A King's Legacy
Chapter 19: Preparations
Talan was kneeling before his father's bed in the Aschefell estate the morning after the full moon, the morning the group was preparing to depart the estate. Talan had been filled in that his prince was still alive, and were it not for the older wolf talking him down, the panther would have departed the moment he received the fortunate news. Instead, Talan had agreed to wait a day, and make his leave with the rest of the group to stick together in number, ensuring a slightly larger degree of safety for the beasts. The roads were becoming more hazardous by the day in wake of the disarray spreading across the kingdom, but even still, all the panther could focus on was keeping those he cherished safe.
Byron could only smile on from the doorway as the young warrior made his vows to his father. Vows to find his brother Cortist and to bring him home. Vows to reunite with the prince, and to stand by his side until the endeavor was over. Even a surprising vow to return the "Human pet," to his father's side. Byron hadn't pried about the older brother's resentment for the human yet, but was planning to soon. After all, they would have plenty of time on the road to discuss such things. The older wolf cleared his throat, and began speaking as the young warrior turned to meet him.
"I just wanted to let you know, the carriages are ready... Are you certain you still wish to bring your father along? It won't be hard to manage, but I do worry if it's the best thing in his condition... However, I do understand your need to keep him close." The panther only nodded at the wise wolf before answering.
"I am. When father wakes up, he would follow us anyway... At least this way, I can protect him until then. My family has quite the target on our backs after my claim to the throne, and even though I will soon withdraw that claim, I cannot afford to leave any weaknesses exposed to our enemies in the time until then... Are you certain YOU still wish to travel with me? I'm sure you understand how that could end badly for your family..." The feline trailed off, but the wolf didn't hesitate to dismiss any such worry.
"Talan... You may not want to hear this, but if all of this goes smoothly, you will be a part of my family also... I know you don't consider him your brother, but Aster and my son have become very... Close as of late. As such, the things he values are the things my son values, and if there's one thing I can say for certain about the boy, is that he values all of his family very deeply. What kind of family would I be to turn my back on you in your time of need? No... What kind of knight would I be? Certainly not one worth serving the next king of our nation." The older wolf donned his fanged smile at the panther, putting that debate to rest with finality. Talan only bowed a bit as he replied.
"Thank you, Sir Aschefell... I would like a little more time with my father, I'll bring him down after. I won't keep you waiting too long." The wolf nodded, happy to oblige as he turned and made his leave.
The old wolf shuffled across the estate at a steady pace, stopping to rest his bad leg every so often before he made it to the forge. The sound of ringing steel and the smell of burning cinders were a welcome presence after sitting untouched for so long. As the wolf creaked open the door, he saw his son Amboss placing the finishing touches on his last minute project with the help of a certain coyote, a long time friend of the family, and the beast in charge of the prince's personal guard, Sir Syphur Ictus.
Sir Syphur had been in the King's service for well over twenty years at that point. He volunteered to help with the registration at the most recent selection before taking a short trip back home. As such, he was not present for the day of the attack, but his service to the crown could be traced back to even delivering the final letter from Jagón's wife, Felicity, to the panther on the battlefield all those years ago. Sir Syphur was nothing special on the combat aspect of things, but his resourcefulness, and his knack for quick thinking when it was needed the most were nearly unparalleled, more so proven by how the smaller beast who barely stood at 6' 5" had survived for so many years. The multi colored coyote was summoned per Byron's request, as this was one of the few beasts he had trusted with the information that their prince was still alive. The coyotes orange tipped ears came to attention when he saw the knight enter. The older wolf gave his greeting to his comrade before he commented on the project.
"Looks like you managed to pull it off with a little help, my son. Do you think it will work the way you need?" Amboss looked up to meet his father's gaze, and smiled, already returning to his lighthearted self after yesterday's good fortune had brought renewed hope to the beast.
"It's no permanent replacement, but it will, at least, give me some means for basic use and defense... Blades were always more Silbern's and Stahl's thing... But I can't exactly attach an entire hammer to my arm, so it will have to do for now. Besides, we are out of time, and I won't be waiting any longer to go get my son back." As the wolf finished his statement, he adjusted his arm to slide into the frame, noting the excellent fit, despite that he had been crafting with only a single arm, and a small bit of help from the coyote. Amboss was fumbling a bit with the buckles, but neither the older wolf, nor the coyote were comfortable offering their help without the younger wolf asking first.
Rouge, however, had no such reservation, and strutted right passed the older wolf in the doorway to assist her husband upon arrival, already well finished with her own travel preparations. The apt fox began speaking to Amboss in her usual, softer tone, but with one clearly still laced with a twinge of uncertainty after almost losing both of her boys.
"As stubborn as the steel you shape... Same as ever it seems." The fox let out a small sigh, but was making quick work of fastening the straps as she continued on. "Is that too tight? Is it comfortable? You'll be wearing this for a while, so it needs to fit properl-" Amboss cut her off with a reassuring notion, bringing his good hand up to gently hold her cheek as he spoke.
"It's fine my love, thank you. It needs to be a little tight or it'll just fall off. Can you get that last one on the lower bicep too? It locks horizontally." Rouge was already taking hold of the final strap, and spoke warmly as she finished.
"It's not your best work... But I suppose it will do for now... Your son will probably poke fun at you for it though." Amboss chuckled a bit, knowing that Rust would be brainstorming improvements the moment he found out about the prosthetic. Still, knowing he could be in a position to even think about that was more than enough for the time being. So instead, the wolf grew a playful grin, and spoke his other thought he had brewing as he raised his new arm.
"If nothing else, at least it adds to my sex appeal, no?" Rouge's left ear twitched twice in rapid suggestion, a clear giveaway that she was either annoyed, or excited by the thought. She took a single step inwards, leaning in closely to her wolf before she smiled ever so slightly as her fingertips traced over the cool steel of the new arm. The base was essentially a leather cap, layered with rings to bind it. There was a smaller plate inside of it which fused to the nine inch blade protruding forth. The buckles and straps were connected to various points, offering a secure fit over the arm. Towards where the blade met the holster, there was a smaller, dull hook about where his palm used to be that could help him grip things to an extent. Rouge gave the odd contraption a final tap with a look of skepticism before she gave her answer.
"Well... Lets just be grateful you're still handsome." As the wolf scowled a bit in his deflated ego, his wife finally laughed for the first time since the attack, however briefly, before she leaned up to plant a short kiss on his muzzle. She took a step back, smiling a bit more than before, and spoke her final words before she turned to make her leave.
"Just don't keep us waiting too much longer, I think everyone is about ready to go... I know I am..." Amboss beamed back at his wife, and spoke his reply confidently.
"We're going to get him back, my love. Before you know it, he will be back with us." Rouge paused in the doorway, and turned to give her wolf one last smile before she simply closed her eyes, and stepped out of the forge. Sir Byron turned to his son and the coyote, and spoke in an enthusiastic voice.
"Well, you heard the lady. Bout ready boys? It's a long trip, but we should make good time if all goes well." The coyote and the younger wolf nodded, Both eager to be on the road, and to reach their charges without further hesitation.
Stahl was watching Aster sleep that morning, which had admittedly become a part of his routine by then. The wolf just couldn't resist, the boy always looked so at peace when he was resting, a feeling he knew was becoming more and more rare for his human in recent days, so the beast tried to let him dream as much as possible. The boy rolled onto his stomach then, and stretched out a bit as a few bones popped from the action. Aster let out a short grunt, signaling his mind was becoming aware once more. Stahl only chuckled lightly at the motion, already planning how he wanted to wake his mate up.
Stahl adjusted his position, and sat up in the bed. The beast gently moved to straddle his human's bare ass, and brought his large hands to rest on his boy's shoulders. The beast began lightly squeezing at the muscles there with his fingertips, careful to keep his claws from digging in as he did so. The muscles beneath his touch were rigid, and tense, which wasn't surprising considering the fun they indulged in the past two days, so the beast knew his mate would appreciate a little attention to his body. Stahl went on rubbing the sore body a while longer, rolling the knots between his fingers as they slowly loosened up and dispersed. The beast began working on Aster's neck next, and heard the boy let out a stifled moan as Stahl rubbed his hands over the sore area. The wolf gave his palms a hefty squeeze, drawing up the skin on the nape of Aster's neck as his mate moaned from the sensation once more.
Stahl kept working over the body with extra attention to where his boy reacted the most. Stahl worked down the muscular back, and moved on to tenderly run over the boy's arms and legs shortly after. Aster was simply in a state of bliss from the welcomed surprise. He couldn't think of a better way to be woken up than by the firm hands of a noble wolf soothing over his aches and pains, so he let himself relax into the thorough administrations. After going for a long while, Stahl finally came to a stopping point, and leaned forward, resting his body on top of Aster's own as his sheath snugly rested between his boy's ass cheeks. The wolf drew his limbs in a bit, and shifted his weight gently atop his mate with his muzzle tilted down to rest in the nook of Aster's neck. Aster only smiled beneath the weight of the embrace as he finally spoke his greeting.
"Well... You never stop finding ways to blow away my expectations, do you, my wolf?" Stahl huffed a bit of a laugh before he gave his answer.
"Says the one that crushes all of mine daily. Good morning, my love. I hope you dreamt well?" Aster grunted contently before he replied.
"Had the strangest dream I was being suffocated by a wolf... It was surprisingly comforting. I'd suggest everyone dream about it sometime." Stahl muzzled into his human's neck just a bit more at the notion, huffing his answer a bit.
"Not everyone could do what you did. That's reserved for good boys only, after all." Aster snickered under the flattery, feeling a bit proud of his accomplishment the night before. Before he could answer though, a knock tapped at the door, interrupting the reply. Stahl casually rolled off of his boy, and covered the pair back up with the thin blanket before he called for the visitor to enter. When the door opened, Mollis was there with a troubled expression. The beast kept his head low as he spoke.
"The captain has returned... The prince has called a mandatory gathering for our soldiers. Be quick. We are meeting near the river in a few minutes." The hare bowed lightly before quickly turning to move on to the next residence. Aster felt a pang of guilt at how distant the hare was being, and called something out before the beast made his leave.
"Mollis... Let's have that talk later, alright?" Mollis stopped dead in his tracks as foot paw bounced ever so slightly. The hare turned back around with a softer smile on his face before he simply gave the human a nod, happy for the chance to make things right. Mollis made his leave while Aster and Stahl started getting dressed to head to the meeting. A few moments later, the pair stepped from the doorway and closed it behind them, heading off towards the river where they had all talked the first day.
As the flowing water came more into sight, Aster noticed the majority of the beasts within the prince's group were already present. The boy noted Rust was still absent. Aster looked off into the distance a ways, and saw a fatigued Captain Rix walking their direction from further up the river with Oust and Sir Corper in tow. Aster could only drop his gaze as a measure of his guilt for kissing the tiger returned to him. Stahl took note, and reassuringly placed a hand over Aster's shoulder, giving him the usual calming presence of caring affection. Aster leaned into the touch as he brushed his cheek against the strong, but fuzzy hand, happy for the distraction.
Oust was already training with Sir Corper when the hulking bull strutted into his view from near the village. The bull's muscular frame was coated with a heavy layer of sweat and muddied dust from his long sprint to return to the village, but the staunch bull hadn't stopped for even a second, knowing that every single one mattered. Captain Rix made his report to his prince first thing upon arrival, and after briefly confirming the troubling news with the orc chief, had set out per his prince's order to gather the beasts of Alora present. Oust was the last on his list, as the bull had a few things to settle there before the meeting.
The tiger took a few paces to reach the bank, and kneeled as his superior approached. The bull spoke in his usual, burly tone.
"TIGER! NO TIME FOR SUCH THINGS! WE HAVE OTHER TROUBLE TO WORRY ABOUT, HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS REGARDING YOUR FATHER?" Oust looked up to his captain with a solemn look, and nodded his response.
"Prince Tyfin filled me in yesterday... You mean how he has made a claim to the crown, yes?" The thick bull nodded, happy to skip to the point.
"GOOD, THEN LET ME ASK YOU THIS, TIGER, WHICH CLAIM WILL YOU BACK? CHOOSING TO FOLLOW YOUR FATHER IS A NOBLE THING, AND I UNDERSTAND IF THAT IS WHAT YOU PICK, BUT I NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU STAND. WILL YOU RALLY BEHIND YOUR FATHER, OR BEHIND YOUR PRINCE? ANSWER ME TRUTHFULLY." Oust lowered his head, expecting this conversation, but not from the bull of all beasts. The tiger took a steadying breath in, and spoke his thoughts on the matter.
"My father would raise the most powerful army our country had even seen. He would focus on the strongest among us, and rule accordingly to eradicate the weaker among us... His rule would be one where the strongest rise above the weak... Prince Tyfin would rule the opposite, of that, I'm certain... I do not wish to stand against my father, because I know that death awaits any who dare to... But I pray our Prince will reclaim his throne, as is his right." Captain Rix snorted once before he retorted, not exactly satisfied with that answer.
"THIS IS WAR, TIGER. THERE IS NO ROOM LEFT FOR PLAYING BOTH SIDES. WHICH SIDE OF THE LINE WILL YOU STAND ON? PRAYERS WITHOUT ACTION TO BACK THEM AMOUNT TO NOTHING." It was Sir Corper who further expanded on that statement.
"I have to agree with your captain here, young one. Choosing to remain passive because you fear retaliation from either side is a fool's choice. I can tell you about the dangers of taking no action until it is too late... Tell me, cub, would your father give a second thought to discarding you among the weak?"
Oust lowered his head, knowing his teacher and his captain were both correct. The beast exhaled silently before he spoke in a serious voice.
"My father should not be allowed to seize the crown... I cannot hope to stop him, but I will do what I can for our prince in the meantime... My loyalty to the rightful king has not wavered." Captain Rix gave a gruff grunt before he turned to stare down the bear for a bit, seemingly deep in thought. Sir Corper gave the bovine a moment before he finally spoke to the bull.
"Don't hold your tongue for my sake, Captain. Say what you want to." The bull furrowed his brow before he responded.
"I NEVER HOLD MY TONGUE. SIR CORPER THE COLLAPSER, AS A PRIOR GENERAL TO BEAST KING ALOCER, PRINCE TYFIN TONITRUS HAS REQUESTED YOUR PRESENCE AS WELL. WE HAVE TROUBLE KNOCKING AT OUR DOOR ONCE MORE, AND WE NEED ALL THE MUSCLE WE CAN GET." The older bear never looked away, studying the bull carefully as he pondered the request. The beast gave his answer shortly.
"I will hear what your prince has to say, but I promise nothing. I do not serve the crown anymore. I am bound by no king. My only obligation is to the student I chose to take on." The bull huffed once more, replying immediately.
"SO I SEE... WE WILL DISCUSS THAT MORE LATER, I WON'T HAVE MY AUTHOROTY UNDERMINDED WHEN IT COMES TO MY SOLDIERS, BUT FOR NOW, I SEE NO REASON THE TEACHING CANNOT CONTINUE... GIVEN IT DOESN'T HINDER HIS OTHER TRAINING." The burly bear nodded, accepting the truce for the time being. The three beasts began making their way towards the meeting spot a moment after. As Oust caught sight of the human runt among the gathering, he felt a small flutter of embarrassment stir deep within his heart. The tiger cursed the sensation with a reluctant grunt, still not entirely certain how he felt towards the boy now. He wanted to keep hating the human, but it seemed Oust had unintentionally let a lot of that frustration towards his prior loss go as well. A good kiss could do that to a person.
The prince cleared his throat as the trio integrated into the small gathering around him. Sir Corper hung back a good ways, while Captain Rix walked to stand a bit behind the prince. Oust simply took a spot near the end, keeping the human, the wolf, and the hare with them just at the edge of his vision. Prince Tyfin began speaking calmly, and clearly, his voice disguising his worry well.
"Beasts of Alora, I'm afraid the situation isn't very bright... But I do not wish to hide anything from you. I sent the captain here ahead to scout for any trouble, and it seems trouble has found us instead... There's a decent sized force of fiends heading our direction... They will be here before nightfall." A murmur of hushed gasps and whispers flooded through the crowd. Even Aster found himself sitting up a bit more straight after the news. Before the prince could continue, a beast shouted a question laced with fear.
"How big is a decent sized force? Two hundred? Three?" Prince Tyfin fought the urge to look away, and instead stared straight ahead as he gave his reply.
"We estimate close to a thousand..." The gathering of beasts erupted into frantic chaos, losing nearly all composure as they all spoke their worries at once. The prince tried to get the situation under control, but his voice was quickly drowned out beneath the others. It was Captain Rix speaking in his booming voice that did demand a bit of order.
"YOUR KING IS SPEAKING. IF YOU ARE THROUGH WASTING TIME, WE NEED TO DISCUSS WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THIS PROBLEM." Another beast in the crowd answered venomously.
"What we can do? We run! We can't possibly survive a fight like that!" Another beast shouted in their own distaste.
"Our king? Our king is dead! And there's no reason to believe that lion will ever inherit that crown now! We don't need to hear any plan he may have!" Captain Rix blew his top a bit when he answered such cowardly takes.
"OH? YOU DON'T SERVE THIS KING? YOU WANT TO TUCK YOUR TAILS AND RUN? GO RIGHT AHEAD, COWARDS! JUST KNOW, I SERVE THIS KING, AND IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE UNDER MY PROTECTION TO REACH OUR HOME, THEN YOU WILL FOLLOW THIS KING TOO! ANYTHING ELSE IS A RISK TO HIS SAFETY THAT I WON'T BE TAKING. YOU WILL AT LEAST LISTEN TO HIS PLAN." The scattered voices died down with grunts of disdain and uncertainty. The prince took a silent breath in, and picked up where he left off.
"I understand your worry... I am worried also, but I've spoken with the orc chief already, and between their fighters and our soldiers, I believe we can join forces to repel this attack. We could try to flee, but there is no guarantee we would make it, and any real hope we have of surviving that attack disappears if we abandon this village... The same village that has continued to show us mercy when they had no reason to. The same one that opened its doors to those of you who wish to wait before returning to the kingdom. To even think about abandoning them when it is their time of need is something I will not even consider an option. If you choose to flee, I will not stop you, but even I plan to join this battle." More of the gossip flared back up at this revelation, but the prince continued on in spite of it.
"With our few fighters and the orc forces, we should only be outnumbered roughly four to one. I know that sounds bad, but considering most of our warriors are capable of taking down a great number of fiends by themselves, we really do stand a good chance at victory with a little planning and some tactics. I will be meeting with the orc chief shortly, after he has talked with his own council of the impending threat. I need to know how many soldiers we have willing to fight with them. How many of you will stand before this enemy, as allies to the orcs? I will force no one to fight, but I will ask you to... Step forth should you find yourself willing, if I may rely on your strength and your courage yet again."
Aster looked over to see his wolf was already smiling down at him with that usual fang poking passed his muzzle. Stahl nodded once, and shifted his hand to grasp Aster's own in confidence before the pair stepped forward just as many other beasts did. Oust and Mollis were among those choosing to fight, as was the entirety of those who had been training under the captain, save for two. Several of the citizens even volunteered their lives, leaving very few choosing not to participate. Prince Tyfin simply bowed his head, humbled by the response in the best of ways. He opened his eyes, and lifted his head to give a parting message.
"My people... My soldiers... Thank you, for trusting me. We have much to tend to, I want to help the orcs however they may need, so I will depart to find out exactly what we can do. Should you see anyone needing a hand until then, please, offer it... We will get through this, for we are an unstoppable force when we stand united." A small roar of cheers and approval erupted from the volunteers then. Captain Rix straightened up a bit, and made his own declaration.
"BEASTS OF ALORA, TONIGHT, WE GO TO WAR! DO NOT LOSE FAITH IN YOURSELVES, EACH OTHER, OR YOUR KING!" The massive bull stomped his right hoof firmly, and as usual, the soldiers rushed to attention, bringing their fist to their chests and boldly declaring their answer in unison.
"YES SIR!"
Rust was busy putting an edge on a short sword with dedicated focus when his uncle walked in later that morning, the fox broke his concentration to look up at Stahl and frowned the slightest bit before he spoke.
"Sorry I didn't come to the meeting... We heard right after the captain returned early this morning, and the chief asked us to prepare some extra weapons, so we've sort of been busy... I can guess why you're here though, and you don't have to tell me, I don't want to be anywhere near those things. I'll stay hidden." Stahl smiled at his nephew, impressed by how level headed he was being considering the impending attack, not to mention the devotion to helping any way he could. The wolf walked a bit closer to the fox before he answered him with a grin.
"I'm glad to hear it... But... I actually came to help." The fox gave his uncle a skeptical look, and a short pause before he finally answered him.
"Uh... Thanks... But have you ever even worked in a forge?" Stahl wasn't sure if his nephew was being a little shit because he was nervous, or if it was a genuine question. The uncle raised an eyebrow, opting to answer like it was the latter.
"...It's been a while, but yeah, I know what I'm doing. Seems like you've got plenty of touchups to do, need a hand? Or would it be too embarrassing to work with a rusty old wolf like me?" Stahl finished by pointing to a bundle of weapons awaiting some love, some with visible dings and chips to be smoothed away. Rust looked at their workload once more with a grimace, and turned back to Tan. The orc stopped tending to his own stack of something small and pointed for just a moment to grunt out his approval.
"Welcome aboard. Grab a weapon, grab a stone. There's going to be a steady flow of these for a while, and I expect even more will stop by shortly for tuning their edges. I'll finish these needles soon and lend a hand. Many of ours have chosen their weapons already, but many have not. It may be a poor selection for the most part, but let's offer them what we have." Stahl gave a short bow in appreciation, and did exactly that, opting to help finish out the swords first. The three worked on in mostly silence for a good while longer as the fox occasionally peeked over at Stahl's work. Rust was actually enjoying being proven wrong about his uncle's ability, finding the wolf did seem to know what he was doing after all. Rust spoke his apology in what Stahl assumed was his best attempt at sounding like an adult.
"Sorry to doubt you... I just didn't really remember seeing you in the forge much back home." Stahl looked over to his nephew for a split second with a flash of a smug expression, but spoke in understanding shortly after.
"Yeah, but in your defense, back then, YOU were the one who wasn't forging very often yet... To be honest with you, I haven't really wanted to make anything since I forged my swords with Silbern back when I first enlisted... And I sort of stopped nearly altogether a few years before that to focus on my swordplay. Sure, I have helped a bit with some things since, like Aster's armor and such, but never really hands on like I was then... It's just... That was the last good memory I have with my brother, and I wanted to hold on to it a little longer." Stahl took a second to pause himself, not meaning to dump all of that on his nephew like he had. Rust paused mid pass with his stone to glance back towards his uncle with a bit of a sad look before returning to his task. He spoke quietly.
"I miss him too... I miss all of our family... I'll be glad to see them again soon, it's been too long." The wolf huffed out a bit, having some idea already as to what the fox really meant.
"Is someone missing a certain younger, white wolf in particular? I guess it has been two years..." Stahl flashed his antagonizing smile at the fox, but let it quickly fade when he saw his nephew recoil and flinch while he looked away. The wolf started up an apology immediately, realizing he had struck a raw nerve a bit too harshly.
"Hey, sorry Rust... I was trying to lighten up the mood a little... I know it's been hard since they moved." The fox stopped his work completely, and placed his stone and his sword down on the workspace before him. He turned to his uncle then, and looked him straight in the eyes while he finally asked what he had wanted to.
"If I ask you some questions, will you give me some answers? And I mean true ones..." Stahl's ears perked in shock, not expecting this to lead there of all places. He answered cautiously.
"I guess that depends on the questi-" The fox cut him off before he even finished.
"No. I've been growing up. I know you've noticed... Look, I know where cubs come from, and I don't need to talk to you about that... But there are other things I want to know about that my father wouldn't ever tell me... Will you at least hear me out?" Stahl was even more surprised, feeling uncomfortable being pressed to go against his brother's judgement, but also awful about potentially going into battle while leaving things unsaid... The wolf gave it some thought, and came up with a solution.
"You get three questions. I might not be able to answer them, but I won't lie to you... HOWEVER, you have to agree to promise me something in return afterwards. Do we have a deal?" Stahl had placed his own tools down, and reached out his larger hand to his nephew. Rust wasn't one to not catch the fine print though.
"What's the promise?" Stahl only flashed a smile before he replied.
"Is that the first question?" Rust grunted in annoyance, his left ear twitching twice rapidly, knowing he wasn't getting that answer. The fox reached out, and shook the wolf's hand.
"We have a deal." Rust squeezed his uncle's hand tightly as he continued without missing a beat. "My first question: Who is my birth father?" Stahl quickly pulled his hand away, answering swiftly and flatly as he turned a shoulder to his nephew.
"No... Not doing it, and you should know better than to even ask me. You talk to your father about that one when you're A LOT older... Next question." Rust groaned, expecting as much, but figured it was worth trying anyways. He did get a little information still, his uncle knew the real story also... The fox thought hard on the right wording for the next question, but asked after a brief pause, his voice more quiet than before.
"How do you tell someone you like them? I know, I know, I'm young, and I don't want to worry about anything too far along yet... But I want them to at least know how I feel, how I've always felt about them... How do you bring that up?" Stahl turned back towards his nephew, and answered the previously reserved fox with a sense of pride that he had actually gotten those words out without his voice faltering.
"Ah... So... It is about a certain white wolf then?" Rust looked away in embarrassment, but finally nodded ever so slightly. Stahl chuckled just a bit at the confession finally coming out as he gave what advice he could.
"Well... I think we can both agree that I don't really understand how their head works... But usually, the best thing to do in that situation is to just tell them, no matter how hard it may be to get the words out. Make a bit of time to get them alone, maybe somewhere special if you can really plan for it, and just tell them how you feel... You can try giving them a small gift, but don't go too overboard at first. Even if it doesn't go how you plan, that's really the only choice we have sometimes. Trust me bud, love is always weird at first." Rust cracked his own smile, and spoke a bit before getting to his next question.
"Thanks, I guess... I mean, I don't know if that actually helped, but it did give me an idea. I'll accept that answer... For clarification, does a full set of armor count as too much for a first gift?" Stahl laughed at his nephew's brazen jab at his gift to Aster, but knew the fox was just giving him a taste of his own medicine, the cub HAD been raised by wolves after all. Rust looked at his uncle one more time as he finally spoke in his most serious tone yet.
"Last question... Please don't take this the wrong way... But will you tell me the truth about Aster? I know there's a lot that doesn't make sense... I like him, he's a good uncle, but it's sort of scary not knowing sometimes. I want to know if something bad could happen, I want you to treat me like I'm an adult on this... It worries me because I know how much you like him. It can wait until after all of this, but I want to know too." Stahl took a deep breath in and let out a heavy sigh. Yeah, he had been expecting that one for a while. Rust was sharp enough to know some things weren't adding up. Even Stahl worried about some of those darker tellings... But the wolf agreed with the fox, it was high time he learned. He wouldn't reveal the full details on the darker parts, or things like Aster being a king by birthright, but he would tell the fox.
"Alright. Yeah, I swear, as soon as this is over, I'll give you that conversation... But he gets to be part of it. Sound fair?" Rust nodded, that was enough for him. His uncle always kept a promise. Speaking of promises, the fox repeated his earlier question once again.
"Alright, that's three. What's the promise?" The fox raised his own brow then as he looked up to the wolf. It was Stahl's turn to feel uncomfortable, but he had to be sure he said it... Just in case... It was war, after all.
"I want you to take a short break here in a bit... I want you to get a satchel, fill it with as much water and food as you can carry, and I want you to keep it on you when the fighting starts, take this as well." Stahl dropped a small bag of coins in the fox's hand, something Aster had agreed he should have if something went wrong. Rust fidgeted nervously, not sure what to make of his uncle's shift in tone. Stahl continued on anyway. "If something happens... If everything falls apart tonight, you run. You run west, or you run south, it all depends which is clear. If you can get out with others, great, but don't you stop running, no matter what you see, no matter what you hear, no matter who calls for help... You go. If I see it heading badly, I'll try to come find you, but don't wait for me. If our defenses fall, you do not!" Stahl placed a hand on Rust's shoulder as he finished, and the fox really started to get scared then. His uncle's hand was trembling. Stahl was afraid. Tan broke the silence with a light cough as he spoke.
"I agree with your uncle. This is no light matter... Here, you can take these to a place near the pub. You'll see a smaller orc there waiting for you. Do what you were asked while you are out." Tan walked over to Rust, and placed a bag of what looked like tiny spikes before the fox, the same ones he had been touching up most of the morning. Rust gave the orc an inquisitive stare, but Tan only continued on the previous subject.
"At my age, I've learned a thing or two about the cruelty of such conflict for the losing side. You should be scared, young Rosten... You should know how bad it can get, and how suddenly it can all shift... How merciless these creatures will attack even the defenseless... That's a part of being an adult in a situation like this one after all..." The orc turned to Stahl before he finished speaking his thoughts. "I'll be one of the final walls to protect those that won't be fighting, so I'll make sure he gets out if he needs to, I swear it." Rust simply sighed in his defeat, he couldn't argue with both of them anyway. So the fox picked up the bag of "Needles," as Tan had called them, and walked from behind the counter to the door. Stahl called out once more before the fox opened it.
"Rust... You didn't answer. Do you promise me?" The fox looked at his uncle, and saw he really was worried about all of this. The fox forced a smile and nodded as he gave his reply.
"I promise." The cub made his leave then, and the wolf turned to the orc the moment the door closed behind him.
"Thank you..." Tan only grunted, and gave a nod. He understood. The orc went to where the fox had been working beside the wolf, and picked up the whetstone and the blade as he deftly got back to work. Stahl joined him, and the two worked on in proficient silence, neither wanting to discuss things potentially going wrong any further.
Jagón wasn't sure how he had ended up where he had, but he didn't have the mental capacity to dwell on it too much anyway at that time. All the panther knew at first, was the sense of falling through darkness for an immeasurable period of time, when suddenly, as if he were always there, the panther knight found himself laying on his back amongst a field of the most aromatic, and colorful flowers he had ever bore witness to. While the sun was shining brightly in the sky, the only light that reached the panther was that which framed the silhouette of the person that was looking down at him. Jagón could not bring their face into focus, but there was something familiar about them, something that remained just out of reach of his recognition. Even so, the panther had no worry, even when he realized his head was resting on her lap.
The silhouette brought a hand to his brow, and affectionately began petting at the fur there. The figure started singing then, and while Jagón couldn't understand a word of it, the panther definitely recognized the melody, although, that full recollection too remained just out of his reach. Even so, as the song progressed on, the panther found himself staring up at the bearer of the enchanting voice. The song coaxed things from the panther, forcing memories of all the horrible things he had done to come flooding to the forefront of his mind. As the panther relived his guilt, the memories overflowed into his eyes, and they formed into the most painful tears the great knight had shed since losing his wife so many years ago. Those tears fell endlessly as the exhausted general silently wept a steady stream to fall to the lap he rested his weary head atop.
Jagón had never stopped to realize how tired he was. He hadn't realized how much the years of following his king's orders had taken from him, how much sleep it had been costing him. He hadn't allowed himself to stop long enough to remember such things... But he could see it clearly then, and wept for that as well. He remembered it all, he recalled every life he had taken, and his tears confessed all such sins to the mysterious figure, almost begging it to simply let him rest, to hate him for such crimes, and to let him fall back into the darkness...
But the silhouette did not hate him, she could never hate him, and so she only kept on singing in that incredibly soothing and magnificent voice as she simply held the panther, caressing him softly as she stayed with him to fight off the darkness. She stayed with the beast who had taken such great care of her heart for so many years, for that was the only thing still clear to her then.
For just a moment, in this place out of reach of all, she could hold him the way she had always longed to hold the knight since the first moment they had been fated to meet all those years ago. She could give him the peace she felt he deserved. If nothing more, she could, at least, keep him from following his king into the darkness once again.
As always, a quick vote, or message/comment can mean a lot. I appreciate hearing from you all, and hope you have enjoyed what I've built. The next chapter will likely be a long one, as a lot is going to happen in general. May take me a bit to finalize it, but ill be working on it steadily. Thanks as always. -Pup Bayou.