70 PRESSURES ON GREY

It was dark as midnight outside. Ursula was never one to be up so early. Times like these— before the sun rose— when frost spread across grass and cement in the wintery months, her father was most active. Trying to pull the sun up with his own elemental might and starry resolve.

She learned to stay up late and sleep in. Unfortunately, it made her father, siblings and maids refer to her as a barbaric slob. Then again, they'd find a way to verbally jab anything she did.

So, when she got the bright idea to visit a friend, she jumped at it.

"That's what friends do, right? They hang out on weekends! Unannounced? How else? He doesn't live in the city. Does he do mail?" Her thoughts spun all day previously as she remembered him leaving the University with his new mentor among the House of Broken Kings.

She even woke up early— knowing his preference to start his days with a workout at dawn.

She loved a good session with the iron. She hated early mornings. But for a friend, she'd endure.

Across the field, he was little more than a shadow with glowing green eyes. A shadow among many. They snarled and stalked defensively around him like a feral tornado at his command.

Then she heard him scent the air and all the tension faded with an exhale.

Then she saw the house cat with giant ears on his shoulder.

"Jade is not a cat." Claude replied as they approached.

"Oh here we go. Are you going to tell me the specific genus and most common ancestor?" Ursula asked.

"No. This creature isn't really feline at all. Gremlin-cats are more hyena than anything. They can even crossbreed with primal Hyenas like the dincrocuta." Claude said.

"Dino— what? Also, that's your third arguably monster tame. You're going to build a reputation." Ursula said.

"Reputation for what?"

"For liking monsters….."

Claude was silent as he stood across from her. He looked tired. Dark circles hooded his eyes. His jaw was tight. All of him was tight with tension. He also had a weird limp and glow to his skin. He somehow looked like he was born again three days ago and didn't sleep since.

"I'm sorry… was the liking monster comment too soon? I forgot about…. Well, everything in the Island Gauntlet. I didn't mean—"

Claude shook his head, "No. it's fine. I also…. forgot."

"No you didn't."

"No I didn't."

The two laughed past the awkwardness. It wasn't far enough for the berserker's liking.

"I missed you." She pulled him into a hug.

"It's been less than two days, Ursula." He smelled like forest berries and dog fur.

"Say it back or your spine is dust, baldy." Ursula replied.

"I missed you. Wish you were here at certain points. Even if that might not have been the best idea." Claude replied.

Ursula let him go and placed her hands on her hips, "Well, here I am!" Jade was now perched on her shoulder. "Hey, kitty." She smelled like chemicals and had a very rough and dirty coat.

Jade licked her forehead.

"Speaking of here, how did you find out where I lived?" Claude asked.

Ursula smiled proudly, "I remember you're friends with the front desk girl at the Skylight Guildhall. I bribed her. She gave me a general area. The rest is history. Very recent history."

"Nice. But Ursula, you can't show up here unannounced like this—"

"But you don't have mai—"

"It's not safe." Claude pressed.

He rarely pressed her. That was the magic of their relationship. Unlike most strong boys her age, Claude was socially submissive— passive? He was calm. Serene. Sometimes flustered for passing moments like the wind. He was like a forest. And she was like….. a raging bear. The only place for them was the forest.

But Claude wasn't acting very forested in those moments.

Anxiously he looked back at the cabin in between holding Ursula's gaze.

"Do you understand?" Claude questioned.

"….. yes, b—"

"I don't mean to sound like a dick. Listen, dark-eaters were here."

Ursula almost gagged, "And you're alive?!"

"Shhhh!" Claude put a finger to his full lips. "Yes. But I almost wasn't. I'm a target now— I pissed off Samuel and his squad of helpers. So even if everyone didn't think I was chosen by a dark-god, the nepotism babies have enough money to put a hit on me at any time. Because that's what dark-eaters are. Glorified hit-men. I just don't want you getting hu—"

"If I was slightly more annoying I would've slapped you right there."

"What did I do?"

"Forced me to listen to self sacrifical ramblings." Ursula twisted her lock of auburn hair that escaped her braid and flowed down her cheek.

"Oh right, my bad. So when you wanna help me fight dark-eaters, HexBlades and legacy students?" Claude asked.

"Lets get started now while they're sleeping!" Ursula cracked her knuckles.

The two shared a laugh then.

"So….. you lived. Anubis wasn't real? Or lost interest?" Ursula asked.

Claude shrugged, "I have no idea. It's a mystery I'm not looking forward to uncovering. One of many."

"Makes sense."

Claude shuffled in the dark.

Ursula's heart sank a bit as she watched him. "Even if he was an honorary winner of the island games, he lost some of the most. And there's still the main issue, you don't just escape dark-eaters."

She looked around once, "What the hell happened here?"

"I need to move." Claude took off suddenly.

Ursula followed. It was easier than usual— no, he was slower.

"Why are you limping?" Ursula asked as she ran with him into the circle of forestry.

"I hurt my leg."

"Dark-eaters?" Ursula asked— hoping to passively siphon more information about the event.

"No. Tangent."

"T— what?"

Claude didn't reply.

Ursula didn't press him further. He seemed to need his mind elsewhere.

For the next hour, they worked out. Less heavy weights and more cardio and circuit work. They ran the forest circle eight times— at least that's how it felt. She could taste the microtears in her lungs and feel the ache in her knees by the time they were done.

From there, they worked on his wooden weight set. Claude did a giant set of pull-ups, push-ups and explosive squats. No breaks. Ursula used his wooden dumbbells until Frosty came out of the woods, rolling a three hundred pound boulder toward her.

She understood why Claude liked PitWolves more and more by the day.

They worked until the sun rose. Until the beads of sweat on their pumped muscles shined under bright yellow sun rays.

His home became infinitely more beautiful in those moments. As they sat in the grass, breaths heavy and labored. The wooden cabin wasn't polished or artistic in any modern way. It was old. Shabby. Portions were improvised. Some of the wooden logs were visibly from different trees— like they'd run out of the preferred pine or spruce in the area. It was a culmination of the land it inhabited.

"When do you have to be home?" Claude asked.

"Dude."

"Right….. I forgot. Dad is a jerk." Claude said and sat up. At the same time, all his animal kin rose with him.

"Yea. I make my own curfew." Ursula puffed out her chest.

Claude didn't respond. He kept his head down, eyeballing his knee.

"Hey, man. You wanna talk about it?"

"No. I wanna go to work. You should come with."

Ursula got up and held a hand out. "And meet a bunch more dogs like Frosty? Hell yea."

Claude smiled and took her hand.

A few minutes later and he was dressed in casual clothing and alone. He left his hounds and bird and hyenaforms home.

They cut through the forest at the back exit, since it would bring them closer to the city without having to risk running into rushing merchants and heroes.

Instead, in the forest, they'd have to risk—

"Monsters…"

Claude and Ursula thought the same thing in varying ways in those moments.

Claude smelled the dead animal pelts and uniquely humanoid sweat. Ursula saw the glint of its semi-reflective eyes as it pushed through the bushes and came face to face with them.

Ursula balled her fists. Her sweat from the morning cardio session with Claude crystalized into hard ice armor. The goblin didn't move— paralyzed by fear— alone— outnumbered. They didn't move either— partially because Ursula couldn't. She looked down and found the grass beneath her feet rising— wrapping her ankles like a dozen fingers on the same green hand. A hand controlled by one mind. Claude's mind.

"He's not a threat." Claude said quietly.

"Not a threat? Claude, what the hell do you mean?" Ursula asked.

"Look at him." Claude said as he flicked his chin up at the goblin. The creature was old. Seemingly entirely made up of wrinkled green skin wrapped in animal furs and stone jewels.

"Nothing on him indicates he's looking to harm us. None of his gear looks stolen. His weapon is a hatchet— a tool. He's just a nomad."

Ursula was stunned. The boy obsessed with heroes and tangent warriors was refusing to do their most sacred and important act.

As if Claudr could read her mind, he turned to look at her in the fast fading dark and said, "Some heroes are bad, some monsters are good. Right?"

"Claude—"

"He may not be the elf refusing to kill is, but he also doesn't deserve to get brutalized by us. I'm sure he's got….. ERHM….. enough on his plate. The gods know I do…. Literally." Claude interrupted.

Ursula thought on his words a moment longer before nodding and flexing her whole body. Her ice skin shattered like steamy glass and sent the old goblin running. "Alright."

"Thanks." Claude said.

Ursula took note of how much he sounded like he meant it. "This must be helping him get past the elf." She thought.

"Now, are we gonna invite the next monster we run into with us to work?" Ursula asked as she wiped ice flakes off her shoulders.

"Maybe." Claude joked.

At least that's what she thought…..