Tyfin closed his eyes for a mont and reached his decision.
"Inform Talan. He needs to know that I live as my personal guard, and I trust he can retain that information. Tell him to keep his claim active for the ti being."
Stahl nodded as she confird her father understood. She spoke once more as the older wolf began discussing other matters.
"From what my daughter has told so far, you are sowhere along the border of the Crimson Sands, are you not? If I may make a suggestion, my King, travel to my wife’s estate. If we depart soon, we should both arrive at nearly the sa ti... It will be a long journey for both of us, but I can at least guarantee so degree of your safety there. If nothing else, it can be a place to lay low until the ti for the Endeavor is here. If you decide to lay claim to your crown, wait until you have made it there first."
Stahl felt the connection strain, and her father sent one final statent to the young she-wolf before the older knight faded from her reach.
Byron told his daughter to keep this next part between them, shocking Stahl even more. Her father wasn’t one to keep secrets from the crown he served
`Stahl.... When you co to the other end of the Thorned Thicket, you will see mountains to the north... You need to split from your group then and take the trail through the pass. Keep Rust by your side at all tis, but also bring Aster with you...
’There is sothing there he needs to see... Sothing that may not exist at all anymore, but still sothing I am not certain that the other beasts should know about... Sothing that is not my secret to tell.
’When you co through the other end of the mountains, you can reach your mother’s estate within four days, so it won’t greatly hinder your arrival. The road will likely be quite hard to follow from lack of use in this age, but you are a skilled enough hunteress and tracker to find your way around... And by the gods, Stahl... Please, make it back to us...’
Byron paused for a second, pondering on this last bit, but not wanting to leave anything unsaid considering their uncertain circumstances.
`Congratulations on finding your mate... Hold him closely for what lies ahead. I have a feeling he will need your strength...’
Byron’s consciousness faded. Stahl felt her sister nearly buckle beneath her solo efforts, but even she had a bit of a parting ssage for her little sister.
`It really was good to hear from you, Stahl... Sil would be proud of the warrior you’ve beco. I will let mother and Lochen know of your pending arrival. I think it will do both of them so good... Especially since Rust is with you. I know we don’t talk like we used to... But I do love you, little sis. Be safe... And as father said, I am happy you found your mate. I look forward to eting the weird little guy soon.’
Erden finished her statent with a whimsical giggle, one that lingered a bit in Stahl’s mind even after the connection fell from her. They didn’t get as much ti as they wanted, but Stahl was happy to know her family was alive.
As the she-wolf turned back to Tyfin, she noticed Aster was already walking away silently. His hands were clenched into fists, his eyes remained low, and Stahl couldn’t help but feel there was sothing different altogether about her mate in that mont.
She wanted to chase after him, but sothing inside of her just knew, he wanted to be alone. Aster had so things to figure out that he wasn’t ready to share with her.
Stahl struggled not to chase after him, and instead resud speaking to the lion and the rabbit, further solidifying their plan.
Aster kept walking for quite a ways, not heading to anywhere in particular, but knowing he couldn’t stop yet.
As he reached the river and began following it up a bit, his mind fell back to everything that had upset him that day, and damn, what a day it had been...
He learned his true na, learned his human father died trying to save his children, learned his human sibling was taken from him as well...
He learned his beast father was essentially comatose from his injuries, learned his only real brother and friend was missing, and learned the "Brother," who had made his life miserable every chance he got was vying to be the new king...
He learned there was sothing dark sealed inside him with blood magic, learned that that darkness could threaten to consu their very world, learned that he would, in fact, undeniably have to face the legendary beasts soday...
And, perhaps the most painful... Aster learned that soone he thought of as a true friend only saw him as a threat now... As so plotting human... Just the sa as most of the beasts he fought beside... The sa beasts that he swore his very life to defend...
Mollis had hurt Aster more than anything else had.
He knew how silly that was, considering the severity of everything else... But the rabbit was one of the only beasts to ever be kind to him from the mont they t.
She made Aster feel like an actual person. She made Aster feel better about his different appearance. She made Aster feel like he truly did have friends outside of Stahl and his brother...
And then the rabbit had made him feel more stupid and betrayed than he had ever felt in his entire life. Aster truly felt like a fool then, and that frustration ca to a boiling point right as he passed the cherry tree the rabbit had grown only the day before.
Aster found himself staring up at the beautiful branches with a sense of unreasonable anger.
This was just sothing else the rabbit had built up... This was just another thing manipulated into growing how the rabbit had wanted it to grow...
This tree may as well have BEEN Aster at that point. Sothing the rabbit had helped cultivate, only to have a bit of fruit before she grew bored of it... Before she left, it stuck where she pleased.
The human finally snapped beneath the darkness that had been welling inside of himself, and at last, Aster realized exactly what that darkness was.
It was rage. It was sadness. It was years of repressed emotions finally spilling forth from where he had kept them buried.
Feelings of never being enough... Of never being accepted... Of only being so tool the beasts could use as they saw fit, regardless of how he felt about it... It was what Aster had once even let himself believe.
Aster brought up a shield over each fist, and before he had even realized it, he was ramming them into that infuriating cherry tree, over and over again, building up even more power behind each swing as he finally just let his heart break in that mont.
***
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