---

Queen Merneith had given Mekh much to think about.

After he had been dismissed, the coywolf stalked the perimeter of Skyspear; not so much performing a patrol as he was chewing on his own thoughts. It was a good excuse to move, at any rate. He had spent so much of his life spoiled and lying languid at his Pharaoh's side, Mekh had all but forgotten how to make himself truly useful.

Perhaps it was the near-brush with death that had frightened him into action at last, feeling the chill of Ammit's hungry touch, certain that it was she who awaited him in the afterlife - for how light could the heart of a slave be, removed from his Pharaoh?

Mekh felt a tightness in his chest and he wondered if he had failed Merneith's generous offering of choice. Should he have chosen the path of the mazoi after all? Was it better to aim high and fall, or remain in the place he had always performed his duties best - as a fellahin, with no direction but to see each day through and perform his tasks without fault.

He knew it was pointless to fret, but fret he did.

The noonday sun hung weakly behind a heavy wall of clouds. He could not in good faith speculate, but Mekh couldn't help wondering what the sun-god was up to; was it he who passed judgment upon the world by withdrawing his light, or did Ra now engage in war, with this the result?

As he finished his first lap, the coywolf paused in his rounds as a dark figure approached. He immediately recognized the silhouette as that of Pharaoh; Mekh prostrated himself upon the ground with haste, uttering a reverent Khaemwaset! Ankh wedja seneb, as he waited for the divine one to pass.

---

they had come home. satriyans filtered through the pyramid, and the rooms which had stood cold beneath dust now came to life with voice and sound. how odd! to be separated from merneith by walls of stone and hallways of polished marble onto which they would paint the glory of their reign. somewhere in their wanderings, pharaoh had become accustomed to the outside world, and like the others he slipped to it now.
there were delicate terraces above khaemwaset, but his feet wanted the firmness of good earth. one pass took him around the bold sharp sides of the pyramid. the air was chill where it should have been warm. Ra's absence stayed a sense of strain for Horus, who thought often of phoenix' pronouncement that a wolven sacrifice must be made. was this the bloodstain that might bring back the sun?
caught in his own stricken mind, pharaoh did not at once see the man before him. in fact, it was the perfume of the queen which greeted him first, inviting a look of pleasure to his face before he pointed it toward the fellahin prostrate in his path. the golden eyes moved across the downed shoulders, and within moments he was inquisitive.
rise, said khaemwaset, and when he was heeded, his gaze rested with frank appraisal on the face, the arms, the worshipfulness. a flick of the obsidian tail invited this man to finish the patrol, but for a moment he did not speak, only lapsed back into his own thoughts.
you are new to my sister's court, Horus murmured at last, eyes lifting to the great height of stone beside which they moved. how are you settling?

---

Mekh was fully prepared to remain face-down in the sand until his Pharaoh had passed, but a single word of command from the wolf saw him swiftly at attention. He had acquainted himself with the Queen, who had been gentle with him; he did not know Khaemwaset, only seen him in passing, heard his name whispered reverently among his people. The coywolf followed at his beckoning, and despite his long, gangly legs, Mekh was still a good head shorter.

Muddied blood. Unclean. The word had followed him for a lifetime already. Half of one and half of another, but never whole.

Nevertheless he kept pace without faltering, without stumbling. He loped at an easy trot almost beside, but just slightly behind Pharaoh, and followed the man's gaze upward toward Skyspear.

It was impressive.

I am much improved, he said truthfully. It is with Setemhotep's skill that I recovered as quickly as I did. He is very talented - unlike any sesh I have met. You must be truly favored by the gods to have such a one as he.

Mekh hesitated, and felt that he was expected to say more.

The Queen met with me, and offered me branching paths through which I may repay Satriya's generosity, he said. That of the warrior, or the priest.

A cold wind rushed suddenly between them, and Mekh stiffened as he braced himself; he was not built for anything but hot sand and unrelenting sun, and he felt as if his bones might rattle within his own flesh if he wasn't careful about it. The unspoken question seemed to answer itself, and he smiled apologetically.

I think it is apparent which I am more readily suited for, he said. Despite the silly dreams of puphood.

---

no dreams are silly, khaemwaset declared in a friendly way, slowing to adjust mekh at his side in a more aligned fashion. they would travel shoulder to shoulder for this patrol, he decided.
satriya is a place of holiness. a great priest was the one to instruct myself and merneith in all manner of history and godly repetition. this place is not only a sign of our lineage's power, but an offering to the holy ones who entrusted to us this land.
to be a priest, then, was to be given this great task as well.
legs of gleaming black marble carried him new and again. Horus moved toward the wall of the pyramid, touching it lightly with one paw to feel how the heat of the sun was still held by the stone.
how beautiful this moment! he thought of himself and merneith sitting below the impressions of their grandfather rameses and his queen, how Ma'at had lifted Her head for him then, and always since.
in this light, how could he then not attach himself to all their messages?
he began life as a we'eb priest and worked his way up into the role of hereditary prince. do you have such aspirations, mekh?
it pleased him to know that the man was fitted so well for satriya, and the fact that mekh held also the regard of merneith did a great deal to assure khaemwaset that they had chosen well.
we must all be in service to the gods, especially in satriya. a long blink of the golden eyes. warriors too can be pious as any holy man or priestess, came the musing. so. tell me your dreams, and it was a light order from Horus.
glancing up the high stone walls of the pyramid, which stretched up in tapering point until he could not see it, he wondered if mekh had too been birthed into the same rich dark earth of toil that had given senmut to their dynasty. was it foolish to still seek him? childish, maybe -- was it still forgivable?
on and on, these thoughts in his mind. proverbial uraeus had been made for his brow, and his brow for its weight, and still from time to time that unseen crown forced a deep aching into khaemwaset's mortal neck, so that he rose with shoulders hurting and brow strained by pain.
satriya should be filled with priests, he declared, looking at the glow cast down by the redness.
silence then, save for the sound of their walking, one gleaming ear turned toward mekh for his voice.
a future of glory might well be assured for this unassuming man with expressive eyes.

---

The hair along his spine prickled being in such close proximity with Pharaoh. It wasn't unnerving, precisely, but just the knowledge of being so near someone as holy as he, the divine linked directly with the gods - with Seti it had been almost casual, and looking back, Mekh wondered if their friendship had been wrong in the eyes of their deities.

It is true, he affirmed Khaemwaset's proud statement. The coywolf had seen it with his own eyes; Satriya was truly as he said it was, and Mekh still wondered that he was allowed at all into their gilded embrace.

He watched with quiet respect as Pharaoh grazed his paw against the monument of their victory. Mekh had touched very much of the great pyramid up to this point; the tile, the gypsum-lime grout, the walls, even the odd artifact still left standing against the tides of time, scrubbing furiously with every appendage at his disposal to make them shine once more.

I - I suppose I have never had any aspirations, Mekh admitted. Beneath his former master's rule, there had been the option of working out a degree of freedom in that of a hunter-rank, but he had grown so fat, so comfortable in his position as Seti's confidante - slave, yes, but also something a little more - why bother?

In hindsight, he probably should have developed a skillset of some kind to fall back on. Mekh could never have anticipated where he was now.

The red dunes stretched infinitely before them.

I will not lie to you, he began, I come from a place similar to this; hot sands, stones piled as high as the sun. I was selfish. Bloated with my own pride, my greatest talent being that of a whisper-gatherer, and my days were spent serving and gifting secrets to my Pharaoh. There was little holiness in my work, and I saw no reason to change.

Golden eyes lifted, reflecting the red sheen from the warm sands surrounding them.

If I were to aspire to priesthood, it would be meticulous work for those who trained me, as if I were a child, he professed. If I were to walk the path of a warrior, the road would be long, and my bite will still never be as strong as that of - one who is pure.

This was surely not what Khaemwaset wished to hear, yet the truth must be said.

But I wish with all the light of Ra to be useful to you.

---

mekh spoke.
Horus listened.
a vain and selfish man cast down, transmuted. humility poured from the fellahin at his side. the lesson, in khaemwaset's estimation, had indeed been learned. his plea for usefulness, too, did much to confirm this for pharaoh.
the work to make a mazoi is grueling and important. the work to make a priest is a great and holy effort, said Horus. many boys are placed into schools for this purpose, many who would prefer not to be there. this comes out in their priestliness. you wish to learn and to serve. you have been humbled by your earlier life. it is time for you to be restored to purity once more.
while the noble youth was indeed interested to know what these secrets might have been, he of course would not ask. you have offered yourself as clay to the potter's wheel. therefore i suggest you dedicate a sacrifice to Khnum and seek His decision, mekh.
the golden eyes glinted.
i can make this choice for you, of course, but is the beginning of a new life for you. treat yourself as the newborn sun and seek counsel.
the traits that the man had exhibited before were useful in their own right. gathering information was important to a kingdom, but not so that spying should be prioritized over all else in an empire.
please be assured that you are already useful. you please the queen. and all that brought merneith even an ounce of joy was worth the protection of pharaoh.
in your former life, did you ever visit a temple, even to gather information? did you have a favored god or goddess?
anyone close to pharaoh would make frequent appearances, at least in normal situations. but if this man had been a whisper-glean, maybe he had not been so visible.