Redsand Canyon Twerking at the hoedown

The sound of voices pulled Atreus out of his circling thoughts. He still hadn’t arrived at a decision, though he was leaning toward going with Amalia. They both lived on a mountain, so he was shit out of luck there. He didn’t doubt Void would do his best to protect him but Amalia had the support of a pack. Speaking of which, was that what he was hearing: pack wolves?

He crept toward the sound and found himself approaching the rim of a canyon. Atreus couldn’t see anything but a stretch of trees, their uppermost boughs rocking in the wind currently soughing through the surrounding peaks. The voices rose and fell with it, though he was distracted by the smells.

The pup could see no way to climb down from here, nor did he think that would be very smart. But he was intrigued, so he began to move around the rim of the canyon, pausing every now and again to read the wind again, heading west and then south. He could no longer hear the voices, yet the border markings were unmistakable here.

Atreus frowned thoughtfully.

germanicus thought often upon his latest talk with fennec. it had given him much to consider as he took to the higher paths.

these days and through winter, an extra patrol would be ordered due to the sightings of the wolverine. today it was his task, and he scoured each part of the elevated red trails for any threat.

there was a young stranger when he rounded a bend. the imperator saw no immediate threat in him, and yet he approached with purpose.

"are you a traveller or a spy?" he meant it in jest. his face's unreadability might prove a challenge to parse.

For a split second, he thought it was Void approaching him. But it was a stranger, whose presence here likely confirmed there was a pack in residence nearby. His mind flashed back to the lessons Aventus had given him regarding borders, albeit from the other side of them.

Atreus weighed the question a moment before answering frankly, Neither. I… He was many things, chief among them desperate. I heard voices and was wondering if there was a pack here. I’m a scout.

the boy introduced himself as a scout, taking stock of the pack. "this is mereo. we are a military barracks intended to keep the peace in the sunspire."

the imperator glanced over the red lip of the path and then back to the young man. "from where do you hail?"

The stranger offered some information readily, though Atreus didn’t know what “military” or “barracks” meant and it probably showed on his face. Nevertheless, he stashed this information in the back of his mind as his glance followed the man’s.

But soon another question came, to which the boy replied plainly, I’m on my own. I need to find somewhere to live before I starve to death.

He thought of Amalia and Void, though he was so curious about this giant cleft in the mountains and the pack that seemingly inhabited it. It’s the opposite of a mountain… Atreus slowly realized.

approval for the youth's directness sparked somewhere in the imperator.

"we cannot have that, then." he squared his shoulders. "you are a scout, so you already bring a trade. mereo will feed and house you in exchange for your willingness to learn soldierly tactics as well."

his yellowpaint eyes found the young face. "i am germanicus."

He felt something inside him loosen when the man promptly offered him a place to stay. It tightened again when he remembered Amalia and Void fighting over him. Maybe he didn’t have to choose between them.

I don’t know what any of that means, Atreus replied candidly. ‘Military,’ ‘barracks,’ ‘soldierly tactics.’ But you said all I’d have to do is learn? He shifted his weight. Alright.

The man offered a name, which meant he should introduce himself. You can call me whatever you want, an immensely grateful Atreus said before remembering to say, Thank you.

"it means we train to fight. and we train to fight in an orderly way."

the boy did not give a name. it brought germanicus to thoughts of glaukos. 

a wry look tugged at his features. "you might choose a name for yourself, else you could find yourself saddled with 'icarus.'" he indicated the younger man should follow and took a narrow path downward.

by the end, the newest auxillary would have a name and an assignment.

Germanicus explained it in terms the boy could understand, although he still didn’t quite follow the “orderly” bit. He supposed he would find out soon enough. Was he really going to spontaneously join ranks with a group of total strangers, after days of indecision?

His stomach answered for him with a loud gurgle. Atreus followed the swarthy man without hesitation, just hoping they were headed in the direction of a meal. He snorted at the offered name. “Ick”? But it sort of rhymed with his given name. And beggars couldn’t be choosers, could they?

What is this place called? he asked, looking around at the walls rising around them. I mean, you said the pack’s name but what, uh… He gestured at their surroundings, then looked to Germanicus, hoping he somehow understood what he was asking.

icarus offered no complaint. "this is redsand canyon. it is three days' travel from one side to the other. mereo's main camp is in the northern part."

the path widened and the sounds of the wheeling soldiers could be heard. someone shouted a command.

"we begin our sparring and training at dawn. i will give you three days to rest and acclimate. i also want you to visit our physician."

he fell quiet then, waiting for any more inquiries.

Neither of those terms struck him as familiar but, as before, Atreus filed away the information with a nod. He didn’t register Germanicus’s comment about the territory’s breadth right away, though he silently marveled when it sank in at last.

Especially as the canyon opened up around them, he found himself murmuring, It really is the opposite of a mountain…

Then he heard those same voices from before. He looked off in their direction, though his escort’s voice drew his attention back to him. Germanicus outlined some terms. Atreus nodded. He would do just about anything for food at this point.

What’s a physician? he inquired.

the opposite of a mountain it was. but germanicus did not think those words were meant for him. 

"a doctor. her name is lady aquene. she leads the commoners. i lead the military."

at last the path ended in the wide, vivid expanse of mereo. he led icarus to the commons where the pelts waited to invite a rest. "there is a cache here. take what you please. i will bring you something fresher tonight."

the man turned and gestured to the shallow caves nearby. "that is the soldiers'-housing. choose one for yourself."

Germanicus not only answered his question but imparted several other informative tidbits, all quite succinctly. Atreus digested each piece of information with a bob of his head, his eyes continuously scanning the canyon walls before looking eagerly ahead.

He had never seen anything like the commons where Germanicus led him, with a honeycomb of dens in the backdrop. He mentioned choosing one for himself, repeating that keyword: “soldiers.” There was going to be a lot to learn here in Mereo, including the lay of the land.

And he would do his best, over the next three days. But Atreus couldn’t think about anything but his next meal once the leader steered him to a cache. “Take what you please.” He did not hold back, immediately pulling some carcass or another from the pile and sinking his teeth into it.

Once his beastly hunger was somewhat tamed, the wiry youth wiped at his mouth and beheld his new leader to say another, Thanks.

germanicus nodded. his yellowpaint eyes inquired silently the boy's origins. 

but he would not press. "there are others here your age," he noted, mostly for icarus' observation than any reassurance.

"i will leave you now to rest." the imperator gave a sharp nod and moved away, though slowly enough to be stopped if need be.

He wondered if meeting others his age might make it easier to learn the ropes here. He thought of Ancelin and swallowed, then put his brother from his mind. While he was at it, he shoved all thoughts of Amalia and Void into a closet as well. He didn’t want to dwell on the guilt.

Okay, he acknowledged.

He said nothing else, having already offered his thanks to Germanicus. But as the man departed, Atreus replayed his words in his mind so he would not forget any of his tasks. He’d eaten, now he was to rest. He would need to choose a den first, he supposed. Soon, would need to find Aquene. And on the third day, he would join the spars at daybreak.

With so much ahead of him, there wasn’t time to look back.