Redsand Canyon cast the stones that I'll gladly catch

I dunno who is around (I'm outta the loop) so everyone is tagged, lol. Reply if you're interested! I'd love threads with more of the Auxilliary even if Glaukos is a butthead.

There were other soldiers among the ranks that Glaukos did not know. He had seen them the past few mornings during roll call, watched as they were delegated to various tasks, and thought little about it as everyone adjusted to having a stronger core of warriors within Mereo.

He learned as he worked silently among them.

There was @Phox, who was the brother to Towhee, and likely an equal in skill to the Praefectus. Along with the man had been a boy, @Killdeer, who might have been closer to Glaukos' own age for all he could tell - wiry and small by comparison, however. The last two, @Drakon and @Maxim, were conundrums to Glaukos. Maxim carried Towhee's scent the strongest, even above Germanicus. The one called Drakon was visually appealing yet held a confusing scent, and Glaukos could not make heads or tails of that.

It was about time someone test the newest recruits, he thought, and as Glaukos continued on his patrol rounds, he hoped to encounter at least one of these wolves today.

It felt strange to be in a familiar role. Patrolling, helping, making the rounds. Phox felt out of practice, but he still knew the motions to go through. It was really outside his forte, but what was he to do? Phox had been inducted as a soldier, so he did what was expected of him.

When a figure caught his eye, Phox remember what other things were expected of him. The ability to fight. And doing so meant that he was to spar with those within Mereo. That had always been Towhee’s deal, but he’d had his battles over the years.

Hey, he said, I’m Phox. Care to do a… spar… thing?

Maybe he wasn’t so good at this.

A dark wolf approached the arena. He looked to be older than Glaukos, perhaps closer to Towhee or Germanicus in age, and vaguely resembled the Praefectus with the shrewd look upon his face. When the wolf spoke it was to offer a spar; Glaukos was amused by this, and a little put-off.

A spar thing. He rumbled in reply. Glaukos expected any family of Towhee to be equally as strong, or as well versed in the rites of a warrior, and was less than impressed with what he saw of Phox. He looked weathered in the way Germanicus was grizzled and old, except with a thinner physique that could have hinted at a speedy, skilled tactician. Then again, looks could be decieving.

I will spar with you. He finally decided, and entered the ring. The boy moved to the center of the circular arena and turned to face Phox, wondering what this man was capable of.

First to be pinned, loses. Do not draw blood if you can help it. Do not hold back. It felt important to convey these rules, as Phox did not strike Glaukos as a wolf of great prowess when it came to combat.

So he was a little rusty, but Phox reminded himself that this wolf was likely younger than himself. Or at least held himself in such a way. Typically he was sparring with Towhee, how by all counts was a prize-winning mercenary and had spent her life doing that. Meanwhile, Phox had spent his life raising his children and hunting for them. Still, he'd had a good spar partner in Towhee, so maybe he could at least hold up for a little while.

Don't draw blood, or don't hold back? Which one is it, punk?

But Phox didn't bother waiting for an answer. He leapt at the first chance he got, putting his whole self into the fight and doing the best he could.

wanna do a one-off roll for the winner and play it out from there? or do a few rounds and then roll?

Glaukos huffed, frustrated already with this man's lip. Was he an idiot? There wasn't time to determine a yes or a no, because the shadow launched himself immediately at the young man.

Having spent months training with Germanicus, Kallik, and the other warriors before the onslaught of Redhawks, Glaukos felt confident in his abilities. It was perhaps the only thing he was confident about; he'd worked hard to better himself and become someone of worth within Mereo.

That sense of self was on the line with each spar.

Whatever the outcome, it would be worth it to see what this man was capable of—and by proxy, what he himself was capable of, when push came to shove.

i'm not a huge fan of writing out spars (ironic that i'd join mereo, eh? LOL) so i hope this is ok!

The spar was quick, to the point, and Phox soon found himself pinned. He hadn't drawn blood, though he didn't think he'd held back, either. To be fair, he was out of practice. There had been few times in Phox's life when he had needed to put such skills to use. But that just meant he knew more now than he had before this spar.

Well, ya got me, he said, then shuffled himself out from underneath the fellow soldier and rolled to his feet.

What's your name? Phox shook his coat, sending a cloud of dust around him.

The spar was short and sweet. Glaukos did not gloat afterwards as usual, as he was satisfied with the experience and saw no reason to flaunt his largess for the older man. He did not see a need to impress Phox the same way he would want to impress Germanicus, or lord over Kallik.

The man asked for a name, which felt peculiar. The boy wasn't often asked and it perplexed him for a second.

uh... Glaukos. He sounded unsure.

Glaukos. The name rang in his ear a moment longer, and Phox took a moment to pair it with the other wolf’s face. He was a good fighter, that much he’d proven. But whether or not he was a good wolf would be decided as they spent more time together. For now, Phox had other duties to attend to.

Pleasure meeting you, Glaukos. I look forward to a rematch someday. There would be plenty of opportunities, the Redhawk was certain of that. Feeling as though his new sparring partner wasn’t much for small talk, Phox began to head toward the common area to spend some more time with Towhee.