A King's Legacy Ch. 17

"The Raxos family, The Candori family, and... The Venatus family have all made a claim so far. We expect more as the solstice grows near, but those are the only three major houses to declare their intent to rule at this time."

Aster was floored by this news. The Raxos family could absolutely go fall off a cliff as far as he was concerned. Straga was all the evidence he needed to support that sentiment... But the Candori line was equally as troubling. If what Rust had said about Oust's father was true, and if his sister's vicious stance at the trial was any indication, Aster would surely end up executed if either family seized control. More than anything though, he was shocked to hear his own family name. He could only assume his father had done it to protect his human son from another king yet again. The boy finally spoke.

"The Venatus line? Why would my father lay claim? He always hated the duties he had as the right hand, and those would only increase with taking the crown..."

Stahl turned to Aster, and an expression of worry flashed across the wolf's face as his father answered. Stahl cautiously repeated the report.

"Jagón Venatus did not stake a claim... He was injured during the battle at the Selection Grounds, and although his body has made a miraculously full recovery... He has not regained consciousness at this time... It was Talan Venatus that made the claim... He wants to use the crown's resources to help locate his b-"

Stahl's eyes went wide as his father finished his report. The wolf wasn't sure if he could tell his human... Aster had dealt with so much already, and now Cortist? His only real support growing up? The wolf cursed the gods for throwing so much upon his boy's shoulders. Even still, he knew Aster deserved to know the truth.

"Talan Venatus seeks the crown to use the resources behind it to locate his brother, Cortist Venatus... Who went missing after the battle in the arena."

Aster lowered his head, and closed his eyes as he grit his teeth. His father was badly injured... His brother Cortist was missing... And the same beast that put that scar on his face was no doubt now vying for the power to put him out of his misery once and for all. No matter who came out on top to take the crown, Aster was destined to come out the loser no matter what. The boy grew silent once more.

Prince Tyfin picked back up.

"Talan Venatus will withdraw when he learns I live. He will rally his support behind me, I have no doubt... The other two not so much. Reiner Candori has sought such power for a long time, and I fear what he would do with it... More so the Raxos line. Whether it is Straga that made a claim, or his father, we will have roughly the same results... Tell me, Byron... Do you believe I should make my own claim?"

Stahl resumed speaking for his father.

"That is your decision, my king, but know my family will back your claim, as well as your fight... But I should clarify something. The Raxos line had two entries, both Straga and his father will compete against each other... I think we may be better off hiding your presence for the time being. We have a good deal of time before the solstice... And you know from our history what kind of dirty tactics come into play when a power struggle is evident. I plan to tell no one of my contact today."

Tyfin closed his eyes for a moment, and reached his decision.

"Inform Talan. He needs to know that I live as my personal guard, and I trust he can retain that information. Tell him to keep his claim active for the time being."

Stahl nodded as he confirmed his father understood. He spoke once more as the older wolf began discussing other matters.

"From what my son has told me so far, you are somewhere along the border of the Crimson Sands, are you not? If I may make a suggestion, my King, travel to my wife's estate. If we depart soon, we should both arrive at nearly the same time... It will be a long journey for both of us, but I can at least guarantee some degree of your safety there. If nothing else, it can be a place to lay low until the time for the Endeavor is here. If you decide to lay claim to your crown, wait until you have made it there first."

Stahl felt the connection strain, and his father sent one final statement to the young wolf before the older knight faded from his reach. Byron told his son to keep this next part between them, shocking Stahl even more. His father wasn't one to keep secrets from the crown he served

'Stahl.... When you come to the other end of the Thorned Thicket, you will see mountains to the north... You need to split from your group then, and take the trail through the pass. Keep Rust by your side at all times, but also bring Aster with you... There is something there he needs to see... Something that may not exist at all anymore, but still something I am not certain that the other beasts should know about... Something that is not my secret to tell. When you come through the other end of the mountains, you can reach your mother's estate within four days, so it won't greatly hinder your arrival. The road will likely be quite hard to follow from lack of use in this age, but you are a skilled enough hunter and tracker to find your way around... And by the gods, Stahl... Please, make it back to us...'

Byron paused for a second, pondering on this last bit, but not wanting to leave anything unsaid considering their uncertain circumstances.

'Congratulations on finding your mate... Hold him closely for what lies ahead. I have a feeling he will need your strength...'

Byron's consciousness faded. Stahl felt his sister nearly buckle beneath her solo efforts, but even she had a bit of a parting message for her little brother.

'It really was good to hear from you, Stahl... Sil would be proud of the warrior you've become. I will let mother and Lochen know of your pending arrival. I think it will do both of them some good... Especially since Rust is with you. I know we don't talk like we used to... But I do love you, my little brother. Be safe... And as father said, I am happy you found your mate. I look forward to meeting the weird little guy soon.'

Erden finished her statement with a whimsical giggle, one that lingered a bit in his mind even after the connection fell from him. They didn't get as much time as they wanted, but Stahl was happy to know his family was alive.

As the wolf turned back to Tyfin, he noticed Aster was already walking away silently. His hands were clenched into fists, his eyes remained low, and Stahl couldn't help but to feel there was something different altogether about his mate in that moment. He wanted to chase after him, but something inside of him just knew, his human wanted to be alone. His human had some things to figure out that he wasn't ready to share with his wolf. Stahl struggled not to chase after his boy, and instead, resumed speaking to the lion and the hare, further solidifying their plan.

Aster kept walking for quite a ways, not heading to anywhere in particular, but knowing he couldn't stop yet. As he reached the river, and began following it up a bit, his mind fell back to everything that had upset him that day, and damn, What a day it had been...

He learned his true name, learned his human father died trying to save his children, learned his human sibling was taken from him as well... He learned his beast father was essentially comatose from his injuries, learned his only real brother and friend was missing, and learned the "Brother," who had made his life miserable every chance he got was vying to be the new king... He learned there was something dark sealed inside him with blood magic, learned that that darkness could threaten to consume their very world, learned that he would, in fact, undeniably have to face the legendary beasts someday... And, perhaps the most painful... Aster learned that someone he thought of as a true friend only saw him as a threat now... As some plotting human... Just the same as most of the beasts he fought beside... The same beasts that he swore his very life to defend...

Mollis had hurt Aster more than anything else had. He knew how silly that was, considering the severity of everything else... But Mollis Macula was one of the only beasts to ever be kind to him from the moment they met. He made Aster feel like an actual person. He made Aster feel better about his different appearance. He made Aster feel like he truly did have friends outside of Stahl and his brother... And then the hare had made the boy feel more stupid and betrayed than he had ever felt in his entire life. Aster truly felt like a fool then, and that frustration came to a boiling point right as the boy passed the cherry tree the rabbit had grown only the day before.

Aster found himself staring up at the beautiful branches with a sense of unreasonable anger. This was just something else the rabbit had built up... This was just another thing manipulated into growing how the rabbit had wanted it to grow... This tree may as well have BEEN Aster at that point. Something the rabbit had helped cultivate, only to have a bit of fruit before he grew bored of it... Before he left it stuck where he pleased.

The human finally snapped beneath the darkness that had been welling inside of himself, and at last, Aster realized exactly what that darkness was. It was rage, it was sadness, it was years of repressed emotions finally spilling forth from where he had kept them buried. Feelings of never being enough... Of never being accepted... Of only being some tool the beasts could use as they saw fit, regardless of how he felt about it... It was what Aster had once even let himself believe.

Aster brought up a shield over each fist, and before he had even realized it, he was ramming them into that infuriating cherry tree, over and over again, building up even more power behind each swing as he finally just let his heart break in that moment. The anger, helplessness, and pain fueled his strikes, and the shockwaves that came from his shielded fists grew stronger and stronger as he drove them against the splintering bark. When the worst of the feelings overflowed from within him, Aster finished his task with a final, resounding collision that echoed into the nearby town with ringing ferocity as the trunk of the large tree finally gave way to the assault when the wood splintered from the force.

Hundreds of the tiny red fruits had been knocked to the dirt by his efforts, but as the large tree split in two, and the bulk of the arbor fell into the river with a splash, Aster couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for bringing such destruction to something he had once foolishly admired, that once made him feel safe and in awe of what his friends could accomplish. As the boy stood panting and sweating from his efforts, he heard something move behind him, and turned his scowl to the beast who had simply been watching the display in a state of surprise.

Oust hadn't meant to spy, but as he was frustrated with his lack of results from the bear's training that day, the tiger had been instructed to just step away for a while to clear his head. He just so happened to stumble across the runt in his bout of rage on his way back from the training spot further up river. Oust knew the look on the human's face all too well. It was something he never would've imagined he would see in the usually friendly boy, but it was something he himself had bore often. It was just a bunch of pain and hurt, desperately trying to find an outlet.

As Aster glared at the tiger behind him, a thought crossed his mind.

'Good. At least it's him... He, despite what he is, is honest.'

Oust had no problem letting the human know exactly what he thought about him. When Oust treated him like an enemy, at least Aster knew that it was real. That it wasn't some trick to get closer, only to turn on him. The tiger had no secrets to keep from the boy. If nothing else, Oust was probably the one beast that would always be reliably and truly open on how he felt about the human among their ranks. Aster spoke his mind too in that moment.

"I really hope you're ready to settle this once and for all... Because I'm not holding shit back this time."

Aster charged at the tiger, a shield over each fist as he closed the gap. Oust merely took his stance, and lunged forward to meet the boy.

They exchanged blows for a good while, both pretty well matching the other's strikes. As Oust's closed fists collided against Aster's shielded ones, waves of pain jolted up the tiger's arms. The human had never hit the tiger as hard as he was in that moment, even through all the shit the tiger had put him through in their training under Captain Rix... But in that moment, Oust realized how truly terrifying of an opponent the human could be when he finally stopped holding himself back.

Regardless, Oust never let up... For some reason he couldn't explain, he knew the human needed this... He wanted to be the outlet for that pain... He understood how much the runt must be hurting... Though he had no idea as to why, he wanted to help the boy vent that frustration. Oust finally started respecting both the human's own struggle, and his power in that moment... And then Aster launched a fist into the tiger's stomach with so much force, the big cat got whiplash as he was knocked to the ground by the blow.

Aster quickly jumped on the tiger, and raised his fist once more as he brought it down on the side of the tiger's face. Oust was stunned on impact, but the boy lost himself again, and just like with the tree, he began beating the shit out of the beast with his fists, rocking Oust's head back and forth with every swift punch to the jaw. Were it not for the tiger's well trained muscles, and Aster holding back just enough to avoid breaking his neck, he likely would've killed a normal beast caught under that assault.

Even so, Oust couldn't find it in himself to fight back. Everything the boy was giving him was more than deserved from the way he had treated him... And though the beast wouldn't admit it, he just felt he needed to let the human get it out. He was alright with being the training dummy for a moment. He was used to taking such beatings from his father anyway.

As Aster finally began to tire, his senses slowly came back to him as his arms trembled from exhausting his energy. The human simply held his right fist raised high, readying one final strike for good measure, when he finally looked down at the beast he was straddling. Oust was only looking at him calmly... As if Aster hadn't been doing his best to force the beast to take every bit of pain he had to give... As if he hadn't just had his face beat in by the human runt above him... Oust was looking at Aster with an unmistakable look of sympathy... Of understanding... A look that finally made the human realize that the tiger was probably the ONLY beast that understood what he had dealt with his entire life. Aster saw everything in those staring, red eyes.

Oust had been shamed for his appearance. Oust had been forced to live in his oldest sibling's shadow, being terrorized by them all the while. Oust had his own curse that lingered over him his entire life. Oust had seen firsthand how cruel this world of beasts could be. Oust knew this rage... Oust knew this pain... Oust had the most beautiful damned scarlet eyes Aster had ever seen in his life.

When the runt finally dropped his raised fist, Oust had assumed the human had finally got it out of his system, that his rage was finally sated for the time being. But when the human suddenly leaned over him, and pressed his lips against the tiger's own, Oust could think of nothing else. His eyes widened in shock, his ears fell flat against his skull, and his breath stopped dead in its tracks as the human runt gave the beast his first kiss in a world that had taught him to believe that he was anything but beautiful... A world that had made the tiger certain there was nothing inside of himself worthy of love. The same world Aster had grew up in...

Oust could only close his eyes, and press back into those incredibly soft lips as he shuddered beneath the boy.

As always, thank you for leaving your thoughts or a simple rating.

(I should probably stop giving chapter count deadlines, cause orc village has a few more scenes.) But we are approaching the next arc soon. There's the Mountain arc, the Aschefell family arc, and then the Endeavor arc left for book one, with a good bit of other scenes mixed in as well. (Now that all three have been officially revealed.) I truly hope you enjoy where it leads.

(For the Oust fans, you'll have to be a bit patient, but yes, it's coming sometime before the Aschefell arc. He still has some things to figure out)

=P thanks y'all. - Pup Bayou