Return of the Serpent

Eligos made a non-committal noise and made himself settle. "The pack has changed a bit since you were here," he began. An understatement. It didn't much resemble the Empire of old at all, except in its warlike nature and the Abraxas' own cherished beliefs. He passed Aureus an apologetic glance, knowing that he was making his brother sit through a lecture he already knew when he no doubt just wanted to spend time catching up with their prodigal littermate. "We are mercenaries now, and in many ways we may resemble a collection of guilds for the different paths we may choose to train and contribute in. These Paths - there are seven. The Path of Fang, our warriors. The Path of Antler, our hunters. Leaf is the Path of our healers, and Earth is our crafters and traders. The Paths of the Sun and the Moon are our negotiators and record-keepers, and our priesthood respectively. Lastly is the Path of Shadow, that of the spies, thieves, and sabateurs." If Fel had been anyone but an Abraxas and his sister, he wouldn't have spoken of the last with someone who was not a fully committed member of the pack yet to reduce the risk of the rank's purpose being spread about, but despite his hesitation and doubts she was an Abraxas, and she was his sister, and he couldn't quite bring himself to believe that she'd actually betray them. Abandon them again, maybe, but not spread the pack's secrets. He pushed aside the thoughts that troubled him, and kept his attention on Fel. "Following more than one Path is allowed, particularly for the Path of Shadow, but it's more difficult to keep up with the duties of more than one, even if you have the skills for both. I leave that up to Aerie's wolves to decide if they are willing to progress through more than one Path. Regardless of which they chose, everyone - even the adults - begin as apprentices in that Path until their skill and maturity within that chosen craft are proven." He let his voice die away, giving Fel the chance to absorb what was likely more information than she'd expected to have dropped on her all at once.