Chapter 10

Aspen felt quite confused at first, wondering what he should do with the small fox healer that had lost conscious on the castle floors, blood seeping from his small paws.

Aspen remembered how his father had always taught him some healing methods, despite the fact that they weren't completely necessary for him, being the one fighting in the war instead of being one to heal the Anthros that had been hurt.

But yet his father had taught him anyway, already knowing that Aspen would be forced into this position at one point or another. And in that moment Aspen felt grateful that his father had taught him this, because it seemed that the fox lying limp on the floor was shaking, something Aspen had never before seen happen, even with any other of the healers who worked in the castle.

He quickly scooped Bane off the ground, the Anthro feeling almost impossibly light in his arms, even lighter than his thin frame had suggested, and from the feeling of the small foxes body laying in his own, he could feel the bones in Banes body, the feeling of the bones so pronounced that he could immediately tell that the fox had rarely ever had anything to eat, something that was unfortunately a relatively common thing in the city, the poverty rates having skyrocketed as of recently.

Aspen rushed Bane to his own room, feeling much more concerned for the fox than he had quite anticipated himself feeling, especially with the loss of his father having numbed his feelings, so the Arctic wolf was surprised to feel his heart beating hard within his chest, the urgency he felt to care for the fox prominent.

He finally reached the door to his room, flinging it open, quickly resting the fox on his own bed, the mattress warm and soft.

Practically everything in Aspens room was at the highest quality, the wolf being now the commander of the countries army gave him the opportunity to have many luxuries in the castle, including his room which was the best in the castle other than the kings own.

Aspen lowered his head to the foxes chest, feeling himself strangely blushed as he did, listening for any heart rate from the fox. He felt relieved when everything seemed normal about the fox, other than his hands which were staining the sheets of his bed. But Aspen didn't mind, he could always order someone to give him new ones, being as wealthy as a man he was.

He quickly bandaged the foxes hand with the healing kit that he had stored in his room, frustrated by how flustered he had become from just making contact with Bane, the foxes paws feeling so fragile in his larger ones.

Aspen found he cared to the fox with the absolute most care he could muster, the fox reminding him of himself when he was younger. Before his father had molded Aspen into the confident wolf he was today, Aspen was quite a shy wolf, constantly being picked on at school despite his status, never doing anything to defend himself. But he learned to shield his emotions, to never let anyone see the vulnerability within him, because he feared that was what made him weak, what had made him so helpless, and it made him feel such a mess of emotions as he bandaged the fox.

There was suddenly a sharp breath, Bane finally seeming to wake up, his emerald eyes, glistening as they darted across the room, the small fox feeling completely surprised by the amount of wealth that the room suggested, the sheer amount of luxuries that lied throughout the room.

"W-what happened to me?" The fox managed to say, voice so frail and quiet that it barely rose above a whisper.

Aspen managed to keep himself composed, forcing his voice to sound more pleasant and comforting which was quite a stark contrast from how he usually spoke, gruff and seriously.

"You must have lost conscious, you were running out of the healing wing of the castle and bumped into me, you passed out then." Aspen said, trying to lay out the events in the most sincere way he was capable of.

Barnes face seemed to redden, the fox clearly appearing embarrassed as his ears drooped, the fox appearing to make himself appear smaller than he already was, an ashamed expression on his face.

"I-I'm so sorry Aspen. I was just healing... a-and I think it was too much for me, I-I'm," the fox trailed off, his eyes filling with tears, his small frame shaking as he looked as if he were about to cry.

Aspen didn't feel he knew how to react, the wolf nor quite used to seeing so much of... emotion displayed, most deeming to just hold their emotions in, showing emotion seen as such a sign of weakness, a sign someone has left their guard down, giving the opponent the chance to strike.

Aspen reached out, hesitantly placing a large paw on Banes shoulder, the fox immediately seeming to freeze, muscles taught, eyes wide as his eyes darted to meet Aspens.

"It's alright. But why sign up for the royal healers if your magic was never strong enough?" Aspen prodded, a question that Bane found he had been dreading, the inevitable question he knew he would be asked, because he always felt he was never enough, always too weak, always just not enough magic.

"I-I thought I could do it, I really did." The fox said softly. "I thought I could always be one of them, I've trained all my life for it. And I wanted this job, me and my sister barely have any money to even put any food on the table these days, I just... I just thought I was good enough."

Tears were now rolling down Banes cheeks, the display of so much vulnerability making Aspen himself feel a bit uneasy, yet he felt a peculiar amount of pity and sympathy for the fox, so much more than he had thought of himself capable of feeling since he decided to hide his emotions, to force them back. It made him feel in such a strange way within.

"Well, I suppose I won't argue with that." Aspen said softly. "Though I do suggest you take a few days off at least from healing, I suppose I don't know too much about it since I don't have that magic myself, but I do know you can cause great harm to yourself if you overuse your magic."

Bane seemed to be returning to a more calm state, the fox taking a deep breath with minimal shaking before saying, "But I can't miss any days, th-they will surely take away the job from me." The fox said sullenly, seeming so genuinely hopeless that it made Aspen want to do something for the fox.

"Don't worry about it too much." Aspen reassured the fox. "I'll make sure you keep the job. Whatever I could do to help someone when they're struggling." Aspen said, though he knew that his words were partially at least a lie.

He wasn't completely sure of himself why he decided to help the fox, whether it was just out of pity or because he felt something a bit more.

"Y-you can really do that for me?" Bane asked in disbelief, not quite believing that the Arctic Wolf would be able to do something like that for him.

"Yes, my position allows me to have a bit more power over most people who live here anyway. But don't worry about that too much."

Aspen could see a smile form onto Banes face, one that he couldn't deny made him look cute, as the fox suddenly launched himself at the Arctic Wolf, embracing him in a sudden hug.

Aspen froze, he hadn't felt this type of affection being given to him in what felt like years, the wolf unsure of what to do with himself as he finally opted to put his paws on the foxes shoulders.

"Oh thank you so much." Bane said softly. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Bane sighed, leaning into Aspen, the wolf feeling a flurry of emotions rushing through him, but said nothing, only allowing the fox to press his face into his chest.

"Alright, well I have some things I must get to," Aspen said softly, knowing he in fact didn't have anything he had to do, but opting to leave, feeling to confused of his feelings to want to continue this with the fox. "But rest, in your condition, you are going to need it."

The wolf softly pulled himself away from Bane, the smaller fox noting how the wolf's eyes seemed to linger on him as he finally left, closing the door shut.

Bane felt overwhelmed by how much had happened since he had arrived at this castle, from having a near death experience from his magic, to now being helped by one of the most powerful figures in the kingdom.

But he felt Aspen was right, he did feel quite sleepy, the magic burnout still making his muscles ache, the fox sinking into the softness of the mattress, the warmth of the pillows, and descending into sleep.