Life of an Apprentice
He huddled into an even tighter ball in an even more feeble attempt to extract some warmth from his body. Tonight is a cold night, it means winter is coming. The traveling merchants that let him stay with them last year haven't returned yet. "It must be nice to have someone to look after you," the wolf pup thinks to himself. A harsh gust of icy wind chills his thoughts away, however. The boy isn't able to contemplate such thoughts due to the cold. He's only 12-years old and he's already all alone in the world with nothing but a pair battered shorts that are really just rags and patches with a pair of shorts sewn in.
Eventually, the sun cruelly drags him from the meager ammount of sleep he managed to accrue. He tried at first to curl defiantly into a little ball, coverin his eyes with his poofy tail to block out the sun. He tried to force his body to sleep more, if only for a moment longer. However, with a *twitch twitch* of his ears, he heard a commotion from outside. It was like the whole world was against him. After he realized that the sounds were gradually getting louder, and that he would never get back to sleep, he crawled off the pile of straw that served as his bed with a sigh. When he walked out of the delapitated ruin of a building that he used for shelter, he saw the streets abnormally empty for the amount of hustle and bustle that he could hear. It didn't take long for the pup to direct himself to the main street of the town where virtually every villager had crowded along. The people were packed shoulder to shoulder, talking, grumbling, and sometimes shouting, but every now and then people were looking down the street waiting for something amazing to come and sweep them off their feet. The boy would be looking down the way as well, but his minute stature was dwarfed even by other children, so he had little luck there.
Eventually, he found the familliar form of a kind waitress at the local inn who would often give him leftovers that the patrons didn't want. He tugged on her dress and asked what was going on. "Oh sweetie," the creamy furred dog started, "You don't know? The royal army just got back from a successful campaign, so there's a large celebration. Siath is different from other kingdoms. We're a small country, so our army isn't large at all. However, we're still one of the most feared nations because our warriors are so skilled. That's why we make such a big deal about things like this. In fact, since this year's harvest was so large, they're even inviting choice townsfolk, such as certain skilled blacksmiths and their girlfriends, to take part in the banquet. Isn't that right Herc?" She smiled and motioned to a massive muscular titan of a bull, whose impressive height allowed him to stare clean over the crowd that was so daunting to the miniscule wolf pup. His shirtless chest allowed his blacksmith muscles to breathe freely, while loose cloth shorts provided a small amount of modesty. The bull turned to the waitress and shrugged with a nod and a "Hm" before turning his back on the two of them.
"Oh don't mind him," The long haired dog said, "He acts like that, but he's really a big sweetheart under that thick hide of his. It's why I love him so much." The pup still couldn't see past the sea of legs and butts in front of him. At first he tried to peer in between individual townspeople, but they proved to be too concentrated for that. Then he tried jumping, as if he intended to leap over the lot of them to get a better view. The waitress looked at young wolf who was now trying to grow taller by stretching. "Oh Herc," she almost sang, "Would you be a doll and give poor little Nimet here a hand, or maybe a shoulder?" The huge black-furred bull took one look at the boy and shook his head with a snort before returning his attention to the empty street. However, she countered this with a stamp of her paw, a point to the cub, and a stern mother-like glare that even the megalithic bovine was afraid to defy. He lowered his massive frame to be level with the boy and took him by the waist with large broad hands that were strong from long days of work. "Okay fine Charlotte," he said, "But you owe me later tonight." And at that he flung the poor wolf into the air, catching him on his strong shoulders.
Charlotte just giggled, "See? You really are tender. Besides, I have a feeling it won't be all that unpleasant paying you back." She giggled again, but Nimet had little time to notice. He was too distracted by the pair of bull horns in front of him that he almost got impaled on. Something caught his eye however, causing him to look up. At first he saw the shimmering streamers in the air, and then he heard the trumpets of the procession, just faintly over the ever increasing noise of the townsfolk. "Hey! Look over there, look over there! They're coming, they're coming this way!" the excited little pup started bouncing up and down happily, causing the bull beneath him to break a smile. Nimet even thought he might have heard a deep chuckle, but it might also have been his imagination. He was too distracted by the oncoming parade to be too concerned over somthing as seemingly trivial as that. After the pup's little outburst, the whole crowd seemed to quiet down a little to watch the spectacles unfold.
The first group to come into view were the acrobatic court jesters in harlequin attire; there were eight of them in all. They performed flips and jumps and feats that amazed the crowds. They were also throwing clumps of glittering confetti and streamers high into the air where they blossomed into an explosion of light an color before raining slowly on the stupified onlookers. Nimet was most amazed at a move where two jesters would get on hands and knees in front of eachother so their heads were touching, then a third would jump do and upward facing bridge with hands on one, and feet on the other. Finally, a fourth would dive roll through the gap made between the three. This move was mirrored on both sides and the two divers would jump high into the air and curl into a ball to do a number of flips before each throwing another ball of shimmering confetti before they landed.
Immediately after the jesters marched the court minstrels and bards. Some of them were playing on exotic instruments, but most had drums, gongs, cymbals, and other general noise makers. It was obvious that there was a song buried somewhere in the cacophany, but not many paid any heed, as the crescendo strongly over powered it. Nimet liked the huge drums that were so large they needed to be carried on the backs of huskers, large Komodo Dragon-like beasts of burden whose shedded skin would be sold as husks to be used in making many items. As the musical section passed, everyone's eyes fixated on the strange float following them.
A small, one-tiered pagoda, carried on the backs of two ornamented huskers passed by. The huskers seemed to be smiling, as if they actually liked the music. The tassles on their headdresses tossed side-to-side, bobbed up and down, and jerked to-and-fro as huskers swayed their heads to their gait. The pagoda held a very interesting being that Nimet, until now, had thought was only a myth. The Lord of this castle had apparently purchased a seer from a very far off desert land occupied by humans. Though no one had seen her, Nimet knew at once this was her. She danced an exotic dance the was full of passion, Nimet assumed it was supposed to be a copy of the desert, since the traditional dances danced in this area were mimics of the tall mountain beside the town. She used long, transparent strips of silk that hovered in the air and made beautiful, almost hypnotic, patterns in the air before being whisked away by the dancer for another to take its place. Her swaying hips cause the bells and medals attached to her skirt the chime, and there were bells on her wrists and ankles as well.
As the spectacle passed directly in front of where the bull was standing, the dancing seer broke out of a spin that caused the fabrics to form a tornado around her and ended facing directly in Nimet's direction. He almost thought she was looking directly at him. In fact, now that he looked, she *was* staring directly at him! Her eyes were so deep, he couldn't help but stare into them. They seemed so close...closer...as if the two were face to face. Suddenly, as if in a dream, she was before him, staring him right in the eye. She handed him something, and then turned away, and the dream was over.
At that moment, it seemed like the parade had been paused for his dream, and was now continuing again. The strange desert seer's float sauntered off on the feet of two happy reptiles, and the next batch of entertainers came up for their turn. But when Nimet looked in his hand, he found he was holding a necklace that he had never seen before. The small gem was contained in a circle of gold in the design of a husker reaching around and biting his own tail, and the whole thing was small enough to fit in his palm. He looked back up to see the dancer, but her float had already passed the entrance to the castle. He put the necklace on, tucked it into his shirt, and continued to watch.
The next few groups were all arrangements of dancers to represent the seasons. They were a famous troupe that had their origins in this town and its now forgotten traditions of nature worship, but they were usually in some far distant land. However, they made a detour to be in town for the event. The first group was summer. By now, the terrible court minstrels were in the castle, and the air was filled with much more suitable music played by talented troupe musicians. The song changed from quick, fast paced jingles to slower, smooth lullaby-like melodies to simulate the changing weather around summer. Dancers, most of them were deer and coyotes with brown fur, wearing green would sway back and forth in long sashes tied around their waist, almost like a dress, but they were see-through and only covered the back, the front was left open. They tried to emulate trees swaying in the wind. Steady swaying, causing broad seeps in the fabric of their dresses during the mellow parts, and rythmatic, almost exotic rocking would shake the whole ensemble. Some dancers had beads attached that would rattle as they danced.
Charlotte told Nimet that both dances were taken from far away cultures. She told him the slow dancing was from a traditional island dance meant to imitate the ocean, and the fast parts were taken from more arid climates where they danced to show off their bellies and hips. When Nimet looked again, he did notice that the fast sections resembled the kind of dancing that the desert seer performed.
The summer dancers were leading a beautiful song bird. She was a beautiful stream of bright colors in motion. Her rythms countered the beats in an almost mystical way, making the onlookers seem to lose track of time, just like the effect of a summer day. Her motions were fluid, but strong and pronounced. She seemed to be dancing all on her own as opposed to the rest of the summer group dancers, who were clearly dancing together. However, her moves still complimented the theme and she sometimes got into sync with the rest of the group. Still, it was clear the song bird was the lead dancer for this group.
As the song for summer faded away and as the dancers filed into the castle walls, they both were replaced by dancers and song representing autumn. To a country who gets by mostly by farming, this is a very important season.
Powerful drums and deep, low tunes exaggerated both the might of the earth, and the strength of the farmers Dancers dressed in earthy tones of brown and orange. Their dance moves resembled the movements of farmers harvesting crops. Broad swinging motions, quick picking motions, shaking and catching motions were all incorporated into the dance. One of the dancers, a beautifully slender fox, actually held a large scythe designed to look like the kind farmers used to cut large amounts of grass at once, except she was dancing with it.
She would spin wildly, Nimet was afraid she would slice someone's head clean off, then stop and swing the scythe over her back, slamming it in front of her with the blade pointing up. Then she would lift herself up using it as a lever, and leap up into the air, landing gently on her feet after a flip, making it almost seem as if she simply floated downward. She had moves where she would push the scythe forward, then retreat it sharply, as if cutting at the air. Then she would twirl it around herself, and repeat the move on the other side. Nimet thought her stances were beautiful, noting one where she ended after a slanted upward slice with one leg up, foot pressed against her standing leg. Her expression was very serious. To Nimet, it almost seemed like she was fighting imaginary enemies rather than harvesting imaginary crops.
The next group was winter. White furred bunnies and foxes dressed in flowing white. The bunnies all wore short skirts with frills that showed off their legs as they danced. The foxes wore longer dresses, with sleeves that extended past their arms. They moved slowly, letting the long fabric of the dresses simulate the falling of snow. The bunnies were all supposed to be other furs hibernating and waiting out the winter. Their moves were slow and fluid, moving from one to another in a continuous fashion, so that it seemed to blend together. The music had changed from low tunes and strong beats to no beats at all, and high pitched melodies with extended notes. It was a very gentle melody, much like the dancers, and the notes all seemed to blend together.
The lead dancer for this group was in the center, rather than following up the end as the first group. A huge polar bear who seemed hardly suited to be a dancer, rather more suitable for a blacksmith or some other job of strength, moved with alarming grace for her size. Carrying two fans, her moves were similar to her companions. Slow, extended techniques that blended together to make one long, seemingly unchanging, dance. All of a sudden, the procession stopped, and drums began sounding with a loud steady beat. The bear in the center began wildly waving her large fans, as if to blow her companions as well as the rest of the crowd away into the surrounding area. The foxes all threw their dresses into the air, revealing outfits more like those of the bunnies. Everyone was suddenly moving quickly in strange patterns. The dresses would float close to the ground and suddenly, every fox was beneath someone else's dress to catch it and throw it back into the air.
Foxes chased bunnies who chased foxes who performed leaps, jumps, and spins. Then the dresses came down again, were caught, and were thrown back into the air. Nimet laughed and clapped wildly when he realized it was a blizzard. The bear in the center was still causing the storm and everyone was seemingly unsychronized, but it was clear if you paid attention that there were distinct patterns and every single dancer was performing a terribly complex, but well rehearsed dance. Suddenly, the drums and the bear stopped. They were replaced again with the high pitched molodies from before, but they played much more softly, just as the winter seems more gentle after a storm. The foxes caught their dresses, but didn't put them on. They simply carried them into the castle as the parade once again began to move.
Naturally, spring followed winter. The long, extended melody was replaced by up beat, lively music that started out slow, but quickly sped up, like a shooting sprout, then exploded into a fantastic symphony, like a blooming flower. Dancers in colorful costumes performed an active, excited mix of happy flourishes from various areas around the kingdom, and even from other kingdoms. It was clear that this was just a section for the dancers to have fun, as all the other dancers came back out in colorful clothes to join the medley. The whirlwind of colors and sounds was delightful, and the whole audience, as well as the dancers, had much fun during the finale. The procession behind the dancers was once again stopped for the whole troupe to perform one last group routine including all the members from the beginning seasons.
When it was done, the crowd went wild with applause. Especially the men. Charlotte leaned up to Nimet's ear to comment, "The guys are all excited because they think it's an all female troupe, but in reality, many of the dancers are simply feminine men." Nimet's eyes went wide at that comment. He gazed back at the dancers, wondering if it was true. They all seemed so beautiful to him. He wondered if others would think they were less beautiful, if they knew their favorite dancer was actually a man.
The gruff bull's voice brought Nimet back from wondering, "That's not true. It's just a rumor."
"Maybe," Charlotte defended, "But most rumors at least start with the truth." She winked to Nimet and pointed as they finished up and the parade began to move forward again.
They were finally seeing the group that most people in the crowd had gathered to see. As the clank clank of armor sparked a roaring cheer throughout the crowd, Hercules whispered to the wolf atop his shoulders, "They saved the best for last, eh?" Nimet smiled and giggled at the many figures wrapped up like tins for tarts and candy marched passed by in matching stride. They all had helmets that covered their faces. "Maybe they really are made out of sweets!" Nimet thought to himself, licking his lips as he imagined breaking open one of the suits to find a pile of raspberry tarts. He looks back at the tin men hopeful finding some sign that proves there's candy inside, but when he looks up, he sees the commander of this kingdom's small army. This kingdom is mostly made up of farmers, and the mountainous terrain that provided little farmland when the country was first founded.
As a result, the first king placed severly heavy emphasis on the quality of his soldiers, rather than relying on strength in numbers. The effect was a very small army that was trained to defend against very small group of farmers nestled in the mountains against full sized armies. They were taught to use the environment as a weapon, leaving the enemy armies to the mercy of the mountains that surrounded the small fertile vally in the center. By the time any army conquered the mountain, they were tired and beaten, and easy prey for the well trained army, even if the numbers were way off balance.
Eventually, the army learned a variety of supplement techniques for diversions and other highly advanced tactics that marked their meager army as one of the most difficult to fight. Soldiers learned how to fight with weapons other than swords, weapons like the mountain, the night, their bodies, even the emotions and perceptions of their enemies were learned to be used in the fight. However, the army knew they were not invincible. They never started unneccessary battles because they were never fighting out of greed. They only ever fought to protect those they loved. That's why the kingdom was named Siath, a word that means "shield". As time passed, the small mountain village turned into a bustling mountain city, and the valley filled with farmers of all sorts. While the population grew by leaps and bounds, the army grew very little. Instead of growing in numbers, they grew over the years in skill and might.
During real battles, the army would never wear such a heavy and loud suit of armor such as the ones they were all adorned with now. The armor they used in combat was light and emphasized flexibility and silence, while providing protection for vital areas. Troops were expected to be able to protect themselves, so the reduced armor was justified. The increased freedom to move more than made up for decreased protection. However, the troops were all dressed in full ceremonial suits. Shiny clunky loud heaps of metal for the sole purpose of showing off for parades or other events. The Knight Commander, the most skillful of Siath's soldiers, was given special title and status according to tradition, an incentive for the troops to perform their best.
The current Knight Commander rode alongside the king on a black husker, an incredibly rare breed. And he was dressed in a shining set of gold plate armor. He was the only soldier who chose not to wear a helmet, and his face alone was visible to the crowd, but more importantly, visible to Nimet. The older wolf had a beaming smile to match his armor as the crowd shouted praises and showered him with a thick blanket of adolation. He turned his head over in Nimets direction and waved just as he caught Nimet's eye.
He knew there was no way the captain could have noticed one dirty wolf pup in the midst of the cheering crowd, but he secretly imagined the captain waving directly at him. The crowd grew especially intense as the king passed by. It was obvious he was loved by his people. The lion wore a regal crown and rode a regal gold husker. Gold huskers are produced by feeding albino huskers flecks of gold with their food. Over the years, the gold gets embedded in the bottom layers of skin, translucent husks allow the gold to show as a cream colored yellow-orange tint in the skin. Unfortunately some of the gold is shed with each molting, so they must be fed gold over their entire lives. At least the golden husks are prized for their unique qualities, offsetting the expensive food.
The king's wife followed behind him, and behind here were his son and daughter. Both of the ladies were incredible beauties. They sat, dressed, and waved in a manner most fair, most befitting of the kingdom's queen and princess. The prince however, was a dreadful showoff. He had a blade out, even though he knew little of battle aside from fencing, and he cheered his own name as he swung the thing around. He was obviously enjoying himself, but there were very few in the crowd who held him in as high regard as he held himself. Of course, he assumed the croud was cheering solely for him.
The last group was a pair of banner raisers, holding two flags and rearing the parade, signaling the end of the event. As the king's entourage and the flag bearers entered the castle gate, the crowd dissolved. Some people lingered around, though. Some people including Hercules and Charlotte. Nimet asks to be put down, but the waitress speaks up as he is let on the ground by the bull, "Just a moment, hun. I want you to stick around for a while longer."
Eventually the crowd that remained turned into a line, with the three of them near the front. A labrador stood at the gate, adressing the bull when it was their turn, "Invitation please."
"Certainly," the bull answered, handing a sheet to the doorman. He perused it for a few moments before speaking up, "I see, everything seems to be in order. One invitation for the blacksmith's apprentice and his party. Shall I mark you down as a party of three?"
Nimet's eyes went wide when he heard Herc answer, "Yes, that's right."
"Very well," responded the doorman. "The rooms have all color coded for the banquet. You mustn't enter any room that has purple, gold, or red drapes. You are free to enter any room of another color, or if it has no drapes at all." At that the three were ushered in the gate. Once inside, Nimet threw his arms around Charlotte in a great hug. "Thank you so much!" he cried. Then he turned to the bull, "And thank you too, sir." The bull knelt on one knee and offered his hand for the boy to shake, but he ran right past it and gave another big hug instead. Herc laughed and handed him a meal ticket that he got from the doorman, "Here, you'll need this later." Then Charlotte patted him on the head, saying, "Now run along, and have fun. And be sure to find us when the banquet starts, I'll save you a seat."
Nimet ran off, possibly the happiest he had ever been in his life.
He ran down the halls, noticing some rooms whose doors were decorated with colored drapes. Nimet remembered what the Doorman said, but there weren't any of the doors he shouldn't go in yet. The pup, who had spent most of his life in the gutters and dirty alleys, now enjoyed the beauty of the clean castle's interior. Charlotte had managed to get the three of them in before most of the other townsfolk, and the royal guests wouldn't be in the halls, so the corridors were seemingly empty aside from the wolf and various statues, paintings, and other decorations one would expect to find inside a castle.
Rather than candles, the halls were luminated by glowing orbs mounted on the walls that caused the halls to be well lit, even though there was little sunlight in the castle. Nimet had heard about an alchemist under the king's service. He had seen many strange mechanical creations that could have only come from him being sold in the market place, but they did the oddest things. These globes were fashioned in a similar fashion, so you could tell they came from the same person just by looking, however, these looked far more functional than the other objects.
It wasn't long before Nimet began racing through the empty halls, imagining being chased by guards who caught him entering some secret doorway opened by lifting one of the mounted globes. He ran quickly, as life as a street rat trains one to do well. But this time, he ran for fun, rather than out of fear. He was exhilerated, and happy, and didn't know why, but he kept running anyway. He dodged the occasional castle worker, "Another guard!" he would think to himself, and run off again. Then, as he was running through a particularly long stretch of hallway, a young boy, about his age, walked out, seemingly out of the wall, who Nimet crashed into.
The young dragon boy, landed with an "Oof!" on his bum, but Nimet rolled some feet down the hall, unrolling on his back, panting heavily. "Are you....Okay?" Nimet asked between gasps of air. He got up and turned around, the other boy got up quickly once Nimet did, then he nodded twice quickly, and clasped his hands over his heart. Nimet approached, still out of breath, "Hey...I'm so sorry about that....I just--Woah!" Nimet noticed that the boy really DID walk out of the wall. There was a gaping hole in the wall in the shape of a door, right where the boy walked out from. The other boy became alarmed when Nimet realized the hidden entry way. He jumped up on a small table and pulled the globe into position, causing the door to seal up. He jumped down and, "Please!" he cried, overly loud, "Forget that you saw this!" Then he quieted down considerably, "I....I was supposed to be careful not to let the guests see any of these doors." He looked down with his foreclaw in his mouth, the other hand on his back. One foot's toes were placed on the other's and he rocked back and forth with his hips.
"H--hey! No need to be scared about it!" Nimet said loudly back, but he apparenly startled the other kid by shouting, so he quieted down, "I won't tell anyone, I promise." The other boy turned his eyes up, without moving his head. After looking into Nimet's eyes for a while, he put both hands behind his back and said, "Okay." quietly like before. A bell resounds through the hall, and the dragon boy turns around, peering down the length of hall. Without turning around to address Nimet, he says, "That sound means the banquet is starting, which means I have to go." He started leaving, but before he had gone far, Nimet called out, "Okay! I have to go too. Could you show me the way?"
The other boy turned around inquisitively. "Me? But...I'm not going to the dining hall. I'm going to the other side."
"Oh...I see..."
"You really don't know the way?" Nimet shook his head. The dragon looked between two directions, as if wondering if there would be enough time to go to both. After several moments, he speaks up, "You can come with me through the short cuts, but remember! No telling ANYONE!"
"Yes sir!" Nimet saluted just like the empty suit of armor posed on the wall between them. They both giggled over it. "My name's Nimet by the way."
"Mine is Vimh," the other said as he climbed on the table, once again opening the wall. The two entered the hole and proceeded inward. Vimh pulled a small vial of shimmering green from a necklace and placed a single drop on his serpentine tongue. After that, his pupils seemed to take on a sort of reflective shine. "This will help us get through quickly even though it's dark." He held the dropper out for Nimet, who asked, "So...does this mean...you're the alchemist's apprentice then?"
He held his tongue out and Vimh administered a single drop. "Alchemist? You mean Crazy Old Guy? I guess you could say I'm his apprentice...I mean...he teaches me stuff. Uhh...are you okay?" Vimh asks when he notices Nimet coughing.
"Yeah...It's just...that stuff tastes like gross."
"Hehe~ Sorry. But we need to hurry."
Nimet looked up...suddenly, the cooridor didn't seem as dark. Viewing the entire passage was still a challenge due to poor lighting, but he could now clearly make out the walls and floor in his immediate proximity, although it seems like thing had taken a slight green tint. Under the effect of the droplet, Vimh's eyes had gone from slightly reflective, like a cat's eye, to being almost glowing, and the green was more pronounced than before. Just as Nimet was about to ask about what the droplet was, and what the effects were, Vimh ran off into the dark, beckoning the wolf to follow.
The wolf took chase after the dragon. As he caught up to Vimh, the dragon's sillhouette became visible again against the black backdrop. It seemed the droplet only had an effective range of a couple meters. Distracted by the changing shapes and colors, and the new experience, Nimet hardly noticed when the dragon in front of him suddenly stopped and turned around. For the second time, the wolf crashed into the dragon, however, this time he was prepared. Instead of the two landing in a heap of scales and fur on the floor as before, Vimh caught the wolf and pushed him to the side, into a hole in the wall passage, saying, "This is your stop, be careful."
The next thing Nimet knew, he was falling through a chute, and before he even realized he was falling, he had landed on his furry bum. "Ouch!" Looking around, he saw he was in a cubby engraved into the hallway wall in order to hang a painting and hold a pair of glowing orbs. The the orbs in this cubby were out, however, as were all the other candles in this hall, making the hall very dark. The effects of the droplet seem to have ended when Nimet fell...so how could he be seeing if there was no light?
Climbing into the hall, he realized there was a series of doors from which a flood of light poured through, dimly illuminating that section of the hall. Along with light, sounds and smells also poured out from the doors. A clamor like a lot of people saying a lot of things to everyone all at once, along with the sound of furniture and dishes being constantly moved and clanged against each other, all accompanied by the sweet aroma of a feast surely fit for a king. As those things came out of the room, townspeople and castle workers filed in. Realizing where he was, Nimet entered the dining hall, handing his meal ticket to a posh door-rabbit, and started scanning the room, looking for his two companions.
The hall was very large, illuminated by sparkling chandeliers, but Nimet guessed they had long since taken out the candles and replaced them with globes. Still, it gave the hall a natural golden glow, unlike the unatural white glow from the orbs in the halls. Scanning the rows of long dining tables, Nimet searched for his friends among the people seated. About half of the places were taken. some groups stood, some groups sat, some groups had people doing both. Nimet noticed that being shirtless as he was wasn't as rare a sight as he expected it to be. Many of the guests from town didn't bother to bring shirts, which put Nimet at ease over his raggy shorts. Eventually, a famillar creamy brown paw from across the room beckoned for Nimet's attention. Charlotte noticed him as soon as he walked in, which was fairly easy as she chose a spot on the center aisle. They sat on the side of the room opposite the door, so it took Nimet a few minutes to make his way through the crowd, trying to be as polite as possible.
Charlotte's paw patted the vacant place next to her, "Pretty good spot, huh?"
"You think?" Nimet asked. He wasn't sure how this spot was any different from the countless identical seats. Hercules the Bull, who sat across from Charlotte, took a mug from a booze runner, a young castle worker driving a cart of ale up and down the aisles.
"Yep!" She boasted. "You see over there?" She pointed too the pair of doorways on the wall they were near to, "those doors come straight from the kitchen. When they start passing out food, ours will be the first batch!"
Nimet hadn't thought about food until the actual word was spoken, and then he realized how hungry he was. The scent of cooking in the air suddenly seemed to get much stronger, as Nimet took his time to savor it for the first time. He closed his eyes and inhaled the smells of flakey rolls, savory meats and soups, sweet fruits and vegetables, carefully analyzing each individual scent, trying to image what the dish looked like and, more importantly, tasted like. It wasn't until a sultry voice directly opposite from Nimet's seat spoke up that he even opened his eyes, "May I have this seat?"
"Certainly, M'lord," Charlotte said with a bow of her head. Nimet was astonished to find the Knight Commander seating himself right infront of him! "I love this area of the hall. We'll get the food first you know."
Charlotte answered with a giggle, "Yes, we know. That's why we're here, M'lord, as opposed to, say, over there in the corner." Charlotte pointed to a group of field mice gathered tightly in the farthest corner of the hall. Surely, they would get food last, and when they did, it was in danger of being cold by the time it even got there.
The three adults at the table laughed amongst themselves, and it was the captain who spoke up first, "So I take it you're the apprentice of the Blacksmith? I hear you're close to completing your apprenticeship. Hercules, was it?"
"That's right. And I am, M'lord," the bull answered, taking a sip from a mug. "But please, just Herc will do."
"I've seen some of your swords. Marvelous work, if I do say so myself. I wouldn't mind commisioning a blade once you're a fully fledged smith."
"It would be an honor, M'lord."
Nimet was blushing furiously by now. He ducked his head below the already too-high table, so that only his eyes and up were visible. "And you work and the Sleepy Creek? They have some of THE best ales. Have you ever tried the pumpkin spice mead?" The sleepy Creek was the name of the inn Charlotte worked for. In addition to simple, yet savory, entrees, they were reknown for their selection of specialty brews and fried treats.
"I should hope so, M'lord. I'm the one who wrote the recipe for it."
Wide-eyed in disbelief, the Knight Captain responded to Charlotte, "You're kidding! We should share a pint or two some time, the three of us."
"Oh no, M'lord. We shouldn't be seen with someone as you," Charlotte chided, though purely out of politeness. She secretely would very much have liked to spend a night over a pint of her special brew with a new friend.
"And why not?" The captain puffed his chest as he said, "I should be allowed to choose my company, should I not?" Then he lifted his chin in a mock show of regality to match his overly pompous tone.
The two adults laughed between them, "Sure then. If you're ever in town, ask to see Charlotte. I'll whip up something extra special for the three of us!"
"Very good then. Excpect a call from Captain Jaht in the near future! Say...After the Banquet?" At that, he raised a mug taken from a booze runner's tray and toasted to Herc, then the two gulped down the whole contents of their cups in one go, as if in a race. Herc finished, but not by too much, and he had less in his cup. A "Buh!" and a series of pants from the bull showed that it was the wolf who was the better drunkard, as he still maintained his composure, letting his mug down slowly, not at all affected by the strong liqour other than a slight blush.
With his eyes closed, he inhaled. Breathing out, he opened his eyes to see Nimet, who was also blushing, but for a very different reason. "Oh hello there! Did you enjoy the parade, young pup?"
The adoring pup grabbed his cheeks with his hands and looked away. "You...noticed me?"
"Of course I did. Though...you were much taller before." He winked at the bull.
"I!" The pup started his first word excitedly, but quickly quieted down. "Do you think I'm I too short?" he asked dejectedly. But the adult wolf laughed heartily, "Of course not! I think this is the perfect size for you. Just as tall as a young wolf should be."
That was how Nimet and Jaht met for the first time. They spent the remainder of the wait for food talking and laughing as party guests continuously trickled in, taking their seats among the many tables. True to Charlotte's word, the first of the food landed right in the middle of the four of them. As the platters of meats and stews and soups and other banquetesque style foods poured through the doors, the scents of food in the air increased drastically. The two adult males naturally got in a contest right away, without so much as a word being spoken, they ate and drank in a ravenous fury, plucking individual slabs of meat and a bun or roll from a passing server when they had the chance. Sometimes, one or the other would take a deep drink from a gravy font rather than their cups, several of which had now been emptied and stacked and replaced by booze runners. In their stupor, they even occasionally stole food from the plates of the guests next to them, on accident of course. Gravy and other sauces dribbled down the chins of the two adults while Charlotte and Nimet watched the onslaught.
The brown furred dog sighed and turned to the wolf to comment on savagery of the two males, intending to say something such as, "Men. They're all alike," or, "Once a beast, always a beast." But she couldn't say anything when she saw Nimets face, for she knew that look, and she knew well what the boy intended to do. He was looking at her through closed eyelids, and his broad smile showed all but his deepest teeth, a grin that spoke more words than the combined chatter of all the drunken townsfolk in the room. Without a word, Nimet joined the fray, copying the two adults as best he could.
Whenever one of them belched, Nimet would do belch louder. When one would pull a leg or a bun from a passing tray, he would pull two (small ones, to match.) When one would accidentally take something from a neighbors tray, causing a gasp of alarm and a deep, food-stuffed mumbled, "Sorry," Nimet would intentionally take the juiciest or freshest looking something within reach on his neighbor's side (not Charlotte's), announcing his not-so-humble apology with a clearly pronounced, high pitch, "Sorry," as befitting a child's voice.
Poor Charlotte ate as daintily as a lady should try to, but she practically had to dodge pecies of flying food or other debris coming her way. Her three companions had almost as much food staining their faces as they did in their mouths (though most of the stuff on Nimet's face had been smeared by him on purpose.) Finally, when the gnawing and chomping and gasping and coughing became too much for her to bear, she decided to do what would end up being the talk all over town for months to come.
"Aalll-right!" She hollared with such a powerful boom that the whole assembly was silenced. After not more than 5 seconds of every eye in the room on the brown dog, she looked around side-to-side and took a big inhale. Tossing her fork and knife aside, she lifted a husker steak up to her maw and took a huge bite! And then another! And another! The two adults across from her sat flabbergasted for only a moment before realizing her challenge, and they took again to their littered plates with renewed vigor, not at all wanting to be out done by a woman.
A leg of ham had been sitting alone, minding its own business till now. Jaht reached out to take it, but instead of grabbing the exposed bone as he expected, he felt a furred paw instead. Looking up from his food to find out the problem, he discovered it was Charlotte, looking at him with a deadly glare. She growled ferociously and yanked her ham out from his hand, taking several huge bites. Jaht relinqushed it right away, recalling his hand in fear with a whine. Even the feared Knight Captain had been intimidated. But it only took him a second to realize that he was falling behind. In a bold move, he unbuckled the straps to his chestplate, and lifted the upper armor off his body, allowing more room for his belly which was now freed of its cage.
The other dining hall patrons had long since had their fill of food. Now, most of them wanted to have their fill of the spectacle in the center. The spectacular Eat-Off drew a crowd as members of farther parties sent scouts to get a better view so as to report back later. Some patrons brought articles of food they thought would be funny to see the adults fight over. A small chicken was ripped to shreds in an instant as an otter tossed it into the pile. A fox threw a pie, which Jaht immediately took and, covering it with gravy, ate most of the middle before tossing the edges aside. A mouse from the party in the corner slid a bowl of salad in, but Charlotte caught it right away and threw it back at his head without looking. Nimet was oblivious to the crowd gathered around him. He ate at a much slower pace, having fun trying to smear as much gravy or other sauce on his face as he could.
A pile of empty dishes began to grow in the center of the four. Castle workers, cooks and servers, were shocked and appaled at first, but they got over it quickly enough to enjoy much of the show. They even began to whip up more food and began adding to the scene. Some of the cooks just brought out more of what had already been prepared, but some made special dishes just for the show. Four pies filled with chicken stock gravy and potatoes along with Husker steak tips and topped off with shredded bacon, a series of small puddings, several specialty liquors (and some non-alchoholic juices for Nimet), rolls stuffed with cream cheese and fried mushrooms, an eastern cook even prepared bowls of something he said was called "Rom-En".
It wasn't long before, the king, present, as should be expected at one of his own banquets, having a series of jests with his private company, had his attention directed to the spectacle by his son. The cheers of the crowd were suddenly hushed when the king himself appeared at the end of the table, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "Ahem," and the three feasters stopped. (Nimet was still oblivious, however. He happily splashed away at some spilled broth.) In the silence, several of the meeker patrons slunk back to their seats with a quiet meep. The king lifted a finger and inhaled through his nose, then opened his mouth, as if he were a mother preparing to scold a child. However, much to everyone's surprise and enjoyment, his pointing hand swooped down and grabbed a leg of ham out from Charlotte's hand before she had a chance to take any bites out of it. "AAAAAAAAAA-UM!" went the king, taking a huge bite from the leg. A burst of cheers and claps and hoots and yells rang out as the king joined the debacle. A servant brought a chair for him as he took a place at the head of the table. Others rose and tried to test their mettle against the throng of beasts. A badger, a fox, a bloodhound, and even a bear left the table defeated.
This was surely a joyous day, that would be remembered in people's hearts for a long time to come.
The dim dining hall was a sight that night. When castle workers took their lunch during the day, they always cleaned up after themselves. Even by this time of day, the hall was usually still clean. Tonight, however, there were several dishes at every seat. Scanning the hall from side to side, one would discover an incredibly out of place pile on one of the tables in the center. Even more out of place was the group of four people near it. All the others filed out of the hall when the lights were dimmed, but four guests remained. Too fat to move, Jaht and Herc both needed time to recuperate. Slightly distended bellies could be seen on the two adult males. Though she had eaten just as much (probably more) than the two others, Charlotte was not gasping, moaning, belching, and rubbing her tummy as the two overgrown babies on the other side of the table were.
She cleaned at Nimet's face, which was almost completely painted thick with the remains of the battle. Charlotte had already cleaned off her face, of course, but the three men left their faces as they were, like a medal of honor. The other two could do as they wished. Nimet, however, had no choice in the matter, and Charlotte wouldn't see him in the filthy state he was in.
"Ah, ah, that was too much," Jaht said panting. "I honestly never expected that from a woman. Did you see how ferocious she was?" He asks, motioning to the bull next to him.
Herc, reclining with his hands behing his head, responds, "Heh, you thought that was ferocious? You should see her in bed."
"HERC!" Charlotte's shrill voice rang out, hands covering Nimet's ears. "Calm down 'Lotty," the bull responded with a laugh, "The boy doesn't even know what that means."
"Well there's no reason to teach him!" She said with a huff. "In any case, we should go back to the inn. I do believe we have arrangements to spend some time drinking there."
The other two men agreed, then, sucking in their bellies, got up and followed Charlotte and Nimet out of the dining hall. "Wait up you two!" Jaht called out, "Let me change out of my armor, I'll meet you at the castle gate."
Jaht met the three wearing regular clothes, looking like a regular townsperson. A much better outfit than a full suit of armor to walk into a bar for some casual drinking. Either a fight would break out because of drunks trying to impress their buddies, or the air would become very stiff and unpleasant in the prescence of a royal soldier. The air was brisk, but not cold. For all their time at the banquet, it seems the sun had just gone down moments ago, as the western sky was still largely painted pink
They entered the inn and took a seat near a window. Some of Charlotte's co-workers asked why she was here, "I thought you took the day off." "I did," she responded. "I'm not here for work. I'm here for booze. Get me three mugs of pumpkin spice mead, a cup of sweet calimn flower tea, and a tray of fried somethings." Charlotte's boss, a burly crocodile, came up and, having overheard the order, asked, "What kind of somethings do you want?"
"Sweet somethings. I don't care what as long as they're tasty and sugary." The crocodile smiled warmly and chuckled, "That's just the kind of order I'd expect from you. Okay." He gave a bow to Charlotte, an overly cordial nod to the fact that she worked there, then turned on his heels and moved to the back where the kitchen was. Charlotte joined her friends and sat next to Herc, across from Nimet and Jaht, saying, "The grub'll be here soon. You'll all like it, I'm sure."
"I don't get to come here often," Jaht explained, "I'll have to make a note to try and visit when I have free time. Tonight though..." he rubbed his belly, "I think I only have room for just one drink." The four of them burst out in laughter. They had all eaten and laughed a lot today. Each of them was sure to go to sleep with a smile that night. The crocodile came out with two trays, holding them high above his head, showing off. He set the tray of drinks near Charlotte and Hercules, and the assorted treats on the side with Nimet.
His eyes went wide at the selection. There were cakes, buns, and pastries. Mostly everything was either coated in powdered sugar, or covered in a layer of sweet syrup. The mass of different scents buffeted his nose. Because he was the only one who wasn't eating so ferociously, he was the only one who even had room for sweets, but that's what Charlotte had gotten them for anyway. Jaht was impressed with the drink, Nimet enjoyed more sweets than he usually had in a year, and the company laughed and joked till the sky became truly dark.
When the day was worn, and the four were worn, and things were winding down and people were starting to head home, the new group of friends gathered in front of the Sleepy Creek, they exchanged good byes and parted ways. Charlotte left with Herc, and Nimet left with Jeht, who offered to see him home. As they walked, Jaht put his arms behind his head and looked up at the stars, swaying side to side slightly to match his strides. It didn't take long for Nimet to copy. "So how about the king tonight, eh?" Jaht reminisced, "I was surprised. I didn't expect the king to have it in him. One thing's for sure though, people are gonna have a lot more respect for him after that."
"Achoo!"
"You okay dear?" the queen asked.
"I'm fine. Someone must be talking about me," he answered as servants finished buttoning his nightgown.
"Come on to bed honey."
The two canines walked for a while. Eventually, Nimet stopped at a modest house. The fire inside gave warmth and showed the activity of a couple inside. "Well. Here we are. You can go back to the castle." Nimet hoped Jaht would just leave. That way he wouldn't see that he was an urchin. The thought of Jaht turning away with a face of disgust was too much for him to bear. That's why he was relived when he heard Jaht say, "Okay then. I'll see you later!" The two wolves smiled and waved as Jaht walked away in the direction of the castle.
Once he was out of sight, Nimet walked to the next house over. Dark and cold. Exactly the way it always is at night. And in the day. Nimet climbed through a gaping hole in the wall. Why open the door when you can walk past it? Nimet climbed onto a pile of straw and looked outside. There was so much exposed, you could still see much of the outside from where he lay. The stars, the dark sky, the bright moon, the silhouette of a person standing in the crack in the wall.
"So this is where you really live."
Nimet jumped onto his feet and stammered, trying to make up some excuse. But it was already too late. Jaht spoke up, "So you don't have a home then?"
"That's right," Nimet answered, then he very sadly added, "I understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore." He turned away and huddled into a ball, expecting Jaht to leave forever as tears began to form.
"What are you talking about cub? Why would you even think that? Come with me. There's no way I'm leaving you out here to freeze."
Nimet had expected Jaht to take him to the stables to share warmth with the barn animals, or to the dirty kitchen, to use the residual warmth from the cooking. Instead, Nimet was taken right to Jaht's room. Servants were summoned to take away Nimet's rags, and were tasked with bringing in fresh clothes. They talked while they waited, "So how long have you lived in that ruin?"
"As long I can remember," Nimet said with tears once again rising. Jaht caught on quickly, and tried to change the subject, "Well that wouldn't do for you at all. We'll find somewhere for you to live, but in the meantime, you can stay here with me. Would you like that?"
"Do you really mean it?!" The pup could barely contain his excitement. Jaht looked the naked, smiling cub over, but he quickly caught his own thoughts and stopped them. Apparently, the noble wolf has been hiding something all along. He turned the the side, blushing, "Of...of course I do." Nimet shouted a great big "THANK YOU!" and ran up to the adult wolf with a different kind of tears streaming from his face. The cub caught the the adult in a tackle-hug, his closeness to the cub intensifying his blush. Right at that moment, the castle worker that took Nimet's rag shorts entered the room with a set of pajamas and two sets of day clothes for him. With a sigh of relief, he dismissed the worker.
"Well then, get dressed in these and we'll go to bed. I think we'll have a good rest tonight."
The cub struggled with the strange clothes that he was unfamiliar with. He did his best to properly don the nightgown. He turned to the adult, who was looking the other way, with everything off center. "Like this?" He asked.
"I suppose it'll do, but you should button it."
"What's a button?"
Jaht cursed himself for sending the servant off so soon. Now he had to deal with the cub on his own. Nervously, he explained how to dress properly, and demonstrated how to button the garments, how to put the pants on, and how to tie the rope the keep them from falling. Jaht turned away right after he was done, in order to shift his hardening wolfhood so that the cub wouldn't be able to see. He was sweating a lot, and was visibly nervous. Even Nimet could tell.
"I knew it..." the cub said dejectedly, "you don't like me."
"What? No! That's not it at all!"
"Then why are you acting that way? You're afraid to touch me. You're afraid to even look at me!" The cub began crying once more.
Jaht sighed and moved to the bed, patting for the cub to sit next to him. "It's not you I'm afraid of," he said, "I'm afraid of me. I'm afraid I'll do something terrible."
"Something terrible?"
"Let's just go to bed, and not talk about." Jaht saw the cub was still curious, "Please."
"Okay."
They went to sleep soon after, content to finally close the day. After so much had happened, the day would finally close...
...Or would it? Jaht couldn't take it anymore. The cub sleeping next to him was so close distracting, bringing back thoughts and memories that had been sealed away long ago. He turned to face the cub, gently smelling his fur. He smelled so...innocent. "This isn't right," he said in his mind. Shifting in his sleep, Nimet rolled up to Jaht and pressed his body closely up against the adult's. Jaht recoiled at his own body's reaction. He got up and sat next to his window. The full moon shone brightly into his window, having risen quite high into the night. He sat in a chair near the window, "Just to relieve stress...just this once."
Jaht untied his night pants and pulled them down. His cock, aching with need, sprung out right away. He wasn't graceful in this act. He only wanted it to be over as soon as possible. He closed his eyes and began stroking his cock with a fury, imagining doing all sorts of things to Nimet, and imagining him doing things back. Terrible things. Delicious things. Terribly, delicious things, a hundred of them raced through his mind. He imagined the cub sucking on his rod, begging him to shoot his load down his impossibly tight throat, begging to drink down spurt after spurt of his thick wolf cum.
He imagined the cub's hands on his rod, trying to milk it for more after having a taste. Every movement his hands made on his shaft, he imagined Nimet's hands doing it instead. In his mind, he flipped the cub over, he begged and pleaded with Jaht to pound his virgin ass. He wanted to be stuffed full with his huge wolf cock. The Nimet in his mind squealed in pleasure as he was taken roughly. The imagined Nimet groaned and whined like the bitch he was, enjoying the treatment he was being forced to take. When Jaht's knot formed, fake Nimet beseeched the stronger wolf to tie with him.
The fake Nimet's ass was so impossibly tight. It took several powerful rams to just get his knot halfway in. With one last thrust, he knotted the cub in his mind, the imagined Nimet wailed and arched his back, having gotten what he craved so much. Jaht howled in pleasure, gripping his knot and squeezing it, pretending it was the wolf cub instead surrounding and squeezing his knot. He pumped furiously for a few seconds until he shot his load all over his chest. With each stream of cum that shot from his cock, he imagined it was being sent straight into Nimet's tailhole. He leaned back in the chair, panting and sighing. Mulling over what he just did. He was distracted from his thoughts by a voice. A voice he knew. He turned and saw Nimet standing next to the bed, clutching his hands together and watching.
"Was that what you were talking about?"
Thank you so much for making it all the way here! I don't normally like long stories, was this too long?
I hope this makes up for my recent suckishness. I do have plans to continue this story, so don't worry about the ending.
I usually make sure each character's name is important, I want it to convey meaning. So just for fun, here's some name meanings.
Nimet comes from a word that means "Nameless".
Jaht comes from a word that means "Hunter".
Vimh comes from a word that means "Rain", it matches his brother's name, but you'll find out what his name is later.
And no, the alchemist's name isn't really Crazy Old Guy. That's just what Vimh calls him, as a joke.
Be sure to talk to me! Comments and Private Messages are like a life blood. I need them to survive. I promise I won't bite. (I make no promises not to suck, slurp, fondle, or massage.)