A King's Legacy Chapter 42
Acquired Tastes
Flose was deep in thought, idly staring at the small campfire as Mercy perched off a short distance in a nearby tree. The golden rays of twilight had slowly begun to fade into dusk, but the uncertainties of the coming dawn were chipping away at what little courage the human believed he had. On the same hand, all three of the beasts he had met so far had proven to be surprisingly kind. What was even more astonishing to the youth, however, was the demeanor of the bear. Sir Corper was a beast Flose had heard many cautionary tales about throughout his upbringing, but Flose was starting to wonder if he had remembered the name correctly after all.
Flose slyly turned his attention to the pair sparring together near the outskirts of their small camp. He took a moment to size up the bear while the smaller fox kept him busy.
Corper elected to ignore the stare. He well understood why the boy was so nervous. The beast mostly knew what to expect when they arrived, but even he had uncertainty as to what truly awaited the group. Corper did well hiding his worry, none of the younger lives ever noticed such uncertainty in the bear, but Flose was not nearly so skilled in the art of masking his thoughts. Oust hated seeing the little human frown like that.
Oust has been tasked with deep breathing meditation, to inhale as he counts to seven, and to exhale after. The bear had told him to simply concentrate on counting and that it would help focus his mind.
Oust had been instructed to meditate like that for at minimum one hour every night. Although the tiger had disliked such training at first, even he had to admit it seemed to be helping to some degree. His hour had ended over ten minutes ago, but upon opening his eyes in such a state of clarity, he found the frail little human the first thing they settled on. Oust just wanted to make Flose more at ease in their company, but it seemed the harder he tried to connect with him, the more Flose would shy away warily.
The tiger closed his eyes before he inhaled deeply. He exhaled slowly after, venting his frustrations over his failures with the action. Oust still didn't grasp how much he had grown to even reach that point. Oust still didn't realize that all he had to do was just stop trying so hard to force things and breathe. The beast opened his eyes once more, and stood, his attention needed elsewhere... He really had to take a leak.
Flose cautiously watched the burly cat out of the corner of his eye from the moment Oust first moved. He averted his gaze as he realized what the beast needed to handle. His sight fell back to the smaller crackling fire before him, finding it easy to let his hectic thoughts drift when watching the embers dance. Fires not solely for cooking were something the youth didn't often get to enjoy.
His mind was darting all around his predicament when a strange presence unexpectedly caught his attention. The emotions of the presence were frantic, but transparent. Something nearby was terribly, terribly afraid.
Oust was returning to the camp when he suddenly heard the most peculiar sound just a way from the fire. It almost sounded like someone was shushing him. The beast looked around in the dimming light, and finally located the source. Oust took a quick leap back in alarm, staring down at a serpent in his path. Snakes were dangerous, something Oust had been taught just the same as most beastmen. The tiger bared his claws, preparing to fend off the strike he assumed was coming his way. What he was met with instead was a sharp and desperate plea from the one person in the group that never seemed to have much to say to the beast.
"Wait!" Flose was already running over, hoping he would reach the pair before they struck at one another. He slowed to a halt as he made it closer to the intimidating soldier, hastily adding, "Don't hurt it! It's only afraid!"
Oust kept a wary eye on the feral, and spoke calmly to the human, trying to ease some of the worry Flose so clearly held. "Alright. I won't harm it, but they are dangerous. You need to back away."
"Well, yeah, snakes can be dangerous, but it doesn't mean they are going to try and hurt you. She was just attracted to the warmth of our fire is all." Flose paused for a moment and turned to stare towards the larger coral snake coiled defensively within its own folds. The youth started trying to strengthen his connection, doing his best to get his intentions across to the frightened creature.
Oust watched in silence as the human's demeanor changed, his focus, intrigue, and excitement far more evident than any traces of prior wariness in that moment. The tiger noticed the human's eyes soften a little and witnessed the feral barely peek out from its hiding place after.
"There we go..." Flose was cooing so gently to the reptile. The snake was slowly lowering its guard. Flose spent a little more time soothing its worry as Oust exhaled in relief, electing to observe the pair in silent marvel. The human locked eyes with the feral for a while longer before suggesting something to the smaller creature. "Would you like to move closer to the heat? You can rest on my arm if you'd like, so you can stay warm that way as well?"
Oust was surprised by the words, never expecting that the meek little human would extend such an invitation to something so deadly. The serpent paused for a while, seemingly hesitant in its decision at first glance, but apparently, it decided that Flose was indeed a friend. The feral slowly slithered forward, gracefully unraveling from its protective coil as the friendly human reached his right arm to the ground.
The serpent slowly started stretching towards the offered hand. Oust could only watch in fascination as it skillfully began slithering up Flose's arm. The way it spiraled its own body as it climbed up the appendage was something the tiger never had a chance to see before. It was unexpected, and Oust's curiosity was beginning to outweigh his hesitancy. He didn't waste much time following the pair over by the fire.
"See? I told you it was warmer over here." Flose was smiling at the snake fondly as he spoke. To Oust, the human appeared to be truly smitten with the creature. Flose was holding his right arm up, his elbow perched on his raised knee. Flose was being careful not to move too much, but still made sure the feral was feeling a comfortable amount of warmth in that position. The human kept idly speaking to the snake, apparently answering the serpent's questions he was being peppered with.
This went on for quite some time, but eventually, after his guest was more trusting of the human, Flose finally countered the feral with a question of his own. It was a simple request, yet one that Oust had no trouble detecting the hope behind. "While you rest here, would it be alright if I sketch you?" The serpent turned its head towards the youth some, and Flose quickly elaborated for the feral. "Oh! It means to make a copy of your likeness. It is a more human concept, so here, let me just show you what I mean."
Flose looked around for his satchel, but saw it was a short way out of his reach where he had left it in his rush to reach the feral. The human spoke apologetically to the serpent after realizing his mistake. "Ah, I have to move, but I'll try not to jar you too much--"
Oust was already standing to retrieve the bag for Flose. The human had mostly forgotten about the beast up to that point, all his focus and attention placed on the new acquaintance wrapped around his arm. Perhaps that was what the human needed to do most; to relax a little around the tiger, to not be so overtly wary of him.
Oust held the satchel out, presenting it to Flose with a trace of a smile hidden on his muzzle. Oust didn't want to scare him again by accident, more so since he wanted to watch how this all played out a little longer.
Flose looked up at the burly cat towering over him and felt a familiar twinge of panic begin to surface. The same as it usually did around the beast. The human shuddered ever so slightly, but powered through his fears, accepting the bag with gratitude. "...Thank you."
Oust nodded subtly, the grin on his muzzle becoming just a little more apparent. The silent approached seemed to be working in his mind, so the tiger pressed his luck a little further, and took a seat to the right of Flose. Oust was within arm's reach of the pair now, but Flose appeared alright with that for the time being.
Flose wasted no time at all moving his right arm to the bag before excitedly rummaging through it. He quickly located his sketchbook and opened it to a random page near the front. The first illustration was of a frilled lizard. Flose started explaining the process better to the reptile snugly wrapped around his arm as the tiger silently studied the human's drawing next to him.
Flose flipped through a little, showing a few other illustrations to the snake (as well as the peeking tiger) as he told his guest all about why he enjoyed sketching ferals. "I think there is a degree of beauty in every design, but my favorite parts are always the flaws in each. When something is always just a mark off from perfection, such imperfections are exactly what makes something uniquely art. I know it can be a strange concept to ferals like you, but it really is just admiring what you don't always notice at first. It's seeing the deepest parts of something and seeing that even those hidden bits veiling such pain and fear are beautifully inspirational in their own right."
Oust suddenly found it hard to breathe. Those words struck him harder than a blow from his father ever did. No, they resonated with the words of someone Oust cherished more than anyone. It was like hearing his mother speak to him again. Before the tiger ever realized it, he was reduced to little more than the tiny cub in his mother's garden with an all-new feral friend to be fascinated by.
Flose never had any inclination that what he said had resounded so clearly with the beast. He was far too busy repeating his request to the serpent. "So... I hope that explains it better. Is it alright if I sketch you as well?"
To Oust, the snake seemed to ponder the request again, but judging by the look of joy that overtook the human's face, he assumed Flose had received the answer he wanted, because the youth immediately got to work.
Flose started pulling what looked like small bits of stone from his bag, setting them out around himself. He propped his book awkwardly on his free leg, doing his best not to disturb his guest by moving his right arm too much. Flose only made it a few strokes into the sketch before his hand started to tremble, unable to really balance the book correctly in that position. A light wind blew, and the page half-flipped on Flose, ruining the addition to the book before he ever really had a chance to start.
"NOOO!" Flose quickly moved his drawing hand flatly over the book, more in reflex than anything else. All he managed to accomplish was further ruining the piece, and rattling his muse by jolting around so much. The youth's attention immediately snapped back to the serpent, and he somberly apologized to the feral as he cast his eyes low. "Sorry, I don't want to frighten you... Let's just forget about the sketch."
Flose was berating himself heavily over his failure, however, Oust wasn't going to allow such a small obstacle to ruin the opportunity. Before he even realized it, he was offering his assistance. "She can rest on my arm. That should free yours up to concentrate on the sketch, right?"
Flose's attention turned to the imposing tiger yet again, but this time, the beast's words had unquestionably caught him off guard. For the first time, Flose truly looked at Oust for a moment, seeing beyond his appearance. His deep, green eyes warily peeked into the red ones of the natural born predator, and Oust peered back, making note of how incredibly sad the human's gaze always seemed; how it always seemed to tremble in uncertainty, fear, or a mixture of both. Flose's demeanor reminded Oust of feral prey, and suddenly, it all became a little clearer for the tiger as he realized a new way his training could be put to practice.
The tiger smiled at his realization, and for once, Flose saw the gesture for what it was, not a snarl. The human was finally starting to accept that there was a large difference between ferals and the beastmen that held their likeness. Flose looked back at the snake coiled around him and passed the offer on to her.
The serpent peeked towards Oust and then turned back to Flose with a question. Oust watched curiously as the human looked back to the ground a moment after. The tiger feared the worst but was even more caught off guard by the answer Flose gave to the feral.
"Umm... Yeah..." Flose was unexpectedly flustered by the snake's question, but continued his answer all the same, "I am sure he is pretty warm..." The human awkwardly looked off in the distance as he finished his sentence, managing to mostly hide the blush overtaking his face, confused as to why he felt so embarrassed by those words in the first place.
It was probably a good thing Flose wouldn't look at the tiger, because Oust couldn't of hid that toothy smile of his if he'd wanted to. The beast also turned his gaze away for a moment, doing his best to stifle the expression and avoid scaring the human again. He brought a hand up to his maw, partially covering it in his attempt.
After both had taken a moment to get their reactions under control, Flose looked back to the snake on his arm, and seemingly settled the matter. "Alright, just let me tell him first."
Flose looked to Oust, a lingering trace of that smile still evident on the beast's maw. The youth spoke to the tiger in a quieter tone. "Would you hold your arm out?"
Oust did as instructed, presenting Flose his forearm; his larger hand pointing towards the night sky. Flose gently raised his right arm and brought his hand up to the beast's elbow. His reach lingered mid-air in hesitation, but Flose slowly extended his fingertips the last few inches, overcoming his uncertainty.
It was one of the most frail and delicate touches Oust had ever known. The human's hand slowly came to rest on his bicep, tenderly lying flat against the beast's more rugged body. Oust unexpectedly felt the most exhilarating chill run up his spine in immediate response. Flose had finally touched him, and the thrill it brought to the beast made his chest feel strangely tight. The human once again cast his eyes away, but Oust did not avert his gaze this time.
"Try not to move too much, and if you do, try to keep the movements smooth." Oust nodded in answer, and Flose added a little more, just to be certain the tiger understood the fragility of the situation. "She is trusting you, which isn't easy for ferals, so just try not to startle her too much. She is still a little afraid."
Oust answered soundly. "I'll keep her safe... What we fear most isn't always easy to face alone, but that's what strength is for; sharing with those that need it most, defending those without it, and protecting one another whenever the need arises." Oust trailed off as Flose simply stared at the sheer spontaneity of that statement. Oust rushed to justify his reasoning. "It was Aster, or Solis as you know him, that made me realize that truth."
Flose didn't have much of an answer for the beast there. He pondered the words a little longer but didn't comment on them any further. He spoke to the serpent after the pause in conversation instead. "Alright, go ahead."
The feral was colder than Oust had expected. He half anticipated a slimy feel to the reptile, but the scales were smooth, and they glided over his fur without trouble. He watched with bated breath as she began spiraling around his thicker forearm in graceful form. The tiger felt the human pull his hand away a moment after and Oust took the moment to bask in the excitement the strange little feral brought to him. Oust just really wanted to help Flose with his sketch when he had initially offered his aid, but the tiger was certainly starting to hold the serpent in a new and unexpected light.
The beast opened his hand as the snake reached his wrist, and she settled her head gently on his pink palm pad while snugging up her coils on his arm. Oust beamed at the cozy feral, delighted he could be such a comfort for it now. He turned his eyes back to Flose, but the young human had already snatched hold of his sketchbook, flipped to a fresh page, and eagerly jumped right in. Oust decided he should probably just continue with his more silent approach for a while. This was already more than enough progress to satisfy the beast.
Flose often tended to lose focus on everything else when he was sketching, a habit he had been berated over plenty in the past, but there was just some part of him that got so deeply immersed into capturing what detail he could. Tonight was proving to be no different for the youth.
Oust patiently watched him work away, simply enjoying that Flose seemed to be having a much better time in his company. Oust would sometimes peer back towards the tiny life in his hands, the one trusting him to keep it safe, but his gaze would always diverge back to the human before too long.
Flose was making wonderful progress, leaning into his connection with the serpent to capture as many details as he could. When he sketched a feral, he always tried his best to convey what they were feeling on his page, not merely how he saw them at first glance. Every page in that sketchbook of his was a personal and intimate experience of the young human, and this session was proving itself no lesser in any way.
Flose only had parchment and charcoal with him at the time, but he could always capture what he needed, and then fill in everything on a separate page with proper ink later. He started by forming her body, her spiraling form wrapping itself closely around that ivory pillar the beast called an arm. He traced out her segments, sectioning off each instance of black, red, and yellow scales that blended seamlessly into one another. He roughly outlined a few smaller scales for future reference, and moved beyond that for the time being, knowing he could go back to add them later.
The artist leaned further into his muse, carefully copying the curvature of the feral's head, paying special attention to her eyes, and nostrils. He felt more for her perspective in the moment and began filling in where it was needed. The strokes of his medium never slowed in the slightest, the same as those eyes that never could stop darting back and forth between the pages and the serpent. Flose was truly lost to everything else, his passion stealing him hopelessly away.
It was beautiful, the way all those colors blended. Flose adored the sharp contrast between the scales gleaming beneath the firelight. The way that pattern wove itself around the arm... it was mesmerizing. Bands of glimmering black, yellow, and red crossed so starkly against the ivory fur beneath it. The triple ebony stripes on the beast's forearm formed three striking contradictions of their own. The sleek musculature of the feral winding over the stony arm of the tiger... his arm was firm, but very warm. His touch was steady, far steadier than Flose's own. His fur was soft, and comforting, but most of all, Oust felt like security. It was as if Oust was the last thing the feral ever needed to worry about... The arms of the tiger felt comforting. Oust's unyielding touch made Flose feel so strangely safe.
With a gasp, Flose pulled himself back immediately. Such a thought had battered heavily against his own deep-seated prejudices, and the result had rattled the human to his very core. As his mind scrambled to reassure itself, he peered back towards the drawing, and felt his heart skip a beat.
The details on the snake were striking, warm, and well executed... Almost as much as the detail on the tiger's burly arm was. Flose felt himself fluster again, and quickly closed the book shut, feeling unsettled by such an experience.
Oust frowned at the action. He was really looking forward to seeing the sketch, but he wouldn't pressure the human. From the looks of things, the beast assumed he may have messed up again. The tiger meagerly offered his best encouragement for him. "My mother used to paint... She once said the unexpected strokes can be the most striking in the end, so don't feel bad if it didn't go how you intended."
Flose looked at the beast and felt his own face burning in shame. He nodded quickly to the tiger, averted his gaze after, and immediately stood to leave.
Oust was afraid he had said something wrong. The beast cursed himself for not just keeping quiet after all... Even still, he had to ask. "Are you alright?"
Flose, who was still very shaken by the experience, defensively tried to blurt out the first excuse that came to him, his panic prompting him to speak far too quickly for his own good. "YES! I'm fine, suddenly feeling tiger- TIRED, I'm suddenly feeling tired is all..." Flose felt like his stammering heart was going to pop his head open if it pumped anymore blood to it in that moment. He frantically and abruptly tried to wrap up his interaction with the tiger. "I'm going to catch some sleep, we have quite a day ahead of us tomorrow..."
"Wait!" The tiger called out, making Flose curse his luck, knowing the beast must've realized something was strange. Oust brought the human back down to reality a little more with what he asked instead. "What do I do with her?"
Flose turned back to the beast, and realized he was referencing the serpent. Flose hesitated for a moment but answered truthfully. "She feels safe with you... You can let her rest on you for as long as you want, and gently nudge her on when you're ready." Flose turned to put some distance between the pair once more.
Oust called out a final time, giving the conflicted human one last jolt that night. "Not everything I was told to fear is bad, and not everything dangerous is going to try and harm me... It was another nice lesson to learn from a human. Goodnight, Flose."
Flose paused for a moment, his back to the beast still. He clasped his hands together, noting how they still trembled ever so slightly. His thoughts lingered back to the recent emotion the artist couldn't yet understand, and Flose partially turned back towards the tiger. He answered in a calmer tone this time, his eyes meeting the beast's own. There was finally something aside from simple fear shining beneath that gaze, something the reflection of that firelight masked just well enough to avoid the tiger's notice.
"Goodnight, Oust."
===
Rust was quite preoccupied with Corper, but the adolescent certainly had well enough reason to be. The bear was striking at speeds on the edge of what the fox could really handle, and Corper was steadily picking up the pace with every bout. The mentor was forcing the student to either surpass his limits or take another wracking punch in exchange. Rust was far too clever to not see which was the better option, but that didn't mean it was easy to pull off.
The adolescent's left ear twitched rapidly as he called out once more, barely avoiding the next blow. "Mark!"
Corper was enjoying himself, appreciating having a student he didn't have to pick apart to rebuild for a change. Rust had all the skill of the Sicario line, and all the fortitude and valor of the Aschefells. His heart was well-forged by a loving and happy upbringing, he had a strong talent for understanding combat and technique, and the fox had even built up a good deal of physical strength from assisting his father's smithing... All of this, and still so much room for growth at his age. The prayer magic tying it all together really didn't even seem fair to the bear. Rosten Aschefell was a kind of beast destined for greatness, a kind you only saw a small handful of in each generation.
Before the fox would ever reach that greatness though, he would serve as a training dummy to the bear. Rust barely cleared the next strike in time. "Mark!"
The fox jumped a good distance away this time, leaning forward on his knees and panting, attempting to catch his breath.
Corper called out tauntingly. "Finished already?"
Rust answered through his measured breathing, wiping away a good deal of sweat as he ran his arm over his brow. "Are... Are these sessions getting longer or something? It feels like a lot more than an hour at a time..."
Corper smiled in response, tossing his words towards the tuckered out little fox smugly. "We've just been fighting more with the time we get lately. I'm not instructing you right now so much as simply pushing you. In lighter terms..."
Rust finished the sentence for him. "You're beating my ass more, and it makes me tired faster... Got it."
Corper chuckled at the playful jab behind those words. He corrected the fox encouragingly. "I'm beating your ass more, and it's making you grow faster."
Rust groaned at the lesson, but before he could reply, a shout near the campfire drew the attention of both beasts.
Corper and Rust turned to watch Flose run off towards Oust. The fox was about to go investigate, but Corper spoke before the cub could. "Wait... let's see how this unfolds first."
Rust looked back to Corper, answering with a light chuckle. "Oh, I can tell you how it's going to unfold. Oust is going to try and be friendly, and he's going to unsettle Flose by doing exactly that. It's what always happens when he tries to talk to the human."
Corper stepped closer to Rust, walking over to stand beside his student as he replied. "I wouldn't be so certain. Flose is dealing with a lot of fear and uncertainty, but believe me when I say, he has good reason. However, even Flose can learn to challenge what he was told. Part of that remedy requires a beast, and once you see beyond the first glance of Oust, you'll see he may be the perfect one for the task after all. Flose needs to face his discomfort over appearances."
Rust felt his ears perk at part of that statement. The fox slyly pried with his question. "So... Does that go back to the conversation you had alone with Flose when he first awoke?"
Corper scoffed, noting how observant the adolescent was, yet again... He had the Aschefell's confidence as well... "You'll find out when we arrive tomorrow anyway. For now, simply prepare yourself. We may not be welcome when we first arrive."
Rust looked at his teacher, and back to the pair by the fire. He flashed a mischievous smile and snickered out his teasing. "I don't know... not sure if you're looking at the same thing I am right now, but I think a certain human may be feeling a little more welcoming after all. I think Flose may be conquering his fear of big cats... Too bad Oust is definitely too dense to realize the how and why."
Corper figured he would go ahead and put a stop to this before it began. He spoke firmly to his student. "No... You can make all the jabs you want toward Oust, and they are fine for the most part, but this is something that is raw for him. This is something that shouldn't be mocked, because he was ashamed of such emotions for a long time. The last thing we need is him closing himself off in defense again... If it's in reference to him trying to better himself, I want to hear no belittling remarks, no matter how trivial or lighthearted they may seem. You are both my students, so you will need to have some degree of respect for each other."
Rust looked to his mentor carefully, and really weighed the weight behind those words. The fox answered calmly. "Alright. I think I understand. To be honest, I've mostly been giving him a hard time since the debacle with my uncles, but I see what you are saying... Oust deserves to try to find happiness, and he deserves to not be mocked for it. I didn't really look at all this from his side of things, not fairly at least... He had it rough growing up, didn't he?"
Corper answered in a whisper. "Worse than anyone should..."
The fox and the bear watched the other pair a while longer from a distance before they resumed their sparring match. They settled in for the night a few hours later; one eager for what the morning may bring, the other wary of it, but neither expecting what awaited them.
Flose awoke last the following morning, partly due to him having great trouble sleeping with the concerning night before pecking apart his thoughts. He was awakened by a different pecking, a more literal one as Mercy impatiently tapped at her sleepy friend's nose. Flose cracked open his eyes with a groan and sat up half-awake. The boy's stomach rumbled in response to whatever his nose was picking up, prompting the human to glance around. He was met with a light chuckle.
"Good morning. I take it you're hungry then?" Oust was crouched near the fire, several fish poked into the earth on skewers as they slowly roasted near the flames. The tiger had that look on his face, the one Flose had assumed was a scowl before, the one he was finally starting to accept was a smile.
Flose was a bit surprised to say the least, but nodded lightly in response. He was silent otherwise, wondering how exactly the tiger knew.
"Glad to hear it!" Oust was beaming in excitement as he continued, answering Flose's question before the boy even needed to ask it. "I remembered you saying you couldn't connect with most fish... so I assumed that meant they were safely part of your diet? If- if not, then you don't have to-"
"No... that's correct." Flose cut in. He elaborated a little further on the subject, "I learned that if I just never eat meat at all, I start feeling sick. I think I'm missing something vital by cutting it out completely, something my body needs, but fish seems to satisfy that need, and it was one of our main food sources growing up, so you were right... I just didn't expect you to piece that together is all."
Flose felt a surge of panic and rushed to clarify. "OH! WAIT! I didn't mean that to sound insulting!"
Oust only kept on smiling, just happy he was finally making the human more comfortable all on his own. He answered in his lighter tone. "You're alright, I took no offense. I am just glad I didn't catch all of these for nothing. I woke up pretty early, so I went for a walk. When I stumbled across a smaller lake, I saw the fish, and figured we could all use a little strength for the path ahead. It isn't every day that one climbs a mountain, after all."
Flose looked back towards the fish and furrowed his brows a little. He spoke in an intrigued tone. "I don't actually recognize these kinds... I've only ever eaten them from the ocean, but even then, I didn't expect them to look so different... Are you sure they are fish? It looks like skin, so where are the scales?"
Oust looked down at his catch, and back to the human. His smile was bigger than ever.
"You've never had Whisker-fish? But, it's such a common food..." Oust paused, realizing that may sound more like criticism. He changed course quickly. "Sorry, it's just that it's a favorite food of mine. I know they may look strange, but they are quite rich in flavor. The bellies can be a little muddy tasting sometimes, but not if you eat the yellow skinned ones instead of the blue."
Flose looked at the strange looking fish, and back to the hopeful tiger. He forced a smile and nodded towards Oust as he answered. "Well then, I look forward to trying it... Thank you. I could use a strength boost about now."
"Is the food ready yet? I'm starved." Rust chimed in cheerfully as he and the bear approached the camp. Their morning training session recently ended, and to both the human and the tiger, Rust certainly looked as if he had worked up an appetite.
Oust answered the fox, and before too much longer, the four were enjoying quite a breakfast together. They set out shortly after sunrise, but they didn't make it very far before abruptly coming face to face with a final obstacle placed before them.
Richta Candori still had a mission, after all. She needed to have a word with Oust...
===
Tyfin felt strangely calm, decided even. He held little reservations about killing these mercenaries up to that point, but something about seeing the crocodile bound, beaten, and brought to his knees before the young beast king made the lion hesitant for just a moment.
The leader of the mercenaries, the boar, noticed such hesitation and smiled. He began pressing into his advantage. "Yeah, this overgrown lizard isn't much of a talker, but I hear you're a much better bargainer, your highness. Hope you don't cry as much as this croc did though..."
Fraxis weakly began muttering out, his snout bound by the ropes muffled his plea, but Tyfin heard all that he needed to. "My prince... I am sorry I was caught. I-"
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" The boar interrupted the croc hastily, drawing a shorter knife from a sheath on his belt. The mercenary continued spitefully, "YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE TO TALK BEFORE, SO YOU CAN JUST STICK TO BEING SILENT NOW!"
The boar grabbed the crocodile by the end of his longer snout with his left hand, and accented his statement with an act that only made Tyfin's decision all the easier in the end. He drove the short blade right through the top of the reptile's maw, the pointed blade coming out through the lower jaw, a trickle of darker blood following closely.
Fraxis tried to thrash at the pain, but the mercenary just held his head firmly, keeping a tight grip on the blade, driving it even deeper through the snout. Fraxis screamed, as much as he could anyway, and more tears quickly fell from the corners of his eyes.
The boar looked back to the prince once more, expecting to see that frightened and horrified little kitty once again. What met the boar's gaze instead was a look of utter disgust. Tyfin spoke quietly and soundly to the panther standing beside him. "You go for the ones near Captain Rixator, I'll be handling the group before us."
Talan looked to his prince in worry, quickly suggesting another option. "We should retreat... It is our best option."
"No..." Tyfin never hesitated for a moment in his reply. It was unmistakably an order.
Talan stared at his prince for a moment longer, noting how different Tyfin seemed than he had remembered. His prince had most certainly been through a lot. The panther turned back towards the opponents designated to him by the lion and spoke firmly in acceptance. "By your command..."
"Hey... You listenin'?" I'LL KILL THIS FUCKIN' CROC IF YOU DON'T-" The mercenary's warning was only further disregarded.
Tyfin spoke to his guard without ever breaking eye contact with the boar. The prince's words were a command of unyielding finality as he stared down the opponents before him. "Kill every one of these slimy bastards."
Talan wasted no time, lunging into a powerful sprint the instant the order was given. He had five opponents before him; the moose that had used the club on Rix, A smaller lynx wielding a sword, two similar mutts of some breed wielding spears and shields, and a yellow cockatiel who bore no visible weapon at all. As the panther closed the gap, the moose was the first to react.
The moose bull was the nearest to the approaching panther, the lynx quickly moving into position to back up the larger warrior. Just as Talan came into reach, the bull swung his club down.
Talan pulled off at the last moment, waiting for the club to strike the earth in front of him before his paw used it as leverage for his lunge. The panther stepped on the wooden weapon and leapt high above the moose. With a masterful motion, the Venatus son let loose his own spear, the panther's weapon was sent spiraling through the air.
Talan quickly switched targets, looking back to the startled moose beneath him as he fell back upon the beast. The feline reached forward quickly, grabbing the large rack of antlers. The panther drew himself closer to the larger beast with his hold, and before the bull could realize Talan's goal, it was already too late.
Two ivory fangs penetrated the thick fur on the large beast's shoulder. The moose heard a cry of agony behind him and recognized it as the Lynx. Blood began trickling out of the bull's nose just as the lynx fell behind him, slain by the spear near simultaneously.
As the moose fell to the earth, its life claimed by the panther's bloodskill, Talan quickly rose to face his last three enemies. Dealing with the first among their ranks so effortlessly had clearly forced them to take this opponent more seriously. The two mutts, the ones that looked alike to the panther, began advancing in a joint assault. Talan almost felt sorry for them, never enough to hesitate, however.
The panther ran into their attack, readying the small buckler he kept strapped over his forearm for the counter. He recognized their tactic, a diversion lead, with a fatal strike using the reach of the spear as a follow up. They were far outclassed.
Talan skirted the first spear away effortlessly with a side-strike of his shield arm. Just as the second mutt went to lunge at the opening, Talan went low, snatched his free hand around the shaft of the spear, and diverted its course just enough to make the second canine pierce the first instead.
As the first sputtered blood from their maw, courtesy of the unanticipated counter, the second screamed out in terrible realization of what had transpired. "BROTHER!"
Talan grimaced at such a gruesome end for the siblings, but the experienced warrior knew that such was the way of the battlefield. He bestowed mercy upon the surviving brother as honorably as he could.
The second mutt turned to gaze into the eyes of the panther that had latched onto his shoulder during his horrible realization. With tears of madness flowing from him for what he had done, the beast whispered his parting words to the panther as he graciously accepted such just punishment with the smallest smile. "Thank you..."
Talan held his gaze firmly, somberly guiding the mutt to his brother in the afterworld and accepting responsibility for what he had done. The panther gently guided the canine to the ground and turned to face the final opponent without further delay. The cockatiel was already chanting, his arms placed before him.
Talan knew how to deal with mages, but that hinged entirely on what elements they had control over. All he could do was snatch his spear from the dispatched lynx and close the gap, keeping a close eye on the way the avian positioned his arms at the last minute.
The cockatiel raised his feathered left hand up to his right shoulder as he finished the chant, and Talan immediately prepared to counter the projectiles. The bird thrust his arm forward, and as anticipated, spear after spear of icy pillars shot through the air towards the panther, attempting to skewer him one after another in rapid succession. The skilled knight altered his course, running with more of a curve towards the mage to sidestep the majority of the barrage. He mostly succeeded but was almost too slow to avoid a direct hit.
Talan's shield arm came up with expert precision, but the impact still unbalanced him enough to knock him to the ground momentarily. Recovering faster than most would, the knight immediately rolled, barely dodging another icy spike that had plunged itself directly where he had fallen. He continued the roll, avoiding another projectile before bracing with his arms and legs and lunging himself back into the sprint. Feline dexterity aside, Talan truly was his father's son in terms of skill.
Talan managed to stay ahead of the assault this time, slowly arching in closer, and closer to the mage growing more desperate by the minute. As the panther neared his target, he could see the true look of fear that the avian bore as he realized such a spell was nothing for Talan to counter. Many a sparring lesson with Cortist had prepared the eldest Venatus son well for his role.
With a squawk of agony, Talan's spear tip was forced through the cockatiel's more fragile ribcage. The mage crumpled to the earth, the brighter plumage slowly staining red as the last of the mercenaries fell before the panther. The knight turned to lay eyes on his king immediately, taking full advantage of such an opportunity. What he was greeted with was a welcome sight, and a roar of his prince's victory.
As Talan went speeding off towards his opponents, Tyfin began approaching his own, albeit, with a larger degree of caution and patience. The lion kept his eyes on the boar and the croc, saving Fraxis felt like something the prince needed to do. He didn't want to lose anyone else on account of his own weakness.
The boar began to panic as the panther bolted off despite his warnings. The mercenary tightened his grip around the knife in the croc's snout, holding the reptile closer to him as he spewed more threats towards the advancing king. "DIDN'T YOU FUCKIN' HEAR ME? I'LL GUT THIS LIZARD AND USE HIS HIDE FOR ARMOR IF YOU COME ANY-"
"Fraxis..." Tyfin cut the boar off, ignoring the beast as he spoke to his soldier. The croc gazed at the prince, and warily felt like he was about to be discarded... again... What came next merely reinforced such fear for the common born beast. "Thank you for what you've done. I imagine you could've avoided a lot of trouble if you'd had told them where we were. I won't forget such a debt. However..."
`Yeah... here it comes... "Thank you for being useful to me, now fuck off and die." I don't know why I expected anything else... I don't believe I even deserve anything else after all of this...' The reptile let the reality set in. He was going to die, but hey, at least he would die doing something somewhat honorable... Honor... that was a big reason he wanted to be a knight in the beginning, before it all got so... blurred. Fraxis could find peace with this fate...
"I can't forgive what these monsters have partaken in. I truly hope you'll still see me as someone worth serving, even after I resort to such methods..." Tyfin ended his statement as the first two mercenaries began charging at him. Fraxis watched on, the pain far overshadowed by the awe in that moment.
The lion held two hands forward, one palm outstretched towards each of the approaching opponents, speaking decisively. "Consume."
Both of the approaching beasts slowed to a near immediate halt as the effects of the bloodskill took its hold on them. The dark realization came far too late for the foolish sell-swords.
Tyfin could feel it; their energy, their strength, their very being, All of it crumbled in his hands, reduced to nothing more than fuel as he stripped them of their essence. As their memories flashed by, he ignored them, electing not to dive into such ruthless hearts, letting that too, be lost in the void.
A sudden sensation became noticeable to the prince, and his instincts warned him exactly what was transpiring. Without a doubt in his mind, Tyfin had crossed a threshold, and he felt the core of each beast pulsing ever so steadily in his palm as they slowly withered away to nothing.
Tyfin began closing his fists around each, feeling them struggle vainly one final time against his strength. With the sensation of crushing an eggshell, the last traces of the beast's souls were shattered beneath his very fingertips. The empty husks fell to the ground, the bodies stripped of far more than simply life as the young king feasted on the last of their stolen strength.
The royal lion looked to the boar once more, snarled his lip towards the opponent, and released a deafening roar into the air as the heir to the Aloran throne finally accepted such power for what it was. This was his birthright, and such power should not be squandered in fear of such undeniable strength.
The lion continued advancing just as his knight rejoined him, his own opponents handled swiftly. The king spoke confidently to the panther. "It seems I have some catching up to do... I am sorry for being so reliant on your strength, my knight."
Talan answered without hesitation, making his opinion known without a doubt. "It is no trouble, still, I must admit that I am grateful to see you have finally embraced your potential."
Tyfin nodded in response, the remaining opponents gathering before the pair as he answered his knight. "I thought I would feel more guilt taking their lives... but from what little I did taste of such blackened hearts... I can only see it as justice... Tell me truthfully, Talan... Is it wrong that I still hunger for such a taste?"
The panther took his stance, preparing to intercept the charging opponents. He answered his king decidedly. "It would seem the gods have prepared you quite the feast. It would be wasteful to let it spoil when such cravings persist, my king."
=== Alright, I know. Aster was missing this chapter again. Been a while since I did that, but had to get the Tyfin and Oust groups caught up as well. Cortist, Tyfin, and Oust stories resolve their next respective appearances. Afterworld scenes also finish up between them. It's a chapter or two of falling action after, to set the page for book 2. I estimate roughly 5 chapters left, least 1 double release.
Regardless, it'll be beyond the one year mark by the time I share the next chapter, so thank you for sticking with me on such a long journey.
The discord can be a great place to answer any questions, and I usually try to pop in when I can. Feel free to join in. Stahl has an illustration up there, and Oust is being worked on now.
https://discord.com/invite/VPnZA56rqY
I appreciate reviews and ratings, and hope you've enjoyed what I've built. I hope you enjoy how it resolves. If nothing else, I hope you enjoyed Flose and Oust's more tender moment. Till next chapter, Bayou.