Sunspire Mountains Dark Again

oops, backdated

Coriander had left @Ruenna to her business in Redsand Canyon, quietly mulling over all that she'd said about the packs she knew of. He was undeniably curious about each of them, but it felt like a morbid sort of curiosity, having heard her opinions on them. Particularly Akashingo.
What interested him most, however, was the outcome of Ruenna's visit. He figured she would probably come out of it hitched and worse off for it, but he would never say that to her. Instead, he hung around and waited near the territory he'd left her in, following scent trails and categorizing each of them as a way to idly pass the time. Perhaps he'd later recognize one of the wolves who bore the scents he picked up.

The dark shape reminded Glaukos of another man, one who had tried to cross the mountains. That one had been intercepted and turned away. He thought from a distance, they were the same — and moved again to block his path, only to realize a little late that this was a stranger. Still, he carried his heavy-set body with purpose and came to block the path before them.

Stop. He belched. Words were not often employed when the boy was doing his job. Silence seemed more appropriate when investigating a potential threat — but this could have been a recruit also, and Glaukos did not consider that side of things.

Tail lashing, eyes glaring. Glaukos wanted to do more than just stare; snap his teeth and chase, maybe, or outright fight them, to break up the monotony of patrol after patrol. Instead he glowered and bristled.

What d'you want? Yeah, this wasn't his forte.
This place is off-limits.

Ruenna was glad that Coriander wasn't too far; her back still pained her from their journey across the Flatlands, and travel in the mountains was hard on the old injury.

When she came to the location at which they had parted ways, she discovered Coriander being questioned by a stranger. The scent of Mereo hung heavily upon his dark coat.  

"Please stand down auxilia," Ruenna requested, her voice quiet and composed, but undoubtedly authoritative. "This man has permission to be in these lands, and also the gratitude of myself and my husband, Germanicus Caesar, for providing me safe escort to Mereo." He was actually Germanicus Redsand, now-- it was the new married name upon which they had both agreed. 

Perhaps the auxilia would have been told of his Imperator's nuptials, or perhaps not. It had all happened very fast, and very recently.

Cori's idle thoughts were interrupted by the approach of what appeared to be an oversized teenager smelling of the pack in the canyon. He was closer to adulthood than Coriander estimated, but he had no way of knowing that. So the boy's greeting was received with no small amount of incredulity, although Coriander was by now quite adept at hiding his more negative reactions. He dipped his head obligingly, expression and posture passive but not submissive.
Before he could explain that he was here for legitimate reasons, however, Ruenna appeared. Coriander smiled gratefully to her, recognizing the authority she now carried and adjusting his posture accordingly. Ruenna. Thank you, He greeted, relieved to have an excuse to ignore the large youth who he'd immediately judged to be nothing more than a bully. His words turned warm when he spoke again, despite his internal yikes. I'm guessing that means you'll be staying? Congratulations.

A woman appeared next, but from the Mereo side of the invisible line. She was wreathed in the scent of Germanicus and spoke firmly, commanding that Glaukos ease off of this visitor. The boy wasn't inclined to listen and so scowled at the man, but at the last moment withdrew.

It appeared they knew one another. Good enough for him - he stalked back from the pair and lingered nearby, in case he was needed for any actual violence. Eventually Glaukos would grow bored of waiting and watching their reunion and continue on, resuming his patrol.

The soldier stood down, albeit reluctantly. Ruenna silently thanked the stars. She should not have brought Coriander so close; she did not realize how far beyond the canyon the eager auxilia stretched their claim. If any harm had come to him, she would have blamed herself. 

"Thank you," Ruenna accepted his congratulations with a small smile. Although Coriander had made an effort to be polite about Ruenna's plans, she was an intuitive woman and could tell that he had his misgivings. 

"Will you come to the canyon with me? I'd like to introduce you to Germanicus," Ruenna requested. She did not wish to be parted from her new friend just yet, and she had some small hope that once he saw the beauty of the canyon and the destiny Mereo offered, he might stay in Mereo to realize his own purpose.

Coriander felt himself slipping back into a familiar routine; smile, nod, be enthusiastic and don't think about why until the whole thing is done. It was easier to just let go of his judgments for now. So he did, and he smiled, and he went along with her suggestion.
I'd be happy to meet Germanicus, He said, turning his thoughts now toward what might await him in the canyon. It looked like an impressive place from afar, and he imagined Germanicus to be an impressive man, to be worth Ruenna's miles-long pursuit of him. Can you tell me anything about the military outpost here? That was definitely a source of curiosity — mainly for Brecheliant's sake. For Maia's sake.

Coriander was curious; he wanted to know more about Mereo. Rue was optimistic that he might stay, if he liked what he heard. 

"Mereo is newly formed. It stands as an extension of Akashingo, which lies on the Lion's Head Mesa." Ruenna pointed her muzzle directly south, indicating the direction of Akashingo. No doubt Coriander would enjoy visiting Akashingo too. It was also magnificent, but in a very different way from Mereo. 

"Mereo has recruited soldiers, and there are also plans to employ a few civilians to serve in certain roles. The soldiers patrol this canyon and control passage through the mountains. They will gather knowledge from travelers, assess possible threats in the area, and intervene when necessary in order to keep these lands safe." Ruenna's paws met sand, which was the telltale sign that they were about to enter the canyon. 

"This way," she spoke, ushering Coriander around a bend that was mostly hidden in an optical illusion in the wall of the canyon. 

Fade here, since they've exited the territory? Feel free to reply or just archive.