To Be Protected

chapter 13: The Challenger

Over the next week my days have been full of monitoring Den, keeping Den out of trouble, training Den, cleaning up after Den... you get the point. It may be taxing but it is also relaxing in that it is giving me something to do besides letting my mind wander to my upcoming heat. Mathis has been amazing, always making sure I'm doing ok and eating enough and comforting me when I need it, all while not being too overbearing.

This week I have also been spending a lot of time at the forge, just hanging out while I make things. I seem to have different ways of making things then they do here so they find it exceedingly fascinating to watch me work, and I even know how to make things that they have never used or seen before. With a quick peck on the cheek from Mathis I made my way back over to the forge with Den on my heels as I though of what I wanted to make today. A few days ago I had focused on mainly making different verities of bolts so today I think I'm going to focus of swords.

As I made my way through the clan to get to the forge I got a lot of waves from the people that I have gotten to know and Den got more then a few scraps of food tossed to him, which he happily snapped up. Rolling my eyes at him I jogged into the warm forge and was met with the calming sounds of hammers on metal. I was greeted warmly when the blacksmiths noticed I was there and Iver, Bear's cousin, walked over as he wiped his hands on a small rag.

He patted my shoulder firmly as he gave me a wide smile, "Jackson! It's good to see you back! I thought the tailors were hoarding you all to themselves!"

"Nah, it was the butchers," I joked softly, making him smile even wider and laugh softly.

"Those damn butchers, don't know how to share. I bet Den liked it there though," Iver said as he patted the pup's head. Den tried to snap at his fingers and I glared disapprovingly at the pup, making him look away in shame. Iver laughed at the two of us again.

Rolling my eyes at him I brushed past Iver and got to the anvil that I usually worked at and started to get to work on the rough shape of a sword. I knew that in order to make a really good sword I would have to asked the user a few questions so I could make the sword for their preference and fighting style, so I focused on the general shapes so that if I needed to make one I had the starting shape.

A few people who were passing by looked in and they seemed excited as they ran into the forge where Povl, Bear's uncle and the head blacksmiths, greeted them like how he had greeted Evelyn and I when we first came in here. Povl talked with the group of warriors for a while before he led them over to where I was working. Putting down my hammer I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I felt Den sit on my feet.

"Jackson, these warriors want to talk with you," Povl said before he went off to work on whatever project he was working on before they came in.

They still had on excited smiles as they nearly seemed to vibrate, "We want you to make weapons for us please!" one shouted in his excitement, making me flinch back a bit before I smiled gently at them. "Rene told us about the sword that you made for him and we just have to have you make weapons for us too! Please?" he begged with his friends nodding in agreement.

"Sure thing, what weapons do you guys use?" I asked, and they seem to light up as they answered. Two of them used swords, two used spears and two used daggers.

After I knew what they used I asked them all questions about how they fought, then I took their measurements. After I was done I told them to come back in the morning, which seemed to shock them, but they were excited all the same. One was so excited that he jumped at me and wrapped his arms around me in a hug, but pulled back with a shout of pain when Den bit his leg. Den then sat back down at my feet as he growled at the slightly bleeding warrior.