Harem King's Collection: Turning Beastkins Into Desperate Wives!
Chapter 47: Stink Like You

Chapter 47: Stink Like You

A while later, and Aster had snuggled back into his warm spot against Stahl’s fur, as the beast just held him closely while the human vented his worries from the day’s events before he eventually fell off into a peaceful sleep.

Stahl could never admit how afraid she had been of Aster that day, how afraid of such insidiously dark, raw, and out of control the power he somehow wielded had been. A sentiment she shared with Prince Tyfin.

For the second night in a row, the she-wolf had managed little rest, so instead, she just looked up to the waxing moon, anxiously awaiting the approaching time when it would shine in her favor, and finally bring word to ease their troubled minds. Or so she had hoped, anyway.

In truth, her biggest fear was that neither her father nor her brother would ever answer her call again.

Shaken by her inner turmoils, Stahl held Aster just a bit tighter, not willing to lose yet another person she cared about.

The next evening, after a day full of gossip and rumors circling around from beast to beast in the traveling pack, it was once more time for the minotaur’s training. Everything was pretty well the same as before, as Aster prepared for his "weight training,"

Stahl was instructing her students on sword techniques.

The human was a bit more prepared for the task, now knowing what to expect. He removed his upper armor beforehand, leaving only the greaves and the bracers on to help distribute and support the mass of the bovine. Aster opted to get on both knees this time, putting a bit more strain on his shoulders and back, but preventing his breath from locking up if he were to be pinned against his own knee again.

He readied his shoulders and arms better, spreading them out to his sides to really brace against the brunt of the weight. With a deep breath in, the human accepted the humiliating task with a sense of focus and raised his shield to serve as the beast’s throne.

His desire to rise above even this was easily readable on his expression. Neither pride nor shame would stand in his way. The experienced bull smiled at the determination of his student, still rising to all challenges, just as his father had told him when the small human had actually stood to face Straga Raxos in the ring.

Little to Aster’s knowledge, Captain Rixator was actually one among four beasts that had personally requested that Aster be assigned to their unit after his induction and the uproar at his technical win against Stahl.

Word of his stupidity and bravery in the match before had caught more than one eye and ear that day, but it appeared the gods themselves had decided that the senseless bull would be the beast up to the job of raising the new shield bearer.

Captain Rixator took his seat, pushing Aster to either adapt and evolve to the harsh and demeaning training or to be crushed beneath his inability and the weight of his teachers demands. The bull gave the kid two weeks before he would earn that staff back. As it turns out, Aster wouldn’t even need that long.

It was after six more days of the grueling routine that Aster found himself dazing out in his task, the weight was there, but his arms had steadied quickly from the bull’s extensive physical routines. Aster had another hour of basic exercise added to his morning routine by order of the bovine, resulting in a constant state of both exhaustion and steady improvement for the human.

His shield was becoming lighter each day, with the thick-headed bovine sometimes wondering if he was visibly losing weight. But Aster’s body did need to properly rest soon. Captain Rixator knew this, but had a gut feeling that his pupil was close to a breakthrough, and with a little luck and some prodding, he may be able to force that breakthrough.

Usually, he didn’t like pushing a single student so far so quickly, but as it stood, Aster needed to be stronger. Regardless of how anyone felt about it, the shield was a big part of whatever was really going on. So that shield needed to be ready to serve its purpose.

Rix smiled to himself, knowing he was about to stir up a whole mess to force some things long overdue to come to a head. His prince called for unity. This is how the bull knew to bring it. This called for a Rixator special.

"ASH PELT! YOU NEED TO STOP HOLDING MY SEAT SO CLOSE AT NIGHT! IT’S STARTING TO EVEN STINK LIKE YOU!"

Aster almost dropped his shield on the spot as Stahl’s movement hitched just enough for her student to deliver a resounding THWACK! directly across her cheek with the flat of the sheathed blade.

For a heartbeat, Stahl stood perfectly still. Then her left eye began to twitch.

"Below. The clothing. Line," she said through a smile that could shatter glass, her free hand drifting to the tender spot on her cheek. "If this scars, I’ll introduce you to every sharp object in the armory... personally."

Then her attention drifted to the captain... "SHIT. CAPTAIN RIX! WHAT -" The bull gave her no time to catch a break, and as it turned out, neither were her students.

Stahl was currently fending off a humanoid crocodile that had made it through the most recent Selection, as well as a humanoid kangaroo who had served in the military prior. Their attacks seemed to grow sharper at the bull’s words, as if in disgust at the subject at hand.

"I’M ONLY SAYING, THE HUMAN STINKS BAD ENOUGH! ADDING YOUR SCENT TO IT DOESN’T HELP! YOU CAN WAIT TO MARK HIM AGAIN AFTER WE CAN BATHE NEXT TIME!"

Stahl felt her blood run cold, resulting in the kangaroo nearly getting another hit in. Aster hadn’t realized he had stopped breathing all together in his shock. It was the crocodile that spoke next, striking furiously at the she-wolf as he did.

"A noble beast of Alora... Rolling in the dirt with a human of all things... You shame us all."

The kangaroo chimed in his agreement, synching up his assault with the croc’s, bearing down on the she-wolf as they spat their venom. The bull hadn’t expected that much to be said, but he could work with it. Time to play dirty.

"BONDING AMONG WARRIORS IS ALWAYS WELCOMED! BEING INTIMATE WITH THOSE YOU TRUST YOUR LIFE TO, ONLY STRENGTHENS YOUR ABILITY TO READ EACH OTHER IN BATTLE! I DON’T CARE IF THE DOG WANTS A BONE, BUT YOU WILL WAIT UNTIL I AM DONE FARTING ON IT, ASH PELT!"

Stahl thought she was going to explode in her rage, but the two students were lashing at her faster than the bull was now, utilizing what they had learned in their own training against their very teacher. More than anything, she knew Aster was struggling with all this being so openly blasted. Stahl felt shame for what she had allowed herself to do, leading to this treatment. That is, until Captain Rix really started to salt the wound.

"DO NOT WORRY ASH PELT! EVEN NOW, THE BOY GROWS EXCITED BY THE THOUGHT! MAYBE HE’D JUST LIKE TO BE YOUR SEAT NEXT? HE SEEMS TO GROW COMPLACENT WITH HIS ROLE. I DON’T KNOW IF HE EVEN WANTS TO EARN HIS STAFF BACK ANYMORE. HE STILL HAS NOT MANAGED TO THROW ME OFF. HE STILL HAS NOT EVEN TRIED TO... HOW SUBMISSIVE DID YOU MAKE HIM? PLANNING ON BREAKING HIM IN PRETTY ROUGH THEN? MAYBE THE BOY WOULD RATHER JUST STAY BENEATH ME INSTEAD? I AM SURE I COULD KEEP HIM WARM AT NIGHT IN YOUR PLACE..."

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