107 CHPT 107: Panic

Claude and Frosty ran to SkyHaven happily burning their excess energy and gaining terrified looks from the carriages and people on horseback they passed.

By the time Claude could see the gates that guarded the vast city, an even sheen of sweat coated his forehead and arms beneath his black armor.

The last thing he saw head through the gate was the back of a carriage that belonged to the University of the Phoenix. When him and Frosty reached the gate, the carriage had already disappeared into the active city streets of SkyHaven.

"God dammit. I'm late." He assumed as he approached the guards of the gate.

"Hello sir. What brings you....t-to SkyHaven?" The man stammered out after noticing Frosty.

"Just trying to get to the SkyLight guildhall so I can get to the University." Claude replied.

The tall bearded man raised his eyebrows up until they disappeared into his helmet. "Your a student?"

"Yes sir. A late one at that."

The guard was looking at Frosty when he heard Claude mention he was late, snapping him out of his fearful trance. "Oh! Forgive me." He said before gaining his fellow guards attention and beginning to open the gate.

"Thanks." Claude said as he passed them.

"No p-problem." The man stuttered out as Frosty trotted past him.

Claude shook his head to try and remove the scent of fear the guards let off from his nose as he entered the city.

"[Its going better than I thought.]" Arne said.

"What?" Claude replied.

"[The people. I expected the citizens to collectively lose their marbles when they saw the furball. But it's not too bad.]"

Claude looked around noticing it wasn't that bad at all. Most citizens were too busy heading to their destinations, preparing their stores or talking amongst each other. There were people that cast him and his PitWolf odd and fearful glances but it wasn't the majority. Plus, there were other Beast Tamers in the city once they entered the Hero area. They had beautiful shiny feathered birds on their shoulders and others had regal looking well built dogs on leashes that would stop and try to sniff Claude or socialize with Frosty.

For the most part they somewhat blended in, making his walk to the SkyLight guildhall more pleasant than him or Arne thought.

As he approached the building, a deep and intense smell of sorrow hit him, intertwined with the usual scents of leather sweat and other smells common in populated cities. The cold and intense smell was so strong that he had to plug his nose in fear of catching a migraine or vomiting.

"What the hell?" He said as he looked in the direction of the smell.

All he saw was a group of students walking into the building, laughing, and chatting leisurely between each other.

"Can't be them." He thought.

He patiently waited for them to pass, only to see someone as soon as they did.

It was a woman. She was of average height and build with the glow of a mother who recently had a child that radiated off her already glowing olive skin. Her luminous black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung all the way down to the bottom of her back. A young boy barely old enough to walk stood at her side, holding her hand in a tiny firm grip.

Despite her obvious beauty and radiance, she was the one letting off the intoxicating waves of deep and dark sorrow.

He didn't know why and it piqued his curiosity, causing him to study her even further.

She wore a dark blue worn jacket that was too large for her and form fitting black pants that were tattered at the bottom. He didn't realize it before, but in her other hand— the one partially facing him, she held a large painting of sorts in a shining silver frame.

He crossed the street— gaining angered yells and verbal assaults from the people him and Frosty stepped in front of, to see the painting.

Before he could stop himself to consider that maybe the woman's problems were none of his business, he examined the art piece she held in a death grip. It didn't take him long to recognize the face in the painting and for his heart to rip its way through his skin and armor, leaving him as a hollow corpse in the busy early morning street.

He inadvertently reached into his pocket and began clutching the withered Bronze tags while he fought to catch his breath.

"C-Chadw—....Chadwick." He thought in horror as the picture continued to look into his eyes.

He was completely frozen in place, a hammering headache came crashing into the front of his skull, his eyes blurred, his stomach lurched and twisted around his spine and his hands trembled uncontrollably. He could feel Frosty pushing his snout against his hand next to him with worry, but he couldn't move. He couldn't take his eyes away from the smiling young brave man in the picture.

"[Claude, you have to listen to me very closely. You're experiencing a panic attack of some sort and losing control by the second...I know you feel that twisting pain in your gut and chest, that's not just fear and grief.....your transforming!]" Arne said.

"He...he had a family.....he was...a Father..." Claude responded. The last few words he said came out oddly from his canines lengthening into sharp fangs.

"[CLAUDE! BREATHE OR YOULL TURN INTO A MONSTER!]" Arne roared in his mind to get his attention.

Claude inwardly flinched at Arne's raised voice, causing his body to remember to breathe. The deep breaths fought to revert his transformation and somewhat center his mind.

"[There you go. I understand your pain, but you have to keep breathing, you need to regain your focus.]" Arne said simply.

Claude continued to take in huge gulps of air until he was lightheaded. Slowly, the movement of his insides halted and he was left heaving silently and sweating.

He continued to clutch the Bronze tags as he placed himself beside the woman who stared at the building seeming to consider if she wanted to go in or not.

Glancing over at her face told him all he needed to know. Her young brown eyes were infested with pain and the bags under her eyes said she'd been out of touch with sleep for days.

"Did you know him?" She suddenly asked without looking at him.

"Briefly." Claude replied shakily.

"Good. That means I don't have to hear you prop him up to be this legendary high ranked Hero. He was Bronze ranked...I know he didn't do much.....but I still love him." She mumbled the last part.

Claude understood her brash response. She'd probably heard countless Heroes claim to know Chadwick and how he fought valiantly and was an impressive Knight with amazing power and respect. The fact that she knew he wasn't the strongest of Knights probably added to her sadness and anger as the Heroes lied to her and her sons face.

Claude sighed as he continued to look at the wall. "No, you don't have to hear me prop him up. All I'll speak is the truth. The truth is; I barely knew him, but he made a lasting impression. He may not have been the strongest, but he was a great leader who didn't lead with power, but with his bravery and trust in his team— in anyone. His bravery and faith in his team was infectious.....it made you want to do everything you could not to let him down because he believed in you as much as you did in yourself— maybe even more so. He was the peak definition of a Knight, a Hero and a Father all the way until the end and no rank tag could measure his true worth.."

By the time he finished talking, Claude fought hard to hold back tears while the woman cried silently and ran her hands through her sons hair.

Suddenly, she wrapped the arm that held the picture around his and let her head fall on his shoulder.

"Thank you. It feels good to hear the truth for once." She said in between sniffles.

"I'm sorry that's not all you've heard." Claude replied.

He continued to clutch the tags in his pocket, considering the idea of giving Chadwick's to her. Realistically, she deserved it. But, revealing that he had the tag would spark a plethora of questions from her and possibly blow his cover in the future. Neither of them would benefit from any of the outcomes.

"Dammit."

After a few more moments, she rose off of his shoulder. "Sorry, I'm just.....tired." She said before wiping the tears from her eyes as she faced him for the first time. She seemed unfazed by Frosty who sat calmly next to Claude.

"It's perfectly fine. You should get some sleep when you can though, it'll make you feel better." He said— hoping her dreams were nothing like his.

She nodded knowingly while her son peaked out from behind her to look at him and Frosty.

"Anyway, I'm sorry but I have to go. I'm late." He said quickly and tried to smile at the boy before heading to the doors of the SkyLight guildhall.

The woman was caught off guard by his quick and awkward departure and spun around to at least ask for his name, Hero or real, it didn't matter to her. But before she could, a thought began to unfold in her mind.

"Wait...the only people that would be late for something in the guildhall are students of that University. How...how did that man know Chadwick if he's a student and Chadwick's a Hero?" She thought as the tall long haired man in black headed into the building with his giant wolf at his side.