Aster awoke with a shaky groan, his head feeling as if he had been severely beaten the night before. Every pulse of blood that pumped into his skull brought with it a searing throb, and a flash of pain. His mouth was dry, and his eyes stung as he forced them open, recoiling from the light shining through the window. He squinted in a bit of confusion, struggling to remember what the last half of his evening had entailed, and finally burned in his embarrassment as more and more pieces of the night returned to him.

Aster pulled his forearm over his eyes to block the rays of sun and grunted to himself, cursing the very morning itself and the hangover it brought with it. A light chuckle came from Aster's side, and he moved his free hand to nudge lightly against the source, grazing the pelt of his wolf idly as she spoke in a bit of a teasing tone.

"Well, seems somebody had a little too much last night. The day after is always rough, but I can tell that's a nasty one. I hope you at least slept well? Oh! And good morning, Aster."

It took everything Stahl had not to poke fun at her mate too badly. Aster just grunted out a half whine in protest before speaking in a drier voice.

"This is worse than the broken bones were..." He rolled over a bit, nuzzling into his wolf's breasts as he desperately tried (and failed) to shake the throbbing ache behind his eyes. Stahl let out an amused chuckle at him before speaking up once more.

"Well... Did it help, at least? I'm a bit sour. I wasn't there to see what you were like for your first taste of alcohol, but I know a drink can help ease heavy thoughts... And there was certainly no shortage of those around... Just, maybe not quite as much next time? Haha!"

Stahl finished her statement with a laugh, but Aster certainly didn't feel like laughing. Instead, he simply grumbled out something along the lines of "Never again..." Bringing another slight chuckle to the she-wolf, knowing how that tended to go. Instead, she brought up the real reason she had returned to the room.

"Well... Hate to be the one to tell you, but we will be heading out soon... Our supplies are already almost fully loaded, and our preparations near complete. Think you're up for a walk?"

Aster most certainly was not up for a walk... Far from it, but even so, he answered her, perking his head up slightly at the news.

"Already? It's just... Everything that happened..."

Stahl smiled at her mate kindly, understanding the feeling but answering regardless.

"I know... It seems too soon, but we do have a job to do here. We simply can't afford to waste any time getting the prince where he needs to be..."

Aster nodded lightly in acceptance, knowing Stahl was right. Stahl glanced at the impaired young man again, making a final jab. "We can't all sleep the morning away, after all."

She flashed him a playful smirk before she was finally satisfied with the teasing, delivering some hope for Aster after all.

"Well... I guess your insane luck holds out for another day... Go ahead, Rust."

Before Aster could ask for some explanation there, he suddenly felt a soft warmth replace the pain in his head, clearing his aches as his body was purified from the toxins. Aster suddenly found himself a lot more awake at the surprise, rolling over to see the burnt orange fox (with the most overwhelming smile plastered across his muzzle,) staring right back at him. Aster finally broke the silence a moment later with a not so strained voice.

"Wait... YOU'RE THE HEALER RUST? WHEN-"

The cub enthusiastically cut the human off, too excited and proud of himself to keep from spilling everything to his uncle. The fox told the human all about the demon that made it to the village, dropping his evident joy as he mentioned losing his mentor, but remaining a bit boastful of his rise to action regardless, and his swift resolve after to heal the wounded. The human had his own soft smile as the cub finished his recount, answering the young beast in turn.

"Wow... Your first kill was a demon... And you've got prayer magic now. Thanks for fixing my ankle, by the way... You're really growing up, Rust."

Aster reached a hand over to idly pat at the fox's head, a gesture he had picked up from his own father when giving praise. The cub beamed back towards him and looked over to Stahl with a mischievous smirk. The young fox spoke once more, barely containing his excitement.

"Well... There's one part I left out... I wanted to wait and just show both of you first. When I charged that demon... Something happened to me, and not just prayer magic..."

The fox stood, walking a few paces over to the other end of the room where he stopped in place, and turned back towards his uncle and auntie in anticipation. Rust let his smile overtake him once more, lowered his eyes just a bit, focused on the wolf, and spoke confidently.

"Don't blink... Mark."

In a sudden flash, the young fox was sitting between Aster and Stahl, beaming his exuberant smile in sheer pride as both recoiled from the instant change of location. Aster's face lit up at the realization, excitedly grasping a hold of the cub's hands, and immediately talking the young beast up about the incredible gift...

Stahl, however, found it suddenly very hard to breathe. A sweat broke out across her brow, her mouth hung ajar ever so slightly in the silent gasp she sucked in, and her mind slowed to a near halt, focusing on a single thought through her panic.

'He inherited it... He will be exposed... They will come for him...'

___

Oust was busy loading the musician's wagon with the help of a few orcs, the captain, and the husky Dally. They had been working through most of the morning, making final preparations and goodbyes as they loaded up their supplies and the two resting beasts among them. Alice had still not awoken, and it seemed Madame Mist was now in a similar state, so the pair had been gently secured in the covered wagon.

Prince Tyfin was becoming worried for his high mage, but found it a bit strange the husky didn't seem too worried about the peacock at all. It was as if he had expected as much. The prince wanted to ask but couldn't come up with a good way to do so, so he simply avoided the question.

After a short while, Tyfin noticed Stahl returning with Aster, whom they had all agreed to simply let rest a bit longer. Trailing a bit behind them was Rust, looking down dejectedly in deep thought, seeming to be greatly bothered by something. As the three approached, the young king nodded in greeting before he spoke.

"I do hope you were able to get a little peaceful rest, Aster?" The human smiled in embarrassment, returning the nod as he answered the beast.

"Yeah... I might've overdone it a bit... But I think I'm better off now for it. What about you? Get any rest at all?"

The prince closed his eyes, smiling softly as he recalled his own unexpected night.

"It went better than I had expected it to. I think I got a few things out of my system... It still doesn't feel like we won, though."

The human nodded, fully agreeing with that statement, but happy Tyfin found his own comfort. The prince deserved such peace in Aster's eyes.

Just as the last bit of supplies were loaded, Sir Corper walked up to the wagon, Milky trailing behind him idly. As he did so, Oust took a knee, greeting his master with respect. Prince Tyfin took a few paces forward and nodded towards the beast with both respect and a hint of appreciation for what he had done the day before.

"Sir Corper... I want to thank you again for your help in the battle. I am told you had a large part in killing both lesser demons. Your help was truly invaluable to us."

The bear made not a sound, crossing his arms in deep thought for a moment as he closed his eyes. The burly bear made a small frown as his eyebrows furrowed in thought. Finally, the beast answered the lion patiently waiting.

"I did what I felt I needed to at the time... Just as I am now. I believe this to be the path I am to walk now..."

The seasoned warrior surprised everyone present by what he did next. The bear lowered himself on his right knee and placed his right fist against the dirt in true Aloran fashion. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, speaking firmly to the taken aback lion.

"Prince Tyfin of Alora, allow me to join your ranks on the mission to return you home safely... You may be the only chance any of us have left for a peaceful rule. You need to make it back to that throne, and I can help... That is, if you will allow me to."

The young lion scrambled to answer, beyond humbled by the beast yet again.

***

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