girl could be trusted. he would wait for ruenna's answer before he spoke again, allowing his wife's reaction to be considered before his own.

The girl insisted she was old enough to make her own decisions. 

"Yes," Ruenna agreed thoughtfully. "I suppose you are." If Rue were Mulberry's mother, she knew what she would want for her child. She would want her daughter safe, and she would want her to be instructed in her areas of interest. Both were possible here in Mereo. 

Ruenna did want to touch briefly on Germanicus's point, as the child had neglected to answer him directly. "We are already allies of circumstance, Mulberry. We in Mereo have historically opposed the Saints. If you wish to fight for Mereo, be prepared to view your former packmates from the opposite side of the battlefield." Ruenna was still not sure if she quite believed that it was entirely coincidental, that the girl appeared so soon after the Saints had come sniffing at their border. Whatever her connection to the boys, and to the Saints, she needed to understand what she was signing herself up for here.

Assuming that did not change the girl's mind, Ruenna would accept her after a long moment of consideration. "I will take you into my ranks for now as a civilian, but I would like you to apply for entry to the auxilia-- the military ranks-- as soon as you feel settled. Speak with Germanicus when you are ready to be tested." If Mulberry agreed, and Germanicus had no objections to this outcome, Ruenna would then escort her to her quarters in the civilian apartments. 

With any luck, Mulberry would earn their trust and win her way into the auxilia quickly. Even if Mulberry failed her initial test, she would no doubt receive helpful feedback that would assist the Matrona in designing her instruction. If Mulberry was committed to making it into the auxilia, then Ruenna was committed to helping her get there.

mulberry feels the weight of her own mistakes as she realizes she had not answered, perhaps, the most important question asked of her when ruenna brings up the saints again. to learn that they are not gone but scattered, as the imperators words sink into her brain, do not bring with it any sort of joy or fear. she had not felt attached to her birth pack and having spent most of her time with her mother and brothers left mulberry with no ties beyond them.

no, i don't think i'm in danger from them. she doubted any of them would remember her, not having socialized much. if i am one of yours, i will fight the wolves of the saints. i mostly stuck with my mother and my siblings and father, the before getting stuck in her throat for a moment. i feel no attachment to whatever remains of the saints. and without derg, there had been no reason for their small family to stay. though mulberry wished they had relocated locally and not to some foreign and strange land that still fills her with feelings of unease and unnaturalness.

thank you. mulberry says, offering a sage nod. civilian for now and once settled, seek out the imperator for a test for the auxilia. in the meantime, she would work on getting settled and maybe see if she could practice a bit — unsure of what the test held and not wanting to make a complete fool out of herself.

they shared the same mind. germanicus was appreciative of the fact that he did not need to ask for ruenna to understand. she did so with a polished and inherent nature which left no doubt about her skills. 

often he felt that the matrona was a greater help to mereo than himself. he would often not have known how to speak with plebians were it not for her. he would not have known how to rule them. the way that they led suited him. 

his thoughts had begun to take a more sentimental turn than he had expected. the imperator nodded at lady ruenna and mulberry. 

he would watch them go for a moment before turning back to the sparring arena, ready to oversee another clash of fighters.

Ruenna gave the girl a small smile. "Welcome to Mereo, Mulberry. Come with me, and I'll show you to your dorm." Ruenna led the girl off to the plebian apartments, where she could choose a den to call home until the point at which Germanicus gave her permission to move to the barracks with the soldiers. 

Rue would describe Mereo's hierarchy to Mulberry and answer her questions, and she would also mention to her the other wolves of Mereo and their roles here. 

When they parted ways, Mulberry would be oriented to her new life with as much information as she needed in order to succeed. It would then be up to her to do the rest; hopefully she was prepared to put in the hard work it would take to join the auxilia as the youngest member to date.