Redsand Canyon Scoobynatural

Glaukos had taken some time to rest after his hours of work, and after taking time to himself he got to his feet, stretched out his back until it popped satisfactorily, and then shook out his coat. He had orders to seek out @Towhee; so he made his way from the barracks, towards the den that the woman shared with her new husband, keeping an eye out.

Towhee quit the palazzo for just a few minutes, intending to grab a quick bite to eat and maybe inform @Maxim of the leaders’ good news if he happened to be at their den when she stopped by. He wasn’t there, though she found someone else loitering near the doorway to their pad.

Glaukos, she greeted, wondering what he was doing here. Maybe he was looking for someone, perhaps even her, which made Towhee think of yesterday’s conversation with Germanicus. I’m glad to run into you. The Imperator wants me to help you step up in the ranks. “Not as a replacement,” he had said, and Towhee took this to heart. She intended to reclaim the station she had come to enjoy.

Glaukos could not fathom why anyone would choose to live within the earth the way the plebians did. Even though he kept close to the warrior's barracks in the evenings, he never slept within any cave. He couldn't do that to himself. It had become an ingrained fear ever since he had been a boy - from Ursus, exacerbated within Moonglow, and made permanent.

She was there, though. He did not have to wait long before Towhee found him loitering and when she spoke to him, it was to address the same reasoning he carried. To step up.

Yes, he told me to seek you out. Glaukos answered with a single nod.

He told me to ask about guardian duties. Whatever I may do to pick up the slack. He paused there and regarded her intently, unsure exactly of what Germanicus meant him to learn in this instance.

After a second he recalled one thing worth mentioning: I'm also tasked with visiting Akashingo for a month-long tour, there. I have some time before I leave. Suggesting he had plenty of time to learn what was necessary from Towhee.

She hadn’t given this task much thought yet. It probably deserved a little more contemplation. Towhee opened her mouth to say as much when Glaukos mentioned his upcoming stint at Akashingo. Her ears drew back a little. She vaguely recalled mentions of this and dearly hoped Germanicus would never ask it of her.

I’m still going to be performing the same duties—patrolling and the like—until I’m physically incapable. And I still plan to mentor when that happens. But if you really want to step it up a notch, you could probably stand to learn how to lead and direct others. The Imperator and I have talked about organizing a pack hunt. Now would be the perfect time, to celebrate the birth of the Matrona’s litter. You could take point, use it as an exercise to delegate maneuvers among your comrades, she finished, wondering what he might think.

Glaukos nodded as he listened. He checked off what she said on a mental tally. Most of what Towhee had in mind involved common tasks that Glaukos and the other soldiers did frequently enough. It sounded as though Towhee's duties as Praefectus weren't all that different from those beneath her station.

She mentioned leadership and the ability to direct others, and then went on to talk of a possible hunt that Glaukos could lead as an example. It wasn't in his wheel house - he was a warrior, not a hunter. While one could argue that a wolf of any age or ability ought to know how to hunt, he did not see how a hunter's abilities would relate back to warfare.

You see yourself as a mentor. That is your main duty as an established guardian? As Praefectus? He murmured this thoughtfully, trying to understand. Glaukos struggled to put his deeper thoughts in to words in a way that would be meaningful, or helpful to himself, so he kept them tucked away.

Or do you only see yourself as a mentor because you are a mother? His head tilts slightly to one side, as if to listen for a siren in the distance. I had thought there was more to being a guardian than that. But he didn't know what, exactly.

She bobbed her head at his first question. Towhee stilled at the second (and a half), giving it some thought. While she pondered it, she decided to take a seat, resting her back against the exterior wall of the den. More questions came as she settled.

My main duty is whatever the Imperator needs from me and my particular skills set, Towhee answered. If there’s formal job descriptions for any of this stuff, you’ll have to ask him. And being a mother has nothing to do with it. I’m a master at my craft, with years of experience. I was a leader for years, like I’m talking twice as long as you’ve probably been alive. She didn’t say it out of a sense of superiority, nor did she intend to make him feel inferior in any way, she just spit facts.

She fell into a pensive silence for a couple more beats before speaking as frankly as she always did, I’m a master and a mentor ‘cause I’ve seen some shit. You will too, over the course of your life. Anyway, you’re not meant to take my place, but take up a role that suits you and your skills and experience. At least, that’s what I gathered from my conversation with the Imperator. What did he say to you?

Towhee tried to clarify things. Glaukos learned a little bit about her, instead. He understood that she was someone of great skill because of the time spent as a leader; that she was older than him by a margin he had not considered, and as such she had more experience than he'd previously thought.

When she mentioned that she'd seen some shit he almost smiled. It was an amusing sentiment that Glaukos could share, given his own lifetime of obstacles surmounted.

He told me to seek you out, and listen to anything you had to say about guardianship. He thought it would have been easier to spar with her outright, but if she were pregnant already then that would be too dangerous. As much as Glaukos wanted to prove his prowess and lord any superiority over others, he wasn't about to break the rules to do it.

The imperator said that you were stepping down from your position. I am to fill it. Well, that was most of the truth. He was meant to take up the mantle in part while Towhee mothered her children, but he didn't see the need to include that. A mother couldn't be an efficient warrior in his mind.

Only temporarily, Towhee said slowly, squinting. She felt like something had gotten lost in translation between the three of them. She would clarify with Germanicus at some point. He had a lot on his plate right now, though, and she supposed there was no rush. She wouldn’t be reprising her role for months yet.

Anyway, I’ll try to think of other exercises to hone your skills. But think about the pack hunt. Delegating hunters to take down big game is not that different than leading warriors into battle against any enemy. Plenty of the skills will translate. And, like I said, it would be a great way to celebrate the birth of the leaders’ children.

It sounded like they were destined to be sparring partners, at least until Towhee couldn't function in her role any longer. Other than that, Glaukos figured he was destined for more of the same: constant patrols, morning drills, and more extensive tactical studies. It would keep him busy which was a good thing.

He finally accepts whats been presented to him. Still unsure about the hunt that Towhee has proposed, he goes on to nod. I'll get a look at the resident herd, or see if there's something else nearby we can take down as a unit. If that's what he had to do, he'd give it a shot.

All that aside, who was going to listen to Glaukos in the first place?

He waited for a dismissal from Towhee, keeping this doubt to himself.

Glaukos mentioned a good first step and Towhee nodded, then prepared to part ways when another thought hit her. It made her think of Maxim and she idly glanced past the swarthy wolf’s shoulder, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of her partner. She didn’t, so she focused back on Glaukos.

I can teach you some Ptero, which is the sign language I use sometimes. We could focus on easy, silent commands to use during hunts, spars, warfare… it could be a quick method to communicate without giving away anything to targets. We could even invent new signals that are deliberately confusing or misleading, Towhee voiced the idea as it occurred to her. Anyway, just a thought.

She motioned a paw, demonstrating that he was free to go. Towhee was curious what Glaukos would do with her suggestions and supposed she would find out in time.