Previous Chapters
Close
Wait and Bleed1,029 words
Knowledge and a chance1,078 words
The Forge1,043 words
Armor1,265 words
Escape1,015 words
Patience1,091 words
Awkward713 words

Awkward

Shade had just about killed himself the next day when he was working the forge. His own forgemaster came by to tease and interrogate him about Luna. It wasn't intentional, he only lost control of the rod of hot metal and nearly stumbled into the furnace. For the first time in his life, he glared at his forgemaster with something very close to hate.

"So how goes it with the newbie?" The forgemaster asked.

Shade glared at him with malice, "It isn't, nor will it."

"Why not?" The forgemaster asked.

"Why would it?" he countered.

"Because, you both want it." he said with mock hesitation. "lets find out. She's coming by right now, on her way to drop off her next bundle of weapons. Now get out there and ask her."

"In any other case I would listen to you, but when it comes to this kind of thing, no!" he says.

He got no further, Luna came down the walkway on her way to the armory with a large bundle of newly made weapons on her back. Before he could react, Shade was literally shoved out into the walkway and almost into Luna. Luna, thankfully, saw all of this. She just smiled at him, seeing the large blush on his face, and with a small blush on her own. She continued to walk, and gave him his own bundle of produced weapons.

"Walk with me." she said.

He didn't say anything, he just took his own bundle over his shoulder and followed her.

"What was he bothering you about?" She asked him when he was out of earshot.

"Oh... uh... nothing important." he says in response, desperate to hide his embarrassment.

"I'm sure." she says, obviously not convinced. "I'm still curious, what was he talking to you about that caught you so off guard that you nearly stumbled into the furnace?"

"Just something I didn't expect, you shouldn't worry about it." he tells her.

"I'm not worried." she pressed, certain he was hiding something now. "Tell me."

"I..." he couldn't say any more, he cast a glance back to see the forgemaster grinning in his direction. "He and some of my friends have been pressuring me to do something. It isn't bad and they mean well, I just don't really want to do it. They think it would be good for me, it just isn't a priority for me right now."

"Mmm." she says. "How interesting."

"Why. Why is that interesting?"

"Others have been doing pretty much the same thing." She explains. "Saying that I need to approach someone. Any advice on how to get them to leave me alone about that?"

"I haven't been very successful about that myself." He chuckles. Inwardly he was frightened. They're after her about it too!? Well this just keeps getting better!

Luna looked about to make sure that they were alone, they had left the forges and were now in a narrow hallway that would take them to the armory to drop off the weapons they had produced.

"What were they pressuring you for?" She asked in a slightly lowered voice.

He knew he wouldn't get out of this, so he took a deep breath, said his prayers, and told her. "They've been pressuring me to ask you out."

This caught Luna off guard. Was the world after her?! When will this end?! A blush was very clearly seen on her muzzle, as there was on his. She couldn't say anything, she just stared in shock.

After she recovered she inquired. "Why have they?"

"I don't know." he admits.

"And why don't you?" She asks.

"I just never thought to, and when they brought it up the concept scared me." He tells her. "I've grown so used to the same routine, get up, go to the forge, work on weapons and armor, eat, go back to work, come home, eat, sleep. The only real breaks in this is the occasional visit to the tavern or when I'm called for scouting duty, and such a major change just frightened me beyond anything I have ever felt."

"I see." She said, not able to help but feel a little disappointed.

"So... will you?" He asks sheepishly.

Smiling she hugged him. "Of course! How could I say no?"

856 views

Previous Chapters