A Kings Legacy

A King's Legacy

Chapters 28 & 29:

The Fall & The Mettle

Oust was watching the sunrise, feeling surprisingly well rested, especially considering he only had a few short hours of sleep the night before. The tiger was worried about the runt, there was no doubt there... But Oust was finding it easier to believe in that boy these days. Aster wouldn't die so easily. Oust was finding it far more possible to see hope in most things that morning, a trait that came with useful timing considering all he could think about was what the runt had said to him in the river.

"I will talk to him." There was something almost humiliating about those words... Something that would've made the cat feel slighted in his past, as if his happiness was so dependent on the decision of another... But Oust understood what the boy meant. He had seen the two together almost every night since they all ended up in that desert. The way that wolf would hold him... Since that first frigid night... So tenderly, yet so protectively... The way Stahl would silence any protests from others with simply a quick flick of his sharp eyes... The way he changed everything about himself to try and be the best he could for the boy... Stahl loved that runt in ways Oust never could... In ways the tiger just wasn't able to yet. Stahl was always so brave, and noble, and proud like that... Oust didn't know if he personally was any of those things anymore... But Oust also wasn't so sure the if the wolf really ever was any of those things at all... Not after that last part, after he charged at him... Even so... Aster would talk to him. Oust knew the wolf still deserved that much... That Stahl surely deserved more than what he had received, even considering what he had done, what he had said.

Oust still wanted whatever he could get. Every second he had with that human was something precious to him. It inspired him... If that meant the cat could hold him so intimately again, Oust would gladly take that honor... But even if it just meant he could still talk to him... To maybe even train with him more often... The tiger could be just as thankful for that. When you've never had a crumb of kindness, the first bite can fill you up in ways you wouldn't believe. The tiger would take a friend over nothing any day... But the boy would talk to him... Based off of the wolf's reaction the night before, the tiger didn't expect much... But he was trying to be hopeful all the same.

A groggy fox groaning loudly to his right pulled the tiger's attention from the morning sunrise. Oust chuckled to himself lightly as he called out his greeting.

"Yeah... Been there. He put me in the dirt the first night I met him. Don't worry, the headache will fade in a day or two." Rust was not nearly as amused by the humor as Oust was. The fox's left ear twitched twice as he recalled what had happened the night before. With a panicked voice, Rust started questioning the tiger.

"Where are my uncles?" Oust replied as genuinely as he could.

"I do not know. The last we saw of any trace was the glow in the fissure. There wasn't much we could do." Rust was already standing, despite his throbbing headache.

"I COULD'VE AT LEAST TRIED!" Rust was starting to lose his composure again. Oust did his best to reassure him.

"You would've only added to the problem they were dealing with." Rust quickly snapped back at that remark.

"That's a bit rich coming from you right now..." Oust only continued. Knowing the fox was on edge... Plus, he did have a point there...

"I'm only saying... As far down as that light from the shield was, there's no way they could climb back out... Their only option is to follow the chasm to the end when they make it to the bottom. It should be easier to climb out there, and hopefully, not as steep. I know you are worried... I am also... But they can handle themselves, and I know you know that. We will find them both." Rust glared at the tiger for a moment, looking him directly in the eyes as he judged the weight of those words. Finally, Rust closed his eyes, and turned his gaze, sighing as he conceded. The adolescent plopped back down, cradled his throbbing head, and concentrated on healing himself. As the green glow of the prayer magic faded, Oust spoke to the fox once again.

"I never did thank you." Rust cast the tiger a questioning glance. Oust continued. "Back when we all first landed in the desert... It was you that first told the ru-... That told Aster some about where I came from... I was a jerk about it then... But I did appreciate you saying what you did." Rust exhaled loudly before he smiled and answered the soldier.

"Don't worry about it. It was just conversation anyway... I do know Aster cares about you now, though, and I know he wants to help you, because that's just what Aster does... But I think you need to consider how to help Aster in return here too." Oust nodded towards the fox as he agreed. Oust was coming to the same conclusion about Rust as almost everyone else already had... This cub was a worthy foe.

"I know... I'll respect whatever they need from me. I want to be useful for them both..." Rust shook his head, finding it a little odd he had to spell it out for an adult.

"Just try to be a friend to them first... That's more important than being of use... Anyway... Where's that grumpy ass bear? I'm going to hit him back..." Oust laughed loudly at the callout. This cub was a brave one too... Oust answered this as well.

"Off doing his morning ritual, as usual... Normally I'd join him, but I just wanted to be still a while longer. He understood. He's good at that." Rust laughed innocently at that remark. Oust gave him a questioning glance, hoping to hear what was so funny. Rust elaborated.

"He really is a good father to you." Oust reeled back sharply at the comment, feeling almost stunned by the words. Rust was a little startled by the reaction. The fox asked to be certain. "Did I say something wrong?" Oust just turned away and sighed before he muttered his answer.

"No... It's just... That word doesn't really mean a good thing to me." Rust replied almost immediately.

"That's because you're thinking of someone who isn't a father when you hear it... Take it from the fox raised by wolves... You DO get to decide who your family is. A father isn't something blood determines, it's something actions determine. I'm sorry if I assumed wrong about the bear... But don't assume the rest of my words are wrong also." Oust didn't turn back to the cub, but he was smiling all the same. He knew the fox was right... Especially about how Oust looked up to Sir Corper... If Oust could've picked his father, there's not a doubt left in the tiger's heart to whom it would be at that point... Rust interrupted that train of thought, finally bringing up what he had been staring at.

"Hey Oust... Nice fur." Oust shifted a bit, but didn't really react to that much. He had left his tunic back at the river, and it was buried with the rest of the forest in that area. It wasn't that he was choosing to show his back... But he just didn't care anymore. At long last, the way he was born didn't bother him so badly. Oust finally realized he was never the monster in that story. He replied softly.

"Thank you... Orange is a good color for fur, isn't it?" The burnt-orange fox had to agree there. Rust smiled to himself... Aster was right, Oust wasn't so bad at all.

===

Prince Tyfin was staring over the edge of the chasm with a knot in his stomach. The fissure was enormous... So much damage in a matter of seconds. Worse still... Aster, Stahl, Oust, Rust, and Sir Corper had all been missing since the night before. More than half the remaining party had been carved away in an instant. The prince was trying to remain hopeful, that perhaps they just got pinned on the other side... But they were at the river, and the river was gone... And they haven't seen a trace of the other beasts, or the human since. The Captain's gruff voice behind him drew the lion's attention away.

"My King... We've consolidated down to the minimum... The croc will carry Lady Alice, and I will carry our supplies. I know you wanted to wait... But I cannot see any use in waiting much longer... We have already had a few days added to our arrival date by this setback, and the detour is still uncertain since we aren't sure how far this scar stretches down the land..." The prince nodded, knowing the bull was right. Tyfin answered as calmly as usual.

"I know... If they could have made it back to us, they would have by now... Do you think they..." The prince couldn't make himself say the words. The bull huffed out his response definitively.

"If that boy wasted all of my training by getting himself killed, then he should hope the gods reach him before I do... The tiger and the wolf are strong. The bear is even stronger... I can't say what their fate was for certain, but I do not see any of them dying so easily... Ha! Even that fox cub has enough fight in him to take on something like this... Since clearly he was not simply gone to answer the `Call of nature,' as he said... But now, you have become the only priority I have left. I am getting you through this thicket, even if it is the final act of the Rixator line. This, I swear." The prince shuddered before he answered quietly.

"Let us pray that no more will be lost for my sake, or by my command..." The royal lion took a calming breath in, pushed the hopeless thoughts aside, and turned to face the bull, the crocodile, and the ever sleeping calico cat. He would simply have to have faith in his knights that weren't there, and focus on what he could do with the hand they were dealt. The prince of Alora spoke with far more confidence in his tone.

"Come... Our mission has not changed... And I'll carry some of those supplies, Captain, I'm more than capable." The captain stomped his hoof, brought his right arm to his chest, and spoke in unison with the crocodile as they saluted the order.

"YES SIR!" The three headed south with the mage in tow. They would follow the fissure down until they could cross into the west. The prince gave one passing glance back towards the direction they had camped... Where the supplies they couldn't carry were hidden away... To where Aster's armor sat beside the wolf's own like grave markers. The prince hated leaving that behind, but they couldn't carry that much, they just didn't have the numbers anymore. The captain noticed the glance, and spoke to his prince.

"Armor can be replaced... Besides... I still have his staff." The captain held the staff out towards the lion. The prince smiled at that as he took a hold of it, and answered the bull.

"Good... He worked too hard to earn this back from you to just leave it... Hey, Captain..." The bovine glanced towards his prince with an inquisitive look. Tyfin continued. "I have received a lot of training with swords already... But I need to become stronger, A LOT stronger, just as all of you have... Especially for the Endeavor... Think you have any training regimens left in you?" The captain huffed his answer a bit awkwardly.

"None fit for a king..." The prince chuckled as he replied quietly.

"You've already trained one king. I'll take the same training you gave Aster if need be." The bull just stared at the prince for a moment before he finally answered.

"The boy's training was to build up both his strength, and his shield... Your body is already strong and well trained, and you don't have a bloodskill I can improve upon... Respectfully, my king... What you lack is technique and experience, not strength." The lion looked to the bull and nodded at the evaluation before he responded.

"I won't argue with that logic. Still... Perhaps you could show me some techniques at minimum." The bovine looked behind him to the mostly silent crocodile, Fraxis. He turned back towards Tyfin as he answered.

"The croc has a sword you can use... I am not the best when it comes to fighting with one though. My style is more or less on the `Crush them with brute force,' side of things, not so much dainty swordplay... But I will do what I can until we get you a better teacher." The prince beamed at that decision, answering as a true soldier would.

"Yes Sir!" Captain Rix just stared uneasily at the prince before he replied.

"Yeah... Don't do that. I know that is the standard for a mentor in our army... But you are still my king far before that." Tyfin only laughed honestly at the remark. It was rare to find something that could unsettle the bull like that. Despite everything else about their plan falling apart, The prince was thankful the captain was still with him.

===

Cortist watched on in raw shock as the earth split in halves before the demon's sword. If this monster had used that power from the start... There wouldn't have been anything left of the ceremony. Surely this wasn't such a simple task to him? Death answered his awestruck envoy.

"There was already a fault here that formed the mountains long ago. He just coaxed them apart in that area." Cortist just scoffed at that remark, as if that made it any less insane. Death was silent for a moment... And then spoke hastily.

"Better snap out of it... You've got a problem..." Cortist panicked even more at that remark. Quickly asking for clarification.

"Problem?!? WHAT ABOUT THIS ISN'T A PROB-" The mage cut his sentence short as the demon stood. His back was mostly turned to the panther... But through the darkness of the night, Cortist could make out a single, glowing, red orb. The eyes of the late King Calium had changed color. Cortist was not prepared to fight anything on that scale... There was no way he could pull off something like that. ALICE couldn't even do that... Death was speaking as if it weren't a crisis.

"If you let him cut open a scar to reach them right now, your brother and that wolf will die. Stall him." Cortist's eyes went wide as a chill ran up his spine. The panther recalled the demon's previous words... `Death does not lie to his children.' This was the truth... Cortist was the only thing standing between that demon, and his brother... And that God didn't seem to give a shit which way it actually went... Cortist spoke a single word before raising his arms, and starting a quick chant.

"Shit."

A spear of light pierced through the demon's chest from the rear, disintegrating it right as it raised its blade to open the aforementioned scar. Cortist's breathing was already uneven, his nerves on fire as his instincts screamed for him to just run. This was insanity... This demon couldn't even be killed. As if in response to that mental reminder, the demon reformed right in front of Cortist's eyes. The mage took a step back as Death spoke.

"He is still my soldier to an extent... I can't stop that sword from demanding a trial, but I can keep him spawning in front of you until he regains control... Be warned, you're a target now..." Death almost sounded like he was enjoying that last part. The demon charged, rushing forward at astounding speed, cutting the panther off mid-chant. Cortist fumbled to the side just in time to avoid being impaled, his panic overtaking him. His Master's voice persisted.

"Come now kitten... There's no need to hold back..." Cortist stood, eyeing down the monster before him. Just as he started his incantation, the demon rushed again. The mage had went for something shorter this time, a quick burst of flames aimed right at the creature... Which the demon sliced through easily, never slowing in his charge. Had Death not given the command when he had, Cortist would have lost then and there.

"Kneel." The panther was forced to a knee, the sword coming so close to his head, that he swore it nicked the tip of his ear fur away. The demon took a few steps as it recovered from the panther's nearly impossible dodge. The master gave another order.

"On your feet." Cortist was forced to comply, still coming to terms with the fact that the god had just saved his life... By controlling him. Death spoke with a more irritated tone then.

"You're going to get yourself cleaved in half if you don't take this seriously..." Cortist responded shrilly.

"I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU WERE EXPECTING HERE, BUT-" Death was making a habit of cutting the panther off.

"I'm expecting you to stop playing dumb. Why are you still chanting?" Cortist was getting beyond irritated, scrambling to move out of the demon's path as he evaded another assault by a mere hair's width. The mage felt like this was all another of those games to the deity somehow. He answered in exasperation.

"Why am I still chant- BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU USE ANIMA MAGIC! YOU SPEAK THE WORDS!" Death commanded the mage to take a step left, barely avoiding another hit before answering that remark.

"I was the second to ever speak the language, before we ever gifted it to you mortals. I know how it works. You already did it once back at the Selection Grounds... In the tunnel, when my soldier came for you, your father, and your brother... Right before you made your deal... What did you think that `Interesting,' comment was about back then? That's what made me realize what you were in the first place... Did you even realize you did it? Perhaps it was only reactionary then... I did send my soldier to slaughter you in that moment... But did she never teach you? Did she not tell you? Do you not know your own story? Did she hide it from you as carefully as she hid you from me?" Cortist managed to get off another quick spell, this time landing a direct hit as he finished the chant. While the demon crumbled away, giving the panther a short reprieve, the feline found himself getting more and more frustrated.

"AS USUAL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! No, I don't think I've ever done magic without an incantation, because that isn't how it works!" Death responded with far less emotion.

"It is when you know every single word in the language of the gods... And you do, don't you, my kitten? She made sure of it." Cortist froze for a moment. It seemed Death even knew that about him... For any one beast to know more than half of the language was almost unheard of... So when Cortist realized that he knew all of it, that he could comprehend every single word that anyone ever spoke before him in that tongue, he spent years carefully avoiding revealing as much... Even to his loved ones... That kind of power wasn't normal, and it could endanger his family if word ever got out... So Cortist did his best to keep his spell selection short when it came to anything outside of an exam. (The mage would even purposely fail one of those every so often just to reinforce that façade...) In truth, Cortist Venatus could string together any spell he wanted to, and he could do it with ease. He tried to hold back, and he was still revered as a prodigy with minimal efforts. Death laughed at the surprise.

"Did you think I wasn't aware? And here I thought you were tired of secrets... On your right." The demon was back, and raising its blade high into the air. It sank the dark sword into the earth, and gripped the hilt tightly. Before Cortist could really react, the shockwaves started. All ten hit the panther directly, knocking away his breath, and stealing away his orientation all at once. His vision swirled as the panther was left winded on the ground. Death gave the mage another swift order.

"Roll to your left." The panther was pulled from beneath the blade right as it came down where his head was just at. Cortist coughed a little as he struggled to right himself. When he had managed to stand, he saw the demon had turned away for a moment. He panicked as he saw the sword already carving another scar. The mage opened his mouth to shoot off a quick incantation, and the demon crumbed away just before it finished making the slash... Then Cortist's master gave him a seemingly cruel command.

"Stop speaking." The mage found any words dead on his muzzle. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't get even a squeak out. As the panther watched the demon begin to reassemble, the mage was near hysterical. He was already given an impossible task, and now, even his only weapon was ripped out of his grasp. The sense of hopelessness was quickly overtaking the younger feline before his master stepped in.

"Raise your palm before you. Imagine the feel of the magic on your fingertips. Focus your mind to a single thought, to fire... You have a strong affinity for that one. Hold it gently, let it breathe..." Cortist could only plead mentally to the god, trying so desperately to convince him this was not something he was capable of doing. The deity shushed him gently like a child, continuing his guidance.

"Caress the warmth, coax the embers to dance within your grasp. Reassure it of your power, of why it should serve you." The demon was almost fully reformed at this point. Cortist was feeling entirely vulnerable and defenseless. His pleading fell on deaf ears, the god only repeating his instruction.

"Focus. You are capable of this, and so much more, my child. Feel for the magic in the air... Breathe it in, make it your own... Let it stoke the flames that also burn inside of you, inside of that fiery soul of yours..." Cortist finally got himself partially under control. Death couldn't lie after all... He could do this. He could try... The panther exhaled before slowly inhaling, doing his best to "Feel for the magic," as was asked of him. He didn't feel any different, but Death's praise came to him after. The demon was raising his sword, ignoring the mage as it prepared to form another scar.

"Good... Keeping your wits is required for true control... Now, imagine the flames in your palm, remember, coax it, invite it sincerely, like you're trying to lure a feral to eat from your hand. This living magic can fear even those that command it, it will not pledge itself to a cruel liege... Prove your intentions, reassure the flames that they are safe within your grasp... That you will be careful, and patient with them... That you are a worthy master of them... You must convince yourself of this truth as well... Know that you are worthy, my child." Cortist closed his eyes in concentration, if he couldn't pull this off, he was dead anyway... Aster was going to be dead anyway.

As his brother came to his mind, Cortist found himself feeling reassured. He would manage this somehow... He had to do this, for Aster... He could do this... He was going to do this... Before the mage even realized it, there was a presence of warmth resting in the palm of his hand. The young mage parted his eyes halfway, and gazed down at the flames dancing in his grasp. It was like they were always there, as if the fire itself really showed up just to serve him... As if it were linked to his very soul. The panther exhaled slowly as he basked in such warmth. His entire body could feel how alive the magical fire was, how it pulsed alongside his very heart. With a content, hollow chuckle, the god of death spoke once more.

"You know what to do from here. The flames know how to obey you, simply make your intent known. Give your order, and let the embers do the bidding of their chosen master." The panther opened his eyes fully, and raised his head to meet the gaze of the demon with a sense of confidence. The fire was building within him, it coursed through his veins. The magic was very much alive, and the prodigal mage was finally able to see it... To truly command it. Cortist wondered how he had never realized it before. As the demon raised its sword, Cortist gave his order with mere intent alone, foregoing the need to speak even a single word.

The flames wrapped themselves around his arms, never daring to singe a single hair on the one that commanded them. The young panther held both arms forward as the fire billowed forth at scorching temperatures to consume the demon's form almost immediately, reducing it to burnt ash within seconds, and closing up the scar it had finally formed all in one, quick flurry of fire. There was something almost erotic about commanding those flames, something intimate, something that sent waves of pleasure coursing through the envoy. Cortist shuddered beneath such energy coursing around him. Cortist never even imagined there was power like this... To wield magic in this way. His worries melted away, replaced by the comfort of such newly claimed strength. Just as the demon rematerialized, Cortist sent it right back to its end without barely even thinking about it. This continued for some time... The feline felt like purring at such a revelation, but spoke softly in awe instead, Death lifting his restriction at last.

"Did I really hold such power all along?" The god cooed gently to his envoy, fanning those flames expertly.

"You hold far more than that. This is only fire, after all... You've plenty of raw and real magic left that you've yet to truly experience... I can guide you... Should you finally choose to hear my voice, that is." As the mage crumbled the demon away once again, a pleased smirk pasted itself over his muzzle. The envoy to the god of death whispered in near ecstasy as he gave his answer.

"Teach me more... My master." A hollow laughter filled the night air, just before the sword demon's eyes turned back to yellow with the most recent reassembly. The deity answered such an enthusiastic request softly, pleased he was finally getting some well-overdue respect from the mage at long last.

"With pleasure, my little kitten."

===

As the very earth below his feet crumbled away, Aster found he simply couldn't take his eyes off of his wolf. The split second they shared before the fall began conveyed everything needed between the two to shatter their anger towards one another. Aster was afraid for Stahl. Stahl was afraid for Aster... And then the world they stood upon dropped them both into a freefall through the darkness.

Aster was blinded almost immediately by the dirt in his eyes, the upheaved dust covered the pair in their early descent, before they fell lower than the still crumbling rock at the surface level. Aster cried out, the loose soil clinging to his throat, choking the call of the wolf's name before he ever even managed to release it. It took a few short moments for them to fall below the lingering dust cloud, where Aster was finally able to force his eyes back open, despite the sting of the scratchy sand tearing at them. The walls of the fissure were opening wider still, gifting the boy a semblance of being swallowed by a maw made of stone itself.

Aster turned his head to see Stahl, falling a short distance away. Without ever hesitating, Aster threw a shield up to catch the wolf. Stahl came to an abrupt stop as he collided with the shield, frantically latching a hold. Aster fell a few more feet before bringing up another for himself to land on. The shield tipped immediately under his weight after slamming into his sides, throwing the boy off of the edge before it ever really even slowed him. Luckily for Aster, that shield did manage to disparage a lot of that impact, if nothing else As Aster continued his plummet, the distance between him and Stahl only grew. The boy fell too far from the beast, and couldn't keep the first shield up at the rapidly increasing space between them. The shield fell away, and dropped the wolf back into the hectic descent.

Aster tried again to catch himself on a shield, and almost even managed to keep his grip around the sides before he lost his purchase. He immediately threw another, and managed to grab a hold of the disk, barely keeping the shield up all the while. He threw his gaze up, and summoned his second shield to catch Stahl, who was only a few feet above him now. As the wolf was steadied, Aster couldn't keep his own balance with a single hand, falling again as they repeated the steps all over again, dropping further into the chasm all the while.

Aster finally managed to catch a break, and successfully caught both the wolf, and himself on two separate shields... Unfortunately for Aster, the falling debris had finally caught up to them.

With destructive force, a heavy, jagged stone landed directly on top of Aster's right wrist, directly on top of his life-oath mark, shattering everything from the middle of his forearm, to the base of his lowest knuckles against the shield with a worrisome `Crunch.' Before Aster ever even finished screaming out at the pain, he was already falling again, his shield tearing away as he lost the means to hold it in place. Stahl watched this interaction with a sense of true dread. Before the wolf ever stopped to think about it, he leapt from his own shield before it, too, fell away.

Stahl dove through the air, aiming for his mate. Aster was spiraling and flipping after the crushing blow, something that slowed his descent just enough for the beast to finally reach him. The wolf grabbed a hold of his boy desperately, steadying his frantic fall as he finally stopped flipping through the air. Aster used his left hand to throw another shield for them to land on, but was met with a jarring impact as their full weight slammed into it. The shield ate a lot of the force behind collision one more, but Stahl lost his grip on the boy's shirt as they both slid off of the shield.

The shield bearer fought through the unimaginable pain in his wrist, and forced another shield below them. At long last, they both found purchase, and as the shield threatened to tip once more, Stahl quickly snatched a hold of his boy's shoulders, bridging their weight over the disk somewhat evenly. Aster shamefully pissed on himself with this final impact to his grave injury, the pain was just too great... But the boy knew he wouldn't be able to catch them like this again. The shield held because it had to, at least for the moment, and the pair were face to face as their legs dangled over the sides. They were both trying their best to recover their breathing as their upper halves rested upon the golden disk, teetering loosely all the while.

Aster was holding the shield with his left arm alone as smaller debris rained down around them. All they could do was bear it, and hope no more heavier stuff fell on them. Stahl cast his gaze down as the pebbles descended passed them, peppering them with bruises where they bounced off of their bodies like hail. The bulk of a large tree barely missed the two, but a smaller branch raked across their backs as if it, too, was trying to cling to something that could keep it alive. It shredded both of their backs and shirts in one pass as it whipped harshly across them. The noble wolf watched both of his swords fall below him after, disappearing into the vast darkness still below them. Stahl kept waiting to hear the collision of the debris against the stone below, to hopefully judge how far they still had to go... But it was impossible to gauge over the roar of the earthquake.

A twinge of pain overtook the canine as he lost the last mementos of his oldest brother, the swords they had so carefully forged together swallowed up by the fault. Stahl brought his gaze up to Aster's own, and saw the boy was already crying heavy tears as he stared back at his wolf. The fresh droplets washed away some of the dirt clinging to the flesh, leaving rivers and trails in their wake where they passed down his cheeks. Aster spoke in a strained voice, feeling extremely scared, and in excruciating agony.

"Stahl... I can't hold this... I can't hold us..." The wolf looked his sobbing mate in the eyes, and saw the fear behind them. This was the truth... They weren't making it out of this hole... Aster couldn't hold them both... But maybe he could hold himself. The noble beast made his decision almost immediately, the rage he felt before long melted away then, replaced only by his usual care for his mate. Aster needed to survive this... He was too important... Even after his betrayal, the boy was simply far too precious to the beast to ever let him hesitate in such a decision. Stahl pulled himself forward, planted a final kiss on the boy's brow, and let him go. The wolf fell into the darkness as the human was still trying to realize what his lover had done.

Stahl closed his eyes as he fell, feeling the wind whip through his fur all the while. It was an easy choice, one he would make a thousand times over, regardless of the circumstance. His mate's life for his. Even his own life seemed far too cheap a price for that boy's... Stahl would pay it, and maybe... Just maybe... Aster could find a way out of this mess.

Stahl felt something solid beneath his back before he fell for more than three seconds. The startled wolf opened his eyes almost immediately, just in time to see Aster plummeting down atop of him. The boy would never let him face death alone, after all. Aster collided with his beast a bit roughly, knocking the breath from Stahl's chest as Aster firmly clutched at his wolf with his left hand. He wouldn't be letting him go again...

Stahl realized a few things all at once. The first, and most obvious being that the shield they were resting on was larger than any the wolf had ever seen the boy raise. It was easily thirty feet across, and it never budged an inch in any direction as they rested atop of it. This one was solid, and unyielding, and it would hold them both safely in its center. The next thing the beast realized, was that Aster's only good hand was currently gripping his shirt tightly, refusing to let go of the beast again. Stahl glanced toward the boy's broken wrist, and saw it was sprawled limply to the side. The majority of his arm, hand, and a good deal of his shirt were coated with blood. The skin itself had burst beneath such crushing pressure... Stahl felt his heart drop... Even Rust's prayer magic wouldn't be able to properly repair an injury like that... The bones were crushed to splinters... Similar to the barely treatable injury to the leg the wolf's own father had endured over two years prior. With a final, ragged breath of realization that Aster was clearly not bracing this shield with either arm, Stahl spoke to his mate in bewilderment.

"Aster... How are you doing this?" The boy simply shook his head, keeping his face buried into the beast's chest as he answered through his raspy voice.

"I don't know... And I don't care right now..." Aster lifted his gaze to meet his wolf's own, the tears still falling as freely as ever. He nearly yelled at the beast, as much of a yell as he could manage like that, anyway.

"Don't you dare try that again, Stahl... I won't lose you here... If we fall, we fall together, do you hear me?" The ashen eyes could only stare into the flustered gold flecked brown ones... Eyes that almost seemed like they had just a little more gold in them than a moment ago... Here Aster was likely to lose an arm by the looks of things... And he was still protecting his wolf. The beast remembered everything he had fallen in love with about the boy from the start. A half smile formed on his muzzle as he just nodded in answer. The beast spoke softly then.

"I know... I'm sorry, I just couldn't let you die here... I thought that maybe you could hold out for at least a while longer without me." Aster shrieked out his words, losing his composure.

"There IS no holding out... Even now, I feel this shield draining what's left of me... I'd rather hold us together for as long as I can... I can't let us fall apart here Stahl..."

They both realized how bad this situation really was... The earth wasn't shaking anymore, but the walls had pulled away from them greatly from both sides. They were suspended on the shield in the center of a seemingly endless chasm, together, in the darkness of the earth and night alike. The soft glow of that legendary bloodskill was the only light even visible aside from a few scattered stars far above. There was no way of knowing how deep it even went... There wasn't a chance that Aster could manage a second shield with that wrist... There was no finding a way out of this situation anymore... The noble beast fought back his own tears as he tried to comfort his mate in a position where comfort was near impossible to find.

"Hey... We're going to be alright..." Aster buried his face into his wolf's chest as he half screamed, and half sobbed in response.

"NO WE'RE NOT! JUST PLEASE... Stahl... Please... Don't lie to me here too... No matter how kind you believe that lie to be... Not here..." Aster's left hand clutched shakily to his wolf, crumpling the beast's shirt in his fist through the utter despair that was setting in. "Here," meant the end... Stahl knew what the boy was saying... The wolf wrapped his arms tighter around his mate, pulled him closer to his own chest, and nuzzled into Aster's neck. The wolf's tears fell freely at the realization... Aster had finally given up in a fight... He was finally backing down from a challenge placed before him... The unbreakable shield had been shattered at long last. Aster had given up hope in that place. The honorable wolf spoke as benignly as possible.

"Alright... I won't... I swear it... I won't lie to you here... But you promise me now in return, you're going to hold me, and I'm going to hold you... Because that's the only way I can accept this... I get to hold you at the end... I know I fucked up, Aster... But please, give me that... I swear by the gods, Aster Venatus... I will answer anything you ask of me here, and I swear by my love to you that I will not lie to you if you will just promise me that." The human nodded his head, still too afraid to even pull his face up. He quickly answered his wolf.

"I'll hold you long after the end... I'm the one that Fucked up Stahl... I did something stupid... And now I'm going to lose you before I ever get the chance to make it right... Just like I did with Mollis... By the gods, Stahl... I'm so sorry... I didn't know it would hurt you like that... I never meant to hurt you like that..." The wolf was softly shushing his human, nuzzling into Aster's shoulder tenderly as he did his best to be strong for his mate... Even here... Especially here...

"It's alright, Aster... I shouldn't have been so cruel... Will you tell me why, though? Why did you lay with him? I need to know..." Aster finally pulled his eyes away from the beast's fuzzy chest, Stahl could tell they were red and puffy even in such dim lighting. The boy stared into his mate's eyes as he answered that question truthfully.

"Because Oust Candori is more like me than you know, Stahl... He was alone. He is who I would've been if I didn't have you... If I didn't have Cortist... I showed him love because nobody else would... Because everyone else turned away from him in either disgust, or fear, or both... Just as most did for me... Because they couldn't see WHY he so badly needed that love in the first place. They couldn't see that he felt so isolated... I thought you understood this at the village... I thought that's what you meant when you said what you said, when you told me it was alright to show him love... I thought you were alright with me helping him the way you helped me... I'm so sorry that I thought wrong, Stahl... I know that doesn't make it alright now... But I really am just so damned sorry..." The human's voice was squeaky as he ended his apology. Stahl could only let out a heavy-hearted sigh as he received his answer. The beast had to ask...

"Do you love him, Aster?" The boy wouldn't start lying to his wolf then...

"Yes... But not in the way that I love you... I love you for who you are, Stahl... Your kindness, your capacity for patience, and the way you can make even my worst day somehow more bearable... The way I love Oust is different... I love him for who he could be... For who he wasn't allowed to be... I love him as someone who understands him, and for being someone who understands things about me that I'm not sure you ever could... That I'm not even certain I understand yet... I love him as a once lonely human, one which was assured by a handsome wolf that even I deserved to experience the things that were always beyond my reach... That nobody deserved to feel such loneliness in their battles... I just wanted to help him, Stahl... The way you helped me..." Stahl sighed at the words, they hurt him, but they were helping him to finally understand why at least... The wolf asked another question.

"What things about you do I not understand, Aster? What things are so beyond my comprehension that you felt I couldn't accept them?" Aster lowered his gaze, speaking quietly as he answered this as well.

"There's a lot of things wrong with me Stahl... Do you remember when the captain first started training me? That day he was talking down to me? I fucking loved it Stahl... Every degrading remark he made towards me made something burn inside of me... To have such a bigger, stronger person sitting their weight on me, pinning me as I writhed to hold them... It was humiliating, and I fucking wanted more... If you recall, I was so damn hard the entire time... If that crocodile wouldn't have started attacking you... I may have never actually pushed myself from beneath that bull... I hate that there's something inside of me that wants you all to just take what you need from me... I love the way you all make me feel so inferior, how I always know that I am on the weaker end of the evolutionary chain...You don't even have to try... I just know it... I was taught that lesson long ago, Stahl... And I hate how much I crave to feel that way now..." The wolf scoffed as he replied.

"I know... I've known about that side of you for a while now, Aster... I even tried to play into it when you first had a taste of me... Because I DO understand that you need it, and I can accept that, I can even enjoy that idea to some degree... At least in some settings... But if you must know the truth... There isn't a damn thing inferior about you in any way, my mate... That incredible bloodskill of yours aside, there are things I've learned from you that no beast could ever make me see... I've learned to be more kind and considerate because of you. I've opened up my perspectives because of you. I've become braver than I ever believed I could be because of you, facing things I ran away from for YEARS so I could be even more brave still... For you... I've recently realized how far I had cut myself off from everything and everyone around me because of you Aster... I've learned how to feel alive again because of you... There isn't anything inferior about inspiring people to that degree, my love." Aster shook his head in disagreement, his trembling finally somewhat under control as he answered.

"You were already kind, brave, and considerate Stahl... Since that first day, that's all you've ever been..." It was the wolf who shook his head in disagreement this time. Stahl spoke in a solemn tone, finally confessing some of the things to his mate he had withheld.

"I most definitely was not... I was cold, and selfish, and resentful of my duties... By the gods, Aster... Even when my brother Sil was killed, I took any escape I could find... When the news came... All I could do was run from the truth... It disgusts me to think about now, but as soon as I felt my brother's fate tear through my heart by our bloodskill, I turned my heart off, took a hold of Mollis, and pulled the rabbit away from the rest of the team... I hate-fucked that hare with everything I had... Because that was easier than dealing with the truth... Mollis was an escape from my problems, Aster, and I was afraid that was what happened between you and Oust... I was afraid that was what Oust really was to you, that you would bring your worries to him before you would talk to me... That you would escape them with him because you couldn't confide in me... That he is just a way to cope... That you think I can't handle such things." Aster was growing tired by then... Even so, the boy would hold for as long as he could... The same way Stahl had held the weight of everything for as long as he could. The human spoke sincerely to his beast.

"I know you take everything upon your shoulders, Stahl... I see the way you hide things because you don't want me to worry about you... I see the toll that takes on you. You've been carrying all of your own problems, all of Rust's problems, and even all of my problems, all on top of your duty as a knight... It's as you said... I create more and more problems, and let you carry their weight for us both... I didn't want to keep adding to your burden... I didn't want to become a burden to you like I was for my father... That is why I stopped telling you things lately... Because if I am almost buckling beneath my own recent thoughts, how would it ever be fair to lay them on you as well when you carry so much already. You have a habit of trying to hold everything all by yourself... You won't share that weight with me, so I figured I should start carrying my own... And then I failed at even that..." Stahl spoke more firmly as he responded.

"You are not such a failure, Aster... You are not a burden for me... You're the one that makes me want to keep fighting in the first place, to do whatever is needed to protect you, to bear that weight... But yes, you are right... I wouldn't share that weight with you... Because I had to be the foundation, I had to be the one that held us together... I needed that, My love... I needed to be that for my family, and I needed to be that for you even more... At first, the world was against you, and I saw that you needed such support... But now? I just need to be a source of strength and comfort for you. I want to inspire you the way you inspire me... I want to be everything for you, and that selfish and unrealistic desire is what made me act so foolishly... It's what made you feel you couldn't confide in me, that I couldn't handle anymore problems... I am sorry I failed to hold as your foundation, Aster... I am sorry I couldn't be as strong as I needed to be for the both of us... And I am sorry that I took that out on you when I couldn't hold it together anymore... Even though it was exactly what I wanted, the self-imposed duty I've fought fang and claw to hold on to..." Aster smiled at the words, his tears finally stifling at long last. He responded in his own intimate whisper.

"You do inspire me, Stahl. You are my foundation, and I thought I was your support. I thought we could only build upon each other... You were my sword, my knight, and my wolf... I was your shield, your mate, and your boy... And I failed far worse that you did in those duties... I can see that now... I should've talked to you more about Oust..." Stahl placed a quick kiss on his boy's cheek as he answered that honestly.

"Yes, you should have... I see how what I said was misleading... but I just wanted to try and do right by you, Aster. I wanted you to experience so many things... I wanted you to experience as much as you could... I just wanted to experience it with you... Beside of you... I should've been more clear on that part..." The beast let out a heavy sigh as he finally got to the root of the issue. Stahl looked his mate directly in the eye as he confessed things that had bothered him, things he had been withholding for the boy's sake... Or at least, that's what Stahl had been telling himself about such things.

"The part that makes me so angry was how sneaky and evasive it all felt... Since the battle, you've been pulling away from me more and more, Aster... You told me why you stopped confiding in me, and I see that part of the blame lies with me... For not confessing my own limits sooner... But that doesn't change the fact that I was missing out on your experiences..." Stahl paused to gather his thoughts before he continued.

"I missed your first taste of alcohol, only realizing you were ever even drinking after the tiger dropped you back off to me wasted, and unable to walk... But I told myself that you needed to cope with both Mollis, and such a harrowing first battle, so I ignored it... I missed you choosing your marking at the orc village, never even finding out about it until after I stripped you of your bloodied shirt and laid you in bed... I said nothing still... But I'd have liked to have been there for that as well... Even during the battle itself, as I was forced to a kneel alongside every other warrior on that shredded landscape by your power... I looked up to that pillar you stood upon, and who do I see supporting you instead? Who held you so damn closely as you secured our victory? It was Oust once again, gazing at you in evident awe... He got to experience that, and I'm not ashamed to admit that it made me jealous, Aster... Jealous that he got those experiences with you instead of me... That I wasn't the only one who wanted to experience those things with you..." Stahl let out another huff as he finally confessed all of this. The wolf was far from finished though, and only continued after.

"When Mollis confessed to me that he had a thing for you, that rabbit went off on a bigger spill than I am now about all of the amazing ways you caught his attention... All of the amazing things that he was spot-on about... And suddenly, ever since then... I've been terrified that everyone else would see how truly amazing you are. That suddenly... Everyone would be trying to take you away from me..." Aster was weighing every single word, listening closely to his wolf's confessions.

"I hated feeling so jealous, and controlling... So I tried my best to brush those feelings off... To tell myself that this was the right way to be... But I was trying to fool myself, Aster... The truth is, I want you to be mine. I want you all to myself, I want to steal you away from all of these problems and responsibilities placed upon you by others, and I want to hide you away where nothing or nobody can touch you ever again... And I know that sounds horrible... As if you are something I own, something that belongs to me... Something weak that needs protecting... But I feel it in my very soul that I DO belong to you... I want to have a part in everything you experience... I have an ugly greed when it comes to you, my mate... So when I finally found you and Oust together, without me... I lost it... I was afraid he had taken even more of you away from me, that if he could do those things for you, then you would soon have no use left for me at all... And in that rage and fear, I only pushed you further away... By the gods, Aster... I cast you to the side when I saw those marks on your shoulder because I was so focused on what I thought the tiger had taken from me... That I threw it away myself." Stahl felt his voice almost cracking as he finished his long tirade.

"I just wanted to be there when you experienced things, to watch your eyes light up in that dazzling way... The way they did when I gave you your first kiss... The way you lit up at your first sight of the river when I was there standing beside you... The way your light flared when you discovered what it felt like to be loved by me... That's all I ever wanted, Aster Venatus... You may be my shield, my boy, and my mate... But more than anything else, you are my king... I just wanted to be there for my king... For a knight is nothing without his king..." Aster listened to his beast closely, doing his best to see things from Stahl's perspective, taken aback by how much the wolf had already revealed to be holding in. Aster finally realized how bad it all probably looked from the wolf's viewpoint... How intentional it all seemed... He had to clarify that.

"I didn't ever mean for you to feel I was trying to hide anything from you, my wolf... I didn't mean for it to seem so underhanded, but I swear to you, I truly do see how it all seemed personal... How it looked like I was trying to run away from you... But my love... There is nothing in this world you could ever do or say that would make me run from you. You can growl, and snarl, and remind me how terrible of a mate I am while you make the cruelest threats... And yes, it may crush me, it may scare me... It may break my heart... But I could never just walk away from you... You should've been there for Oust, for that experience as well... I see that. You should've had more of a say, more of a part. I'm not offering you excuses, but I really am too stupid to see how things can be sometimes... I don't have much experience here, Stahl... I don't know how to be the best mate for you... I don't know how to be a mate at all sometimes... But by the gods, I do try, my wolf... I'll keep trying until I'm better, and I'll keep trying even after that..." Stahl nosed his boy in comfort, the beast speaking from his heart.

"You're confusing being stupid, with being ignorant. You are anything but stupid, my love... I forget how fresh into the world you really are sometimes... It feels like I've already had a lifetime with you... Like there was nothing else before you... So to recall it has barely been two months always surprises me... I never should've said you were a terrible mate, I never should've said a lot of those hurtful things... I should not expect you to know how to act based off of my own experience, without me conveying my true thoughts or feelings on the matter... But please, if you are ever uncertain of something... Just ask... I was the first to have you in that way... But you were far from my first. I need to consider that more often." Aster closed his eyes. His body was pushing to the point of exhaustion just holding that shield. They were running out of time, but there was still so much the boy wanted to know before the end.

"How many have you been with? Before me? You said you sought after sex as a way to escape from reality... So how many?" The wolf let out a heavy sigh as he answered that honestly as well.

"You were my thirteenth partner... But the only one I ever actually cared about in any romantic sense..." Aster chuckled a lot at that answer. Stahl gave him a questioning look. Aster elaborated.

"It's lower than I assumed it would be... As handsome, as desirable, and as skilled as you are, my wolf, I figured it would be well over thirty... Not that it would change anything about the way I feel about you, even if it was in the hundreds, but thank you for telling me... Do you see how I could have those same fears? That someone else could take my amazing wolf away from me? That in truth, you are still the more desirable one of us through the eyes of almost any beast... The most likely heir to the noble, renowned, and aristocratic, Aschefell line..." Stahl opened his mouth to remind his human that such a thing would NEVER happen, That nobody could ever steal him away from his mate, but closed it shortly after before he ever got the words out. Stahl cracked a smile. Aster had a point. Aster would never willingly part with his wolf either, he had more than proven that much. The beast answered him genuinely.

"That's fair, Aster. I see what you mean... I'll try not to let those fears dictate how I am towards you... I'll try to be stronger." Aster shook his head, quickly disparaging that comment.

"No... I don't need you to be stronger, I don't need you to hide those feelings from me... In fact, I need you to stop trying to fix all of my problems without even talking to me about them... Like you have been... I just need you to promise that we could handle them together. That's part of sharing that weight with me, Stahl." The beast nodded lightly, his snout brushing against Aster's shoulder by the action. Aster picked back up on another subject after.

"So... May I ask you something else, my wolf?"" The beast answered softly.

"You may ask anything of me here, my mate." Aster turned his head, and gently laid his right ear against the beast's beating heart. Even here, it brought such comfort to him. Stahl moved his left hand up some, and gently stroked his boy's hair as he made his inquiry.

"Have you been holding in that rage all this time? That other part of you?" Stahl sucked a short gasp in, not exactly prepared for that question, but answering it all the same after a long pause.

"Well... I don't have a straight answer for that, Aster... I think it was there, always present at the back of my mind... But it was never really noticeable until the day I first laid eyes on you... I don't know why I feel it so strongly sometimes... I still don't know if it's even me feeling these things at all... Do you recall when I confessed back at the first night in the Crimson Sands? Those feelings I didn't understand? The ones that made me feel like a hopeless, feral mutt leashed to you? I think that comes from the same place... It screamed for me to protect you when you were first brought to my father's estate. It demanded I stand up against even ten foot tall dragons to protect you... It made me try to dominate you during our first moon, when I pinned you to the ground snarling... And it commanded me to lash out at you when I had discovered what you had done... It sounds like an excuse... I know this... But I swear to you, Aster Venatus... It... It doesn't even feel like it's me... Those feelings never feel like my own, they usually even contradict them, and that frightens me terribly... As if something else is whispering into my ear... As if someone else is screaming for me to obey those feelings... I hate it, Aster... I hate that part of myself, and I hate it even more after all of this... I have an awful desire to be in control of everything, but I never meant to try and control you, or that big, beautiful heart of yours." Stahl's voice cracked as he confessed such a foolish sounding secret... Aster spoke as it were a fact.

"I believe you... I know... Whoever it was back there... It wasn't you, and even I could see that... You would never say the things you did when you attacked Oust..." Stahl froze up on the spot. A chill ran down the wolf's spine as the hairs on his neck raised. He spoke in a cautious tone.

"I... I attacked Oust?" Aster raised his head, and stared into his wolf's eyes startled. There was panic and uncertainty slathered over his beast's gaze... Stahl really didn't remember? No... That made sense... Stahl would never... Aster cast his gaze aside, and just tried to brush it off.

"Don't worry about it... It wasn't you..." Stahl cupped Aster's face shakily, turning his eyes back to meet his own before he replied.

"No... Tell me what I did, Aster..." Aster shook his head as he stared into those silvery eyes. He responded quietly.

"No, it doesn't matter anymore, Stahl. It was only anger..." Stahl spoke a bit more firmly then.

"It matters to me... Please, Aster... Tell me what I did... I remember getting really volatile, and I remember throwing you to the side... But after that, I just remember you hitting me with the heartbeat, feeling even more betrayed..." Aster gazed into those comforting eyes with a truly pained look. He hated to even repeat it... But the boy started his recount of what happened after Stahl had thrown him to the side.

"You charged him after you tossed me... You drew your swords, and you charged at him... He wouldn't fight you. He wouldn't fight back, even when the tip of your sword carved a gash in his chest... He just kept trying to dodge, pleading for you to just... To just not do it in front of me... To at least let you kill him where I wouldn't have to watch..." Aster cast his eyes aside once more. He didn't want to even tell this story... Stahl pressed further.

"And then what? After he begged for me not to kill him in front of you? What happened?" Aster remained silent, it was too painful to revisit, and it would only hurt Stahl more here... Stahl repeated his question a bit louder, feeling desperate and afraid all at one.

"WHAT DID I DO, ASTER?" The human finally spoke it.

"You... You told him you were going to cleave his head off in front of me... You told him... It doesn't mat-" Stahl shrilly interrupted his mate.

"PLEASE... WHAT DID I TELL HIM?!?" Aster just looked into those ashen eyes pitifully, speaking the truth at last, his eyes misting as he confessed such a terrible truth.

"You told him you were going to cleave his head off in front of me... You told him you were going to press my face into his blood while I looked into his eyes... And you told him you were going to hold it there as you... As you raped me in that spot, Stahl... Until my tears washed away every trace of his essence... That you were going to fuck me until I finally accepted my place... That you would break me a million times over if that's what it took to make me accept where I belonged... That I was yours, and everyone would know it... That I would know it... And you were smiling so terribly all the while, Stahl... That's when I used the heartbeat on you... I couldn't let you hurt Oust... I didn't want to ever use that on you, Stahl... But that wasn't you back there!"

Aster shuddered as his tears fell again, finally discussing the one thing that had crushed him above all else... but he wasn't trembling nearly as badly as Stahl was. The wolf was certain he was going to be sick... Stahl's breathing was increasing as his fear took a hold of him. Was that monster inside of him truly so evil? The wolf wanted to believe he wasn't capable of that... But then he recalled what he had almost done on that first moon at his father's estate... He was going to force himself on the boy then as well if his father and brother hadn't intervened... Stahl clasped a hand over his maw, and looked away, closing his eyes tightly in nothing short of absolute disgust. Aster should've let him fall... Stahl couldn't even speak... But his boy did, gently reaching his right hand up to cradle the noble wolf's face lovingly.

"It's alright, Stahl... I stopped it... You didn't do it... Please... Just-" Stahl shouted his answer before his voice broke entirely between his sobs, the tears rolling from his eyes in rivers.

"HOW IS ANY OF THAT ALRIGHT, ASTER? HOW COULD YOU EVER SAY THAT WAS ALRIGHT? How could you even hold me like this after that... How can you even stand the sight of me? How could you still love me... I don't deserve that love... I don't deserve that forgiveness... By the gods... I don't even deserve to call myself a knight... I don't even deserve to live..." Aster was crying along with his beast as he shushed him, trying his best to reassure his wolf.

"It wasn't you, Stahl... It wasn't who you are... Please... Please don't let us end like this... Please don't say such things... Nobody has ever deserved my love more than you, my wolf. Nobody else has ever been as kind, as understanding, or as good to me as you have... So if I have to love even that part of you, I will. I will love even the darkest parts of you, all the way to the end, just as you do for me... Because that's what you deserve, Stahl Aschefell... Because you are my mate, and because I am yours... Because our love can conquer ANY monster that ever tries to tear us apart... Even the ones we keep inside ourselves. So please... I won't ask you again... Don't let us fall apart here, Stahl... Not at the end, not here."

The pair were both absolute messes at that point, the emotional overload taking its toll on their hearts, minds, and bodies. Aster only pulled into his beast tighter, finally being the one that could comfort Stahl in return as the wolf simply gave in to his despair. Neither spoke again for nearly five minutes, only clinging to each other in the darkness as they sobbed together... Clinging to each other in their confessed weaknesses, and the worst of their secrets. It was Aster that finally broke the silence between them.

"Stahl... I don't know how much longer I will hold... But I have more that I want to say... That I need to say... Stahl could only nod, unable to force his eyes open, unable to look his mate in the eyes in that moment. Aster spoke soothingly.

"The day our prince gave me my first order, right after he spared my life at the trial... I finally felt like I had a purpose. He told me I had a long road to changing hearts ahead of me, and that has since become almost like a mantra for me, a philosophy I needed to strive to achieve... I thought I would be able to do just that... And then I showed up for the final day of the Selection, and every heart felt like it was against me... Every beast had turned their back on me... I was alone, and I was about to simply just give up... In truth, I was mere seconds away from standing, and walking out of that arena with my head to the ground... And suddenly, There was somebody there to offer me a hand..." A gentle touch gliding over his cheek finally made Stahl open his eyes. Aster was staring back at him with tender eyes full of tears, a filthy and ravaged body... And a warm smile, here of all places. The boy continued when he knew he had his wolf's attention.

"You walked right up to me as the entire world around us jeered at me, calling me some of the worst things I've ever even heard... And then you, Stahl... YOU, a noble... You defied an entire arena full of beasts, soiling your name in the process, just to extend a hand to the foolish little human with a friendly greeting... I fell in love with your courage right then and there. I was awestruck that you would step in to help me, more so since I had been deceiving you up to that point. I was smitten by your charisma, your skill, and your warmth... You were my warm spot long before that first night in the desert. You were my mate long before that first time we made love. You were my hero long before you, or I, ever knew it... And you were the only one that has ever convinced me that you truly love every part of me, even the human ones... That wanted ME... Not just my shield... Not just this power..." Aster paused to place an intimate kiss on his wolf's muzzle as he continued his speech.

"You have been a teacher, a guide, a friend, a lover, and my very foundation... Even now, I am almost certain... It is that love for you that holds this shield so steady, even when my own hands could not. It is that need to protect you that has pushed me beyond what I ever believed myself capable of once again, even here. It is that damned, fanged smile that keeps my heart beating so strongly... You made me your king long before I ever realized I was one, before I could accept that I was one... And the greatest honor I've ever had was to have a knight such as you pledge to be mine... I am sorry I made you feel that you weren't enough, because you have always been more than I ever deserved, my mate. The greatest honor of the last human was belonging to a handsome beast. Of all the things I've experienced... That was the most important one for me." Stahl could only gaze back at his mate in utter nonbelief. The beast finally smiled again, and spoke back passionately.

"And the greatest honor a rabid mutt like me ever had was calling you mine, Aster Venatus. Thank you for giving me a purpose again... Thank you for being something worth fighting for. Thank you, for loving me at my worst." Aster gently laid his head against the wolf's chest for the final time, that thumping, powerful heartbeat filling his senses as he could only bask in the beauty of that sound. When he spoke again, it was barely a whisper.

"I once believed that I had something to prove... That I needed to be sure that the last human to leave their mark on this world was remembered better than the stories the beasts tell of our cruelty... That I carried the sins of my people, and that it was my duty to change as many hearts as I could with the time I had... The time that was taken from them... I think that's what made me so desperate to help Oust, to do all the good I could do in this world, to leave it a little less hateful when I go... But I am grateful this is how it happens now... I knew this was coming... I could just feel it... And it just seemed the most likely outcome anyway... I've known I was going to die for a while now. I didn't know if it was going to be after the Endeavor... Before we ever even made it to it... Or if I would get to slip away in the arms of my mate... But I am happy you are here for even my last battle. I am thankful that I will get to hold you until the end, my love. In many ways, I am saddened that you are going with me... But I was truly blessed to get more time in this world than the rest of my people, because it gave me all of my time with you." Stahl kissed his mate as hard as he could in that moment, because what other way could a final kiss really be? He was more than happy with what they had as well. The wolf was thankful for everything... But the beast had a final confession of his own.

"I was at your trial... I was linked with my father the entire time. I watched everything. I heard everything. I knew about your birthright before even you did, Aster... I knew you were a king. I knew the hate stacked against you, and I knew exactly what I would be opening myself up to from the very beginning... I accepted you for everything you were before I ever offered that hand to you back at the Selection... But I knew, and I still withheld that truth from you, because my duty demanded it... I am sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, but that was the first lie standing between us, and I'm happy that it will be the last lie confessed between us... There are no more lies left to be corrected here... So believe me when I say this to you, as my true love of both this life, and any that may come after this life... I love you, Aster Venatus." Aster could only smile, his eyelids barely open as the last remnants of his energy were drawn away from him. He spoke it like it was the very first time he ever said it.

"I love you, Stahl Aschefell." Those were the final words spoken between the pair as they silently waited for the end, holding on to one another closely as the light of that shield slowly dimmed around them. Aster had his ear against his wolf's chest, his beast's heartbeat the final thing he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness with a faint, but genuine smile on his lips, his left hand lovingly pressed against Stahl's chest... Aster Venatus faded away, held so tenderly by the strong, yet safe arms of his mate. It was more than he could ever ask for... And then they fell into the darkness below.

Stahl was holding Aster tightly in anticipation, knowing the sudden plummet was coming the moment his boy gave out. There were clues, as the light of the shield slowly dimmed, and the way Aster relaxed more and more into the beast... But there was no real way of being ready for a sudden fall to one's own death...

It was a strange sensation for Stahl, to suddenly just drop like that... The howl of the wind quickly whipping through his fur, his shirt fluttering against Aster as the beast didn't dare lose his purchase on him. Stahl wrapped his arms around his mate, drawing the boy's shoulders in as he tried to compress Aster's body over his own while they fell. Stahl clenched his eyes shut, and held his head tightly over Aster's, making sure he was supporting the boy's neck as much as possible... If there was any hope or luck left for the pair, Stahl was praying that this may be just enough to spare Aster in the end. That Stahl's own body would take the brunt of the impact, and Aster could maybe just walk away from this alive if he landed on top of the wolf... The beast knew the chances were slim, but it was enough to hope for. Stahl had his mate in his arms in the end, that was all that he had asked of his true love in exchange for his honesty. He could accept this... He would always be grateful for any goodbye one could ever get on a battlefield... And then suddenly, before the fall ever really built up too much speed... Stahl felt the softest patch of leafy plants pressing against his back, breaking his fall.

The wolf jumped at the impact he had been so heavily dreading. There was no way he wouldn't be a bit startled with such a finite end anticipated... The wolf realized he hadn't died, and dared to part open a single eye, still holding his unconscious mate as tightly as ever. When he saw the lush greenery of the forest before him, and heard the gentle roar of a small waterfall to his left, Stahl was almost certain that this WAS the afterworld... Had it not been for both the portal still hanging open over his head, and the ominous figure just ahead, the wolf may have even believed that.

With a startled gasp of recognition, both of the beast's eyes shot open wide. Merely a few feet before the noble wolf was the same sword demon from both the Selection Grounds, and that time in the Crimson Sands... The glowing, golden wisps illuminated starkly against the night as they gazed down at the wolf. The creature was holding its dark, spectral sword with a single arm, the blade resting across its shoulders as if in anticipation of a fight. Stahl was gripped by fear once more, adjusting his arms more protectively over Aster, sitting up as he stared down the monster that had attacked his homeland and started this entire mess in the first place.

The ashen wolf let out a very low, yet not very convincing growl at first on instinct alone... But Stahl had no way of actually dealing with this problem... His swords were long gone. He had no way to actually protect Aster when hope finally seemed in sight... With crushing acceptance, Stahl Aschefell did the only thing left that he could do here... The noble wolf lowered his head over his mate, shielding him while he flattened his ears in submission. The proud beast's growl slowly faded into a whine as he simply stared down at his human protectively. The wolf was begging for the demon to at least spare Aster... Stahl Aschefell was not above anything anymore if it kept that boy breathing. The wolf received his answer in a way he never expected.

"You're going to tell me a name... Which king do you serve? As a knight? Which king do you truly serve?" Stahl looked back to the demon in surprise at the sudden inquiry, startled by the strange choice of first words. (Also still surprised he wasn't dead in all honesty...) What sounded like a simple question felt very much like a test to the beast in that moment. Stahl couldn't quite place why... But something about this creature intimidated him in a way that made the usually brave wolf strangely nervous of all things... Stahl answered honestly with the first name that came to his mind.

"Aster Venatus..." The demon stared for a short while, and said something even more strange to the wolf in that moment.

"His name, is Solis Aureus... But you need to remember that answer you just gave me, You should understand it as the life oath that it is... You need to understand exactly how important he is, and you will learn that answer soon, but you will have to do what is needed first, both today, and when he makes his decision." The demon turned away, slashing open another scar as he closed the one above Stahl. With a clank of metal, Stahl Aschefell watched both of his swords fall to the earth from within the portal. He stared up at the demon in surprise, half expecting that this was a challenge... The demon paused for a while, seemingly looking off in the distance for a short moment before he continued.

"The path you are choosing is going to get rough on you. You are going to have to be stronger than you've ever been, and you're going to have to grow stronger even after should you hope to stay on it... Despite what the boy said, you ARE going to have to carry more weight than any by the end, such is the role of the mountain... You will have to earn the power to defy the very gods themselves by the end... And one day, you will even have to come pry this very sword away from me before you will ever truly earn the right to call him yours... Before you can ever hope to keep up with the path that he will be cleaving forward towards fixing this mess of a world..." The demon pointed to the beast with his free hand and spoke a bit maliciously then.

"And you're also going to be keeping that beast inside of you on a leash from now on, because hear me now, young knight, your father's mercy will only get you so far... This sword and the boy both seem to think you are somehow worthy... I, however, just considered breaking my orders, and killing you on the spot." The demon started taking steps forward as he spoke, that impossibly heavy sword swinging off of his shoulders, only to be held so effortlessly before him with a single hand, as if it were a mere knife. He pointed that shadowy, smoldering blade directly at the wolf as he continued.

"We will both die, and leave Solis to make his own choices before you ever fall under the delusion that a knight would even DARE threaten to harm the king he served in the way that you did... It was your kind that robbed him of his first twenty years of life... That blind hatred you beasts love to brandish is what instilled his true darkness in him in the first place, not blood magic... Your darkness is not even your own... But it is your responsibility to deal with now, so hear me when I say... Bear those fangs to him again, and I promise you, young knight, the next one of these scars I carve will be right through your chest..." The demon abruptly stopped, and flinched as if in pain, clutching at its sides while it trembled to retain control, to not lose itself in the rage behind its very creation... It put away the sword, letting it disappear the same way Aster's shield did as the creature took a step away, turning his back to the wolf. Stahl felt like he needed to answer that, but did so in a way that even surprised himself a little, smirking a bit as he made the comment. He was still a cocky wolf at heart.

"I know that I probably shouldn't be grateful for that... But I honestly am. If I ever go too far, if I lose it like that again... You keep that promise... But until that day, you just keep that sword ready for me... I'm going to come and take it from you one day, and I'm going to look way more badass wielding it than you ever could... And then I'm going to propose to him with that very sword in my hand." The demon was almost impressed by that answer... His son had chosen a prospective first knight, if nothing else.

"You'll be needing that confidence... I heard all of that back there... I hated that your kind was needed for this, I hated the role that you played for Solis... But if it had to be a beast he was to fall in love with, perhaps the son of a merciful one is a good start." Stahl spoke in a curious tone. This monster was becoming harder to call an enemy with every exchange between the two.

"You keep saying that... How do you know my father? How did he show you such mercy?" The demon shook his head as he answered shortly.

"Ask him yourself... I have to go play with a kitten now, so I'll leave you with a final gift of good measure, in case saving your life wasn't enough, I'll even tell you how to save his. You would do well to listen closely... Go north, through the mountain range, that is the next true test for both of you... That is where he will make his decision. You should be ready for unimaginable consequences should you fail that test, and not even by my hand... For now, though... You will need a lot of those leaves you're laying on. If you crush them up into a paste, they will stop infection, and the sap will prevent bleeding, even from a major injury... I have already given you the only other tools you require to do what is needed... I trust that you know what you have to do? While he is still too drained to be awoken by it?" The demon glanced down towards Stahl's swords, and then gazed back towards the wolf. Stahl followed his eyes all the while... But the demon wasn't staring at the wolf though, he was staring at Aster... He was staring at... Grim realization became apparent on the beast's face. The demon asked somberly.

"Can you do what is required to keep your king alive? Or must I act as his knight in your place? He will perish before he ever sees what he needs to decide if it is not done... I already told you, it is a rough road, and this is only the beginning. Can you handle this duty? Do you have the mettle to do what you must? Or will you only fail him whenever that mettle is truly tested?" Stahl trembled at the severity of the task, but forced himself to take a deep breath, and nodded once in answer. The demon gave his parting words.

"Then I will leave you to your responsibilities, young knight. Heed my warnings, and you'll be able to hold him a while longer... He will live for a while longer... And you may just become worthy of this blade after all... Remember the king you serve, even should he fall too far... Especially then." The demon raised its sword one final time, carved his exit into the space before him, and stepped through, closing the scar without ever giving another glance back to the beast that was holding his own son so protectively. King Calium was really counting on that wolf...

Stahl watched their savior disappear as if he were never there at all, leaving the wolf to his gruesome chore. Stahl looked down at Aster, who was still breathing softly, drained of every bit of energy and power he had... The wolf found himself wanting to shed more tears for his lover in that moment, but knew he wasn't really the one that was going to suffer the most from this... The beast squinted his eyes, leaned over the boy resting in his lap, and squeezed him just a bit tightly as he pressed his muzzle roughly into his head. Stahl took in a deep breath, finished the kiss to steel himself, and gently stood with his mate, cradling his boy carefully.

Stahl Aschefell stripped Aster of his bloodied shirt once again that day, just another battle that Aster had to give more than the wolf did by the end, at least in the beast's eyes... Stahl carefully pulled off the rest of the boy's clothing, and pulled away his own shirt as well, bringing it with him into the water. The wolf walked Aster into the clear, and cool mountain stream, and gently bathed him as best as he could, clearing away most of the heavy dirt and blood that coated him. The way the broken and limp forearm occasionally made gruesome, grinding and crunching sounds left the beast feeling nauseated once more that night. Stahl rinsed his own shirt as best as he could, knowing it needed to be as clean as possible before he began. After the boy and the bandage were ready, the wolf walked back to the shore, and gently laid his mate on a bed of spongy moss near the misty waterfall splashing off of the mountain.

Stahl extended Aster's right arm both slowly, and carefully before he placed a smooth rock beneath the broken hand to prop it up in preparation. The arm was nearly black from the elbow down, swollen beyond all recognition, and split in three places, the muscles beneath easily visible in places between the scars and the clotting blood. The life-oath marking was barely even visible on that wrist now... A jagged piece of shattered bone was even jutting out morbidly around the wrist, there was no question... That arm had to come off... And Stahl was the only one there that could do it. The beast ripped off a piece of his shirt, grabbed a stick nearby, and wrapped the fabric around the arm just above the small bit of bone just below his elbow that wasn't fully crushed. He twisted the limb into a taunt tourniquet, tucking the stick into the fold to hold for the time being.

The wolf solemnly went about gathering the herbs they had landed on before, the ones he had been told of. The beast found a flat rock, and a smooth rock, and went to work, grinding the plant into a pasty gel of verdant green salve. When he was certain he had more than enough for the task at hand, Stahl rose from his place once again. The wolf walked over to his returned swords, and examined them both. The longer one still had the better edge after the battle at the village, and would have more weight behind the swing for a cleaner cut, so Stahl chose it. He thouroughly cleaned his steel in the river, passing a more spongey stone over it a few times to apply what edge he could without a proper whetstone... The beast drew another deep breath in, stared up at the moon above, and cursed the gods one final time before he turned around, stepping rather reluctantly back to his king.

The wolf's shirt had been torn the rest of the way into strips, and left to dry while he prepared the other supplies he needed. Those strips were now neatly piled on a larger stone beside the boy, ready to be applied as quickly as possible. The gooey paste that acted as a salve was sitting close to the human as well... Stahl had everything he needed, he had prepared everything... He just had to make a swing now... That was all... That's what he repeated to himself... He couldn't afford to hesitate or hold back, he needed it done in one, clean cleave... The beast took a bunch of short, rapid breaths to work himself up, raised that treasured sword high into the air, and finally rallied every single grain of courage he had before he could make himself swing down with every bit of weight and strength that he needed to... He had done it in a single cut, just as he needed to...

Through an unseen scar, one only made for watching, the demon spoke to himself as the wolf carried out his macabre deed. This loss, too, had been accounted for, after all...

"Perhaps he has the mettle after all..."

===

I Guess I'll start with this...

Stahl Aschefell will figure out where that darkness comes from, and he will break free of it one day. He will never hurt Aster in the way that was threatened. He does not let that anger out towards his mate ever again anywhere near this extent... But I really do feel like this was needed as something to look back on for motivation for both the boy and the wolf. To be better for eachother. I know that's kind of a major spoiler going forward, but it actually isn't Stahl's fault. I need to be clear here. When the major stuff starts happening in the next few chapters, you'll get a good clue there.

Moving on, Aster and Stahl both grow exponentially from this. They both learn to be so much better for each other because of this. They learn how to experience things together because of this. (Wink wink.) Aster really starts becoming a king here. You'll notice he finally stopped arguing against the use of the title. The boy is becoming a man. Stahl stops holding everything in because of this. He is going to grow in ways that may be subtle at first, but his family chapters, (the last major arc before the Endeavor, which is the arc after this one,) should bring a lot of it to light.

I have read this so many times, I am numb to all of it. I definitely cried a lot writing it the first time, lmao. But idk if any of these emotions will actually be felt here. That was a lot of dialogue between two characters, and I know it may have been boring, and maybe repetitive even... But it really did cover almost everything I could recall wanting to discuss between the pair. Everything they were worried about, and everything they needed to get out. I'm sure it'll get a lot of heavy editing for the rewrite to be honest. But I hope this makes everyone understand that they both had their faults from the very beginning that were left unaddressed between them. They needed this conversation, and they needed to be ready to stand up to each other's darkness. Stahl will help Aster with his, and Aster can help Stahl now that he truly understands the wolfs darkness.

(Also, no. Rust will not be romantic with anyone in any way aside from his crush, who is two years older than him. [14 and 16] The only intimacy you will see mentioned there is stuff like hugs, and kisses on the cheek. Even after he becomes an adult later on down the line, I don't believe ill ever be writing him in that way. I wanted to clarify that Oust will not be falling for this fox, nor the other way around, cause someone expressed that worry on the early review. I just felt these groups of beasts would work well together for the coming chapters, and we get some quirky interactions out of each group. Rust is just that all around good kid that wants to be a friend to everyone, especially those his family cares for.)

Within 5 chapters, more than likely 3, everything comes to a head. Were it not for the endeavor needing to be last, I likely would've made this the finale for this book, and swapped two arcs around. I truly hope you enjoy what I've written so far, and what is coming next, and I hope you'll take a moment to let me know your thoughts. Thank you. -Pup Bayou