THE WOLFBOUND

Chapter 2: Frosty

Frosty is a Pit-Wolf pup Claude's father rescued after a group of heroes accompanying his father in a Tangent killed Frosty's family and pack, leaving him to die.

Claude's father, Gil, snuck the pup out of the Tangent and brought him home to Claude, where he was healed and has lived in the forest surrounding their cabin ever since.

The only remnant of Frosty's tragic past is a ring of missing hair around his back leg, where he was once caught in a snare.

Pit-Wolves are descendants of wolves that wandered into open Tangents and integrated themselves into the battle-hungry lives of whatever species resided there, whether Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds, etc.

This resulted in the wolf species interbreeding with any canid creatures native to the Tangents, creating a remodeled hybrid suited for survival in the new chaotic zones appearing on Earth. Pit-Wolves come in a variety of colors and sizes, but on average they weigh around 260–300 lbs as adults, and what isn't solid muscle is iron-like, dense bone — so dense, in fact, that they cannot swim, only sink.

"Frosty, what's the matter with you? I almost had a heart attack, you bonehead," Claude said, knowing there was a good chance the pup would sneak-attack him again tomorrow morning anyway.

Frosty replied by sitting and raising his right paw in an attempt to shake Claude's hand, which is how he usually greeted him in the mornings.

Claude got up and dusted himself off, removing sticks, dirt, and other debris.

He went over to Frosty and gladly shook his oversized paw, which he swore felt heavier every day.

After shaking with Frosty, he pressed his head against the muscle-bound pup's in a show of affection, taking in his natural wild scent of pine, wet fur, and blood.

After Claude got his usual greeting with Frosty out of the way, he continued the rest of his forest run, now accompanied by an overgrown Pit-Wolf pup.

Once he completed his run, he headed back to the cabin, where the workout equipment his father had gotten him was set up. It was nothing luxurious, nothing like what was at the C.S. Academy, but for Claude it was more than enough.

"I really don't know where I'd be without you all," he said, eyeing his weights and equipment with excitement.

Once he filled a bowl of water for Frosty, Claude began his usual morning workout: 50 squats, 10 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 25 strict muscle-ups.

"Twenty three....tweeenty four....tweeenty five." Finishing the 25 muscle-ups concluded Claude's early morning workout.

After a short while, he realized he didn't feel the need to lie on the ground and catch his breath, and his arms and legs didn't feel as though they would explode. Instead, he felt a light, refreshing sting in his muscles... they felt alive.

"I know you see the progress Frostyyyyy!!" Claude said in an energetic tone.

When he didn't hear any movement or huff of acknowledgment, he realized he was talking to himself and felt a little red with embarrassment.

"Well, goodbye to you too, damn."

Claude headed inside the cabin and looked at the clock above the front door, realizing he had 30 minutes before he needed to leave for the academy.

He looked around the living room, taking in its homey essence.

The room had shiny, dark wood floors, and in one corner stood a sturdy metal desk beneath a bay-style window.

The desk was riddled with his father's notes and hand-drawn depictions of the Tangents — some looked like real-life nightmares, while others looked like serene, snowy biomes.

Claude couldn't wait to explore them.

Claude's daydreaming was interrupted by a familiar smell that made a small earthquake erupt in his stomach... "CHICKEN!"

He looked deeper into the cabin, toward the dining room, and saw a steaming plate of chicken with rice and a whole lot of spinach sitting on the round oak table. Claude's favorite meal.

All he could do was silently praise the chef who made it.

"Dad... you are a HERO!"

After a few minutes of eating, Claude noticed a piece of paper beside his plate — a note from his father.

It read: "Hey kid, I had to leave for work early today, but I'll be back tomorrow. Also, I saw your armor... it looks like Orc excrement! So I left some coppers for you to get a new leather set.

Have a good day at the academy and kick some ass!"

Claude ran the last line over in his head again. ''Have a good day at the academy... what is that, a joke?''