Wapun Meadow amaritudo

the passage of the roman was slower than he would have liked. and there was a deep wish in him that he could enjoy the great sky above his head and feel the roll of the landscape as enlivening to his soul.

but there was only pain in the plodding. 

he must find the shadow.

evening arrived before germanicus had come to a place he knew from memory. the valley beyond had belonged to ursus. had lilitu found her sister? the ranger wondered.

here his body stuttered in demand for respite. the man did not want to rest so openly but for now he listened to his aching flesh and lowered himself to his haunches.

The boy had found piqued interest in the pack that was in the mountain. Scout had placed a bug in his ear that spoke of the potential that was there - a place of soldiers. He had wanted to visit it at once but had been forced to slow down by the watchful eyes of their neighbouring healers and Moss. The woman had proven herself to be softer than her powerful shape let on. 

Lean and bear-mauled, Swordfish did not anticipate meeting a man in such a shape. His eyes caught sight of the poor thing before he realized what he walked into. Fresh wounds and the touch of a medic upon them. His heavy stare was difficult to pull away from the way he had been sliced open. Bear? Something else, perhaps. He must have been going to see the clan of healers. 

Ya alright? Yer a ways from the healing place, ya know… Gonna suck gettin’ to their clan. Swordfish was not certain that he wanted to help, just yet.

bearclaw valley posed a welcome respite for the night. germanicus had intended to move that direction when he was intercepted by a tall stormcloud of a boy with a meandering way of speech.

the eyes held ocean hue and the banner that followed the stranger was a vivid crimson tail.

"cat," germanicus said in a monotone, slipping easily into little speech as he traveled alone. "what is this place of healing?"

the slashes from throat to shoulder would scar, as much as the apparent tearing of bear slash in the boy's own flesh.

a pair they were, the ranger thought sardonically.

This man was in a state. He didn’t seem to know about the clan. Swordfish wondered if it had been a blunder to bring it up. They seemed like a peaceful sort - Riverclan - and he wasn’t interested in repaying their kindness with danger. 

A cat had done this to him. Swordfish gazed at it openly. 

Bear did mine, he grunted. Riverclan’s just east. They got a three-legged guy and a lady that talks in a strange language. Both helped me. Could probably help ya too. 

Swordfish shrugged. He didn’t know if this was appealing to the stranger. If he had not sought the healers to begin with, what on earth was he doing so far out there? The redtail boy wondered if he was running away, too.

a three-legged wolf who healed.

for a long moment, germanicus only stared at the stranger. he had only just descended the mountains, he had not expected to —

"east."

the shadow raced through the halls of his heart.

slowly and with a soft grunt he rose. "thank you. i am germanicus. what is your name?"

he knew he must go at once.

but he also knew he must stay and rest.

Take it easy, big fella, he urged with a chin drawing upward. 

Germanicus - what a name. This man was cut from a different stone. He was stormy in spirit. The seafarer could not help but feed the intrigue that pushed him closer. How did a man like this become made? As fierce as the wolves of the sea were, Swordfish had never seen someone with such a harsh cut to his jaw, a predicting glint in the yellow of his eyes. 

Shardik’s my name. Shardik, Shardik… run! 

Pretty late now. If yer inclined, I’ll stay with ya til morning. Can take ya to the healers. Need ‘em to give me a touch up anyway. The boy could hunt for this poor soul and offer a temporary strength for the rest of his journey. He wouldn’t push, if declined.

shardik. it was a heavy name for a young man.

but young men did not stay boys forever.

germanicus examined the darkening skies. "i believe i have no choice but to throw myself onto your mercy, shardik." there was little humour there as he turned his gaze back toward the bearclaw marks which had been etched into the youthful flesh.

"how many days east is riverclan?" the roman inquired. he knew these lands well, having traveled from one corner of the teekons to the other. hollows and caverns and little fields populated the rising sun. which one was riverclan.

"i thank you for your offer. i will owe you a debt, you and your pack," germanicus added, alluding softly to the myriad scents which clung to the younger wolf's fur.

The boy with the red tail nodded. It was not often that he found others at his mercy. There was a small satisfaction in hearing this powerful man say as much. 

They were all at the mercy of the Wolfkiller, anyway. 

Hm. If I can get ya to eat, yer lookin’ at a day or two. Not far. Should take it easy with them wounds, though. He was no healer. He could not tell the man how dire his situation was. Swordfish could see the work done by others. The wounds had been given a few days. They were still sickly fresh and reeked of iron blood. The boy felt himself transported to the snow, with Quennell. His heart ached. 

Ya think yer up fer eating? he asked, lifting his narrow snout to gaze into the man’s hawking eyes. A favor owed sounded like just what he’d need. Someone else who could teach him to kill the bear.

germanicus shook his head.

it would be two days with his injury. more if he did not eat.

he exhaled and sought the strings of his patience. "i will eat."

fennec's work was expert but in the days to come his blood would melt the work and he would be subject to infection once more. germanicus hunted beneath the snow of the melting pasture for ice crystals to pack against the dressing, to cool the fire of the torn flesh.

he motioned to the bearclaw valley. "there is one exit to that place. rabbits walk the entrance."

Rabbits, alright… easy enough. 

Swordfish looked into the valley and nodded. He shouldn’t take long. Even with his wounds, he would be able to take a couple of sure footed rabbits. 

Germanicus looked rough. The boy thought back to slumping in the snow, bleeding beside his brother, thinking of his home and his mom. His eyes were distant as he watched the Mereo man. The bear’s face was in his mind - a beast that he had not been able to dispatch with his bravery or his fangs. 

If ya lay down in the snow… it helps. 

It would cool the burning of the wounds until he could press on. Swordfish flicked his tail and set off into the valley to hunt.

germanicus had meant to go with shardik.

laughable. he would only be an obstacle. the yellowpaint eyes flickered upon the bear-wounds and then he nodded.

the ranger dropped to his elbows, to his belly. the roman's gaze would follow the young stranger before it returned eastward, brow furrowing once in contemplation.

The rabbits were trickier to chase than he had hoped. Their light feet danced atop the snow where Swordfish’s plunged into it and slogged his pace. He took longer than he had hoped, but he did return to the place where he had left the man. His chest tightened upon seeing him. Germanicus had seemed so fierce, so cold, so very intense… 

But now he looked like a boy. His yellow eyes were fixed east. His features were contemplative. 

Swordfish slung the fatter of the rabbits toward him and then settled his lean figure beside the man. Their haunches touched, a soft show of company, of a fellow sufferer. He placed his rabbit in his paws and looked to the man. 

Yer from the military pack. I met one of yers. A boy named Scout, he struck up conversation.

there was no one named scout in his ranks. the tactician's mind surmised that this must have been an alias.

good on the soldier who had spoken with shardik.

"what did scout tell you of mereo," germanicus asked. he toyed with the cooling body of the rabbit, taking it in slow bites that quenched his throat with blood.

shardik settled close. it reminded the imperator of the instant camaraderie among boys, though he was long years out of that stage. in a barracks, those around you were the only faces you knew and often the only ones you trusted.

he wondered how a boy so young could have wandered far enough into a bear.

Swordfish shrugged his lean shoulders. 

Not much, was his initial response to the man. Said it was er- hardcore. Said it was a military pack he’d stayed in fer a few days. He was askin’ bout the other packs in the area. Wanted to learn bout ‘em. 

He peeled a string of meat from the rabbit and savored its flavor. Swordfish had taken some time, getting used to the prey that ran inland. He longed to see the trap he’d made with Suzu. He missed her face more than he could fathom. The feeling of loss was heavy in his chest. 

Yer a fighter then? Could ya show me something sometime? The man had said he would owe Swordfish a favor.

did this scout seek a new home or only information?

germanicus did not want to assume it would be another loss to mereo, but what more could it be? the movements of his jaw were thoughtful as he ate in silence.

"yes." he pushed the remains away and covered them meticulously with snow. "i am a tactician by mastery and warrior by trade."

did these things matter at all? his energy was renewed and germanicus grew impassive once more. "you did not receive those scars so long ago."

Germanicus was a goldmine. If he did not seem so disinterested, Swordfish might have pushed for more information. Warrior and tactician were high marks for a man who did not seem to be so late in his years. How long had he done it? 

Not long, no. Longer than yers… 

The heavy-lidded stare swept to the side. He licked his lips and buried his remains beside Germanicus’. 

Ready to push on?

do u want to tag me in another :o

germanicus felt the interest of the boy.

but he was thinking of crowfeather, the lessons he had taught. the things he had said.

and how it had ended.

"lead on," the roman uttered. it would be his last utterance for a long while, concentrating as he was on an even gait that would not jostle the healing of fennec's work.