Chapter 47: Stink Like You
A while later, and Aster had snuggled back into his warm spot against Stahl’s fur, as the beast just held him closely while the human vented his worries from the day’s events before he eventually fell off into a peaceful sleep.
Stahl could never admit how afraid she had been of Aster that day, how afraid of such insidiously dark, raw, and out of control the power he somehow wielded had been. A sentiment she shared with Prince Tyfin.
For the second night in a row, the she-wolf had managed little rest, so instead, she just looked up to the waxing moon, anxiously awaiting the approaching time when it would shine in her favor, and finally bring word to ease their troubled minds. Or so she had hoped, anyway.
In truth, her biggest fear was that neither her father nor her brother would ever answer her call again.
Shaken by her inner turmoils, Stahl held Aster just a bit tighter, not willing to lose yet another person she cared about.
The next evening, after a day full of gossip and rumors circling around from beast to beast in the traveling pack, it was once more time for the minotaur’s training. Everything was pretty well the same as before, as Aster prepared for his "weight training,"
Stahl was instructing her students on sword techniques.
The human was a bit more prepared for the task, now knowing what to expect. He removed his upper armor beforehand, leaving only the greaves and the bracers on to help distribute and support the mass of the bovine. Aster opted to get on both knees this time, putting a bit more strain on his shoulders and back, but preventing his breath from locking up if he were to be pinned against his own knee again.
He readied his shoulders and arms better, spreading them out to his sides to really brace against the brunt of the weight. With a deep breath in, the human accepted the humiliating task with a sense of focus and raised his shield to serve as the beast’s throne.