A/n: Heres a nice little ruff, hopefully I can get another out tomorrow night.

Howling Thunder Ch24:Toy Land

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A jackal male my age, walks out of a side room, clearly frustrated, “I was helping Miss Lupa carry stuff to her room!”

He freezes in place, noticing me. The last time I saw him was the night of the naming ceremony.

I have to ask, “You're still called Copper?”

His expression sours like he just sat on a stick.

Patra explains, “Goddess Mother Anput felt that he didn't really pass the naming trial but she thought he was rather adorable so she declared his name to remain Copper.”

“Anput?”

Ulfa yawns, “Anubis’ wife, mother of the Anubi Tribe similar to Freki of the black wargs. Mistress doesn't care for her, says she's all work and no fun.”

Looking back to Patra, “What about you?”

Out of the corner of my vision spot Copper roll his eyes as Patra puffs out her chest and clears her throat as if about to make a grand speech.

“This Holy Daughter of the Forge has been blessed by the Anvil Trinity of Yoden. Lord Wayland of Valhalla, Lord Hephaestus of Olympus, and Lord Ptah of The Nile, each spoke during my naming. Goddess Qetesh was the one who granted my name. They all foretold that I shall be the one to craft the tools which shall shape the next era!”

Well, “someone isn't bragging at all, is she.”

Patra deflates a bit, “I’m only stating facts! You can ask the guild master in the Forge Tower, my name is even on the scroll of paragons already, beneath the sculpture of the Anvil Trinity! How else would they allow someone my age a shop next door to the guild?”

I’ll have to check some time, “Lupa is making herself at home?”

Copper puts on a work apron in preparation to tend the store, “Ah, yes she”

Patra cuts him off, “Yes, that girl is going to be a very nice addition to my shop. Oh, and since im sure you're wondering I’ll just tell you, the allowance for your litter is managed by my mother. That means that by Lupa working here, all her needs for tailoring and such are covered by the royal family. Also any shopping you do in the city, just have them send the bill to this shop.”

A light passes through her eyes, “On that note, hurry up into the workshop. That trident will do for now but it really isn't anything I can be proud of now that I have this place!”

Through a large archway is the workshop, everything is carved from white stone. A large fountain sculpted in the shape of a jackal goddess, pours water from a jug into a cooling trough. The wheel for a spinning wheel leans to the side of some open crates in one corner.

The forge itself is in the shape of an enormous, white wolf maw. Flames in the back flicker up, casting light out of it’s hollowed out eye sockets. The anvil stand has relief carvings of foxes, jackals and wolves playing.

It really does have the feeling of a holy shrine.

On a workbench I’m presented a dozen odd chunks of metal ore and ingots. They have a range of colors from gold to black and even blue. A few seem to even have shards of crystal embedded in them.

Patra stands to my side with a parchment and quill, her tail excitedly wags behind her, “Alright, unlike Akane and Walther whose abilities aren’t quite to the degree of damaging their own equipment, your specialty utterly destroys nearly everything touches. There also aren’t any similar magic users in the academy available for hire. Take one sample at a time, slowly charge it, as soon as it shows signs of breaking down, stop and move on.”

First in line is her reference point, standard iron. I grasp the ingot firmly and begin to channel the sparks from my tail into it. It heats up but holds shape, giving it a bit more causes sparks to arc out from it and the ingot starts to glow a dull orange color.

She raises her hand, “That's enough, in actual combat you shouldn’t have time to carefully hold back like this. Next ore please.”

The quill moves quickly as I pick up the next bar… I think this is solid gold. I look over to see if she’s serious but she doesn’t seem to even care.

“Well get on with it, there’s quite a few and all my other work is getting held up by this.”

After only a moment the bar starts to redden and spark before becoming too hot to hold, visible burn marks cover the material.

Next, a rounded grey bar, shining in the fire light and nearly reflective. As soon as I put a charge into it the sparks arc right out the end. The metal itself takes a while to heat up.

She only nods and waves her hand for me to keep going. Some metals heat up immediately, one even nearly melting there in my hand. A couple seem to have no reaction at all, they even feel harder to use. Of the crystal encrusted ones, one melts, one shatters violently, another actually changes colors from green to blue.

The most dramatic reaction was a white metal ball that had no reaction initially but as soon as some of my fog touched it, the whole thing ignited in a blinding flash and shot out of my hand.

Patra cursed someone apparently gnomish as she used a set of tongs to deposit the shrinking, fiery ball into the forge pit.

Once I finish she seems lost in thought for a moment before dashing out of the room. After a few breaths of time she returns and tosses me a small, pale gold coin that looks quite old.

Picking back up her quill, “Go a head, hold it flat in your hand and give it a slow charge.”

The instant my spark enters the coin it flashes with arcs and fires across the room.

She runs over and gingerly pokes the coin before picking it up and letting it rest in her own hand.

“This will be the core...Darling you’re about to have one of the most expensive weapons in the history of Yoden.”

Assuming it’s made of gold coins, I don’t doubt it.

Pocketing the coin she sets down the parchment and begins to push me out of the workshop so she can sooner get to work. Entering the archway to the main storefront we actually hear some woman yelling.

“I don’t have to listen to anything that comes out of your insolent mouth! You will immediately leave this den of mongrels, no daughter of mine will be caught working for these dirty servants! Since when do slaves have employees?!”

Lupa is red in the face in front of a screaming woman who could pass as her older sister. Her hair is similarly blonde, her every feature carefully groomed, her dress a spotless white.

I grab Lupa’s shoulders and pull her to my side. The rage in her eyes calms and seems replaced with worry.

Looking the angry woman directly in the eye with my chin slightly tilted up, “I would like to know why you are screaming at one of my mates and referring to the other as a dirty, mongrel, slave.”

The woman stomps her foot, “Young Alpha Nox, my husband, General Ivan, did not give you our treasured daughter so that you may dismiss her and put her to work amongst the rabble!”

“Your name Madam?”

She stretches her back as if attempting to bring herself to my height.

In failing so her expression darkens even more, “Kira, matron of the,”

I cut her off, “Madam Kira, to me, You, are rabble. Also, I don’t remember being given anything.”

Coldly and calmly I lean closer, “I Took your daughter. Now, she is free to leave my side if she chooses, but I will not tolerate some bitch with a fancy title claiming authority to tell me what to do with my mate. Also, in light of you insulting my first wife, you have till the count of five to leave my sight or be charred black skinned and naked in a manner more painful than you can possibly imagine.”

Red arcs violently spray out of my tail as she hesitates to back down.

The woman sharply turns and begins to walk away, “You remember this day pup, don't regret it later.”

I look at Lupa, her eyes seem lost in a haze of fear and confusion.

Smiling, “I know, shocking to realise that when you woke up this morning you actually held position over your own family.”

Pulling her chin to meet my gaze, “You owe nothing to them and they have no say in your life. From now till death and then even beyond, you’re mine as long as you’re willing.”

She nods, a slight red tinge to her cheeks.

I glance back to Ulfa who is grinning at me for some reason, “What? I don’t like others trying to play with my toys.”

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A/n: I will admit, Lupa's story is one of my favorites in HT, I hope I do it justice this time around.

In other news, my goal for this weekend is at least one more chapter here and to update the website with the combined chapters featuring further proofreading.

I will mention that I do usually post on the twitters what im working on and stuff like things i draw visual inspiration from, from time to time. this Includes when I add new chapters to that little Animus side story with Nox that i'm afraid to mention here for legal reasons, Nintendo is a scary monster. I only have three fictions on the site so it shouldn't be hard to find.