Beasts: Reborn (REVAMPED)

Claude's time with Ursula for the rest of the day moved at a calmer pace. They talked about the discomforting nature of Detection Corps members— like the psychotic Det. Cyrene, and how to avoid them. But more importantly, they talked about the University.

He'd be back on Sunday. He still had the bull of a week left, but it almost didn't feel like enough.

So, when he woke up on tuesday morning, he was already mentally preparing himself for what was on the horizon.

One problem was solved. He knew that as he hopped out of bed and entered the polished wooden contours of his livingroom to find his father pouring the magically bound salves from Claude's healing gourd over Ms. Oracle's wounds.

She laid across the kitchen counter since that was the only thing long enough to hold her.

"How is she?" Claude asked as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"For someone who faced three Dark-Eaters, she's great. This might be the greatest Tank feat of the modern era." Gil said. He looked a mess.

His sideburns had overgrown into a shaggy full beard. He looked older as well since it was dotted with grey flecks. His usually slicked back brown hair was now a curly mess framing his angular Royal face.

The thought reminded Claude that his father really was royal. He was a prince. A banished one, but a prince all the same.

"Was yesterday real?" He thought to himself.

"Don't worry. I know I look bad— I just haven't been sleeping really. My kind physically ages when they don't sleep. Usually it's a physical drawback at my age, but I've been able to use it to my advantage. Every year I cut back an hour, all of a sudden I'm aging like everyone else, neat huh?" Gil said as he rubbed the salves over Ms. Oracle's face.

"That... is fitting." Claude said.

Gil nodded, "Originally, it was supposed to be a forced evolution. For the young Lupines, it forcibly ages them up faster. In times of war it allows them to rapidly evolve into their prime forms. But it doesn't last."

"The Lupines sound…. violent." Claude surmised.

Gil nodded, "Remus— our Progenitor-Alpha, seemed to want nothing more from his people."

"What do you mean?" Claude asked.

"Well— I told you I entered the lupine packs from a scientific standpoint. I observed. I documented. I wasn't just in it to survive. I had questions. Ideas. Notations." Gil said.

"Right."

"Certain cultural responses can be predicted by physical traits and power systems." Gil stroked Ms. Oracle's hair. "Orc's source of power is centered around their diet and physical virality. The ability to dominate. What they consume and how imposing they are. So of course they have cultural focuses on the concept of greed and the strength that comes from it….. who eats the most. Who's appetite is the largest. Their heroes— their legends, are more akin to our symbols of greed and gluttony. You understand?"

Claude nodded.

"Well, that greed and hunger that's baked into Orc culture, is a lot like the Lupines of Remus with war. We're the only species in a sense born with a taste for eachother. We can age our weak children— called pups, into strong men— known as wolven, by putting them under immense pressure… like war. We rapidly adapt to our enviroments and can have our aggression stoked by our alphas."

Claude shivered at the idea of it.

"Imagine if a war general could live in the minds of his soldiers— evolve them by putting them under stress. Strengthen them by adding to their ranks. Take them into any enviroment, knowing they could brave it. And this is before I talk about the moon or genetic social order. If the Orc's power of eating and size bred a culture of dominance it's only natural the Lupines of Remus power of social strength, aggression and evolution in trauma bred ideas supremacy. I should've known." Gil said before sighing, "But anyway, we've escaped that hell. Now you must survive the next, kid. University life back on sunday!"

Claude laughed as he walked around them and approached the kitchen, "Thanks for helping manage my mental health, dad."

"Man, anytime." Gil said casually.

Claude rummaged through his ice box pretending to be a fridge as if he had many options. It didn't take him long to take the dried meats and berries and begin eating.

"Seriously, though. How are you feeling?"

Claude swallowed down his mouthful of savory meats and sweet fruits, "How I always feel. But I'm good. My dads part of a warrior shape-shifter race. But he's got a girlfriend now. I was being stalked by a few dark gods. Haven't seen them in days…. Or nights. So maybe the clique of HexBlades at the University will leave me alone. Maybe it'll all be normal. I can get back to my friends—"

"AND your own girlfriend." Gil winked.

"Yea... Naz. Her too. I still have to figure out this hero thing. But that's not gonna happen anytime soon. For now I'll just do what I always do."

"And that is?" Gil asked.

"Work."

He shook up with his dad, kissed Ms. Oracle's hand and left the cabin.

Immediately he was joined by his animal brethren. And sisters, Jade and Rivera.

Frosty barked at his side and jumped around with the island-dog Riptide.

"We're skipping the run this morning." Claude said as he watched the sun rise.

Splashes of magenta and pumpkin orange spread across the green shadowed horizon. He worried the lack of sun would make them unavailable.

He tried anyway as he took a knee in the grass and let his hands slide between the blades.

The dark green spiral in his left hand blinked to life as green sparks of energy danced on his skin.

In the winds he could smell pollen and the growth of life surrounding. He shut his eyes— not really knowing the process of what he was doing as he interacted with the nature magic between himself and the earth.

Rustling sounds fell on his ears.

He opened his eyes and found a dandelion sprout from the ground between his hands.

He backed away and watched the flower grow and unfurl into the green form of Dandelon with his flower petal mustache and wooden musculature.

"Hey….." Claude managed.

"Greetings." Dandelon looked around, "I worried you were in trouble."

"Oh I am. It's just got a wait period." Claude got to his feet.

"How can I help?"

"I was wondering if you could spar with me….. and them." Claude referred to his animal family.

Dandelon blinked. His eyes were like orbs of flaming pollen. "This seems unfair."

"Fighting a beast-tamer isn't supposed to be fair…. to be fair." Claude said.

Dandelon shook his head casually, "I wasn't referring to you, friend." He looked from Claude to something behind him.

Claude turned around and found a hundred dryads on the forest circles edges. They crawled out of trees and grew from the ground with wild flowery flaming forms while others seeped from the cracks in the earth as slithering sappish slime monsters.

Dandelon jumped and skipped backward a few steps, brandishing a root-sword and spell-bloom flower shield.

"Did you have your own plans?" Claude asked.

Dandelon shrugged, "I got you involved with the Fey. Perhaps I wanted to get you stronger. Much stronger. It's the least I could do."