Redsand Canyon loricatus

in the cool of the evening germanicus sought @Towhee.

"i would like to know what you gleaned from your time in moonglow. lady ruenna tells me that we may have a common annoyance in the saints."

he had not seen them at their power, only the cowardice of nyra's flight away.

"and i have another task for you while glaukos and kallik are away." he fell silent, though he would opt to continue a patrol with the auxillary at his side.

I don’t know a whole lot about the Saints or their history, Towhee admitted, but I can tell you what I know about Nyra. The first time I met her, an old friend bumped into us and accused her of nearly killing both him and his friend. The accusation was damning by itself, but then there was her reaction, or lack thereof. She barely acknowledged him. It was very strange. Later on, Kukutux confronted Nyra for breeding without permission. I helped the ‘moon woman’ enforce Nyra’s exile.

Her orange eyes found his face, wondering if this information had any merit. Germanicus’s lips moved and her brows rose curiously, inviting an elaboration. Towhee couldn’t say she was all ears, but both eyes fixed on the set of the Imperator’s mouth.

germanicus found towhee as detailed as ruenna. it was clear to him then that they had led well together, no matter the dissolution of the caldera. "it seems that nyra stirs trouble wherever she travels."

he nodded once when the guardian had finished. "i too know very little of the saints. what i know is both piecemeal and lived. the first time i met nyra i still lived in akashingo. this was meant to be an outpost of the saints. but when she turned up to demand their fealty, ramesses declared akashingo to be sovereign."

"she killed one of theirs in retribution. ramesses notably was ready for war. in the interim another pack showed itself to be ursus, with the claim that they and the saints had once been allies but it had soured, and that their matriarch had been killed by two of them, nyra named."

"this canyon used to be their base of operations. they were led by kynareth and nyra. the pack was relocated to northstar vale. akashingo and ursus pursued the saints, which splintered and disbanded. nyra was heavily wounded and fled. i believe moonglow was where she next went."

he had talked long. germanicus paused. "all of this is necessary to know, for a week ago two young men came to the borders of mereo. not quite a year but hardened. they gave names i was later informed were false. the sons of kynareth have returned: alduin and tulok. i imagine they will continue the blood feud and attempt a retake of the canyon."

"the vale was once inhabited by them. i would like you to take arsenio and visit, as military emissaries. if it is settled ascertain the group's reason for being here. the saints cannot be permitted to rise again, nor have allies in these mountains."

She wasn’t entirely sure she followed everything the Imperator told her. It could be difficult, at times, to catch every word and parse context. Towhee did the best she could, while eagerly anticipating instructions for the aforementined task. She found herself thrilling at the idea of another assignment. They gave her that sense of purpose she was seeking.

Towhee didn’t think she knew the word “emissary,” though it wasn’t hard to piece together its meaning. Okay, she replied, do you have any reason to think we’ll find anyone there? Her tail flicked as she considered what it was going to be like working alone with Arsenio. It wasn’t worth much more than an internal shrug.

Once, she might’ve balked at the idea of leaving home. But since the caldera had disbanded, Towhee didn’t mind the thought of traveling nearly as much anymore. It was even a little exciting, though she would be eager to head back to Mereo as soon as they accomplished their task. She had only lived here a week or two and already Towhee felt a strong loyalty to this place, these wolves, particularly after defending Aquene at the borders.

"the last i visited the vale, it was the temporary stopping point for a scouting party from duskfire glacier. but as the matrona has pointed out more than once, it is a lush place easily coveted."

the man walked in silence for a moment. he was not sure how to speak of the soldiers again. he felt as if camaraderie now with towhee went against some sort of trust he shared with arsenio.

conflicted despite the confusion of it, the imperator spoke once more. "i think aquene fought bravely. when she is mended, i will extend an invitation to her."

he paused. "what did you think of malila?"

He said the vale was lush. Towhee wasn’t sure if she knew the place—and she should probably ask for directions at some point—but she nodded acknowledgement. Her lips twitched faintly at the mention of Duskfire Glacier, though she supposed there wasn’t as much of a connection there anymore, not now that Meerkat had cut ties and gone to live with Sapphique instead. Although there was Rye…

A companionable silence fell between them as Towhee’s paws led her in the now familiar route around the canyon. She caught herself gazing at the strata, simply because they were eye-catching. She pulled her attention back to the Imperator every moment or two in case he had anything more to say, though she still managed to miss half a sentence.

“—she is mended, I will extend an invitation to her.” Towhee’s brow furrowed as she tried to fill in the blanks. Was he talking about Aquene? Did he mean to invite her to join the soldiers’ ranks? She wondered what the healer would think. Would she accept? What would happen to her if she didn’t?

Before Towhee could consider voicing any of her thoughts on the matter, the Imperator raised another name. Towhee’s ears bent backward slightly as she was forced to admit, I appreciate that she threw herself into the fray, but she got in my way. She startled me so badly, I missed what could’ve been a critical blow. It was a chaotic scene and I don’t hold it against her. But he’d asked and that was the truth of the matter.

germanicus noticed that towhee seemed quite intent upon his mouth while speaking. he chose to say nothing of this and grunted at towhee's assessment. "she has energy and a fierce need to be recognized. i am sure the life of a soldier feels more glamorous in a way, but i am not sure she is ready."

however the eagle was not yet willing to fully discount malila. he wanted only to see that she understood there were choices for the roles within mereo. "her presence was why i allowed the man to escape. aquene was wounded and the man was outnumbered by you and i. malila would have suffered greatly had he chosen not to throw his weight. i chose to protect her and save aquene from further harm."

seconds cost blood and she was their medicus. "it was a choice i might not have made in more organized company. i enjoy interrogations."

germanicus passed on with the focused but knowing stride of a captain sauntering, hands behind his back. "given everything that has happened, i of course do not expect your report on the auxillia until they have all returned. i am interested to know if you have had a chance to speak with them, however."

Maybe it wasn’t fair, but Towhee was a master and Germanicus seemed to value her ability to assess, so she agreed, No, she’s not, and then posited, She needs more tactical training. I bet all of us could do with more of that, actually. One-on-one spars have their place, of course, but if we’re meant to work as a team in a combat situation, we all need more practice in scenarios like that one.

Speaking of tactics, the Imperator explained his decisions during the recent confrontation. Towhee listened with a thoughtful expression. When it came to the heat of the moment, she wasn’t really one to assess too comprehensively. She just did whatever her instincts commanded her to do, never thinking more than a step ahead. Germanicus seemed to approach it like a game of chess, with more strategy in mind. Towhee wondered if she was even capable of that, despite what she’d just said.

He brought up her first assignment next and Towhee stifled the intrigued smirk his remark about interrogations had brought about and replied, Yeah, I’ve met with each of them, except this Diesel. She glanced at him. Where was she? The meets have gone better than expected, despite you setting us all up to despise each other, she quipped, letting the good-natured smirk return.

they found accordance on malila. the imperator moved on into the next. "diesel i do not think enjoys her time here. she is alone among many wolves."

the sound that came next was amused. despise indeed! "when i was a brash young auxillary, each legion of men had its own centurion. each centurion had their own expertise. and so the training was rotated."

"but you are correct," the eagle went on dryly. "i hated every moment of it." he walked companionably with the other soldier for another span of time. 

"it is why i would like you to hold a higher rank. and it is why i went to speak with kallik after your first meeting." the eagle was quiet for a moment. "tell me your concepts for combat exercise please."

Right, Diesel wasn’t a wolf. Towhee was incredibly curious about this, though maybe it was for the best if she simply disappeared. The Redhawk didn’t exactly have the best track record with their canine cousins…

She didn’t really follow what Germanicus said next, not because she didn’t catch his words but because she didn’t quite understand these mentions of his former hierarchy. Hell, Towhee didn’t really know how it worked here, either. She didn’t really care, which was kind of weird, come to think of it. Rank’s importance to her seemed to have dropped with her self-esteem. The whole disband thing had really shaken up a lot of her schemata.

She said nothing, until he mentioned Kallik. Oh? Towhee didn’t know if the Imperator would bother elaborating. He seemed more interested in revisiting the topic of battle tactics, to which she could only reply with honesty, I don’t have any, but I could definitely see if I can come up with any ideas. Although, well… She mulled something for a few steps before Towhee proposed, Regular big game hunts could help us coordinate as a team. When we were working over Aquene’s attacker, I was handling it a lot like I’d approach large game.

"the canyon is home to mountain sheep and horses. at times deer descend into the forest. i believe we may have a resident herd." it was tacit acceptance of her ways. she was correct and germanicus found himself appreciative of the insight.

the man motioned upward. "the ridgepaths are narrow. but if you would prefer to hunt with an extra challenge, i suggest those trails." there were boar in the mountains around the canyon. herds of elk roamed the thick forests.

"that fool should hope he has a doctor of his own. it was quite a choice to attack a member of an established pack. it makes for an unpredictable opponent."

Germanicus took to the idea, if his response indicated anything. She got the impression that he wanted her to lead a hunt. Towhee opened her mouth to protest that she was a shitty hunter, just to clap it shut because her own logic had just defeated her. If she could take down bad guys, surely she could take down game?

But they hadn’t taken down anyone and that still rankled, days later. I can’t believe he was able to run away. How is that even possible? It was, what, four against one? Towhee shook her head, growling under her breath and making a rude and mostly thoughtless gesture with her forepaw.

Although her paw was nowhere near her head, the movement hit her upside it. Germanicus, she said, coming to a halt and catching his eye, I just had an idea.

"it is in disunity that most escapes are made, i feel." he and towhee were masters of their field, but the unsurety and inexperience of the others involved had compromised their attack. effective leaders did not place the individual want over the group.

it was not a disappointment, but it was an annoyance. and one that would only be rectified through more work.

germanicus made a mental note to go over the titles of ranks once more with towhee. "what have you thought?" his tone was even. her familiarity was not unwelcome, only misunderstood.

She drew in a breath, then abruptly began to sign as she spoke, which she hadn’t done since arriving in Mereo for whatever reason. -“This is Ptero, a sign language my sister and I created when I was young and learning to communicate despite my deafness. Many of the Redhawks know it. Sometimes, we’d use it to communicate secretly, even in the presence of others. I’m not sure how exactly—I’m literally spitballing here—but maybe if we taught the Auxillia some of the signs, we could coordinate attacks without having to speak or give ourselves away. I’d be more than happy to oversee instruction of that,”- yes, even on top of her growing workload.

she was deaf.

germanicus was careful not to allow himself a reaction. he did not wish to offend.

he did not know what spitballing was but he could glean its meaning from the context.

"i commonly use tail and ear movements. i think basic signs would be useful for our purposes." he found it ingenious, if a little surprising. "perhaps you might teach me first and then we could hold a training session."

Wrapping for us!

The Imperator mentioned using some body language tactically. Towhee wondered whether his opponents could quite possibly interpret these basic signals, though she held her tongue. The more she thought about it, the more she definitely wanted to introduce Mereo to Ptero as a unique battle strategy.

Germanicus seemed onboard, requesting to be instructed first and foremost. Sure thing, boss. We can get started when I return from the vale with my report. I’ll call for Arsenio and head out first thing. She paused, then remembered to ask, Mind telling me exactly where I’ll be going?

She bid him adieu a moment later, Towhee deciding to do a lap on the canyon’s far side before she retired for the night a little earlier than usual, in preparation to get up at daybreak.