Chapter 41: A Little Love Stricken Puppy
Aster tensed up despite his shudders. If having to borrow body heat from another wasn’t pathetic enough, he’d also have to bear the shame of his exposed body in front of so many strange, gawking beasts? The young man only managed to shake his head stubbornly.
The she-wolf sighed audibly.
"I swear by the gods, Aster... You would swim across a river just to roll in pig shit! Remember that thing we talked about? Letting people help you? This is a prime example of when I want to help you, yet you won’t let me..."
The she-wolf spoke softer then, as she pulled the reluctant young man tighter into her grip, embarrassingly confessing something to the human then.
"Aster... Your body is a true marvel to me... You don’t need fur. You don’t need to be ashamed of how you were born... You don’t need to be ashamed for me to see you like that... Your body is beautiful. Please, will you trust me? Will you let me handle this? Will you let me take care of you? Aster... Please, I can’t leave you like this."
Aster buried his face further into his own arms, wanting to scream from everything he was feeling. Here he was, still some pathetic, useless boy that had to let the she-wolf protect him from even the weather.
Stahl had said his body was beautiful... Aster wanted to believe that so badly, but that had to just be the pity talking. His body? A marvel? When he couldn’t even keep the damned, furless thing warm without some help? It was laughable, and that bitterness and self-loathing combined with his lack of rest made him lash out.
"Worry about yourself. I don’t need any more charity... I won’t be helpless even here. I will adjust, in time... You don’t need to save me again, Stahl... I’ve already made a habit of letting you do that enough. I don’t need to borrow your warmth! I’ll survive without it."
The human hadn’t realized he had stopped shivering so badly in such a short time of being next to the beast, but when he jerked his shoulder forward, the cool air immediately reminded him as it stole away the heat Stahl had shared with him. The she-wolf was getting irritated, and her tone reflected that frustration.
"You may shoulder the cold without it... But struggling from sheer pride is still foolish! Bearing struggles you don’t have to is foolish! Sorry, Aster, but I’m not letting you push me away this time... You haven’t realized it yet, but I do have to save you... I will always try to save you, Aster, I will do anything to protect you, and maybe that scares me as much as it worries you, but it is not because you are helpless, but because you are worth protecting. If anyone has anything to say about that, they can come say it to me! And if any beast here has a problem with your body, then I will shut them up myself!"
Stahl grabbed the shocked young man again, pulling him back into her embrace even tighter this time, nuzzling into the human’s exposed neck, speaking the last bit in a quiet, loving tone that truly exposed the powerful emotion behind her words.