CHAPTER 92: BEARER OF BAD NEWS

"As stubborn as the steel you shape... Same as ever it seems." Rouge let out a small sigh, but was making quick work of fastening the straps as she continued on.

"Is that too tight? Is it comfortable? You’ll be wearing this for a while, so it needs to fit properl-" Amboss cut her off with a reassuring notion, bringing his good hand up to gently hold her cheek as he spoke.

"It’s fine, my love, thank you. It needs to be a little tight, or it’ll just fall off. Can you get that last one on the lower bicep, too? It locks horizontally." Rouge was already taking hold of the final strap and spoke warmly as she finished.

"It’s not your best work... But I suppose it will do for now... Your son will probably poke fun at you for it, though."

Amboss chuckled a bit, knowing that Rust would be brainstorming improvements the moment he found out about the prosthetic. Still, knowing he could be in a position to even think about that was more than enough for the time being. So instead, the wolf grew a playful grin and spoke his other thoughts he had brewing as he raised his new arm.

"If nothing else, at least it adds to my sex appeal, no?"

Rouge’s left ear twitched twice in rapid suggestion, a clear giveaway that she was either annoyed or excited by the thought. She took a single step inwards, leaning in closely to her wolf before she smiled ever so slightly as her fingertips traced over the cool steel of the new arm.

The base was essentially a leather cap, layered with rings to bind it. There was a smaller plate inside of it, which fused to the nine inch blade protruding forth. The buckles and straps were connected to various points, offering a secure fit over the arm.

Towards where the blade met the holster, there was a smaller, dull hook about where his palm used to be that could help him grip things to an extent. Rouge gave the odd contraption a final tap with a look of skepticism before she gave her answer.

"Well... Let’s just be grateful you’re still handsome."

As the wolf scowled a bit in his deflated ego, his wife finally laughed for the first time since the attack, however briefly, before she leaned up to plant a short kiss on his muzzle.

She took a step back, smiling a bit more than before, and spoke her final words before she turned to make her leave.

"Just don’t keep us waiting too much longer, I think everyone is about ready to go... I know I am..." Amboss beamed back at his wife and spoke his reply confidently.

"We’re going to get him back, my love. Before you know it, he will be back with us."

Rouge paused in the doorway and turned to give her wolf one last smile before she simply closed her eyes and stepped out of the forge. Sir Byron turned to his son and the coyote and spoke in an enthusiastic voice.

"Well, you heard the lady. Bout ready boys? It’s a long trip, but we should make good time if all goes well."

The coyote and the younger wolf nodded, both eager to be on the road and to reach their charges without further hesitation.

___

Stahl was watching Aster sleep that morning, which had admittedly become a part of her routine by then.

The she-wolf just couldn’t resist, the boy always looked so at peace when he was resting, a feeling she knew was becoming more and more rare for her human in recent days, so the wolf tried to let him dream as much as possible.

Aster rolled onto his stomach then and stretched out a bit as a few bones popped from the action. Aster let out a short grunt, signaling his mind was becoming aware once more. Stahl only chuckled lightly at the motion, already planning how she wanted to wake her mate up.

Stahl adjusted her position and sat up in the bed. She gently moved to straddle her mate’s bare ass and brought her slender hands to rest on his shoulders.

Stahl began lightly squeezing at the muscles there with her fingertips, careful to keep her claws from digging in as she did so. The muscles beneath her touch were rigid, and tense, which wasn’t surprising considering the fun they indulged in the past two days, so she knew Aster would appreciate a little attention to his body.

Stahl went on rubbing the sore body a while longer, rolling the knots between her fingers as they slowly loosened up and dispersed. She began working on Aster’s neck next and heard him let out a stifled moan as she rubbed her hands over the sore area.

The she-wolf gave her palms a hefty squeeze, drawing up the skin on the nape of Aster’s neck as her mate moaned from the sensation once more.

Stahl kept working over the body with extra attention to where Aster reacted the most. She worked down the muscular back and moved on to tenderly run over the boy’s arms and legs shortly after.

Aster was simply in a state of bliss from the welcomed surprise. He couldn’t think of a better way to be woken up than by the firm hands of a noble wolf soothing over his aches and pains, so he let himself relax into her thorough administrations.

After going for a long while, Stahl finally came to a stopping point and leaned forward, resting her body on top of Aster’s own. She drew her limbs in a bit and shifted her weight gently atop Aster with her muzzle tilted down to rest in the nook of Aster’s neck. Aster only smiled beneath the weight of the embrace as he finally spoke his greeting.

"Well... You never stop finding ways to blow away my expectations, do you, my wolf?"

Stahl huffed a bit of a laugh before she gave her answer.

"Says the one that crushes all of mine daily. Good morning, my love. I hope you dreamt well?"

Aster grunted contently before he replied.

"Had the strangest dream... I was being suffocated by a wolf... It was surprisingly comforting. I’d suggest everyone dream about it sometime."

Stahl muzzled into Aster’s neck just a bit more at the notion, huffing her answer a bit.

"Not everyone could do what you did. That’s reserved for good boys only, after all."

Aster snickered under the flattery, feeling a bit proud of his accomplishment the night before. Before he could answer, though, a knock tapped at the door, interrupting the reply.

Stahl casually rolled off of Aster and covered the pair back up with the thin blanket before she called for the visitor to enter. When the door opened, Mollis was there with a troubled expression. The rabbit kept her head low as she spoke.

"The captain has returned... The prince has called a mandatory gathering for our soldiers. Be quick. We are meeting near the river in a few minutes."

The rabbit bowed lightly before quickly turning to move on to the next residence. Aster felt a pang of guilt at how distant Mollis was being and called something out before the beast made her leave.

"Mollis... Let’s have that talk later, alright?"

Mollis stopped dead in her tracks as foot paw bounced ever so slightly. She turned back around with the cutest smile on her face before she simply gave the human a nod, happy for the chance to make things right.

Mollis made her leave while Aster and Stahl started getting dressed to head to the meeting. A few moments later, the pair stepped from the doorway and closed it behind them, heading off towards the river where they had all talked the first day.

As the flowing water came more into sight, Aster noticed the majority of the beasts within the prince’s group were already present. He noted Rust was still absent. He looked off into the distance a ways and saw a fatigued Captain Rix walking their direction from further up the river with Oust and Sir Corper in tow.

Aster could only drop his gaze as a measure of his guilt for venting on the tiger returned to him. Stahl took note and reassuringly placed a hand over Aster’s shoulder, giving him the usual calming presence of caring affection.

Aster leaned into the touch as he brushed his cheek against the strong but fuzzy hand, happy for the distraction.

___

Oust was already training with Sir Corper when the hulking bull strutted into his view from near the village.

The bull’s muscular frame was coated with a heavy layer of sweat and muddied dust from his long sprint to return to the village, but the staunch bull hadn’t stopped for even a second, knowing that every single one mattered.

Captain Rix made his report to his prince first thing upon arrival, and after briefly confirming the troubling news with the orc chief, had set out per his prince’s order to gather the beasts of Alora present. Oust was the last on his list, as the bull had a few things to settle there before the meeting.

The tiger took a few paces to reach the bank and kneeled as his superior approached. The bull spoke in his usual, burly tone.

"TIGER! NO TIME FOR SUCH THINGS! WE HAVE OTHER TROUBLES TO WORRY ABOUT, HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS REGARDING YOUR FATHER?" Oust looked up to his captain with a solemn look and nodded his response.

"Prince Tyfin filled me in yesterday... You mean how he has made a claim to the crown, yes?" The thick bull nodded, happy to skip to the point.

"GOOD, THEN LET ME ASK YOU THIS, TIGER, WHICH CLAIM WILL YOU BACK? CHOOSING TO FOLLOW YOUR FATHER IS A NOBLE THING, AND I UNDERSTAND IF THAT IS WHAT YOU PICK, BUT I NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU STAND. WILL YOU RALLY BEHIND YOUR FATHER, OR BEHIND YOUR PRINCE? ANSWER ME TRUTHFULLY."

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