Redsand Canyon Wilderland.

After completing a patrol, Towhee made her way toward Mereo’s housing. She approached the Common Area, which she thought of as the lobby or lounge. Her orange eyes scanned the area, seeing no one. If she did not cross paths with her by chance soon, the Redhawk intended to seek @Mulberry more directly.

In the meantime, she plopped to her hindquarters beside a drying skin and began to clean the dust from her between her toes. Every so often, she cast a sidelong glance at what she’d come to think of as the palazzo.

mulberry does not forget the promises she has made: to seek out the auxiliary ranks once she was settled. the canyon is familiar to her: though the ghosts of what once was linger in the shadows and the small dust devils as the wind brings up loose sand. despite that the canyon itself is familiar to her, mereo is not and she does not particularly rush to seek out germanicus for the testing. not yet, anyway.

the young plebian trudges thru the sand, steps faltering slightly when she comes across a woman. a stranger, older...but clearly one of her new packmates. hello. mulberry greets, offering a curious of a tilt of her head and amiable wave of her tail.

Were Germanicus and Ruenna inside right now, procuring the next generation of… Mereos? Mereoans? Mereorites? Towhee snorted in amusement at her own idiotic thoughts, orange gaze tearing away from the remote den when she sensed movement.

The youngster who approached her could’ve easily been her own child. Brushing off that thought, Towhee said, Are you Mulberry? I’ve been meaning to track you down. I’m Towhee, one of the Auxillia. Rue mentioned that you hope to join the soldiers’ ranks?

dull golden eyes takes in the other woman, noting the interesting coloration and patterns of her coat. it was unlike any she's seen before: and mulberry is struck by how pretty she is. acknowledging this feels mulberry with a sort of nervousness that she hasn't experienced before, and she tries to play it off; cool.

i am. she replies with a small, tentative smile. before mulberry can ask who's asking, the woman introduces herself as towhee. that's correct, mulberry concurs with a soft clear of her throat.

Mulberry succinctly confirmed her identity and intentions. Towhee mulled. How experienced was this youngster? The best way to find out was to spar with her, though she didn’t want to jump right into that, not with a child.

Have you had any training? Apprenticed under anyone? Basically, I need to get a feel for your background. The best way is to spar, but I wouldn’t mind a little getting-to-know-you first, she said, her manner admittedly a bit softer than it tended to be with the other, older mercenaries.

though mulberry takes time to contemplate towhee's questions, it is only because she is ashamed of the answers. they all had a big, fat resounding no, nada. to say that she hadn't really had time to train would be a lie. and if she was starting with a clean slate: would that deter towhee from helping to teach her? or was that better?

in lieu of not getting lost in that whirlpool of questions mulberry's expression turns sheepish. no training. i was never anyone's apprentice. she pauses for a beat, ears fluttering back to rest at half mast atop her skull. not sure if being a clean slate is a good thing or not. a nervous sort of laugh escapes her, hoping upon hopes that towhee didn't give her up as a lost cause.

Well, she was glad they hadn’t started with a spar. Her brow furrowed a little when Mulberry reported absolutely no experience whatsoever. What made her want to become a soldier then? It would be quite the task, not that the Redhawk wasn’t up to it. But first she needed to sort out whether Mulberry was cut out for it at all.

She didn’t address the implied question, instead asking pointedly, What makes you want to be a soldier?

it is the same question the leaders of mereo had asked her: why did she want to be a soldier? what was her driving motivation if she had no training? it is a valid question and one with an answer easy enough. because my father was a soldier, she tells towhee with a soft draw of breath into her lungs.

because it is the only way i know how to feel close to him. spoken in a quiet murmur of mourning.

It was a sentimental reason, which Towhee could understand, even if she wasn’t sure she was very impressed by it. She supposed only time would tell if Mulberry was up to the task she set before herself. Towhee could offer a lot in way of instruction, but there was only so much she could really do. The rest was up to Mulberry.

Before I start any kind of training regimen with you, I want to make sure you’re fit. Eat as much as you can handle and exercise frequently. I suggest doing patrols but running them rather than walking the routes. Then spending time working out in the sparring pit, even if it’s just more laps. You look to be in pretty good shape but everyone could stand to gain a little muscle, especially at your age.

Towhee paused thoughtfully before deciding to pursue another line of questioning. How old are you, anyway? Were you on your own before you arrived here? For how long? Where were you before that?

again, mulberry is filled with the soft nagging of self-doubt. but she pushes it away, closing off that emotion swiftly before it could consume her. anyone could be a soldier, she tells herself. it was about her own determination: and of that, she had plenty.

mulberry considers towhee's advice, offering a swift but sage nod. running patrols, eat as much as i can handle, sparring pit... got it. she could do that. it sounded easy enough; at least as far as a regiment went.

ten months, roughly. closer to 11. regardless, she was almost a year old, now. that was what was most important ( as far as mulberry was concerned ) but she had nothing to gain from not being truthful. a bit. i was alone during my journey back here. she admits with a lofty shrug of her shoulders. before i returned, i went to a strange land with my mother and brother...i do not know what the locals of that place called it ...and despite that it is where half of my family is, i do not wish to return. she cannot put into words the eerie feeling she got just thinking about it.

i was born in hideaway strath, when the saints claimed it. she was upfront with the leaders of mereo and saw no reason not to be upfront about her origins with towhee too ...even if it did not paint her in a favorable light: though she was not a saint by blood and felt no connection to those who lingered still in these wilds.

Towhee nodded to acknowledge Mulberry’s responses, expression scrunching instantaneously when she mentioned Hideaway Strath. The name on the youth’s lips was like a stick, stirring a memory to the surface from the murk of her mind. She had been scoping out Cedar Sweep a year or two back when she’d discovered scents originating from the nearby strath prison. And that hadn’t even been the first time she’d come across wolves imbeciles squatting there.

Why would anyone live in that hellhole? Towhee rasped, then shook her head. She didn’t bother explaining her history with the place to Mulberry, instead saying, I have kids your age. I know you’re clearly capable and independent, but if you ever need a mentor—for more than just training, I mean—my door is open. Literally. She pointed at the nearby mouth of her particular “apartment.”

She pondered a moment before deciding, I’m going to head in there to rest for a bit before my next patrol. If you’d like to join me, meet me at the sparring pit in, mm, two hours. We can run it.

i don't know, mulberry replies simply; tone without infliction either way. she had been happy to leave the strath, having felt drawn to the canyon from the first day they'd stepped paw into it ...even if she had been one of the few. there was something about it that she just adored; without having any sort of reasoning as to why. i cannot even pretend to know why the grandmaster — a lofty and pompous title as far as mulberry was concerned. made the decisions he did.

she couldn't exactly fathom why derg followed him, either. but derg had been his most trusted once.

ok, cool. mulberry says. are your kids around? she wasn't very used to interacting with cubs her own age — besides her brothers — but she had to admit that the notion held some interest for her. softly, she murmurs at the offer: thanks. despite knowing she would try to avoid intruding in on towhee.

ok. the witchling says with a bob of her head, feeling a bit like a broken record. see you in two hours! she chirrups before heading off to find something to do in the meantime; thinking that perhaps a snack — remembering the advice she'd just been given — was a good place to start.