Gadrin watches in awe as he watches his latest apprentice at the forge. Though petite and strawberry haired, her pristine maids outfit does not get dirty as sweat drips down her face. One would think being a maid would render it impossible for her to life a hammer. But on the contrary, her swings hammer as she tempers the blade proves otherwise.

Apparently, Holly was more active than the average maid. And though it did not show at first, but once one thought on it, it made sense. For Holly to keep up with her Lady, Holly had privately trained under the tutelage of one of the guards to increase her stamina and strength.

Holly was not a very good swordsman, but she had an abnormal amount of strength in her arms. According to rumors and those that had witness first hand her fury in the form of broken noses and teeth, her strength came from suppressed fury. But most concluded that the true source of her strength was linked to Lady Lena.

There may be some truth to that, Gadrin though as he watched Holly beat the blade into submission with a satisfied on her face. It almost seemed the more she beat the poor sword, the better she felt. A trickle of cold sweat slides down Gadrin’s back. For a maid, Holly was certainly rather cold blooded.

With a relish, Holly swings the hammer one more time, before trotting over to Gadrin. Gadrin eyes the blade for a moment and nods in approval. “Not bad, but you need to temper it more smoothly in compacted blows. Your technique is not bad, but the blows must be balanced,” Gadrin said as he handed the blade back.

Holly quietly takes the blade and throws into the rubbish bin before returning to work on some ornaments. Dolly was right, when she said, that Holly had talent. Holly had never found pleasure in the art of blade making and being surrounded by brawny sweating men. That was until it was her turn at the forge.

Something primal suddenly awoke inside Holly as she took to the art of forging like a duck to water. It was almost as if her stress was being alleviated via the symbolic beating of the blade. Only by beating someone thoroughly could the blade truly learn to be forged.

Holly delicately wipes the sweat from her brow as she focuses on her task at hand. Gadrin had given Holly the role of craft small intricate pieces needed to forge a new item. Holly wasn’t certain of their use but happily did as instructed lost in the art of forging.

*

Out in the gardens, Delilah falls onto her back huffing and puffing as Dolly strides over and hands her a cool glass of lemonade. Delilah thirstily swallows as Dolly returns to her mother’s side, Ako sitting in the cool shade. Her auburn hair glittered in the day’s light as her fox ears twitched with her fox tail neatly curled up behind her.

Ako smiles at her oldest pup as Dolly seats herself next to her, while Delilah climbs to her feet and begins to run again around the gardens to build her stamina. Ako softly hums as they commune with nature.

Dolly furrows her brows and chants in an ancient forgotten language, “itu’s dil sado veni os mando!”

A large red wolf named, Barhest appears at Dolly’s side as a crow lands on her shoulders, named Loki. For two spirits guides and summons, they were far from weak. The two currently wore smaller forms, but they were great spirits.

Dolly wipes sweat from her brows and smiles triumphantly. It had taken her some time, but this was the first time she could summon her spirit guardians to the earthly planes. With enough practice and time, she would be able to unlock their full forms. Ako pats her pup’s ears as Dolly happily preens under mother’s congratulations.

Delilah lungs burn as she watches the summoned creatures of Dolly stare back at her curiously. Though Barhest had a gleam in his eyes as his tail twitches at her running. Delilah kept back a whimper as she flinched at the red wolf’s gaze.

Dolly rises to her feet and shouts, “Delilah, Barhest volunteered to help you train. If you get caught he’ll bite you, he says.”

Delilah opens her mouth to say no but is too out of breath to speak. With a howl, Barhest rushes forward as Delilah runs faster than she has ever in her life. Every few steps she leaps forward as a sharp mouth snaps close behind. Tears are in her eyes as she runs for her life the rest of that evening.

For the first time in her life, Delilah vows revenge and promises herself to learn how to hunt wolves. With that in mind, Delilah flees towards the forges where Holly resided. The wolf ceases to chase her halfway to the forges, where Delilah collapses at the door. The last face she sees that of Holly as she whispers and points, “Wolf,” before departing from the world.