The Sunspire snake eater

Set directly after this thread. Veteran is following after @Germanicus.

Veteran struggled across the rugged terrain of the Sunspire, traversing the face of the mountain with as much sure-footedness as could be expected from a six-month-old puppy. Twilight was a difficult time for travel, when all the surroundings were cast in a purple-grey that concealed missteps from unfortunate explorers. Fortunately, Veteran did not have to forge his own path; instead he trailed the scent of the Imperator.

as germanicus did when he was away, he allowed his thoughts to travel elsewhere. in mereo he was present, as much for ruenna as for the pack itself.

but the eagle had become accustomed to these periods of honest solitude. he missed the shadow.

it became aware that he was being trailed not long after he left the man and the young wolves behind. the imperator allowed the unseen stranger to follow, eventually turning to set his eyes on one of the glacier youngsters. 

the eagle chuffed, slowing to indicate the boy could join him. "what brings you away from your pack?"

After some time, Veteran caught up to the pack wolf. He did not seem surprised to see Veteran, indicating that the boy should join him. Veteran fell in beside the man. Germanicus. He asked a question for which Veteran did not have an answer. After a stretch of silence, Veteran spoke a question of his own.

"What's an Imperator?" he asked. His paw landed incorrectly, and he stumbled against Germanicus's foreleg. After steadying himself, he continued forward.

"it is a title to indicate that i am in command of other soldiers." centurion. pilus. principales. he did not want to overload the boy 

surely the auxilia drifted after him in the darkness. after them both. germanicus continued to walk in the direction of the canyon.

This was of great interest to the boy. 

"I'm a soldier too!" he exclaimed, almost becoming tripped up (again) in his excitement. "My name is Veteran," he offered by way of evidence. He was young enough to still believe that a name was an invariable link to one's destiny. "But I don't command anyone," he noted, his disappointment in this fact evident. He fell quiet, his footsteps crunching quietly in the sparse snow upon the mountainside.

"veteran is a good name," germanicus commented quietly. onward they walked. it was not so rugged here. the man paused to look out over the winter-swaddled landscape.

"you could command one day. i was not much younger than you when i began my training." the man's face remained unsmiling, but his gaze held a minute interest as he waited to hear veteran's response.

"You were younger than me?" Veteran asked incredulously. Was he already behind in his career? 

"I have my mercenary trade," he recalled out loud, partially as a boast and partially to reassure himself that he was, in fact, on track. Although he had his trade, it still felt like Ensio was doing better than him in every sense. Ensio was more serious and mature, and he was more productive when he hunted and scouted. Veteran didn't want to give up on playing and aimless exploration and other kid things, but he wondered if that would be necessary in order to regain the competitive edge.. not to mention Issorartuyok's favor.

germanicus felt his mouth quirk with something that wished to be a smile. "i was placed into the care of the highest centurion in my father's army when i was scarcely able to walk. i was weaned early in those barracks and then put out with the soldiers at dawn."

germanicus had not been the only boy thrown out into such a harsh practice. many died. he believed his status as a son of the emperor was what had saved his life, though he had been spared no punishment and given hard rations the same as any. 

"you are already ahead of many boys, veteran. a trade at your age means that you have worked almost every one of your current days for it."

Veteran looked up to Germanicus reverently, seeing the man as everything he hoped he would someday be himself. A soldier. A leader.

"I was weaned early too." He had not known that this could be a point of pride, until he realized it was something he shared in common with Germanicus. "My mom had to go away on a scouting trip after I was born, and she couldn't take me." The early weaning was abrupt certainly, but Veteran had gotten over it pretty quickly, whereas Wayfarer, his sister, still nursed a grudge about it.

Veteran nodded thoughtfully at Germanicus's praise. "Mom says balance is important," he voiced, perhaps a little skeptically. He was only a young boy after all, and young boys do not, as a rule, gravitate toward balanced lifestyles. Veteran didn't just want to be an okay soldier. He wanted to be the best soldier, or he didn't want to be one at all.

"But I want to be better. I want to be the best." Ensio must be working harder than him. That's why he was getting so much better, so much faster. Maybe Issorartuyok would agree to more frequent training sessions..? But then again, that seemed unlikely, what with how hard they would all have to work to get their pack re-established somewhere new. Veteran sighed. Relocation would be one more distraction. One more roadblock in achieving his destiny.

"wanting to be the best served no man. i have been a soldier all my life and have mastered tactics. i did not accomplish this by seeking to be the best." such ambition served no one. "you must only be wiser than your opponent."

he wondered who the boy's mother was. he had not seen any who might fit a motherly description during their first meeting. perhaps this was a journey to test the boys. their centurions had forced the young wolves under their care to run quickly along snowy paths. this seemed rather more at ease. "your mother is wise. balance is what makes a skilled fighter."

they had traveled a good deal and germanicus was not certain he wished to lead the boy so far from his camp to mereo. "would you like me to teach you some things?" he asked veteran. the eagle took opportunities to train. he felt it would serve the duskfire wolf well.

Germanicus corrected him. Veteran was always being corrected. Ensio never got corrected. 

"I don't have an opponent," Veteran said, brow wrinkling. "Is that why I'm not making progress?"

Germanicus agreed with Veteran's mother, which deepened the boy's brow-wrinkle. Who would have thought his mom could teach him anything about fighting? 

Germanicus offered to teach him. "Wh- like right now?" Veteran stopped in his tracks. 

"Whenever my sister hurt me," Veteran began, recalling the fight that earned him his prominent facial scar, "She attacked first, and I was never able to recover. It was like I was a step behind from the beginning." He had analyzed that fight from every angle. "I don't want that to happen again." Could Germanicus help him?

a sister. a step behind. the imperator looked briefly at veteran's scar. "your build may not make for a large wolf. we are the same in this." kallik had more height than him. glaukos more weight. but germanicus was more skilled than either of them.

he paced away and turned to face veteran. "the way to avoid such injury is by learning to anticipate." the roman widened his stance. "come toward me offensively. try to get your teeth near my neck."

he took a breath. he waited.

Veteran did as he was told. He moved forward swiftly, tilting his head to the right  in order to make a jab for Germanicus's throat. 

Was that the giveaway for a throat-grab? The head tilt? Veteran would likely only have a split second to wonder before Germanicus moved to counter.

germanicus recoiled and aimed to catch the boy with a clip of his teeth along the exposed neck. controlled. not aiming to break skin. the boy had the promise of a fatal speed if he trained.

"keep your chin tucked until you are close enough," the imperator intoned. "you give away your position otherwise." a switch of his plume. "again."

Veteran huffed in chagrin, realizing that the inside of his neck had been tagged. If it had been a real fight, that would would have been a serious wound. His mother had taught him the placement of the major blood vessels in his body, and he knew the neck housed some important arteries. He needed to do a better job protecting himself.  

Germanicus confirmed it; the tilt of his head had telegraphed the attack. The Imperator commanded him to attack again, and Veteran complied. This time he kept his chin tucked, protecting those arteries in a manner that would have made Lane proud. However, he remained tucked just a little too long this time, and he pulled away too quickly. He had guarded himself too carefully this time, and he was only able to reach the height of Germanicus's sternum with his attack. His attempted tag rebounded uselessly, leaving his nose smarting from the run-in with Germanicus's hard, muscled chest.

"Damn it," he mumbled, wriggling his aching nose. He scuffed the ground with his foot in frustration.

the boy struck him and bounced away. germanicus stepped forward, regarding veteran. "it was a good attempt. these are things that must be practiced."

he stood back and slowly telegraphed the boy's same attack, moving more slowly. germanicus kept his chin tucked and demonstrated how to swing one's body sideways into the other.

"this is called a gambit. your opponent will expect you to attack with your teeth. do not forget that your entire body is a weapon."

Even though Germanicus moved slowly, the gambit worked. Veteran was focused on the man's jaws, waiting to be shown the perfect combination of self-defense and offensive maneuvering. Instead, his hyperfocus on Germanicus's upper body left him open to the body check. He stumbled a bit, and it took him a moment to recover his stance. He realized that if Germanicus had been moving at full speed, there would have been an opening in Veteran's defenses that he could have used to his advantage. 

Veteran nodded. "It's not always about your teeth and hitting the perfect opening with perfect timing. If I do a gambit, I can make my own opening." 

Without being directed, he tried his attack again, keeping his neck protected. Again, he was only able to reach Gemanicus's chest with his teeth-- their height difference was difficult to overcome-- but this time, he pushed his shoulder into the connection point between Germanicus's chest and foreleg. If he was able to make Germanicus stumble, he might have a chance at landing a tag.

the boy with the early scar. veteran echoed his words back and gave the imperator a solid attack.

the boy met his target.

germanicus did not allow the breath to be knocked from him but he yielded with a low sound. leaning into the young warrior's attack would be encouraging, despite the fact he himself might yet be bruised.

the eagle swung his jaws with less speed, wanting to see what veteran would do next.

Germanicus absorbed the shove with a grunt, which Veteran relished. He reached his muzzle up to attempt to land a tag on the side of Germanicus's neck, only to find the Imperator's muzzle swinging back toward him. 

In that split second, Veteran was given a choice between either landing his attack on Germanicus's neck or protecting his own body, and his instincts drove him to protect. To guard. He could thank Makatza for teaching him that lesson quite early in life. 

He shifted his target so that his teeth connected with the man's lower jaw, deflecting the attack.

veteran moved sharply in a bruising clash. germanicus took this strike as well.

his yellow eyes glinted and he pulled away in a piercing motion. the imperator's muzzle lifted with approval.

germanicus arced forward again, rearing on hindlegs to bring his forelegs down stiff and harsh toward the shoulders of the boy. he reined his speed somewhat, as he wished veteran a moment to reinvent himself.

Germanicus went high, and so Veteran lowered his body into a crouch. He turned his muzzle over his lowered shoulder to meet Germanicus's motion, instinctively knowing his weapon ought always point toward his enemy. His legs propelled his lowered body in a bit of a skittering motion as he pulled his hindquarters out of harm's ways and readjusted himself to face his aggressor. 

His jaws would meet Germanicus's again if the man lashed out. If Germanicus did not immediately attack again, Veteran would make another attempt at a gambit, closing the distance between himself and the Mereo man by swinging his body sideways into Germanicus's.

germanicus held his next attack and veteran connected solidly with his ribs, a fluid motion that knocked some draught of breath from him this time. 

the soldier chuckled and gave quarter, tail flagging. "at ease, little centurion."

it had been a quick struggle. he eyed the boy. "if you have another round in you then i do as well."

The attack connected, and Veteran's heart soared. Utilizing the technique he had been taught, his blow had landed solidly against Germanicus, and although he would likely be sore tomorrow, he felt nothing but delight in the moment. 

Germanicus's chuckle elicited a wag of Veteran's tail, and he stepped back to give the Imperator space. His tail wagged all the more excitedly at the offer of another round. Despite the long day of travel, his energy would not wane until Germanicus tired of him and sent him on his way.

veteran proved to be a promising fighter.

they sparred until the eagle called a halt and suggested he should return to his people.

perhaps another day they might resume. he watched the boy go and then turned back to his route, hiding a small smile.