A King's Legacy Chapter 6: First Moon
Aster hit the ground with a thud, his breath being stolen away from him once again that day by the impact. What breathing he was managing was labored, and a coarse coat of sweat and dirt slicked his skin, making it gleam in the setting sun. His muscles were sore, making the boy miss Javis's healing touch even more now that his training progressed on without it. This had pretty well been his every day life now for the passed three weeks. He woke up, ate breakfast, and met the wolf in the courtyard to get the shit beat out of him for eight hours straight all in the name of `training.' He knew it was going to be exhausting, and Stahl never quite hit him with his full force, but he hadn't realized how much smoother his caretaker's gifts had made the process in his youth. Aster could only lay still with his arms stretched out to his sides, body aching in the dirt, right where the wolf's last assault had placed him. Stahl strutted over with the same cocky smile he usually wore, and gazed down at the human on the ground as he spoke.
"Well, guess we should call it a day. Food should be about ready, feeling hungry yet? Aster just cocked his own smile despite his fatigue.
"Always." The wolf reached a hand down to the boy, and Aster took it, pulling himself up with the beast's assistance. Stahl caught a heavy whiff of the sweaty human, and suggested a rinse off first, jokingly holding his nose despite how much the scent actually made his mouth water. They cleaned up separately, and met back up in the hall afterwards.
The two made their way to the dining area where the servants were just finishing up with preparing supper. Aster found he really liked the cooking in the Aschefell estate, and all of the staff was friendly towards him, so he always found himself looking forward to just existing around them at times like this. Like he finally could. As the two warriors discussed the human's progress so far, Aster noticed a small fox maybe twelve or fourteen years in age peeking at him meekly from another table beside Stahl's own brother, Amboss. The human realized it was the same small fox from the day he had woken up in the wolf estate, so he gave a little wave. Stahl followed the human's gaze, and turned back to his friend shortly after.
"Wow. Rust actually waved back... It's not often the cub really acknowledges strangers you know? I'm kind of surprised, honestly." Aster gave his friend a curious look before asking for a bit of clarification. Stahl happily obliged. "That's Amboss's son and my nephew, Rosten, but we all just call him Rust. He is usually pretty reserved, so I was just a bit surprised you two seemed to have familiarized yourselves is all." Aster felt he should clarify on that.
"We've briefly met, but we haven't actually spoken. I figured he was just a bit scared of the human... I assumed anyways... We are the monsters in most of your stories, after all." Stahl shifted uncomfortably before he had an idea. The wolf quickly stood in place, and walked over to where the fox and the other wolf were sitting. Stahl made a few remarks to his brother, resulting in a bountiful laughter filling the area as he simply shook his head in response and motioned over to his son. Aster couldn't really hear what they were saying, but the fox looked alarmed to say the least. A moment later, all three beasts were heading back Aster's way. After they had taken their seats, the conversation was picked back up by Stahl.
"So, Aster. Turns out the little guy here kind of admires you." Stahl gave a small slap on the fox's back with his hefty hand, making the smaller canine jump. Aster was surprised to hear it, but he listened patiently for his friend to elaborate. The wolf never did, but Rust finally squeaked out some words.
"Sir Jagón, the panther from the other day... He's your dad right?" Aster nodded once and the fox perked up before he continued with a small smile across his muzzle now. "Thought so... That means you're like me huh?" Aster was certainly taken aback, he'd never really been in a position where a beast had made comparisons of their similarities rather than their differences, let alone be told he was like one of them, so he didn't follow the logic. Still, the human remained quiet, intently listening to what the shy fox had to say. "It's just... My dad isn't my actual dad either, but he's still my dad... That knight isn't your real dad either, but you are still his son anyways right? I- I've never met someone else that knows what that feels like, and it was kind of nice knowing I wasn't the only one... Besides, you're small too, and even though you'll never be as tall or as strong as your dad, you are still working hard to follow in his path... I really feel that too, I guess. You give me hope. If a little human like you can do it, maybe even a little fox like me can too one day." Rust looked up into the human's eyes with a hopeful gleam behind his own. Aster felt humbled. He was actually inspiring to this little cub? Someone was actually looking up to him for all the work he was putting into towards reaching his goals? He'd never been a role model before, but Aster felt his heart warm at the very notion, even feeling a bit embarrassed, leading to a very calm tone as he replied softly to the fox.
"Well, how about we meet here for dinner then and talk about it whenever you want to? I'd be happy to help you figure out these feelings if I can assist with my insight. Nice to meet you, buddy, Aster Venatus." The human's outstretched hand was met with the fox's own as they shook on it. A while later, after the four had finished eating, and Amboss had reassured his son of a few things, Aster and Stahl were left alone at their table. The wolf had something he had to talk about with the human, and was trying to figure out how to lead into it gently. Now seemed as good a time as any to the wolf.
"I'm glad you two talked before tomorrow, those feelings could've built up to something pretty embarrassing for the cub if it wasn't outed... So thanks for humoring us there, Aster." The human had a puzzled look, just as the wolf had expected. "Tomorrow is a full moon. For us canines, it can make everything we are feeling more... Intense. It kind of amplifies our bottled up emotions. Makes us want to act on whims and instinct. Everything is clearer to us but muddled at the same time. We feel stronger, and feel invigorated more so than usual, but just as the great ocean's very waves feel the moon goddess's pull, so do the strings of our souls. It is said canines were her favored children in many of the legends." Aster wasn't aware of anything like that at all. He found himself pretty intrigued by this news.
"So, when the moon is full, you all get kind of emotional? Doesn't seem so bad really?" Stahl let out an exaggerated "Ha!" before he spoke again.
"That's a heavy simplification of it, but pretty much. It can force us to act on impulses though, which can be dangerous. If we are feeling angry, we get even more angry. If we've been feeling sadness, we can fall into a depressed state. If we are feeling frisky then we just want to... Uh... Mate... Regardless, emotions being hiked up like that can have some positive results too, many of our issues on things within the pack come to light on those nights because we finally speak on them. Overall, it makes our pack that much closer. As an Aschefell though, it does come with it's own whole other set of challenges for us." Aster was waiting for his friend to continue, but the wolf left it where it was at, even he wasn't ready to talk about that embarrassing part yet. Aster could sense the wolf's hesitance now and decided he'd just change the subject. The two bantered on for some time more before they parted and both made their way to their respective quarters.
Aster was almost to his room when he heard a noise from a supply closet two doors from his own. He almost ignored it, until he heard somebody yelp in pain. The boy was a bit put off, but decided he should make sure the person was alright at the very least. It sounded like there was some kind of struggle going on as he got closer to the door, so he full on panicked and swung the door open, ready to help.
Amboss had his back to the human when the door opened. His left arm was bracing his sturdy body against the stone walls above him. With his right, he appeared to be holding something up waist level. Aster realized with a shock it was the wolf's wife, Rouge. The petite fox had her legs wrapped around Amboss's waist desperately clutching to his rugged body. Her head was resting against the wall while her husband's thick right arm supported her weight on his hips. Amboss was thrusting hard into her, never even noticing the door open behind him. The wolf had his muzzle drawn up into a vicious snarl as he meticulously hammered his tool into the fox like the steel on his anvil. Rouge was letting out small whimpers and moans as the wolf picked up his pace. A short moment later, he rutted forward as hard as he could , eliciting a sharp moan of ecstasy from the fox as his knot sunk deeply into her. As the wolf climaxed, his nose picked up on another scent and he turned his head back to look at Aster over his shoulder.
Amboss had sweat droplets lingering on the ends of his fur, his eyes were in a dazed and satisfied state that didn't seem to focus on or fully register really anything at that moment. His tongue lolled out loosely from the side of his open maw, dripping drool as the wolf heavily panted. Seeing the two like that made the human's heart speed up ten times over. He had undoubtedly misread the situation, leading him standing face to face with his first glimpse of love making. Aster realized in horror that he was still only staring at the pair in their interlocked state. The wolf hadn't really moved, and was just looking blankly at the human now with a look Aster couldn't begin to comprehend. Aster wasn't planning on lingering in the awkwardness any longer than he already had, so he quietly closed the door, and practically ran to his room two doors down in his dire embarrassment.
Aster closed his own door with a sense of urgency and a bit too much of a slam. He wanted to go crawl into a hole somewhere and hide from what he had done. He rested for a moment with his back against the door before he realized there was something else begging for his attention. Aster was HARD, and more erect than he had ever felt in his entire life. The boy usually did a good job at keeping those feelings at bay, but there was no stopping the reaction after witnessing that. He felt guilty about his urge, but he stripped regardless and went to his bed, laying down atop of the blankets.
He let his hand trace it's way down his stomach, firmly grasping his tool's base and giving it a little squeeze as his mind started replaying the scene over and over. He shamefully began pleasuring himself to the thought of the pair. His hand began moving faster and faster as the imagery of the wolf's face pushed to the forefront of his fantasy. The satisfied and contempt look the beast bore as he had climaxed made Aster hungry for something. His pace quickened even more as he focused on that alluring gaze. It was only a short time longer before the boy's imagination took liberty with the matter. As the human neared his impending orgasm, the image in his mind seemed to shift on it's own. It was no longer Amboss driving himself into the fox, instead, the wolf's features shifted ever so slightly to take on the appearance of his brother, Stahl. Aster thought of his friend bearing that look of utter bliss, staring down at him as he forced himself deeper inside his walls... At him?
Aster felt a tight flutter in his chest when he realized he had replaced the fox from his mental scene with himself somewhere along the way through the fantasy. The human imagined his own small legs wrapping tightly around the wolf's waistline, the feeling of Stahl inside of his body, driving himself deeper with every thrust. Aster wanted to clutch at his fur while he laid claim to his own flesh. He wanted to feel the wolf's breathe dancing upon his skin just as he had during the first match in the estate. He wanted to feel the beast gripping him tightly, with those sharp claws pressed into his skin. He pictured Stahl bearing that same look of pleasure his brother had while the wolf buried his pups inside of him. Aster felt his body tense at the thought of being bred by his friend. With a sharp hissing inhale, the human unloaded onto his chest with the most intense orgasm of his life, leaving the boy trembling as his mind raced to make sense of what he had envisioned while he laid in his own mess and afterglow. He finally spoke quietly to himself when he realized he had developed an attraction towards his friend and mentor. After finally falling victim to what he had carefully distanced himself from his entire life.
"Fuck."
"Brother, you got a second?" Stahl felt a bit surprised at Amboss's request to speak through their bloodskill this late. The two pretty well tried to limit such things to daylight hours, so Stahl figured it must be important.
"Yeah, just laying in bed. What's up? Need something?" His brother didn't respond right away, leaving the younger wolf's mind to wander for a moment.
"Uh... Your human friend... Sort of walked in on me and Rouge a little while ago." Stahl let out a huge laugh.
"Sure that pretty well traumatized the poor kid. Thanks for the heads up, it'll probably shake him a bit, so I may need to talk to him about it. Aster isn't very good with processing things like that because he just doesn't have much interest in, or experience with them." Stahl felt it was all just an honest mistake that tended to happen. Amboss was quiet for a moment before he spoke once more.
"Well, he was definitely interested if you catch my drift... I didn't even notice he was there until I smelled his arousal..." Stahl's eyes shot open wide and he sat up in his bed. Aster was interested in stuff like that?
"Wait. You serious right now?" Amboss grew quiet. Stahl was getting impatient. The older brother finally broke the silence.
"Look, you remember when I first met Rouge? I know you were pretty young back then, heck, we were young back then... But you, father, and our siblings all noticed little changes in me over the next few weeks through our bloodskill... And then it was the first moon that kind of sank everything into stone back then. You remember that jolt? When I asked rouge to marry me?" Stahl would never forget it. When enough emotion built up within a bearer of the Shared Sense bloodskill, it could force a connection open to other bearers in order to preserve the integrity of the pack. The skill had some great uses, but it came with it's own problems too for the Aschefell line. On the night of the full moon, their skill was heavily amplified along with their senses. They could keep their thoughts guarded to an extent, but there was no fully closing off the connection like there usually was during that phase. If the emotion was intense enough, it would send a mental jolt to the entire pack, alerting them to whatever had caused it. Stahl still wasn't grasping what his brother was trying to really say to him though. Amboss found it hard to explain without just making his brother feel cornered.
"...Just... Be careful tomorrow. Maybe skip out on training? Take the day to relax?" Stahl let him know he could handle it, and cut the connection after a brief goodnight. His mind immediately fell back to what he had heard. Aster was interested in sex. He knew he didn't have any experience obviously, but a spark of desire was there. Is he just into girls maybe? Why do I even care? Stahl tried and failed to calm his thoughts and get some rest that night. His mind restlessly flipped, churned, and twisted the thoughts all night regardless, stirring up worry and insecurity that the wolf didn't even know he had carried within himself. By the time morning had arrived, he had managed maybe three hours of rest, and woke up feeling unreasonably grumpy and annoyed. His day started with a growl of frustration.
Aster felt a bit out of place for the first time since he had lived at the wolf's estate that morning. He knew Stahl said he might be a bit different with the moon in play, but he wasn't prepared for this sudden shift in the tone. It felt... Intentional to the boy. Where Stahl was usually engaging, he found the wolf silent. Aster hadn't realized how much he had let his friend lead their conversations until he was met with a wall of quiet, moody fur that morning. It made him feel smaller and smaller every moment. Eventually, Stahl noticed the human was taking it personally, and the wolf caved.
"Sorry, lot on my mind is all. I'm only half awake to be honest with you, so maybe you'll have a good chance at finally beating me today." Aster almost let the words hurt him in his low state of mind, but when he looked up and saw the wolf was giving him his playful fanged smile, his heart suddenly felt a lot lighter. The wolf wasn't mad at him, and Aster had no idea why that made him feel so relieved at that moment, but it did. The pair set out to the courtyard as usual after that. Well, maybe not entirely as usual.
It was barely 1 in the afternoon and Aster was almost completely worn out. The wolf hadn't realized how much he was bearing down into his attacks that day, but Aster certainly recognized it. He understood though... His friend needed to vent some things. Doing that in training was effective, Aster had definitely done similar in his past with Javis, so he decided he'd stick to the defensive today so the wolf could work out what he needed to... Or so he thought, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold him off at this point. His muscles in his shoulders were burning from their shielding efforts, and his face was flushed bright red from his cheeks up. He could smell himself from a mile away as well, and his entire shirt was drenched in sweat. In truth, he was feeling lightheaded from the fever beneath his sweltering flesh. He needed to stop soon. Stahl wasn't going to, nor was he even paying attention to the boy's face or condition at this point. He had lost himself in his mangled thoughts, letting his body burn off steam by performing attacks on it's own instinct and memory. Aster was just blocking hit after hit with his shield as best as he could manage. It was good training on that end at least. Stahl's thoughts shifted as his emotions spiraled beyond his recognition. He was never like this... He's never had a moon affect him like this...
`Dammit, what even is Aster doing? He's not even trying to strike back anymore. That staff may as well be a walking stick. Has he even been trying to counter me? Why wasn't he fighting like he usually did? Did he- was the human pitying him?' The thought actually unsettled Stahl greatly, and that fear made him feel angry, and belittled. The human wasn't supposed to pity HIM, he was supposed to be the strong one. He was the teacher here. He was the friend. He would protect Aster, not the other way around! Did the big wolf need this charity from the boy's perspective? Did he believe he was letting him win? Did- did Aster think he was stronger than him?
Stahl wasn't usually this insecure by any means, but as the moon was already full in the sky, only hidden in the afternoon sun, the small concerns within himself he hadn't managed to identify in time grew and sprouted roots of worry, making the wolf question everything about their relationship up to that point. He had let himself fall too far before realizing his childish, insecure error.
Aster was done, completely worn out, but Stahl came at him harder than ever before seemingly out of nowhere. Something had shifted in the wolf. His ears had taken on an alert position, and he had his lips pulled back into a sneer upon his clenched jaw. His pupils seemed smaller now, his ash tinted eyes in general had something nasty and feral now as the driving force behind them... Something Aster felt clawing at the back of his skull, just out of clarity or recognition.
Stahl managed to get around the shield for a moment, and struck in a downward swoop between Aster and his staff with his left sword. Aster barely managed to react in time to release the staff to save his fingers before the wolf kicked his shield HARD, sending him tumbling backwards. Aster cried out in pain when he hit the ground this time, landing on his now bruised tailbone. The wolf was not finished yet, however, and was still lost in his unreasonable state of mind.
`He's beaten! He won't undermine me anymore! He will do as I say, because I am the victor. I am stronger. I will protect us. He just needed to accept that... He needed to be shown that's how it works... He needed to... HE... NEEDED...' The wolf cast his swords crashing to the ground, and lunged at the exhausted and surprised boy right as his emotions reached a tipping point, immediately forcing a powerful jolt of raw emotion into the minds of the other two wolves nearby. Stahl's father and brother were drawn into his chaotic mind and senses, bearing witness as the beast pinned the human flat to the ground with a singular primal urge and command roaring forth from his mind.
"SUBMIT TO ME ASTER!"
Stahl felt his family struggling to get through the mental link, he ignored them but they persisted anyways. A moment later, his brother finally managed a break through.
"STAHL! GODS BE DAMNED STAHL STOP IT! LOOK AT YOURSELF! LOOK AT ASTER! HE'S FUCKING TERRIFIED!" The younger wolf finally sucked in a breath as his mind registered what his brother was yelling for him to acknowledge. His eyes widened in shock and his ears fell flat. His intimidating snarl fell into a slacked jaw when he really looked at the human now trapped beneath his weight.
Aster was pinned below the great wolf's weight, trembling vainly in the overpowering grasp around his shoulders, and beneath the weight of the wolf straddling his legs. Stahl had a menacing snarl then, dripping spit down onto the human's face from where his jaw was parted and growling. The boy had a look of pure terror and fright as he vainly struggled to free himself from the menacing wolf and his own helplessness.
`Aster is really panicking. He's terrified. He is terrified of me...' Stahl released the grip on his shoulders in horrible recognition, trembling as his senses returned to him. He had almost hurt Aster... He had lost control and really tried to hurt him! He moved off of the human and tried to think of how to even start an apology, but Aster darted out from beneath him as soon as his weight shifted. He didn't even look back at the wolf as he stumbled to get away from the courtyard that day. Stahl was going to call out to him, but his father's voice in his mind stopped him.
`Let him go, Stahl.' So Stahl just watched the human make his escape with a terrible feeling of guilt. He had no idea something like that was inside of him. He's never been that possessive. He's never been that aggressive in nature. He's never had the urge to dominate something so strongly. The young wolf shuddered at the realization, He wanted Aster... And not as a friend. As a... Mate. He wanted the human to submit his body to him... He... He was probably about to take it from him if he hadn't been stopped. Stahl's heart felt like it would shatter from the realization along side the boosted raw emotions he had been forced to process far too quickly, but most of all, he hated that Aster would probably never be able to look at him the same way after that. He would never consider such a monster for his lover now. What he had once believed to be pity was revealed as desire. Stahl could only hold his head in his shame as his family did their best to focus on consoling him for the time being. He could fix this later... He HAD to fix this...
Aster sat on his bed much later that night, staring out the open window at the full moon. His mind was still restless in many ways, even after he tried sleeping it off to no avail, but the moon seemed to lend to the solemnity in the air in the boy's opinion. It did sort of cause the whole situation after all. Blaming the moon was easy, it could take whatever resentment he had and still shine just as brightly and unfazed as before. Maybe he just envied the moon then? A knock drew him back to reality, he really didn't want to talk about any of it. It was easier just tucking stuff like that away where it couldn't bother him anymore, like he always had. He could pretend like nothing happened, so could they just leave it be and continue with life as normal? A second knock sounded as if in answer to that thought. Aster drew a breath in a feeble attempt at steadying himself before he finally called out, allowing the wolf to enter.
The first thing the wolf noticed about the human was the rarely seen occurrence of him being shirtless. He was sitting on his bed, looking like a sulking, hurt puppy who had just been kicked by his owner, an eerie semblance that made Stahl feel even worse about the whole thing somehow.
"Hey Aster." That was all the brave warrior could manage to say at the time.
"Hey Stahl." Aster just stared at the floor. He didn't known where to begin... But he figured he should start at running away. "Look... I'm sorry I freaked back there... I was just reminded of some things I didn't know were still bothering me. I was trying to help you through what you were dealing with... But I just..." Stahl cut him off sharply.
"DON'T! Don't apologize to me Aster... I should be apologizing to you. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't lose yourself like I did... Please don't apologize to me, I don't deserve it... Please, let me try to fix this..." Aster was lost. So the wolf wasn't upset with him for freaking out? He felt he owed him an apology?
"Wh- why are you apologizing?" Stahl just looked stricken. What was he apologizing for? How could the boy be so blind! Did he forget about what just happened back there?
"Aster... I tried to hurt you. I let myself get carried away, and I took it all out on you. I scared you... I made you look at me how you did." Aster only replied in a whisper.
"You didn't scare me, Stahl." The wolf laughed.
"Look, it's ok to be scared of me when I was like that... You don't have to lie for my sake or my feeli-" the wolf was cut short this time as Aster's voice rose.
"I don't lie to you Stahl... Not since The Selection. The first thing I ever told you was a lie, you know? That really has been bothering me. I know it was because I was trying to protect my cover, but it was still a lie. You even caught me in it later, and still kept talking to me, even giving me advice for my next match right after... And then I was revealed. And you still came to sit beside the lying human anyways while everyone else jeered... I don't ever want to lie to you again, Stahl... So please believe me when I say I wasn't scared of you..." The human could only stare at the floor in somber silence now. Stahl felt derailed entirely. He wasn't scared of him? Then...
"So if I didn't scare you back there, what did?" Aster flinched at the impending question. He knew he'd have to tell the wolf, or else he would just keep blaming himself.
"When you had me pinned down like that... When your eyes had that viciousness... My mind could only see and feel Straga again... I was back in the arena, and the dragon was coming back to finish what he started... Just like he promised he would... Just like I've seen in my nightmares ever since then..." Aster choked up at finally getting that off his chest. He shook off the physical wounds easily, but the trauma attached to them was proving far more difficult an adversary. Finally letting someone else know he was suffering with that weight just drove the final blow home, and his walls shattered as his tears fell from his confession. "I- I could never be afraid of you Stahl... But that damned dragon... That fear consumes me. It's going to get me killed if I panic like that in a real fight... So th-that's why I thought you were mad... Because I just ran from that fear." Aster was squeezing his eyes shut tightly along with the fists in his lap, shaking from anger towards his fragility. What the wolf did felt like the only natural thing he could do in a position like that. He sat beside the human on the bed, and pulled him closely into his chest in the tightest embrace he could manage. The beast idly moved his hand to hold the boy's head to his own beating heart, cradling him tenderly as he let the fear fall from his eyes in muffled sobs. A single thought crossed the wolf's mind, finally calming his edge and bringing clarity to him. THIS is what he needed to be for Aster. THIS was his duty now. THIS was how he could really protect him... And he wouldn't let ANYONE hurt his human like that ever again. He tightened his grip, and he embraced the boy even more snugly in his arms as he reassured him it would be alright, cooing soft words into his ear.
Eventually, the tears faded for Aster, and only warmth replaced where they had sprung forth from. The boy never realized how soft the lighter fur on the wolf's defined chest was, but it felt like plush silk on his tear-stained face. He wanted to bury himself further into the warmth and safety of that big, fuzzy wolf... He wanted his arms to hold him like that for eternity. Finally, he pulled his head back just a bit, one hand lightly rested on the beast's torso still as the human stared up into the wolf's silvery eyes. Aster didn't think it was possible for his face to flush even more after crying like that, but he certainly felt much warmer as he gazed into those tender eyes staring silently back into his own. It was Stahl who finally spoke.
"So... You're not scared of me?" Aster barely shook his head. He was not. Suddenly, the boy felt the wolf gently pushing himself backwards, and he was soon laying on his back staring up at the noble beast. Both of their hearts were beating uncontrollably as Stahl picked back up the conversation, now with his arms pinning the human's shoulders firmly as he held him just like in the courtyard earlier. "And like this? Are you scared of me now, Aster?" Aster wasn't afraid at all, but still, he couldn't help but to answer the beast with a soft tone.
"Maybe just a little..." Stahl pressed his muzzle forward, and firmly planted his mouth on the boy's own pink, tender lips. Aster melted into shock at first, and bliss shortly after as he shuddered into the euphoria of his first kiss. He returned the action soon after, pressing his own mouth back against the wolf's muzzle with increasing passion. He didn't want it to end. Aster instinctively placed his hand on the side of the wolf's face as he kissed him, as if he just knew that was where it belonged then. His blood surged inside of him, drawing the human into a blistering heat while he pressed his body into Stahl's own with renewed vigor. Stahl responded with a light growl of satisfaction as he moved his right hand behind the boy's neck. He lightly traced his claws upwards from the boy's hairline, grazing gently into the back of his head, gripping tightly on the hair now caught in his fist. Aster only moaned into the sensation. Stahl could feel himself growing more excited by the second. His sheath was swelling beneath him, and his emotions were going berserk. The wolf was going to lose himself again if he didn't stop... So as much as he wanted this, it couldn't be tonight. It was just too risky, that domineering new part of him was still lurking beneath the surface of the moon's light, waiting to pounce, and Aster wasn't ready for that. So the larger warrior finally broke the kiss, staring down in awe as both tried desperately to regain control of their breathing and stammering hearts. Stahl could only smile lovingly with his signature fanged smirk. Aster gazed up in bewildered non-belief and silence, stunned by his first taste of love. It was Stahl once more that spoke first.
"Let's just take it slow, alright. Let's take tomorrow off from training, and let's just relax for once. We've both got a lot to sort out it seems... So let's wait until you can be sure. Just... Aster... Please don't be afraid of me, or afraid of telling me anything. I want to know when you're suffering like that. I want to be there with you through it... To protect you and fight it back beside you. You aren't alone anymore, so stop trying to fight everything alone." And with a nod from the human, and a final, quick peck on the lips, the rugged wolf stood, and left the boy lying on his bed, still staring up at the ceiling trying to process that the unbelievable had really happened. The wolf had kissed him. Neither warrior got any real sleep that night, but nobody woke up in any kind of sour mood the next morning as they had the previous one.
"FINALLY, Maybe now we can get a break from that constant obsessing. Was I that bad when Rouge came into the picture?" Byron chuckled as his son Amboss sent the thought. He knew what he meant, the blatant confusion and rage that had been building in his younger son and overflowing into their own minds had finally dissipated. Stahl and his human had finally accepted each other as they were, and for how they felt. The old wolf chuckled before he sent his reply.
"No, you never had that... Other part to deal with. You drove us all crazy trying to accept your feelings and give shape to the ones you held for her, but it was never like this. It was never so... Primal. I'm not sure those two will really be good for each other with something like that looming over them, but I pray they can find happiness. I pray Aster can accept and tame that part of Stahl also... God's help us if he can't..." The younger wolf could only share in his father's worry.
Hey look, ACTUAL friction. Expect good scenes with future "_____ Moon," titled chapters, but they won't be only confined to them, they just gave me an easy and consistent secondary outlet to vent Stahl's feelings. Plot shoots off next chapter as we finally get the ball rolling. I had two more scenes for the Aschefell estate at this time, for secondary character growth, but I can cover them later. I ALWAYS appreciate hearing from y'all, makes me a bit more secure that I'm telling a story you like to hear. Thank you for reading so far! More coming soon. -Pup Bayou