[TWS] Chapter 285 – Family Traditions

Miria walked out of her room and left the others behind. They decided to wait for her to notify her parents about their visit first so as not to surprise them with the sudden appearance of seven people. It would definitely be a shock seeing such a large group parade out of one bedroom, even if Miria’s parents were aware of their realm-crossing abilities.

She located her mother in a flash, finding the woman lounging on a sofa in their living room while reading a book. Oria heard her come in and glanced at Miria with a soft smile and a slightly raised brow.

“Welcome back. Do you need anything?” the woman asked.

“Hi, Mom. I brought guests. It’s Asterios and my sister-mates. Are you bus—”

“Wonderful!” Oria snapped her book shut and sat upright. “Lead them to the guest room and I’ll prepare some snacks in a flash! Your dad should be in his workshop so be a good girl and grab him in the meanwhile.”

“Oh. Sure.” Miria giggled lightly at her mother, who hadn’t even given her a chance to explain anything. “I’ll join you in the kitchen in just a moment. It will be faster with the two of us.”

Oria shot Miria a knowing grin while passing her and bounced toward their kitchen with an agile step. Not wasting any time, Miria jogged back to her room and led everyone to the guest room, seating Asterios and the girls around a long table clearly designed to host big suppers with more than a dozen of participants. She then ran to her father and let him know about the meeting, allowing the busy man to clean himself up from all the wood shavings and other byproducts of his profession.

Just as she’d said earlier, Miria bolted to the kitchen and worked with her mother on a few quick snacks. Knowing her daughter in and out, Oria assigned the cheerful panthergirl Ast’s share and observed the joyful creation of a few delicious sandwiches. On her side, she focused on more general things anyone could grab at any moment.

Asterios and the girls didn’t have to wait long, and after about ten minutes, Miria, Oria, and Rook joined them. Each member of the Blackclaw family held two trays of various snacks made from different meat pieces, sliced sausages, numerous kinds of cheese, and a plethora of vegetables. Only the sole man on the other side of the table received a fully stacked set of sandwiches and the girls exchanged smiles and little grins as he sighed softly at Miria’s obvious effort.

After everyone took their place, Rook brought a bottle of unmarked wine from the nearby cupboard and set down enough glasses for all of them. Tilting the neck of the wine bottle towards each person, he ended up pouring into everything he’d prepared.

“This is a gift from one of my friends who owns and works at an orchard. There is no better-tasting alcohol in this village, I give you my word,” he explained with a chuckle. “So, what do we owe this pleasure? You rarely pay us a visit all together in such an… official manner.”

His wife gently prodded him with her elbow. “Not like you need a reason to come and spend some time with us, of course. We would always be happy to just sit down and listen to your happy adventures, Miria.”

The panthergirl nodded with a faint shade of red decorating her cheeks. “I was trying to tell you the reason before you interrupted me, Mom. We wanted to ask you a few questions. But, I guess it would be alright to talk about us. This could be a small celebration for everyone growing stronger.”

“Oh, yes, I can tell how much stronger your beloved mate is.” Oria smirked at her with an alluring squint aimed at Asterios. “So many mates. Even the strongest and most desirable individuals in our little community don’t usually get past two or three. It’s already a very clear sign. One that might attract even more attention.”

“Mom.” Miria squinted back at her. “Stop staring at my mate like a delicious piece of meat. Everyone knows you are into weaker guys anyway, just like Dad.”

“Ouch.” The man grasped at his heart with a fake hurt expression.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate everything else the store has to offer.” The woman chuckled impishly. “Besides, you are one to talk. I’m pretty sure your current boyfriend was deemed a failure when you fell head over heels for him. An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, am I right?”

“Master wasn’t that weak…” Miria muttered under her nose as her blush bloomed a bit more.

“You still were much stronger than me at that time, for sure.” Asterios smirked and scratched behind her pretty ear. “You could have easily overpowered me whenever you wanted and I would have been completely at your mercy. I already struggled a lot against you on that night.”

A quiet giggle escaped her lips as she glanced up at him with a shy smile, knowing perfectly well which night he was referencing.

“Anyway, we wanted to speak about these.” Miria unsheathed her shortswords after recollecting herself and carefully placed them on the spacious table.

“I’m pretty sure we already told you most if not all we know about these blades,” her father said.

“To be specific, we would like to discuss the material they are made of rather than their general history,” Grea chimed in. “Not to be rude to their respectful past, of course.”

“You are after the meteorite? Why?” Oria asked.

“We have friends who are willing to make us new weapons with the best possible materials in their possession and we could provide,” Selene explained. “They acknowledged the ore used to craft Miria’s swords as more than fitting.”

“Though, according to Miria’s stories, there is no more of it in an unprocessed state,” Silvia added with a gentle nod. “We have a moment of time on our hands so we might try to investigate its source for a bit and try to see if it really is fully dried up.”

“Alright. Let us recount everything for you, then. I’m certain Miria missed at least a few details in her excitement of sharing their backstory with all of you.” The feline woman winked at her daughter.

Miria’s face grew red once more as she couldn’t even wish to refute that and everyone was aware of that cute side of hers.

“So, you might have heard that these swords are our family heirloom,” Rook began, seeing all of them nod. “But, you might not know that it came from my side of the family. As surprising as it might be, my ancestors weren’t all craftsmen. I’m the odd one. Most of my relatives are quite prideful warriors.”

“Interesting,” Bryn whispered to herself.

“As he says,” Oria continued after her husband. “These babies actually belonged to Rook and were given to him by his parents at his coming of age. By tradition, they were either to be kept by him or gifted to his first mate, the one who would lead his mates if there were multiple. They symbolize the highest power in the household, so with the latter, it would mean that he transfers the position of the head of the family to another person. Kind of like stepping down in an honorable way.”

“Oh. I didn’t know the last part.” Miria’s lips parted adorably in a show of surprise. “So that’s why I received them from you and not Dad. I always thought they were hereditary and I would one day pass them onto one of my children.”

“You always were strong, being able to easily surpass even people like Gnesh. And, we knew it would be hard for you to part with them too soon. Therefore, we decided to tell you only about the hereditary route,” the man added.

The panthergirl turned to Asterios and he smiled at her warmly, ruffling her hair. “You should keep them. You can pass them on to our son or daughter one day.”

“But—”

“You are technically my first mate, so you do hold significant power in our little family,” he cut her off, and the other girls nodded supportively.

“I guess.” Miria smiled back at him. “And if Imadil and Cynthia make me new ones? Would you accept these then, Master?”

He stroked his chin with his other hand while thinking. “Maybe. If that really would be your wish. Personally, I would love to see you presenting the blades to our child as they become of age. I just think it suits you.”

“I agree.” Grea crossed her arms over her chest, nodding sagely. “Our kitty girl does have that something in her.”

“Thank you, Master. That’s really sweet.” Miria pulled herself closer to Asterios and left a quick peck on his cheek, growing dangerously flushed.

“So, I assume it wasn’t your parents who made these swords, sir.” Selene turned towards Miria’s dad.

“Just Rook is fine. For all of you. Dad or father isn’t bad either. You are all part of the family now, in the end,” he answered. “And yes, these blades were forged much, much earlier than their time. By whom exactly, it has been lost through many retellings of their story. Our family had most likely received them the exact way we described a moment earlier and decided to continue the tradition. What we are certain about is the fact that it definitely came from the pieces of the legendary meteorite.”

“Is there anything more you can tell us about it or the material?” Asterios leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the tabletop.

“Not much besides the general direction of its fall and the usual qualities of metal forged out of its body.” Rook shook his head. “Our tales said it fell far to the west. Most likely in the Scorching Steppes, according to what everyone says about the crash location today. The meteoric steel gains extremely high compatibility and resistance to fire. It’s a very good spiritual conductor too, so mana cooperates with it almost perfectly well. Unfortunately, we don’t know much more.”

“It’s alright. Every little bit is definitely going to be useful.” Tina smiled kindly at the pair.

“But, do you know who definitely knows more?” Oria grinned. “Zoe.”

Miria gasped instantly. “That’s right! Zoe’s tribe comes from the Scorching Steppes! They migrated here in the past due to… well, partially unbearable temperature of the atmosphere and the land. The name kind of suggests it.”

“The Scorching Steppes were already a challenging area to live in, but it turned even worse after the meteor crashed into the middle of it. Zoe’s people were tough, but they agreed with many others that it was time to leave. The new resource completely spent, it was just pointless to tolerate the almost uninhabitable environment. Supposedly, only one tribe remained. She might know more about them and the place in general.”

“Perfect!” Miria shot to her feet from excitement. “We can talk to her and she will definitely help us however she can! Let’s go and get her!”

“Calm down a little.” Asterios chuckled alongside the other girls and pulled the energetic panthergirl down, chaining her to himself with affectionate pats. “We’ll visit your friend after we are done here. Don’t be rude to your parents.”

“Sorry, ehehe~” Miria giggled sweetly, batting her eyelashes at her mother. “Anything more you can tell us? Or should we now do the talking?”

They started discussing some more details regarding the blades and the meteoric material. The informative discussion went on for a little while, breaking past half an hour. Nothing of technical importance related to the location and the ore popped up and they soon switched to the stories on Ast’s side.

Oria wanted to hear all about Ast’s escapades in both fighting and bed, with the most vivid descriptions possible. He promised himself and Miria not to involve Umbra’s abilities in this. He wasn’t sure how he felt about his girlfriend’s mom enjoying the show of their battles. Miria certainly appreciated that.

As for Rook, he was the most curious about puzzles, traps, challenges, and generally smart ways of overcoming such. Being someone with a more creative mind, he easily picked up inspiration from every little thing. Besides, as an artisan, it just brought him joy to consider what the creator of all the above had in mind while designing their products.

Approaching an hour of fervent talking, they decided to wrap things up. All the snacks had long disappeared from the trays and plates anyway. Asterios and the girls didn’t really want to make Rook totally drunk either. The man still wanted to get back to his current assignment.

With their destination set, they walked into the village’s streets right after taking care of the dishes. Miria led them through her settlement while plenty of beastfolk openly sent them various different glances and whispered between themselves. His numerous entourage had to be at least partially responsible for that.

They arrived in front of a two-story house just good enough for one maybe two families to fit in. The panthergirl skipped right to the front door of the building that looked to imitate the hunting lodge to a certain extent and she unceremoniously banged on the wooden door.

A moment later, a Wolfkin woman with dark brown hair and fur answered the knocking, a spitting image of Miria’s canine friend but slightly more mature-looking.

“Good day, Mrs. Searfang. Is Zoe home?” Miria asked with a blinding smile.

Mrs. Searfang smiled faintly and turned her head towards the inside. “Zee! A group of friends is looking for you! They look kind of unique, I would say.”

After her loud shout, footsteps began to echo through the air. A younger version of the woman in front of them walked down the stairs partially visible to everyone through the gap in the entrance. The wolfgirl was in the middle of putting on a shirt, and clearly lacked pants yet, parading in just her underwear.

“What do you mean by unique—eep!” Fitting her head through the neck hole, she made eye contact with Asterios, and hastily slammed the door shut in front of them with a panicked squeal. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a male amongst them! And him specifically! Oh my gosh, now he will think that I’m a total airhead! Ugh, everything is ruined now!”

Zoe spoke in a hushed, barely audible tone, but Asterios could still pick it up even through the thick, wooden door. Judging by the glances they directed at him, Selene and Miria might have too. Their senses kept growing sharper as they progressed together.

“Calm down and get dressed. It’s not like you walked out naked or anything if that was an issue in the first place. I’ll bring them to the dining room,” the other woman said quietly too.

Soft thumps reached their ears as someone ran away in a hurry before they disappeared in the distance. The door opened fully a moment later and the mature woman gestured inside with her hand.

“My apologies. Zoe will be ready in a minute. Would you mind waiting for her in our dining room?” she asked.

“Gladly. We wanted to exchange a word or two with as many members of your family as possible if that’s not an improper thing to ask as a stranger,” Asterios replied with a soft smile.

“Not in the slightest.” She shook her head. “Miria’s friends are our friends. And, you aren’t exactly a complete stranger. Now I realize that you are her mate, the one who showed Gnesh his place some time ago.”

They were urged to cross the doorstep and everyone obliged without a word of protest. The woman, who introduced herself as Zuri, brought them to a small, cozy chamber with an unusual, triangular table, and seated everyone down. Ast’s group filled two sides of the triangle by themselves. Offered food, they politely declined and settled on some delicious juice instead. Her husband was currently out so Zoe’s mother accompanied them on her own.

Zoe arrived about fifteen minutes later, earning herself a frown from the mature lady. She wore tight blue pants, a white crop top revealing part of her toned stomach, and a gray leather jacket. From what Asterios remembered, her hair had been in a completely different style before, now fully released from its confined ponytail to beautifully cup her smiling face. She carried a fresh, floral scent with herself and he had no doubt how it had come to be. Her tail kept wagging from side to side with energetic swings.

“Hello, Miria.” She desperately tried to start with her good friend, but her eyes kept jumping to Asterios. “And hello, everyone. It’s been a while since we’ve last seen each other. I don’t think I recognize all the people in this party.”

Zuri sighed tiredly. “Sit down already. You’ve made them wait long enough. They came to talk with us.”

A very apparent blush surfaced on Zoe’s cheeks and she hastily settled down next to her mother. Side by side, they really looked like the same person, with a few minor differences. The more mature angles of the older woman’s face were the only clearly noticeable signs of their difference.

“What do you need?” she asked curiously, setting her hands on the table and starting to play with her thumbs a little.

“We are looking for any information on the Scorching Steppes we can get,” Miria explained. “My parents reminded me that your family and tribe lived there in the past.”

“That’s correct.” The mother nodded. “You can say we originated from there. Our ancestors had to move, but I assume you are aware of the reason as I’m close friends with Mrs. Blackclaw.”

“Is there anything you could share with us regarding the meteor?” Asterios raised a brow at the two women.

“Ah, so that’s what you are after.” Zuri cocked her head to the back.

“Contrary to plenty of rumors, it wasn’t actually gigantic,” Zoe cut in before her mom managed to continue, locking her gaze with Ast’s. “The meteor was more or less the size of a decently big warehouse. It created a massive crater with its impact so many people think that’s its actual size.”

“And nothing is left of it?” Grea joined in.

“Not a speck of dust.” Zoe chuckled softly, smiling at Asterios. “It’s been picked clean way before our tribe abandoned the Scorched Steppes. Our ancestors managed to snatch some bits that were enough to turn into jewelry. I’m currently wearing our heirloom necklace which protects the user from fire to a certain extent.”

She reached into her top from above, stretching the material a little with a more visible shade of crimson spreading over her cheeks, and pulled out a silver pendant with some dark red ore or something like that filling up the middle.

“Not everyone abandoned the Steppes, though,” Zuri reconnected herself with the discussion.

“Do you know who didn’t? And why?” Selene questioned her.

“Lizardkin. They were always a much better fit for the warm area than any other beastfolk. But, after the fall of the meteor, and the rise of temperature, they somehow became even more resistant to the heavy heat, almost bordering on being immune,” she replied. “We have no idea why they stayed while the meteor was gone. Others tried to convince them to go with everyone but they were having none of it, even if their survival chances fell a lot with most of the settlement disappearing overnight. They were hell-bent on their decision.”

“Perhaps there’s something more to it. Without some kind of benefits, no beastfolk tribe would choose to stay in a tough environment even if most of them can tolerate the problem,” the fox lady added.

“We might want to have a talk with them,” Silvia suggested. “Doubtful they would share information about the meteoric ore, or get rid of whatever they have left in their hands, but who knows what we will learn from them. Granted, the current generation still remembers the old times.”

“Do you have any more accurate directions?” Miria asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Southwest from the Squelching Glade. It’s hard to miss the change in flora. The colors are quite characteristic of the region. Everything is ranging from browns to yellows and oranges. It looks like grassland but feels like the deadliest desert,” Zoe filled them in.

“I know how to get to the Squelching Glade. It’s not that far from our mountain.” Selene turned to Asterios.

“Great. We can chat with Lerisse about what she knows and be on our way from the closest point.” Asterios nodded at her. “I guess it’s time to make another presentation to a bunch of our friends.”