Chapter 33: Horned Intruder
Aster was a bit nervous as he approached The Selection Grounds once again, and received some hostile looks to say the very least, but Stahl, Cortist, and everyone else was with him this time, so Aster kept his head up as the group made their way through the entrance.
When they made it the other side, and found themselves once again in the large arena, the group split apart to go where they were needed. Cortist walked beside Byron Aschefell, excitedly talking with the old wolf as they made their way to the king’s platform.
Cortist assisted the knight up the stairs along with The wolf’s other son, Amboss. The young red fox Rust had been trailing behind them, more excited than anyone to see his aunt and her human friend swear into the Elite King’s Guard.
Aster and Stahl made their way to the center of the arena, waiting with the other victors who were already present. Aster was met with a familiar face scowling at him among others from a short ways away.
It was Oust, the tiger he had barely managed to best on the second day. The one that had unmasked him seemed to have made it through his final matches as well, clearly holding a grudge.
Suddenly, Aster saw a large, familiar shadow encompass his own completely. The boy knew who it was before he ever turned to face them.
"Hello, little human. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?" Straga went to reach his hand up to brush against Aster’s face, but Stahl slapped away the dragon’s claws before he could get too close. The monster only paused to smile creepily at first, and then spoke in that deep, hushed, whisper of a tone that seemed to come straight from the boy’s very nightmares.
"Ah, I see you’ve found a cute little guard dog to keep you safe for me, human. That’s good. Thank you, puppy, for taking care of my toy... And I thought for sure I had broken it too. I’ll let you hold onto it for now, but don’t get too attached, mutt, I’ll be coming back for it soon. Make sure you keep a little meat on those bones for me, alri-." What Stahl did next surprised everyone who was watching the confrontation.
The she-wolf actually started growling by the end of the taunt, and promptly jabbed the dragon right in the snout, cutting him off mid rant right in front of everybody in the stadium.