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Interlude 13

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

Howl had lived a long life.

A complete one? No. A satisfying one? That, he wasn’t sure of yet. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the centuries that preceded this moment, but it would be a lie to say he was completely content with what he did. He had seen the vikings, been part of them- Hel, he became a legend among them as Fenrir incarnated and joined so many fights. And while fighting was fun, most of them resulted in needless bloodbaths. It was that factor that eventually dulled away his thirst for combat. What’s the point of fighting for something right when, by the end of the day, so many people would be found dead left and right. He tried to ignore this, to appreciate the subtle aspect of victory, honor, and ambition.

But as he learned early on in his enigmatic existence, Howl was not an ambitious individual. Some may say he had yet to find something that got him excited, and many would technically be right as he hadn’t found that one thing which got his blood running hot. Fighting was fun in moderation, but there was just something still missing about it. Something that he found when he fought the Fire Crest, Carmesi. At first, he thought she was just a snot-nosed brat with how provoking she was. That her bravado was all smoke and no genuine fire within a fight when it came to specific tactics. Turns out that he had been wrong as he was soundly beaten by her. It was astonishing for him to say the least, and yet he couldn’t help but find it… awe-inspiring for future thoughts.

It was there where Howl felt something. And that feeling left him stuck within his own thoughts for a period of time. How can an opinion of someone or something change so drastically from a single fight? Many old conversations came up, of how some of his old comrades fought and perished, but not before meeting their lucky one and being able to set with them. Howl could tell this was the one for him, and yet… something was off. Despite his expectations (and hopes), Carmesi wasn’t a free spirit. Or rather, she was free to do much on her own, but it became painfully obvious how her heart was already given up to a single individual which… Howl couldn’t hate. He thought dealing with a rival in love would have triggered in him some sense of possession towards the sight that had his heart beat faster and louder than before, but this just wasn’t the case.

Theo was… he was good. His smile was never condescending on purpose, and at times the only emotion beyond warmth in his gestures was melancholy. Oddly compelling, and a sight he could sympathize with due to his past’s issues. Still, the Wolf Prime now had a goal in his life beyond saving others, which meant he had to try to do something about it. And that goal was very confusing at times. As he got accustomed to his other ‘siblings’, and got to know the overall situation of his species, he couldn’t help but be stunned by the friendliness of the Grand Knight.

He was keen to give him and the other ‘new entry’, Geecku, a quick tour of the living quarters and other functional rooms where to check on and, while Howl was quiet with his awe at how clean and big things were there, Geecku was louder and clearly as excited as he was, if not more. It couldn’t be helped, especially when he realized that some of the stuff within that new place where he was meant to stay was way better than anything he tried before. Howl just had to look at some of the exercise equipment and he could tell those could give him the extra edge in pushing himself beyond his current limits.

And as the first training session came in and the need to gauge the circumstance he was facing if he wanted to battle the human for Carmesi’ attention, Howl realized how unprepared he was. And how he may have more questions to contemplate in private.

“I’m… isn’t this wrong?”

The human blinked. “Is it though? You aren’t upset by this. Are you?”

Why couldn’t he just say yes?!

Here he was, the human was sitting on the bench, with Howl half-lying on it as his head rested on his lap. As scandalous as this early description sounded, the issue was that the only thing happening there was him getting his chin and ears scratched by the careful digits of the grand knight. And it was glorious.

“N-No.”

Tail, stop wagging. This is an order.

‘How about no~?’

Howl was tempted to growl at the clear act of insubordination, but he realized any noise leaving his throat now would be the furthest thing from upset. And he didn’t need that kind of renewed pressure back at him.

Plus, Carmesi did stare at them, but rather than confusion, there was clear jealousy on her face, as if Howl had taken from her something that she was quite possessive about. And from the fiery glare she subjected on him, he could instantly tell this would become more complicated than he initially planned it to be.

The Wolf Prime was upset- how could it be that mere chin-scratching was getting such a reaction out of him? Had he been so isolated from warm interactions that he became an utter moron to them? It didn’t help that the human then started to bring up nicknames.

Howlson, Howlosky, Howlin, Howley- The list was long and he couldn’t help but find each one embarrassing and worthy of upset grumbling. Which prompted more scratching. And his tail was wagging even happier. Thus Howl realized that he may have more questions about himself than he had before now. For he wasn’t just into Carmesi as he may or may not have something for the human too.

_ Dammit. _

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AN

Head-scratches for the win. Also, the reason why Ambar is not talking as of recent times is tied to her being busy with her baby boy. Can’t blame her for it, Sirio is a cutie.