Section Fourteen: Wild Things
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Trowa had worked with lions, elephants, bears and wolves. He had fought long horned bulls, wild boars, and even a ferrous hippopotami. There had been a cage of delicate yellow and green song birds in one of the gardens, but the young beast lord had no idea what to expect in a Roman noble's menagerie. He approached the low building with some trepidation. At the Circus Maximus, he had learned that an animal's temperament was widely affected by the manner in which it was kept. Squalid conditions produced vicious beasts.
He needn't have worried on that account.
One of the servants who had been weeding the flower garden helpfully directed him to the section of the white out building reserved for the master's menagerie. The first thing he noticed as he approached was the smell…or rather the lack thereof. In the catacombs beneath the stands of the Circus Maximus, the scent of animal musk and fear always hung heavy in the air. The closer one got to the animal cages, the worse it got. The young beast tamer had worked tirelessly to keep the animals and their pens clean, but that odor had been pervasive nonetheless.
Here there was an outdoor exercise area which would provide greater freedom for the menagerie's inhabitants than a simple cell could afford. The outdoor cage was large and well kept; there was a mound of upturned dirt, a pool with running water, a sunshade, and a large pile of fresh hay scattered about to make it easier to clean. The outside of the fence was bordered on all three sides with a prodigious rose arbor. The sharp thorns clearly were to discourage trespassers. The fourth side of the enclosure met with the building's face, and there was a low door through which animals could pass. The door was closed at present, and the yard was unoccupied.
Trowa entered the building through an arched portico and followed the narrow corridor until it opened to reveal the indoor cage area that was home to four very fine wolves: one silver-furred male, a brindled female, and two nearly full-grown pups.
The beasts did not pace back and forth in mindless agitation. The older two canines lounged on padded mattresses, the female dozing lightly. The younger males were the first to approach, tongues lolling and tails wagging in a friendly manner. These two were likely born right here and hand reared so they had no fear of man. If one didn't know better, one would assume these were no more than cosseted hunting hounds.
But Trowa was not swayed by the young ones' congenial attitude; to do so would be a breech of pack etiquette that could prove deadly. If one wanted access to the pack, one must approach the leader first and foremost, or be declared an enemy and a threat. Trowa met the silver's unyielding gaze and refused to turn away until the Chief got off his mat and came to investigate.
The male was wary at first, as any patriarch would be when confronting a stranger…especially of the two legged variety. Trowa crouched down and leaned against the bars of the cage. The beast trainer had spent countless hours watching the animals under his care at the Circus Maximus and had learned to mimic the subtle language of posture growls from his various companions in the arena and knew the messages they conveyed. I am no threat, he told the wolves. To add truth to his words, the youth snaked his hand through the bars without fear, allowing the elder the sniff the palm of his open hand.
The silver gave him a questioning growl, confused at the mix of diverse beast scents that clung to the boy, but after a few tentative sniffs on the wolf's part and encouraging 'woofs' from the boy, the pack leader took Trowa's wrist in his mouth. Those sharp teeth and strong jaws could crack bones as if they were dry twigs, but the slave boy did not flinch. He could easily read the beast's posture and bearing.
Trowa knew this was as much a test as it was a a show of acceptance. Once the ritual was complete, he could scratch the younger dogs with impunity even as they attempted to lick his face through the bars. If he had approached them first, it would have aroused the senior's protective instincts. But since he had done it the correct way, the silver even leaned against the bars himself to benefit from the young beast lord's rough caress.
Trowa's skilled hands read the animal's condition with each subtle touch. They were well fed and healthy. Their ears were clean and he could not even detect the pattern of ribs beneath those full and lush coats. Each wore a collar, but then again…so did Trowa. He had to be content knowing the leather was not tight; he could easily place three fingers beneath it and feel the strong chords of muscles of the neck.
"So do you approve of my pack?" Trowa half turned, surprised at the statement. He had been so occupied with the wolves he had not noticed Treize enter from further along the hall.
"It is they who must approve of me," the beast lord corrected unthinkingly.
"And it seems they do." Treize smiled. "What do you think of them?"
"They are in good condition; well exercised. The yard is a good idea…but I suspect you do not keep them here always. They still run the forests and choose to return to you, do they not?" the boy answered quietly from behind the curtain of his bangs.
"My sources did not lie when they said you were the best, Trowa, boy. Brin, there, has been my companion since was a boy." He indicated the she-wolf, who woke at the sound of her name and sauntered over so Treize could scratch behind her ear.
"I found her while out riding in the west woods. She was barely more than a pup and had two arrows in her side. She wouldn't have lasted the night if I had left her alone," he explained. "What could I do but bring her home and see if I could heal her?
"Father wouldn't let me keep her in my room once she was strong again, so we expanded the aerie into a full menagerie to accommodate her. One winter, comma Argent came sniffing around and decided to court her." Treize smiled at the silver.
"I let him move in, and the cubs, Romulas and Remus, came after that. They don't get quite as much exercise now that I am master of the estate, but when I've got the time…I couldn't wish for better hunting companions. There is a reason why I chose the wolf's head as my personal crest."
"So, this was originally an aerie…for the birds in the garden?" Trowa asked truthfully. He had little experience with birds…unless it was to feed them to larger beasts…or eat them himself.
"Not exactly." The noble shrugged and invited, "Come see."
Trowa followed the man down the hall and through a door, which Treize closed securely behind him. "The song birds in the garden belonged to my mother," Treize said. "These were my father's."
The slave's eyes widened in shock when what he saw was not the pigeons and doves he expected. Instead, two glorious golden eagles rested on wooden perches. Both regarded the humans dispassionately. Treize had been feeding them when he'd heard Trowa moving about in the hall, and neither took kindly to having their meal interrupted.
The noble was well schooled in the handling of these lords of the air, and not even he would come within easy reach of those sharp talons without thick leather gloves with cuffs reaching almost to his elbow. Trowa watched with unconcealed awe as his master entered the cage with them and stretched out his hand to let the first of the pair swoop to snatch a dead mouse from his fingers. When it landed, he fed it several more.
"My father's father was an augur for the old Emperor," Treize explained, holding his wrist high. The other bird launched itself from its perch to alight on the offered wrist so he too could receive his rodent treats. "He spent most of his life observing birds of prey and trying to find meaning in the patterns of their flight. My father used that knowledge to train them to hunt for him. He then impressed that knowledge on me when I was still a boy." Treize's brilliant blue eyes darkened at the memory and he sent the bird back to its perch with a wordless command. "As you can see, I am well able to take care of Wind and Fire, here. I need your help with my newest acquisition. Come, I'll introduce you." The ginger haired man exited the cage, locking it behind him.
At the end of the hall was another door. This looked newer that the rest. Treize let the slave go first and followed close behind him. Trowa was surprised to come face to face with a pair of startling blue eyes that nearly took his breath away. Those eyes belonged to a cat perched on a wooden platform near the door. Apparently, the beast liked to climb, as there were similar ramps and platforms on the walls all around the room. On close examination, even a novice could note this was no ordinary kitten. The black coat was shot through with darker spots and rosettes. The green eyed Venatori swallowed convulsively.
"Where did you manage to get a black leopard cub?" Trowa asked in awe.
"This one was a gift for the Emperor... Nanashi managed to escape the enclosure in his majesty's garden twice. I was told it came from the dense forest region in the east that I hope WuFei may know more about. Do you think you can train him?"
"For the Emperor?" Trowa asked.
"No, he is mine. Octavian lost him in a wage over a game of astragalismos to Senator Septiem. When the man tried to collect, he had some difficulties. I assure you, those claws are already wicked sharp. See the marks he has left on the poles. In any case, I managed to persuade the senator the cub was too small to make an impressive rug.
"I'm afraid I've been keeping company with Brin and the others so long that I've never actually seen myself as much of a cat person, but I couldn't very well see him killed either. I have a harness for him, but I haven't managed to get him into it as of yet. I hope you will have more luck," Treize finished.
Catherine, Trowa's dear friend and fellow performer in the Circus Maximus, told him the best way to train the big cats was to get them when they were small. But the only ones the hunters ever brought to the ring were adults, half starved and tormented til they were maddened enough to attack anyone who came close. He had managed to befriend a few, but it was no easy task to gain their respect. Now, he would get the chance to see if Catherine had been correct. He also could not help feeling privileged that he would be able to watch Nanashi grow.
Trowa surveyed the inquisitive beast carefully before finally nodding. "I can train him."
Section Fourteen Notes:
All hail Blindy who has agreed to beta for me! And ye shall be named the scourge of implausible punctuation!! Hip…hip...huzzah!
Wolves: There is a complex ranking system within a wolf pack. For example, at the top of the rankings, there is an alpha male and female to which all other male and female wolves must submit. When wolves encounter each other, the higher rank will show their dominance and power by aggressive moves and body language. This is why Trowa would not break eye contact with Argent til he had been accepted as a member of the pack. I have a friend who had a husky/wolf crossbreed as a pet, and closing its teeth around your wrist was how it showed that it accepted you.
Wolves in captivity need to be socialized and trained. The best method is hand rearing pups so they do not fear humans. Genetically speaking, there is no difference between a wolf and a dog. One would think that would make them simple to train…they aren't. Even if well cared for, wolves do not act as dogs do; they howl, they chew through almost anything, they excavate 10-foot pits in the back yard, and they cannot be housetrained. It is no wonder Treize wasn't allowed to keep Brin in his bedroom. Building the menagerie was likely a matter of survival.
Wolves and Rome: According to the Roman legend, Romulus his twin brother Remus were thrown into a river as infants by their jealous uncle. He feared his sister's sons because they had been fathered by Ares, the god of War. Prophecy said they would grow up and kill him. The wolf is sacred to Mars, so it was not unsurprising that a she-wolf took notice of the god's sons, rearing them even feeding them with her milk. Later, the twins where found by the king's shepherd. He took them home to his wife and the two adopted them. When they became men, they fulfilled the prophesy of killing their uncle and built the city of Rome in the place where they lived with their wolf mother.
The augur held a rather paradoxical status in Roman life, especially Roman political life. An augur was regarded (initially in the early era of Roman kings) as holding a "respectable" office, but, as Roman times marched into the "enlightened" golden Augustan era, the augur became something of a "quiet joke" among the educated. The augures (plural) were members of a Roman "priestly" upper class, charged with interpreting divine purpose or plan from the songs and flight patterns of birds. The ceremony was known as the taking of the "auspices". This duty pre-empted Roman political and military exploits.
Taming big cats- Pliny the Elder, 23-79 AD recalls a story about a distressed panther that beckoned a man, by rolling over on her back, to rescue her cubs from a pit. The panther then guided the man to the litter by softly touching his clothes, and apparently expressed gratitude when they were returned safely. Such feline affection is also visible in Roman art.
Pliny also tells us about Hanno, one of the most distinguished of the Carthaginians, was the first human being who dared to handle a lion and exhibit it as tamed, and that this supplied a reason for his impeachment, because it was felt that a man of such an artful character might persuade the public to anything, and that their liberty was ill-entrusted to one whom even ferocity had so completely submitted.
Jaguars and leopards have attitudes similar to domestic felines. They are self-sufficient and aloof with lightning reflexes, while still being very tactile and responsive. They can get excited by scents and physical touch. Full grown, they can get so excited they become dangerous; they don't know their own strength and can do serious damage without meaning to.
A trainer working with big cats must learn to "read" an animal's behavior and anticipate what they will do. They must learn how their cat thinks, feels, and responds. Captive wild or exotic animals are highly intelligent creatures. No matter how tame they appear, big cats are still wild animals and react that way. Animal trainer Diana Guerrero describes creatures like my little Nanashi as fast and intense. We admire them for their beauty and grace. I figure that makes this the perfect challenge for our Trowa.
The Wager: With the "astragali", gamblers played the "astragalimos", a game quite similar to the dices. Four knuckle bones were used. Two of the six sides of them, the sides number two and five, were not counted because they were round. The other four had some images depicted on them.
Augustus was very fond of gaming. In a letter written by Augustus to his daughter, Iulia, the emperor says: "I sent you two hundred and fifty "denarii", just as many as I gave to each of my guests, so that if they wanted it, they could play at "astragalismos" or at odds and ends during the dinner."
In a letter to Tiberius, he recounts: "I have lost twenty thousand sextertia, but only because as usual I have been generous. If, as a matter of fact, I had asked back all the stakes I had remitted, and if I had kept for me all the money I gave as gifts to others, I would have won fifty thousand sestertia. But I like to do so. My generosity will send me directly in paradise."