Leon and Riya: How to Raise a Gnoll

Chapter 28

Leon was woken up in the middle of the night by Riya's grip tightening around him, pressing him into her uncomfortably. He could also hear a slight whimpering. He figured it had to do with what had happened earlier, how he had seen her upset. It seemed that even after eight years she was still worried he would see something that would make him want to leave her.

Leon had been with her for eight years, if anything was going to make him want to leave her he would have seen it already. He reached up and patted the side of her face. As soon as he did the whimpering stopped and she relaxed her grip a little so that he wasn't uncomfortable anymore. After a few minutes and he was sure that she was okay Leon fell back asleep.

The next day Leon was on his way to the training grounds when he heard something behind him.

Azur: Put me down!

Rose: Uncle Azur, you're hurt. Let me help.

Azur: No.

As Leon turned around he could see Rose carrying Azur similar to how she sometimes picked him up. As they got closer he could see Azur was beyond annoyed at this and was going to be angry soon.

Rose: But—

Leon: Rose, he wants you to put him down. You need to do as he's asking, he has a right to not want to be carried around.

Rose frowned but did as she was told.

Azur did a slight stretch before responding.

Azur: Thank you, Leon. And before you think it's because I don't like you Rose, that has nothing to do with it. I am capable of walking so that's what I am going to do.

Rose's frown alleviated somewhat.

Leon: Why don't we go to the training grounds, I assume that's where you were going anyway?

Azur: We were, yes.

Rose: Okay.

Before they could go anywhere Mu had gotten Leon's attention from down the hallway.

Leon: Seems like Mu needs something, go ahead and I'll catch up.

Azur nodded and he and Rose started to make their way to the training grounds.

Leon: What did you need, Mu?

Mu: Did Riya tell you what happened last night?

Leon: About Zenkoh ordering all able bodied Gnolls to be ready to defend Clan Deadfang's territory? Yes.

Mu crossed her arms.

Mu: Did she also tell you that she threw a chair at me because she didn't like what I was telling her, because she doesn't want Rose fighting whoever this is.

Leon: I saw the shattered chair so I had assumed something had happened. When she told me about that I had reminded her that I and several others have been training her since she could hold a weapon, that as long as Rose didn't get reckless she would be okay.

Mu: Knowing Riya she isn't going to just let this go, she is worried about Rose regardless how much training she has had.

Leon: I can understand that, I'm worried about her too. I just have confidence that all of the training she has had over the years will be enough.

Mu nodded.

Mu: Right. I also just wanted to update you that there haven't been any Witherlings spotted and they still haven't found that black furred Gnoll.

Leon: Could she be trying to find another Gnoll burial ground?

Mu shook her head.

Mu: All of the burial grounds we are aware of have been checked and she wasn't seen there and neither were her Witherlings.

Leon had a pensive look.

Leon: What could she be doing then?

Mu shrugged.

Mu: I couldn't tell you.

Leon: Well I was going to be training Rose so I should get back to that.

Mu: Right, I'll let you know if anything important changes.

Leon nodded before turning around and heading for the training grounds. When he got there he could see that the other two Gnoll children were there: Sessa and Vuth. They were watching Rose and Azur spar. Azur wasn't out of the medical ward for long at all and he was already going back to sparring, sometimes Leon wondered if Azur was trying to get himself hurt.

Sessa and Vuth noticed him as he came over to where they were watching the two of them.

Sessa: Oh, you're okay! We had heard that you got hurt really badly when those Witherlings attacked.

Vuth didn't say anything but had a mixture between a worried and annoyed look on her muzzle.

Leon: Yeah, but I'm okay now.

Leon looked at Sessa then to Vuth then back to Sessa.

Leon: So, what have you been doing while I was gone?

Sessa: They had us locked up with the Vulpine civilians, they said that we would be safer there.

Vuth: Didn't need to be safe, I'm not some weakling.

Leon ignored Vuth's comment.

Leon: Good to see that you are both okay, so, why don't we go ahead and continue with your training?

Both Sessa and Vuth nodded and they got started.

Oshka was currently in one of the underground tunnels that her Witherlings had dug, specifically she was under Fort Stoneholde. As badly as she wanted to just surface and attack them, she knew better. She was heading to where she had one of her Witherlings set up a magic circle, she just needed to infuse it with magic and it would be ready.

A few minutes later traveling through the dark, dank tunnel, she had reached it. It had been carved into the stone of the fort. It was directly below one of the bedrooms, specifically where that orange Vulpine, Leon she believed his name was, slept. Upon infusing it with magic it lit up for a second before going dormant again, it would be ready to trigger later tonight when they would be going to bed. With a grin on her muzzle, Oshka began making her way to the second magic circle. It was positioned under Rose's room.

She was going to show them what taking one of her eyes was going to get them, she hoped they liked dealing with themselves, since if they couldn't then they were going to have a very bad time.

Oshka laughed to herself as she made her way to the second magic circle.