A King's Legacy Ch. 05

"Point." Stahl smiled. Aster did also.

Stahl managed to score two more points in a similar method, leaving Aster feeling a bit frustrated at his inability to counter the maneuver. The wolf was glad to see it. Making an opponent lose their composure was a great strategy to win. Something popped in the wolf's head then as he recalled a practice round he once had with Aster's oldest brother. He knew it was a soft spot considering what the panther had to say about the human at the trial, but still, he needed to piss him off. "You fight a lot like Talan you know? Did he teach you some?"

Aster lost his composure. Stahl dove in once more. He struck with his right, Aster blocked with the staff. Stahl's left sword went in to force the shield like before, and Aster positioned his left hand to block it again. Stahl began bearing back down on his right side once more. This time, however, Aster ignored the staff, knocked the left handed sword out of the way, and leaned in. The human balled his fist tightly, and jabbed as hard as he could into the wolf's midsection with a well-thrown uppercut. Normally this wouldn't have amounted to much, but right before impact, a small golden disk appeared at the end of his fist. Turns out, it could be used to bash.

Stahl actually staggered backwards from the hit with a yelp, landing firmly on his rear, clutching his side. Aster was visibly happy to land a hit on the warrior after the jab about his brother.

"Point."

"TH- AH! THAT HURT! Why did that hurt so much? What happened to defensive only?" Aster just shrugged at the wolf.

"Well... You gave me the idea. I can't believe it actually worked, but it is your fault for using the same tactic like that honestly. Did it really hurt that much? I didn't think I could hit you hard enough to hurt you for real..." Stahl smiled and did his best to play it off.

"There's definitely some extra power behind whatever you just slugged me with. That could be pretty helpful you know? See? Already teaching you things!" Stahl really had a shit eating look on his face in that moment. Aster just raised his staff and grunted. A moment later, it was knocked from his hands again.

"POINT! That's four to one you know? Should I have you call me Teacher? Master? What sounds good to you?" Stahl was just getting downright cocky now and Aster had already about had it with the smug wolf. The human was learning something about himself that day. He was a sore loser. Aster moved in.

Stahl was met with Aster rotating strikes, holding his staff vertically and swinging in on the sides. He managed to block most with his swords, but one did catch his arm and knock it a bit far out of reach. Aster leapt at the opening, bearing down with a full swing into it. Stahl kicked at his feet, breaking Aster's balance as the wolf moved behind him. Aster threw a shield to stop his fall, and braced against it while he desperately tried to turn in time... But he was already too late.

In one smooth motion, Stahl had Aster's back against his chest, reaching around the human with a sword on either side of his neck. Aster could feel the very presence of the large wolf nearly encompassing him in a mock embrace. He could feel the wolf's breath tickle lightly at the flesh on his throat, Aster relaxed his shoulders as he felt a rush of goosebumps cover the stimulated skin. He closed his eyes and lowered his head just the slightest bit, despite the swords poised threateningly below. For a reason he couldn't fully understand at the time, Aster shuddered. He had lost. He was glad he had.

"Point." It was barely a whisper.

After their match, and the two had managed to rest for a moment, Stahl and Aster's father wanted to show the boy something. Aster followed the pair to the end of the estate. Aster smelled something burning nearby, and soon found himself at a forge. There was a very large wolf hammering away at something glowing, Aster immediately recognized him as Stahl's family. The two looked almost identical except his brother seemed a bit wider in body and face where Stahl was taller and more slender. The wolf stopped hammering, and placed the object into a tub of water, making the entire thing sizzle and bubble. The wolf then turned to the group with a friendly look and waved.

"Lord Jagón, been wondering when you'd swing back by. Sword still treating you well?"

"As sharp as the day you last lay hands on it. How is your wife Amboss?" Aster didn't often hear his father take the time to actually make such small talk.

"As beautiful as ever. I don't believe you've seen her for some time, but we've been together for quite a while now. I can't believe she let me make her wait as long as I did to marry her to be honest. Anyways, here for your order I assume? Just finishing it up." The Stocky wolf finally looked towards Aster. He seemed to be sizing him up for some reason, and it made Aster a bit uncomfortable. The large wolf extended his hand towards the boy.

"Amboss Aschefell. So, you're who my little brother has been making all that commotion about?" Aster took the outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake, despite the younger wolf scowling at his brother. Amboss only smiled. "Guess you're also what this is about then." The gray wolf turned, and reached into the tub of water with his thick gloves. He pulled a freshly forged staff from it a moment later. The handle was solid black, and there were thin, steel blades mounted on both ends. Aster was impressed. It seemed a simple and balanced design, but he liked it. This was the first weapon he was to wield that had actual blades affixed. The wolf spoke again.

"Still needs some touching up, but I should have it finished before tomorrow afternoon for you! The armor may take a bit longer though." Aster gave his father a questioning glance. The panther smiled.

"You haven't been training in heavy armor, so it would only slow you down as you are, and the time we have left before you are sworn in isn't nearly long enough for you to adjust your entire technique. However, you are going to need some extra protection out there. You can't only keep relying on dodging, regardless of how good you are at it... So I pitched some thoughts around with Amboss and Stahl here to have you a set forged for your size, same as this staff." That made sense to Aster, but he asked a question he wasn't sure he had wanted the answer to anyways.

"And how exactly did you size it?" The panther answered like it was no big deal.

"We measured your frame while you were knocked out still. Forging something the correct way and to such precision takes time, and I saw no reason to delay the process. Luckily for us, the Aschefells are well renowned as for their ability in a forge. They even made my own sword many years ago." Aster turned blood red as he realized that meant all three had seen him naked. Still, he was thankful, not only was he getting a true weapon, but he was a bit humbled by his father's worry for him. It was still something the boy struggled to accept in some ways.

It was about that time that the four were interrupted by a petite fox clearing her throat from the entrance. "Amboss, you've been at it all morning, and you haven't eaten anything yet, take a break for a bit." Stahl's brother had a goofy expression cover his face at the sight of the fox.

"Sorry Rouge! Got a little caught up in the moment, give me just a little longer and I'll..." The wolf let the sentence die off with a single annoyed glance from the smaller fox. He picked it back up a moment later, correcting his error. "Yeah, you're probably right, my love. Let's take a break shall we?" The fox smiled softly, and walked up to the stocky wolf. She leaned in and gave him a little kiss while he held her in his embrace. Stahl noticed Aster shift uncomfortably when the two kissed, and as the group was leaving to head to the dining area, Stahl cautiously confronted him about it. There were many that opposed interspecies couples, and while a fox and a wolf were definitely a more tame example, Stahl didn't want to insult his brother or his wife, so he clarified.

"So uh... guess you've never seen an interspecies relationship huh? I know it can come as a surprise, but we stay pretty open minded here. That's not going to be an issue is it?" Aster looked to the wolf shocked.

"NO!" Aster lowered his voice a bit after getting some questioning glances at the outburst. "It's not that, I think it's great that people can find each other despite the differences between them... It's just... I've never seen anyone actually kiss before is all." It felt a little pathetic to admit that out loud, but it was the truth, and Aster didn't want to lie to his friend. Stahl just stopped in his tracks and stared down at the little human. Aster took another two steps and stopped himself, turning to the wolf.

"Surprised? I get it... I kind of accepted that romance will never be a part of my life is all, being the last of my kind and such, so I just get a little thrown off when I see it... They seem like they make each other happy though, so I'm good with that. I'm happy they at least get to have that." The human looked towards the stocky wolf with his arm around the fox and smiled before he continued after them. Stahl was still just watching as the human walked away.

It was such a simple and obvious thing he had overlooked, but he still had braced to hear the worst from the human. He was relieved to find there wouldn't be any friction over his brother, but something about what his friend had confided in him bothered the wolf anyways. He couldn't quite place what it was, and shelved the thought for the time being as he began following the little human once more. Aster found an odd sense of comfort knowing the wolf was still there. Knowing he was still walking behind him.

Ok, ok. I rewrote this chapter 3 damn times... and still decided it would have to be two. So we actually have one more chapter where the two get to know each other better at the wolf's estate, THEN we push onwards to the main plot. I'm reminding myself to pace it, and that there is no need to rush or skip scenes I don't want to. So more coming soon guys.

(I'll be revisiting the first few chapters and fixing some small stuff soon, it just usually takes me a bit to fall into my groove and I was a bit rusty on structure and punctuation since this is my first story in some time.) Thanks for hanging with me guys. Love hearing your thoughts.