Blood & Carrots - Celestial Ep. 03

Welcome back, my lovely reader~

If this is your first visit to the Blood & Carrots series,

STOP

go read the first one then 'Silverpaw' next, to get the best experience. This is a direct sequel and I

STRONGLY

recommend reading the first ones so you're not lost. Yes, my writing wasn't as polished back then, but you seriously do yourself a disservice if you move forward without knowing the story of the first two.

Take your time, I'll wait for you to catch up. :3

♥

And with that out of the way...

Welcome back my lovely reader, aren't Ryder and Toroah just the cutest things? Nothing like a brush with death to get one's emotions dialed into overdrive.

Things are changing quite rapidly for our fox so do try to keep up. Why he and Rachel have had a smoldering little fire burning for years now, but duty kept them apart. Still, what happens when your new lover and long-time love interest meet, with crossed swords of all things!

We'll check in on our fox the morning after and see what awaits him! Let's jump right in!

—♥—

Episode 3:

My sword and heart are yours

"So, should I assume this is to stay between you and me?" I looked up at the rabbit while lacing my boots.

Toroah sat lazily on the edge of my bed, reclined back on his hands. "Yes, I suppose that would be best. We've no rules in place, but I wouldn't want to complicate things for you, Ryder."

"For me? I was asking more for your sake, why concern yourself with me?" I tilted my head at the concept. I had assumed it might look poorly on his status, but he was concerned for mine.

"Well, you're suddenly a first, then you're in bed with me? You could see what drama it might stir up for you." He gave me a sad smile. "Do not think I wouldn't be proud to strut around on your arm otherwise."

I grinned and felt my cheeks darken at the thought of him clinging to me as we walked through the citadel, I wouldn't deny it though, he was right. "So, what should I tell people when I'm asked how it all went down? The High Commander had a hunch?"

"Yes." Toroah shrugged as he finally climbed from the bed and gave a lazy stretch.

"You're serious, aren't you, Tor?" I chuckled and shook my head as I watched his cute little tail wiggle about while he lifted his arms, his whole body still bared to me, showing that strong back I had against my chest while we slept.

He looked over his shoulder, giving me a cute grin as he gave his fingers a dramatic snap, and then a new set of robes were simply there upon him once more. "I'm known for my hunches, even you've heard as much I'm sure."

"That's a nice way to put it, most just call you a mad genius. Your choices always seem controversial, but you seem to always make the right ones." I shrug and move to lace up my other boot.

"I'm not clairvoyant, much as I'd like to be. I just like to think that sometimes you have to think outside of the norm, like a certain fox I know." He hummed the words as he sauntered over to me, leaning down as I looked up, receiving a quick peck on my forehead.

I smiled and felt my heart thump in my chest at the playful token of affection. "I've no problem drawing comparisons with you, Tor."

The rabbit perked his ears as if recalling something and then spoke out curiously. "So what of that other fox you told me about? Rachel wasn't it?"

I felt my stomach twist at her name, my mind seeing her face instantly. "Ah, W-What about her?"

"Aren't you going to go seal the deal now that you're not in the same unit? You love her, right?" Toroah hummed the words, showing me a playful grin.

"Love?!" I barked out at the word then coughed a few times, composing myself as I huffed and glared at the rabbit. "Look... I wouldn't call it-"

"Generally when someone talks about their heart melting when they look into their eyes, that's love, Ryder." The rabbit rocked back on his feet, putting both hands behind his back, looking very childish in this moment.

"W-well your eyes do the same thing, so what's that say?!" I snarled back in response, feeling my cheeks burning.

"Oh?" He grinned and moved a hand to his chest. "That's so sweet, I love you too, Ryder."

I gave a protesting bark and threw my hands up. "Now wait a moment here! I- I mean I like you, but we only just met, one bout of sex and-"

"I count three, at the desk, in bed before we slept, and even this morning." The rabbit cooed the rebuttal as I snarled in response.

"A-All the same! It's far too early to go professing love, isn't it?" I clenched my teeth, looking away awkwardly as my tail seemed to be wagging on its own.

"I do not believe love has a gestation period, Ryder. Though you should know I was jesting with you."

My brow cocked as I looked up at him. "Truly?"

"Well, mostly." The rabbit gave me a wink and then turned to make a dramatic flourish as a gate snapped open to his office. "Come report for duty within three hours, you are free until then, Knight."

I gave a quick bump of my fist to my chest while still sitting. "Y-yes sir..."

The rabbit grinned over his shoulder as the portal snapped closed, leaving me alone in my room, the scent of him still lingering in the air. It felt silly but I already keenly missed his presence, feeling suddenly very lonely in the empty bedroom. I quickly finished my preparations for the day and left to find some breakfast.

—♥—

Celestial Knighthood:

When cadets distinguish themselves, they are officially knighted by one of the archangels. Knight ranks begin at seventh and end at first. Knighthood isn't just a title; When a celestial is knighted, large feathery wings burst forth from their back, a gruelingly painful ordeal that some even faint from.

As celestials advance in rank, their wings grow with their status. Wings will scale to the body size of the celestial, but several inches of growth will accrue over the course of rising in ranks. Wings continue to grow even beyond knighthood and into the specialized ranks of the military, such as Bishops and Archangels.

—♥—

I knew something was up when all the other cadets and knights looked right at me as I entered the mess hall. My ears flicked as I heard my name occasionally come forth through the warble of the various soldiers. You'd think a few inches of wing growth wouldn't be very noticeable, but you'd be surprised just how much it stood out on someone, especially when it was a clear indicator of rank and power.

Not seeing Ezekiel in the gathering, I quickly gathered some food and found an empty table to sit at. Units weren't required to eat together, and several groups always had the same friends they split off with, regardless of command, but I had no such pals outside of Ezekiel. I did know Rachel but we usually avoided-

"Hey Ryder, you mind if I sit with you?" The voice came from behind but my tail and ears lifted to attention right away in recognition.

"Rachel? Yes, of course!" I barked the words out sounding more eager than I'd have liked but soon enough the vixen had taken a seat right across from me.

She wasn't the type to beat around the bush and didn't bother with pleasantries. "Ryder, what's going on? From fourth to first in a day?"

I frowned and gave an awkward cough, looking down at my tea. "Ah... I can explain, but first. How did you and apparently everyone else find out?"

With a frown, she shook her head. "The Commander told us. He gathered everyone and made a big how-to-do about you being selected as an elite member of the High Commander's personal unit. He then drolled on about how it was thanks to his superior skills as a leader, and he was disappointed that more of us weren't at your 'level' yet."

"That bastard!" I barked out and slammed a fist to the table, snarling as my tail fluffed up behind.

"Calm down, Ryder, it's fine. We all knew he was full of hot air, he always is." She gave me a curious look as if waiting on an answer to her previous question.

I cleared my throat and took a sip of my hot tea, taking a moment to compose myself. "Apparently, Toroah had a hunch about me."

The vixen cocked a brow and folded her ears. "A... hunch?"

I clicked my tongue and looked away awkwardly. "Yep, a hunch. Literally what he told me when I asked him."

She giggled and shook her head. "That is so like the High Commander." I lifted my ears at her reaction. Toroah was right, it was a valid explanation apparently.

"Well, at any rate, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. He already sent me out on one mission, I ended up running into some very, very powerful vampires. Still a little surprised I came back at all." I nodded grimly as I thought of the powerful ewe from yesterday.

"Really? How did you sur-" She caught herself and chose her words more gently, "How did you manage to defeat them?"

I frowned, knowing what she was about to say, the irony being her first choice would have been more accurate. With a shake of my head, I smiled before speaking, "I didn't defeat them, we talked."

"Wait- You, talked? To them? Talked, to... vampires?" She frowned and shook her head, looking full of disbelief. "Ryder, the only talking I've ever heard vampires do, was snarling threats and mad ramblings."

"Y-Yeah, well, uhm... these two were very civilized. We held a conversation and everything. They even-" I grunted and lowered my ears, I didn't want to say 'let me live' in front of her. Rachel was so strong and beautiful and the last thing I wanted her thinking was I was some sniveling coward that couldn't stand on my own two feet.

"They even what?" She prodded curiously, her gold eyes clearly focused on me. Gold, eyes. Fuck, she was already in seer mode and would see straight through me if I tried to lie about it.

"They even let me live," I growled the words out, looking away from her gaze, feeling humiliated for professing it before her.

She pushed a hand to her lips as if realizing she had been using the power and forced the words from me when she saw my body language. I saw her focus and shift her eyes back to blue, the little flecks of gold still dancing in them faintly. "Ryder, I'm sorry... I wasn't meaning to use that on you, I was just very intent and interested, so it just kind of happened."

I shook my head and sighed as I smiled bitterly at her. "No, it's fine. If anyone should hear it straight, it's you, Rachel. Yeah, apparently one of them was so powerful even Toroah had heard her name, he even said he questioned if he could handle her."

"I'm so glad you made it back safe then. Going from a fourth to a first in such a short amount of time. What was the High Commander thinking? You need the training to learn your newfound powers, he can't just throw you into missions." She growled in frustration at the concept of me being in danger, my heart pounding to see her so worried for me.

"Look, I can explain in more detail later, maybe... over drinks and dinner?" I lifted my chin, trying to look confident as I could while making the offer.

She gave me that same sad frown she always did before shaking her head. "Ryder, you know I-" Her ears lifted as if the realization dawned on her. The vixen crossed her arms, rubbing her chin in thought. "I-" Her blue eyes lifted back to mine, shifting to gold from how much she was focusing. "I could, couldn't I?"

"I mean, if you want to." I showed her a small smile, feeling my tail wagging faster now that she was considering it.

Her brown ears folded as she gave it some more thought, then gave me a nod. "Yes."

"Really?!" I gave an excited bark as I felt my hips shaking from how hard my tail was wagging.

The vixen showed me a grin, her cheeks growing darker as she put a hand to one and averted her golden eyes. "Ryder, don't make such a scene."

I grunted as I looked over my shoulder, seeing I had drawn several onlookers. "Sorry, I just, I'm really happy to hear it." I settled down, calming my tail but my smile wouldn't fade as I looked upon her, seeing her cheeks dark, her eyes blinking, and awkwardly cutting back to mine a few times before she composed herself.

"Me too, Ryder. I won't lie that it has tormented me over the years, the stolen kisses and brief handholds were far too little." She shook her head, giving a cute little growl as her own brown tail wagged about. "Ah, don't think I'm some deviant though, I just..."

"I get it, I do." I moved a hand to clasp one of hers, feeling her jerk slightly, as if to pull it away before someone saw it, but then she relaxed her tension and let me hold it. My heart shoved straight up into my throat as I gave her a happy grin.

Her smaller fingers gently curled around my grip and she blinked up at me, suddenly looking nervous and not at all like the confident reassured vixen I always saw. "Is this really okay though? Ryder, I've not- I mean to say... I don't want you to think poorly of me as if this is only because of your title."

"That thought never crossed my mind!" I growled the words as I gently squeezed her hand. "Rachel, I've been enchanted with you since we were initiates, and... I know you've felt similarly for me, right?"

"Of course I have, you've kept me awake thinking of you many nights." She looked straight into my eyes, hers shining gold as she gave me a confident stare.

"I've had that problem as well, so don't feel bad." I rubbed a thumb against her soft hand, feeling how warm it was as she clenched mine.

The vixen offered me a relaxed happy smile, her tone becoming a little more playful as she spoke, "Of that, I've no doubt, I've gotten glimpses of the perverse things you've thought of me with my vision."

I gave an awkward bark and rubbed at the back of my head with my free hand. "Really? You can read minds with that?"

"No, but I can certainly read intentions, and yours would have been crystal clear, even if I were not a seer." She poked her nose up in a cute haughty gesture, then cut her eyes back to me, as if looking to see if I approved of the display.

"You are so beautiful!" I growled the words in a low tone, trying to not draw attention to myself, but seeing her so confident and the way her ears perked when she poked her nose up. I just wanted to take her back to my room and just hope it didn't still smell too heavily of rabbit.

Rachel bit her lower lip, then seemed to focus her resolve, meeting my eyes almost with a defiant glare as she spoke out as if saying the words for herself as much as me. "R-Ryder... ah, I've got a few hours before I'm needed at the apothecary, would you like to-"

"Okay, meal times over! Get those trays put away and get to your assigned duties!" One of the commanders bellowed out at the top of her lungs, the whole room responding to her words and starting to move.

"Oh, look at you two cute little things." The bovine woman came sauntering over to us as we parted grips and offered her a salute, having the sheer bad luck of being the table closest to where she came in. She put her hand on her hip, giving a huff as she looked us over, looking unimpressed.

Archangel Samanth was behind Toroah in power and tenure. She was a tall thick female with large drooping ears and a wiry tail, the faintest of horns jutting out of her forehead that sported a messy tangle of controlled chaos that was her platinum hair. Her thickness wasn't fat though, she just had large compacted muscles which she no doubt needed, given I'd seen her warhammer a few times and it was nearly as big as I was.

Her blue eyes narrowed as she peered down at me, flapping her massive wings out, her short curly platinum hair hanging at her cheeks. "So, you're Toroah's new project huh? You don't look so tough to me, shrimpy even."

I felt a growl fill my throat as I rose from my seat, offering a more proper salute before tilting my chin up and perking my ears. "Commander, can I be of assistance, or are you just lonely and picking a fight?"

The cow blinked at my words and howled out with a loud belly laugh, "Oh, you are a cute one. He gets his new wings and thinks he stands with the likes of us?"

I wasn't sure where this bravado was coming from, but after staring down that sheep, the commanders in general just didn't seem so imposing. Folding my arms I cocked a brow. "I assumed no such thing, but I'll not snivel away like a puppy in your presence either."

She huffed out through her nose, her cold blue eyes on mine. Admittedly she was terrifying and could probably throw me through the adjoining wall if she wanted to, but if I'd learned anything about dealing with Hagen, it was you never let them smell the fear. My tail fluffed out and I shifted to put my hands on my hips, looking bored with the staredown.

With an amused show of her teeth, she laughed out. "I like you, there's a spine in there after all!" She brought her massive hand down on my shoulder with a mighty clap that quite literally sent me to the ground.

"Ryder! A-Are you okay?" Rachel quickly moved over to help me up as I winced and slowly picked myself up from the floor.

"Ngh... Thanks, Commander, try not to break it, even if it is hard to find." I groaned the words as Rachel pushed a hand to my shoulder, already whispering some healing prayers.

The archangel laughed again at my joke and wagged a finger. "You're alright fox, but you'll need to bulk up if you're going to back up that cute attitude of yours." She took another appraising look at me and Rachel as if silently acknowledging what we were and turned to stomp back out of the mess hall.

"Ryder... what was that? You just... bucked up to Samantha!" She whispered the words even though we were mostly alone, her hand feeling warm and soft on my aching shoulder as I felt her healing energies pushing through my body.

"I don't know, but after meeting that vampire the other night, well..." I shook my head and smiled at Rachel. "There are really strong things out there. It terrifies me, but it also makes me want to get stronger, stronger to protect you, Toroah, Ezekiel, and everyone else."

"You're already changing so quickly, Ryder... don't lose sight of who you are, okay?" She leaned in and brushed her lips to my own, giving me a kiss. It wasn't a brief one either, she stayed on my lips, lingering for several moments before withdrawing with dark cheeks.

My own cheeks felt hot as well, my fingers moving to brush my lips as if making sure the long-held kiss was indeed real. After a moment I gave her a nod, then showed a loving grin. "Don't worry, Rachel. Any changes I do make will be positive ones, ones to show you I'm a fox worthy of you!" I barked the words and thrust my thumb into my chest with a wag of my tail.

"Silly, I'm already proud of you and think the world of you. Don't go pushing yourself for my sake, Ryder. I'm happy with how you are." She bumped her forehead to my own, her golden eyes shining before she drew me into another kiss, a quick goodbye one this time before stepping back

"Let's talk at lunch, I remembered I've some lessons with the Commander." The vixen quickly turned and started trotting out of the mess hall.

"A-Alright, tell the cranky ram I said hi!" I barked the words out, grinning as her words sunk in about always having been proud of me and being happy with how I was.

—♥—

Archvampires:

A celestial term used to describe ancient vampires of terrible power that rivals even the most elite of the military. Age is not the only factor in designating an Archvampire, as raw power can also factor into receiving the title.

An Archvampire is usually acknowledged when it manages to withstand or repel the assault of an Archangel or several high-ranking Knights. Currently, the names of four Archvampires are on record within the archives of the citadel; Archvampire Ras, Archvampire Diana, Archvampire Harold, and Archvampire Lorelai.