Chapter 445: CHPT 445: Starving for Progress, Full on Power? Never.
Saturday Morning, January 31st. 2241. 18hrs till Wolf Moon….
The morning sun was as present as ever. As was The Red Knights searing heat that spread across SkyHaven like a sheet of flame. Even so, all Claude could truly feel was the moon.
Even as thick beads of sweat dripped down his back and clung to his long hair in the midst of his morning workout. All that sat in his mind— in truth, was the moon. What it would bring. He could already feel the affects. He'd been feeling them for two days already. It started out as easier shifts, happening in his sleep, increased aggression and hunger. The usual. What came now, was strength.
A clear testament to that was the massive tree log laid out across his burning back muscles. He lost count of how many times he squatted the tree. His workouts had lost their strictness sometime during his travels to the Vada District. It was easier to simply chase the burn and kill the energy. Something he'd been working to do for the past hour. Finally, it was happening.
Another ten squats with the tree and he could feel the muscles in his quads enflame. The microtears popping down his hamstrings and glutes as the sweat flowed.
With a final grunt, he rose back up to the starting position and shrugged off the massive log. When it hit the ground, the forest surrounding his grove shook.
To think. There was a time he killed his legs from goblet squats with sixty pound wooden dumbbells alone. Now well over six hundred pounds could be done in excess.
It felt good. More would feel better. A lot more.
[Continued completion of racial exercise requirement in excess has increased all physical stats by 2!]
Frosty trotted out of the surrounding woods carrying a spear made of Buck femur bone. He jumped and pranced around as Gil, the Phantom Wolves, Cassidy's Hounds and Diamondback chased him.
They'd been playing fetch in the middle of his workout.
Once Frosty reached him, he dropped the stick, the horde of beasts lunged as if they had no training. Claude slammed his foot down on the spear and planted himself.
"Stop." No yelling. Only a firmness in body and voice. No chance of misunderstanding.
THUD!!!…THUD!….THUD!
Sometimes Diamondback lost himself in the thrill of the chase.
Claude pressed forward and stuck out his hand, catching the monstrous young Primal by the face and forcing their eyes to meet.
His own lost their human circular shape and mirrored the reptilian creature.
"Why aren't you listening? You would've had the spear when I threw it if you were faster. Be faster, Diamondback."
The Primal hissed through his nostrils excitedly.
Claude didn't need to say much else. Not verbally at least. Diamondback stepped away in that clumsy way a magical adolescent dinosaur would. He waited beside the other hounds as if he was one himself.
Claude picked up the bone spear and watched their eyes come to life.
FWOO!!
They were gone as soon as it left his fingers.
He stood watching. As he lowered his arm his nostrils flared and his face cringed.
"God damn…. I smell like ass."
"[What a shocking revelation from the last Potential of Romulus.]"
Claude headed for the river, "Glad to know you're feeling like yourself this morning, Arne."
"[Likewise, mate.]"
***
Twenty minutes passed by in a blur of cool waters, pleasant smells and unpleasant thoughts. He talked with Arne about the weeks plans as usual. At this point he was just going over it with everyone until the words lost their meaning. They couldn't mess up.
All the while he bathed in the lukewarm waters of the river, running the naturally crafted bar of soap Rollan made over his tired muscles until the skin was raw. Lupines weren't humans. Their grooming standards were different, but god was it nice to have soap again.
The smells of pine, lavender and sandalwood bloomed from the soapy bubbles popping against his skin.
Maybe this was the higher place. Maybe Valhalla was just where Warriors finally got proper relaxation. Had he made it already?
"Hey, cool face."
Claude almost jumped out of his skin. Full Moons always sent his senses haywire.
He spun around and found Ursula walking towards the river. Her eyes showed that she'd just woken up. As did the series of inescapable yawns she let off.
Claude held up his hands, "Man, don't look. I'm naked."
She looked him straight in his face and shrugged, "Ok, you don't look either then."
"What does that even— oh…" Claude turned as she pulled her hair out of her bun and began removing her shirt.
"[Ahhh yes, one of the few side effects of the moon our kind favored.]"
"Arne, what are you talking about?"
"[Nothing, you innocent bastard. Nothing at all…]"
After Arne's words, the awkwardness settled in. He could feel when she entered the stream even better than hearing it. The water cooled finally. It felt like a real stream upon her entry. Her smells entered the waters, traveling down the stream and over his skin. Why was his heart beating so fast? The workout ended over half an hour ago.
Her back bumped into his. He could feel her legs beneath the stream. Soft scarred skin over hard muscle.
"Soap, please."
"Heads up." Claude tossed the soap behind him for Ursula to catch. One of the less noticed benefits of superior reflexes.
She spoke as she got to work, "How long have you been awake?"
"I didn't go to sleep." Claude washed the suds from his skin.
"You really shouldn't do that, Claude. Sleep is the best recovery around. Even the Healers tell us that."
"Yea well, Healers don't know about Full Moons— or Wild Magic. And I think I'm recovering just fine." Claude said as he peered down at his reflection in the water.
He was losing his extremely lean form. His muscles had a more dense look to them aside from their outright growth. Especially in the shoulders, back and legs. Rollan was right, he was bigger. By about fifteen pounds at least.
"Alright so I have to choke you out to make you sleep? Got it." Ursula said.
"You can try." Claude replied.
"You already know I will. Playing with fire is another thing Healers advised against….. by the way."
"Unless you can manipulate it."
Ursula nodded. He knew because he could feel her hair rise and fall on his back.
"Good point, good point."
The two sat in a calm silence for a while before Ursula spoke again.
"How's it going with Cassidy? How are you?"
"I've been talking to him. I explained what we are— the bits he didn't already know. I told him about the Lupines of Remus and their sleeping king. I explained the inescapable possibility of war against them. I told him about Malformed Lupines. He's unwavering in his desires to be apart of this. Not surprised." Claude explained.
"…..And you?" Ursula asked.
"What about me?"
"How are you? I know this is very serious to you, naturally."
Claude ran the water through his hair and sighed, "I think one of the reasons I've faced so much bullshit is because of myself…"
"Claude—"
"Just listen." Claude pressed, "My ideals and views on things were strict. Strict as hell. I'm only sixteen. But I get the feeling you don't get through life that way. I think success— survival is a malleable journey. So are people. So was Romulus, he may have died. But what he aimed to embody didn't. Look at Cassidy."
"So you're ok?" Ursula confirmed.
"Fuck no." Claude stated flatly, "I'm learning. I'm trying new things. It seems everything about what I've become has pressed me to try being something I wasn't. Try looking at things differently. I used to think Monsters were the filth of the earth. Things aren't that black and white. Many can be embraced. So with that in mind, maybe this curse can be a gift when used correctly. Maybe I'm not ruining someone's life by giving them the power to chase their…. dreams? Ideals? I don't know." Claude explained as best he could. After all it's almost all he'd been thinking about during his sleepless nights. Aside from his friends.
Ursula was silent for a moment, "Ever considered pursuing poetry? You know if this whole Alpha Shifter Hero shit fails?"
Claude laughed. How could someone be so good at breaking tension? As someone constantly tense, Ursula was essentially freeing him from the shackles of his own mental shortcomings effortlessly.
"Poetry? Nah, I think the spear is mightier than the pen."
"And why is that?" Ursula asked.
"Pens can't stick a HellBreeder to a tree at sixty feet."
He could feel Ursula smile, "Damn right they can't. I'm glad you aren't too torn up about it. I was scared you wouldn't stop thinking about me for a moment there."
"I won't." Claude said truthfully, "But maybe my frame of reference will change with Cassidy. I'll still feel bad for what I did to you, but it was all I had."
"Yea it was. And I feel great." Ursula said firmly.
"Good. I'll work to keep it that way."
Ursula smiled, "I'll save you too, hero."
Without looking the two bumped fists and Claude headed out of the river.
He headed for the grove to reach Rollan, sliding on his fresh pants. It was time for another tattoo.
"By the way, you still have some soap on your back…and elsewhere."
"URSULA! You said no looking! WE BOTH DID!"
"Sorry!"
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_Avatar0FFury_ Post action chemistry building chapters hit. That’s just my opinion tho. Let a young writer hear yours in the comments. Thanks for reading and lmk what you think! Also thanks for the powerstones Sonuis, Shazac, shadowwolf1928, Ominous_Reader, TheLucidParagon, OSIRIS, Bop_, Nate_Winslow, drachenk1nd, alex99, Demosura, Deadra606, and everyone else!
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