Chapter 6: Selection
Byron Aschefell steadily made his way down the hall of the tucked away inn on his way to see his daughter the morning of the big day.
The old wolf paused for a moment to brace himself against the wall and catch his breath, shifting his weight from his bad leg and relaxing the grip on his cane.
The morning chill was hard on old wounds, and even the most powerful healing magic had it’s limits. That only slowed a warrior like himself down for a moment though, as he let out a gruff `hmmph,’ and pushed himself from the wall, pacing steadily onward towards his young daughter’s room.
Stahl Aschefell, the daughter in question, was gazing absent-mindedly out of the second story window of the inn when she heard her father’s knock. Her mind pulled from her daydream as she swung her head towards the door and called out to her visitor.
"It’s open."
The brass handle turned and the door was pushed inward as the younger she-wolf watched her father slowly shuffle in. The she-wolf frowned a bit, just as she always seemed to these days when seeing such a once mighty warrior now struggle to even walk without a limp.
It had been nearly two years since her father was injured, but Stahl had had a harder time adjusting to the injury than Byron himself... Perhaps because her father had lost something even more precious to him during that battle.
"Nervous?" The old knight questioned as he grew closer, obviously referencing the look upon his daughter’s face. The she-wolf just turned back towards her window and answered confidently, "Not even a little. Even before I put two years of service in the army under my belt, I was already better than most swordsmen twice my age. Now? Well, I can’t imagine I’d be up against too many that could fend me off in a one-on-one match long enough to bag a win... Some, perhaps, but not many."
The young gray she-wolf finished her boasting just as her father took her side and closed his eyes, joining his daughter at basking in the warmth of the sunrise for a peaceful moment before chastising her foolish comment.