The Pack Reunites

Chapter 4

September 1st, 2078.

T'was the start of the autumn season, winds were blowing, leaves were changing color, and animals from across our lands were beginning their preparations for the cold, harsh winter months at the end of the year.

Princeps Gromeo the Younger, Princepess Azura, and I had recently departed El Reino Helado to journey to Cairo Land so my Neptis et Nepos could learn how to manipulate the second element, air under the tutelage of their third Avunculus, Rei Maximo Cairo I.

It'd only been a mere four months after the young infante's quinceñero and the young Realeza were understandably upset to see their "Primos" leave. Fortunately for them, their Padre allowed them to visit us in the palace both when Princeps Gromeo and Princepess Azura finished their elemental training. He wrote to my Fratres about the arrangement, and he agreed saying that the two of them also had much to catch up on.

With the arrangements made and farewells in order, we departed Frost castle and headed for Cairo Land. According to news reports of the time, the Regnum had been experiencing a drop in crime rates and an increase in criminal reformation as the also once high poverty rate went down.

The main reason it was so high in the first place was of course Imperator Remus. In the beginning Cairo Land was a gold mine as many mountain caves housed rare and expensive gemstones which most witches used for their livelihoods. Unfortunately, he came to power, he sought to collect the resources for himself which left much of the population homeless and impoverished.

In the aftermath of this economic disaster, those who didn't have a secondary means of earning income began to see petty theft as their only option, much like Meu Tio, Maximus did in his youth. However, once he became Rei, he decided to finally put an end to it by helping the criminals out of their bad situation.

"Avunculus Kurin," Princeps Gromeo called snapping me back to reality. "Yes, young one," I answered. "You also went to Cairo Land a lot as a kid? What's it like?" "Excellent question, Nepos," I said. "Cairo Land is actually a Regnum located high in the mountains where witches use a hang glider system as a means of transportation. They also have a very pacifist and peaceful attitude towards life., preferring not to use violence and only use it when necessary."

Again, my memories from visiting Cairo Land were somewhat fewer and farther between as compared to my memories of El Reino Helado so I was unsure of whether I was remembered it correctly. Still though I attempted to explain to Mei Neptis and Nepos all I could remember and were certain to be true.

"That sounds nice." Princepess Azura said "It is," I answered. "Just like in El Reino Helado I also have more friends there I can introduce you to." "Thank you, Avunculus?!" they both said in unison. While yes, I did spend some time with Propinquis meus during my visits, a large portion of my time in Cairo Land at least on Sundays were spent with the friends I've made there during my youth.

Ten minutes later, we were able to see the mountain that marked the land's borders and landed our griffins at the summit. Meu Tio had ordered two of his guards to escort us to his castle and their treatment of us was similar to the guards in El Reino Helado. they immediately bowed in respect when they saw us and greeted us with our imperial titles, before offering different welcome gifts from across Cairo Land.

Upon entering the city. The witches all stopped what they were doing and cheered as we marched through the streets. My old friends meanwhile did not partake in the celebration but were glad I came to visit nonetheless and were equally as delighted to meet Princeps Gromeo Junior and Princepess Azura.

For as long as I could remember the two of them never had issues getting along with others. With a combination of their Pater's outgoing personality and their Mater's polite demeaner, their eight pups fairly confident when in public.

Arriving. I could see many changes that had been made since my last visit, white marble now covered the floor and walls, the dungeon was replaced with treasure room for precious gemstones, and there are far less guards patrolling the town than before.

The doors to the throne room soon came into view and I for some reason was rather nervous, I was able to calm myself down just in time as Captain Lopez opened the doors and we came face to face with Cairo Land's Membros da Realeza.

"Ola Sobrinho!" Rei Maximo exclaimed. "Haven't seen you in a while, how's it been?" Ever since we soothed him during his rampage, Meu Tio had become the most informal which helped ease my nerves. "I'm doing well, just assisting Princeps Gromeo and Princepess Amalia rule the empire." "I trust that you're keeping Seu Irmano focused?" he teased. "I am." I answered. After we finished the conversation, the rest of his family began speaking.

"Nice to meet you, Primo?" said one of the puppies below him. "Now Paulo that's rude," Tia Gaia said. "You know you're supposed to introduce yourself first before starting a conversation." "Sorry Mae," Paulo said before properly introducing himself. His two Irmanos E Irmana followed soot and began to introduce themselves and shortly after we were finished, Rei Maximo noticed Princeps Gromeo Junior and Princepess Azura standing near the entrance.

"Hey pups!" he began asking. "Why so shy?" The young imperials stayed silent for a moment then answered. "It's not that, it's just that our Pater told us to be respectful." "Of course, he did," he said frustratingly. "You know your Pater used to be the fun one in our family, now he's just boring." Rei Maximo's comment though rather excessive, managed to get the young pups to loosen up and they soon felt comfortable around their Cairo relatives.

The day concluded with the gourd festival, an annual celebration that commemorates the coming of autumn, celebrated only in Cairo Land, and the imperial city. During the festivities I was able to further get acquainted with Rei Maximo's puppies whilst also spending some overdue bonding time with Meu Tio.

The next day, Meu Tio started the young imperials' first day of training, beginning with simple breathing technique before teaching how to them to create a simple breeze which was a bit more challenging for them, but they eventually learned it.

While the two elements are very similar, manipulating the air requires a deeper sense of spirituality, with more emphasis on defensive maneuvers. Compare that to manipulating water where wolves are taught to defend as a means of attacking.

Though, it was certainly harder for them, through hard work and persistence they were able to master the basics within the first week. So, there isn't a single doubt in my mind that they would soon be able to master it.