Redsand Canyon we're the flagship of peace and prosperity

His latest patrol was more of a hunt, and it took him to the northern reaches of the territory. Among the winding tunnels that Glaukos would avidly avoid, he had found the scent of foxes again. The last time that the'd killed one had been with @Kallik, and it had been far from here.

As he wasn't keen on venturing deep among the catacombs - nor capable of it really, given that the paths were tight and winding, and he was too large overall to try - Glaukos kept to the larger tunnel mouths. He made a few passes between them and marked the ground profusely, thinking the scent of wolf would drive the pests away.

The last thing Mereo needed was a sulk of foxes proliferating within their land. With their growing number of auxillia they had more mouths to feed, and the foxes would surely try to take whatever they could steal when the night came. Glaukos would not allow that.

glaukos and he were of the same mind.

germanicus had come to dispatch foxes. he felt their glossy pelts would make a fine gift for ruenna. the imperator was not romantic nor did he engage in bold shows of physical affection. but he had made such gestures before.

he liked to continue them.

he found glaukos among the winding. germanicus said nothing, only stepped toward the soldier, lowering muzzle to begin sussing out the den. "how many are there?" he asked, wondering how long the auxillary had been observing their guests.

Intent on going it alone, as he had for the entirety of his survival thus far, Glaukos was dismayed when the familiar silhouette of Germanicus made itself known. He chuffed lowly, watching the man drift nearer, and eased the tension from his shoulders some; he may have thought lowly of the man, but he was still the imperator.

I've spotted several adults and some of their children, he did not know the exact number, or the terms used for kits and vixens and the like. The boy was frowning at the tunnels that he could not reach, as that was where he'd most often spied upon the creatures. They were within my reach before and have since retreated deeper.

Glaukos did not want to make it known he was inept in any way, but he knew his limits when it came to the canyon walls, and the way they undulated too close for his own comfort. He would not be able to delve deeper to get the job done, or he'd be stuck.

More of them than us, I'd wager. That was his assumption; either that or he'd counted the same fox more than once, which was equally valid.

"it sounds as though you have hunted such beasts before," germanicus spoke, a hint of curiosity entering his tones. 

he did not comment further. his smaller frame fit more easily along the narrow tunnels and he followed the first to its end. there was only fox dung here. he marked over the place to keep himself apprised of where he was and went further, down the first twist of the path.

he saw small red legs churning. a fox ran toward him and slipped past the imperator.

he snapped, driving it back down the corridor toward glaukos.

With Kallik. Glaukos answered. It wasn't much experience. He knew they were small and fast, which is why he had not gone in after them himself. Besides the canyon walls being the antithesis of inviting or accommodating, it was an action that didn't utilize his skillset.

Germanicus appeared unbothered. The general set about following the path and made his way, so Glaukos followed. When a red spriggan leapt and dashed around the wolf, that put it in line with the boy, who reached with a lunge and caught the thing tightly by the neck.

It was dispatched with a thrash.

they worked this way. one by one germanicus routed the foxes. they ran beneath his legs, along the wall, their tails bobbing under his chest and chin.

he had found the den, a small archway between two narrow walls. he hesitated. the place was restrictive even for him.

he pushed his shoulders there. red dust feathered down upon his hackles. the imperator reached into the den.

there was the shrieking of young foxes and then nothing.

Some were sly even for Glaukos, who snapped at the heels of children and shook the life from their mothers; but the smallest ones were often too quick, others too stupid or shocked, and one by one he dispatched them. Any that remained would be motherless and would no doubt starve.

That left only the smallest: those who were trapped in their den, upon which Germanicus descended. The noise of their deathly chorus was hard to hear even to Glaukos, who found it familiar but could not place why. It carried up the red-walls and filled the corridors until the final moment, where silence reigned.

the imperator shifted himself. he drew roughly away from the walls and turned in the tight space.

germanicus' jaws dripped with blood. it had smeared across his chest.

he grunted in approval to see the pile of dead foxes. "we will take them to the common area. after that, take one of them and make markings down the canyon. it will be a message."

germanicus meant to take the largest fox for himself, maybe the second as well. for now he only picked up as many foxes as he could carry and turned his gait toward the housing.

The sight of Germanicus swathed in blood reminded Glaukos of Merrick, the bear-man's children, and the blood they shed together. In his mind he saw Germanicus standing there but also a giant black wolf who would tower over him - both in tandem, superimposed, for not even a full second.

As soon as he blinked the image was gone.

The man was talking. Gathering bodies, choosing the larger and cleaner ones for himself. Glaukos could handle carrying many of the others himself but it would still be two, maybe three trips for the lot of them.

He was silent as he followed, jarred by what he had seen - thought he'd seen; remembered? It was meaningless.

glaukos was silent and germanicus was thankful not to speak.

he dutifully made as many trips to and fro as was necessary. on the last, they would return to tamar standing above the foxes. she was stricken but resolute.

"take yours," he told glaukos, slinging the two he himself had chosen over his shoulders. he would skin them and do what he could with the hides. 

a nod to the plebian wife and then he was headed away from them both.

Glaukos was worn out by the end of it all. The hunt had gone well; it was the ferrying of little corpses that became a struggle. He was tired of trailing back and forth across the territory to get the work done, so when it was complete he was happy to be finished. He needed no pelt for himself, either.

When the Imperator departed Glaukos watched with a weary gaze, clearly needing a rest but not quite finished. Tamar was there; she looked how he felt, perhaps a touch put-off by how morbid the pile had become. Flies buzzed around some of the bloodier kits, and more than one vixen was crushed in a way that would make the pelt's recovery too much of a hassle.

The best had gone with Germanicus. Glaukos could have chosen for himself too, and moved as if to do that; then at the last moment, piled those bodies to the side and decided, no, he wasn't after a reward. He wanted to wash the fox stink from his body.

With a brief glance to Tamar, he left.