u/THEG0LIATHGR0UPER

Corso looked down at Jak’s boot tapping against the marble floor. He let out a low chuckle. “You’re as stiff as a board. Nervous to meet the King and Queen?” 

Jak’s muzzle turned up, his eyes wide with the realization that he was not hiding his anxiety very well. He felt naked without his helmet, which had been damaged beyond repair during the Guardian Trials. Reluctantly, he nodded. Corso patted his shoulder, his large paw cuffing Jak’s shoulder in more of a slap than a gentle pat. “You have nothing to worry about. King Carmen and Queen Lyra are absolute softies. Once you get to know them. After twenty years or so.” 

Jak scrunched his face, seemingly unconvinced. Corso let out another hearty chuckle, turning Jak by his shoulders. “Just breathe, son. You’ll do fine.” He followed Jak’s gaze towards one of the paintings. It depicted The King, the Queen, and the Princess; all arranged in a neat line. 

The Princess. Corso’s ears twitched, and his muzzle curled into a smirk. “That is, unless you’re not actually nervous about meeting the King and Queen. Like, say, the Princess?”

Jak’s ears flattened, and he looked away. Corso had read him like a book. He was about to type out a response on his wrist communicator, when a blue-clad knight captain strode up to the two. 

“His Majesty, Her Highness, and Her Grace are ready to see you now. Please follow me.” He snapped a salute before turning on his heel. Jak hesitated, before Corso nudged him forward. “It’s improper to keep royalty waiting.” He said with a faint smugness to his voice. He was enjoying seeing his mentee in this anxious state, for whatever reason.

Jak and Corso trailed behind the knight, who stopped at a pair of large, stone doors. Two riflemen stood guard on both sides. The knight turned to Corso and Jak. “You will approach the Royals and kneel once you reach the end of the carpet. There, they will address you. Do you understand?” 

Jak nodded, not entirely sure if he would even remember the instructions. His thoughts were almost too loud for him to hear what the captain said. Was he supposed to lead with a certain paw? Did he trim his fur properly? His armor was polished, but only as far as he could make it with armor as worn as his. Would they turn him away? 

He rubbed the back of his neck, and quickly threw his paw down when the doors cracked open. The large stone slabs scraped slowly on their rollers. 

Down the long stretch of throneroom sat the King, the Queen and the Princess, all perched neatly on their thrones. Jak felt his stomach lurch, but allowed his feet to propel him forward in what he hoped was a neat march. Corso followed, seeming far more relaxed than the stiff-legged wolf in front of him. 

Queen Lyra cocked an eyebrow, before leaning over to Kira. “I see what you mean, Dear. He is quite handsome.” Kira bleated a curse below her breath before shooing her mother back into her throne. Queen Lyra only smirked, her shrouded eyes giving no hint as to whether or not she was looking at Jak. 

He couldn’t hear this exchange of course. He was too focused on the stern, stone-faced ram that was currently focused on him. Jak finally reached the end of the carpet, knelt as he was supposed to, and bowed his head. Corso did the same.

Now, all he could do was wait. 

The room went quiet as every soul hung onto what King Carmen might say. 

“Knight Jak.” His voice was a low base that carried through the room. “We have been awaiting your arrival. You performed quite…effectively during the trials. Needless to say that many found your skills impressive. As a former knight I must admit the same.” 

Jak nodded slowly, earning a curious look from the King. Corso interjected quickly. “He says ‘Thank you,’ Your Majesty. 

King Carmen nodded humming in recognition. “Ah, yes. That. As I understand, you do not have the ability to speak. Is that correct?” 

Another nod. 

“Right. Then I suppose I shall keep my questions simple. I trust you understand the gravity of the position you would be accepting? The responsibility of protecting my daughter, Kira?” 

Jak nodded again. He looked up slightly, to see Kira looking down at him. She quickly averted her gaze, covering her face with her sleeve.

“You will be trained in your duties alongside our current guild of royal guards. Once you have completed training, you will act as the Princess’ shadow. You will protect her with your life. You will obey her commands.” King Carmen stood up, and approached Jak, his long, red cloak trailing behind him.

“Rise, Knight.” Carmen stopped short of Jak’s kneeling form. Jak did as he was told, slowly rising to meet Carmen’s gaze. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest as he faced the ram that ruled the entire kingdom. Despite his smaller stature, his horns and his build made him seem much larger, even compared to the canine before him. 

“I’m sure that you’ve also noticed that you have been asked to wear your field knight armor.” Jak nodded, his eyes locking onto Carmen’s. He felt like he was being sized up, but ignored the uneasy feeling in his gut. Only King Carmen could make a wolf feel like he was being preyed upon. 

“Under normal circumstances, you would be assigned a new set of royal guardian armor. But these are abnormal times. Your commander—“ He nodded to Corso, who could only smirk in response “He requested that you remain under his jurisdiction, and so, you will retain your green field armor. Now, seeing as your helmet was damaged during the tournament, we saw fit to assign you a replacement. One that would reflect your status as…a hybrid knight.”

Carmen turned to an aide who held a velvet lined box. The aide, a mongoose in dark vestments, scurried over with a box nearly as large as him. King Carmen reached out, and took the box, nodding to the aide. 

“As a Royal Guardian, it is important that you should have the ability to speak clearly to personnel. This is an issue to which our technological division has dedicated much time.” He opened the box, revealing a shiny, blue helmet. “It is equipped with a synthesizer. So long as you wear your helmet, it will give you the ability to speak. I should hope this makes things easier for you, Knight.”

Jak couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked down at the helmet, his mouth slightly agape. After all this time, all these years of struggling to get his mind across… he would be able to speak again. It took all the effort in the world to keep himself from choking up. 

Carmen couldn’t help but smile faintly at the dumbfounded look on the wolf’s face. “I assure you, it will not bite. Please, take it.” Slowly, Jak reached into the box, and pulled out the helmet. He could see his reflection in the black visor, which had been shined to a near mirror finish. Rotating it in his paws, he lowered his head, and brought it up and over his ears.

It smelled like a new hover-cart, with all the same amenities as his old helmet, except for a small module on the inside of the helmet’s mandible. The Heads Up Display lit up, a small progress bar on the side signifying that the speech synthesizer was activated. 

Carmen stood to the side. “What have you to say, Knight Jak?”

Jak composed himself, remembering he was in the castle’s throneroom. He caught sight of Kira, who was on the edge of her seat. Jak straightened his posture, before approaching Kira’s throne. He knelt down to one knee, before dipping his head. 

“It is an honor to serve you, Your Grace.” 

Kira’s hoof flew to her mouth, as she had to suppress her gasp. She felt butterflies in her stomach. 

“Oh!” 

This is the end of my first chapter of TKOC! Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!

The Princess.

Everyone knew The Princess. Or perhaps, they knew of her reputation. Out of the long line of Canatrian Royals, Princess Kira Lowan had made a name for herself as the “People’s Princess.” From an early age, she had been drilled by her mother and father to be a servant of the people. And she took that job to heart. 

She often made it a point to interact with her subjects as often as possible. She never considered herself “above” anybody. She understood that she was born into a position of power. And she understood that attached to such a position was a great deal of responsibility.

And yet, it still shook Jak to his core that their paths would ever cross. Even more baffling; that they would meet during a secret party on the roof of the medical barracks. He had to admit, that if it weren’t for Armin dragging him out of his bunk in the late hours of the night, he wouldn’t have ever made her acquaintance. 

He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or annoyed.

“Jak?” 

The print affixed to the wall was illuminated by a dull, yellow light bar, that only served to add to the dingy pallor of the barrack’s laminate walls. 

Jak had been staring at it for a while. 

The photo shown had been a semi-recent update to the royal family’s portrait collection, made on the Princess’ sixteenth birthday. Jak couldn’t imagine what stress such responsibility would inflict on somebody only two years older than him. 

“Jaaaak?” 

But her face didn’t seem to show it. When they’d spoken, or rather, when she had spoken to him, she had a youthful and carefree air, like nothing in the world could bother her at all. Jak had to admit that he envied that optimism. It shone in her eyes, which he hadn’t failed to notice, looked like bright green emeralds that a miner would find in a dim cave, lighting up the darkness.

“Hey Jak! Are you listening to me?!” 

She had a faint smile in the painting, juxtaposed by the proud visages of the King and Queen. Almost like she had a secret she was dying to share. Jak could have sworn that she had given him that same look the other night. He was lost in it. Like she was the only creature in the world that could read his mind.

He felt like if he looked hard enough at the print, she would practically come out and speak to him right now. He didn’t mind fantasizing about it. What would she say? Probably something like, “You’re staring, Jak.” Or “Do you see something interesting?” Or maybe—

“Hey, dummy!”

SQUELCH!!!

Jak felt the heavy, wet fabric of a sponge smacking him across the cheek, shaking him out of his daze. He shook the excess water out of his scruff, before looking frantically for the source of the attack.

Armin was standing across the barracks with an annoyed, impatient expression, tapping his foot on the ground. “Will ya’ stop staring at that damn print and quit hogging the mop? I’ve been on all fours for the past hour and I'm gettin’ sore!”

Jak’s ears pinned back and his face turned bright red. He nodded, avoiding the fox’s gaze before tossing the mop towards him. Armin shook his head before continuing. “I’m tellin’ Lora that you’ve got a crush on the Princess.” 

Jak scowled, before punching his palm. 

“Oh yes I will.” Armin shot back with a chuckle. “That is unless you help me finish up. Sirus may have us on janitor duty for the next month, but it’ll go a lot faster if you pull your weight.” 

Jak huffed in reluctant agreement. He crouched down to pick up the sponge, which had now left a large soapy puddle by his paws. But as he knelt, he couldn’t help but lock eyes with the Princess’ photo just one last time. 

The Princess.

Everyone knew The Princess. Or perhaps, they knew of her reputation. Out of the long line of Canatrian Royals, Princess Kira Lowan had made a name for herself as the “People’s Princess.” From an early age, she had been drilled by her mother and father to be a servant of the people. And she took that job to heart. 

She often made it a point to interact with her subjects as often as possible. She never considered herself “above” anybody. She understood that she was born into a position of power. And she understood that attached to such a position was a great deal of responsibility.

And yet, it still shook Jak to his core that their paths would ever cross. Even more baffling; that they would meet during a secret party on the roof of the medical barracks. He had to admit, that if it weren’t for Armin dragging him out of his bunk in the late hours of the night, he wouldn’t have ever made her acquaintance. 

He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or annoyed.

“Jak?” 

The print affixed to the wall was illuminated by a dull, yellow light bar, that only served to add to the dingy pallor of the barrack’s laminate walls. 

Jak had been staring at it for a while. 

The photo shown had been a semi-recent update to the royal family’s portrait collection, made on the Princess’ sixteenth birthday. Jak couldn’t imagine what stress such responsibility would inflict on somebody only two years older than him. 

“Jaaaak?” 

But her face didn’t seem to show it. When they’d spoken, or rather, when she had spoken to him, she had a youthful and carefree air, like nothing in the world could bother her at all. Jak had to admit that he envied that optimism. It shone in her eyes, which he hadn’t failed to notice, looked like bright green emeralds that a miner would find in a dim cave, lighting up the darkness.

“Hey Jak! Are you listening to me?!” 

She had a faint smile in the painting, juxtaposed by the proud visages of the King and Queen. Almost like she had a secret she was dying to share. Jak could have sworn that she had given him that same look the other night. He was lost in it. Like she was the only creature in the world that could read his mind.

He felt like if he looked hard enough at the print, she would practically come out and speak to him right now. He didn’t mind fantasizing about it. What would she say? Probably something like, “You’re staring, Jak.” Or “Do you see something interesting?” Or maybe—

“Hey, dummy!”

SQUELCH!!!

Jak felt the heavy, wet fabric of a sponge smacking him across the cheek, shaking him out of his daze. He shook the excess water out of his scruff, before looking frantically for the source of the attack.

Armin was standing across the barracks with an annoyed, impatient expression, tapping his foot on the ground. “Will ya’ stop staring at that damn print and quit hogging the mop? I’ve been on all fours for the past hour and I'm gettin’ sore!”

Jak’s ears pinned back and his face turned bright red. He nodded, avoiding the fox’s gaze before tossing the mop towards him. Armin shook his head before continuing. “I’m tellin’ Lora that you’ve got a crush on the Princess.” 

Jak scowled, before punching his palm. 

“Oh yes I will.” Armin shot back with a chuckle. “That is unless you help me finish up. Sirus may have us on janitor duty for the next month, but it’ll go a lot faster if you pull your weight.” 

Jak huffed in reluctant agreement. He crouched down to pick up the sponge, which had now left a large soapy puddle by his paws. But as he knelt, he couldn’t help but lock eyes with the Princess’ photo just one last time. 

Every girl needs a scary black dog to go with her on walks.

Jak gathered his food tray, eyes glued to the floor as he moved through the packed tavern. Knights and riflemen were bundled up all along the walls, some asleep, others nursing hot tea and doing their best to take their minds off of what had just happened. Another two knights were out there, dead. And there was nothing they could do. 

Everyone felt for Tali. It was one thing to lose one of your squadmates, but both? That was a pain few cared to imagine. Jak could still see the desperation in her eyes when they found her. And worse, the anguished cry she had let out when she had to leave them. 

He caught her at the corner of his vision. She was slumped over the table, hovering over some tablet. What could she possibly be doing, Jak wondered?  

Realizing she was also alone tonight, he made his way to her table. It only seemed right. After all, misery loves company. 

He sat across from her on the bench, his tray coming down with a faint rattle. Her ear didn’t twitch. He was about to whistle, when he noticed the quiet sobs coming from her. She was staring at the tablet, tears streaming heavily down her face. What was she doing?

He waved his paw to get her attention, but she didn’t seem to notice.

He stood up and walked to her side, placing a paw on her shoulder. She flinched, looking up at him.

“J-Jak? What are y-y-you doing here?” She snuffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. 

He gestured to the tablet she was clutching so hard to, enough to warp the glass, casting the image in silver and green waves. She looked down and loosened her grip. “S-sorry, I was just…” she didn’t finish her sentence, unsure  how. Jak peered over at what was on the tablet screen.

He felt his stomach drop.

It was an After Action Casualty Report form, with Brok and Marlowe’s names listed. Her teammates were still dead out there, unable to be recovered due to the snowstorm. Why was she filling this out now? 

Tali could see his eyes widen as he read the tablet. Tali shook her head, wiping her eyes once more. “It’s okay. C-Captain Sirus as-assigned it to me.” She began to reach for it. “I was just finishing—“ she felt Jak’s paw cover hers, stopping her from making contact. She looked up to see his face had gone from an empathetic one, to a bone chillingly hollow expression. 

“Wh-what? What’s the matter?” She choked out. He lifted his paw, slowly taking the tablet from her. Her eyes widened. She knew that look. “J-Jak. Really, it’s okay. I a-agreed to it. It isn’t his fault.” 

He didn’t seem to register it. Instead, he pulled his tray of food towards her, and pointed to it. Tali began to stammer in panic as he began to walk towards the exit. “J-Jak! Stop! Don’t do something you’ll regret! I-I’ll stop and eat with you! Jak!” The knights and soldiers around the tavern watched as he pushed the door open, a brief snowy blast filling the room before it slammed shut.

“Oh, Stars.” Tali whispered.

Jak trudged through the snow to the command hut 50 meters away. The tablet was tucked safely beneath his arm, his ears pinned back as the snowy wind pelted his fur.

Inside the hut, Commander Corso and Captain Sirus were huddled over a map of the settlement, pointing at small congregations of red dots. “—and you can see here that resistance from the initial voidling swarm has thinned out in this area.” Sirus explained, waving a paw almost absentmindedly. 

Just then, Jak pushed through the double doors. The knights guarding the hut’s entrance stiffened. Sirus’ head spun to meet the intruding wolf. “Knight? Just what in the world do you think you’re—“ he didn’t get a chance to finish as Jak’s closed fist cracked against his muzzle, sending him reeling backwards and crashing into the map table. 

Jak shook his now aching paw, just as the knights surged forward and grabbed him. Commander Corso stared in shock. “Knight Jak! Stand down, now!” 

Sirus stood up, paw pressed against his now bloodied nose and bruised lip. He snarled. “I’ll kill you, you stupid mongrel—“

“—ENOUGH! Everyone!” Corso roared, slamming his paw against the table. The hut went silent. He eyed Jak, walking towards him warily. “Knight. What is the meaning of this?”

Jak looked down at the ground where the tablet had fallen, and gestured with his boot. The glass had spiderwebbed with cracks, but the names of Tali’s squadmates stuck out through the distortion. Corso picked it up slowly, his eyes warily focused on Jak, and began reading. 

_________________________________

After Action Casualty Report:

Name: Tali Mere

Acting Squad Leader: Tali Mere (df) 

Commanding Officer: Captain Sirus 

Number of Casualties: 2

Name(s) of victim(s): [K1] Brok M. [K3] Marlowe W.

Status: Deceased, Decea_
——————————————————-

Corso turned slowly towards the lynx, who was covering his bloody nose with one large paw. 

“Sirus. Did you assign Knight Tali to fill out this report?”

Sirus stood incredulous, extending an accusatory paw to Jak. “He just assaulted a superior officer! You should be throwing him in the—“

“—Did you or did you not assign Tali to fill out this report, Captain Sirus?” He ground out slowly. Sirus was dumbfounded. With an exasperated sigh, he spoke. “Yes. We needed it finished for an accurate tally, and she was the best option. I don’t have time to fill out reports while we are actively repelling Voidling attacks—“ Corso slammed the tablet against the table, the knights beside Jak flinching.

“Damn it Sirus! … For Gods’ sakes! Tali lost her partners not even two hours ago! And you have the GALL to make her fill out a report while their bodies are still WARM?!” The tiger’s teeth were clenched, his muzzle scrunched in rage. And for the first time in a long time, Jak saw a twinge of something he’d never seen in Sirus’ eyes before.

Intimidation. 

“Commander, I’m only doing what I believe is best for—“ 

“Stow it!” Corso snapped. He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long, drawn out sigh. “I don’t have time for this right now.” He picked up the tablet, shoving it roughly into Sirus’ paws. “You will fill out the remainder of this report once this meeting is over. Afterwards, I want you to deliver a heartfelt and personal apology to Knight Tali. Do I make myself absolutely clear?” 

For once, Sirus didn’t object. “Yes, Commander.” His reply was muffled by his bloody glove. 

Corso spun on his heel, and stalked towards Jak, leaning in close, almost close enough for their whiskers to touch. “As for you. If you ever strike a commanding officer like that again, I will toss you into the brig myself. Is that understood?”

Jak nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly. With a curt nod from Corso, the guards released Jak’s arms. He delivered a sharp salute, spun on his heel, and marched back towards the tavern, his bloody knuckles dripping a trail behind him.

He looked down at his paw, and smirked to himself. He didn’t regret a thing.

+ Points if you can pick out what the background is.

Jak, Armin and Lora are attending a ceremony. Jak, HATES wearing his uniform.

HURRY UP AND KISS ALREADY!!!

I wanted to branch out from my typical style and do something a little cuter!

The armor shown is a generalization, but is meant to fit on mid-large sized mammals.

The tail armor is sometimes controversial, so I’m curious to see what you think.

Take a seat and relax for a while. We made it through half the year already.

Kam grinned beneath his helmet as he pranced around the arena’s perimeter, doing his best to rile up the crowd. The spectators howled and cheered at the incredible fight before them. He’d defeated one of Corso’s most talented knights. He was a shoo-in.

“Come on folks, let’s hear it now! Are you having a good time?!” He cupped a glove up to his ear, and the crowd cheered. All except for the royal booth, where Kira and Commander Corso sat.

“Come on, Jak. Get up…” she whispered to herself.

Commander Corso was whispering the same thing, watching as the wolf laid on the ground, the dust cloud settling around him. “You’ve got this, kid. Just get up.”

Jak could barely hear anything. His vision was fuzzy around the edges. His helmet was flung somewhere he couldn’t reach it. All he could feel was the irritating sensation of dust coating his mouth, and sticking to his bloody fur. 

Jak propped himself up with one paw, then the other. He wiped his unbruised eye with the back of his sleeve, a red smear giving way to partially cleared vision. He let out a wheezy huff, forcing himself back onto two feet. 

Kam paused his revelry to look back at the wolf. “Still not ready to quit, huh? Alright, let’s give the people a good show.” He raised his fists, gesturing with one hoof. “I’ll give you the first move.”

Jak straightened, his back foot digging into the dirt. He’d played nice so far. It was clear that this goat wouldn’t.

He was right. Give them a good show.

Jak sped forward, leading with his right foot. Kam was ready to counter, aiming to catch him off balance and strike a knockout blow. But Jak feinted, ducking low and spinning. His armored tail met Kam’s helmet with a loud CRACK, the glass of his visor shattering. 

Kam recoiled, tasting blood as he bit his tongue. Jak wasn’t finished, and grabbed Kam by the horns, delivering a brutal knee to the abdomen. His knee met armor, but it still hurt enough for Kam to cry out in pain.

“Hey! You tryin’ to kill me or— “ He didn’t get a chance to finish as Jak’s fist met his chin, the helmet’s strap snapped, and Kam’s helmet arced high into the air, landing in a ruined heap onto a patch of grass. 

The crowd collectively moaned as Kam fell. He felt his face, noticing that the helmet was gone. Then, he felt a persistent, stinging pain from the top of his head. He felt his horn. The tip had snapped off, and was weeping blood down onto his face. 

The wolf had gone too far now.

“M-my horn!” He stood back up, pointing at Jak with an accusatory finger. “I’ll kill you for that you sonuva bitch!” 

Without waiting for a reaction, Kam charged in a blind fury, screaming as he ran. Jak only needed to guard as the goat gave in to his anger. Kam’s fist flew, poised to connect to Jak’s face—

—Until he caught it, with a dull smack. Kam froze, his face incredulous.

Then, Jak twisted. 

Kam shouted as he felt his arm bend at an unnatural angle. He fell to his knees as he felt something pop. Tears welled up in his eyes as the pain took over. 

He looked up to see Jak, shrouded in shadow. He looked terrifying. 

“P-please… I’m—ah! I’m sorry!” Kam stammered. Jak’s muzzle curled, as if he were growling. He raised his other fist, and swung. 

Kam braced, yelping as he waited for Jak’s fist to connect…

But it never came. 

He looked back up at Jak’s fist, only an inch away from his face.

He…made him flinch. In front of the whole crowd. 

Jak let go of Kam’s wrist, dropping him as if he were a piece of refuse that he didn’t want to dirty his gloves. Kam scooted back, bracing himself with his good arm as Jak walked away. He looked up at the booth, the royals and Corso staring down at him in wide eyed astonishment. 

“Citizens of Canatria, we have our newest guardian.” King Carmen announced over the loudspeaker.

The crowd cheered, most emphatically were the field knights shouting his name.

But Jak didn’t look at them. Instead, he found Kira in the stands. She wasn’t sure how to feel. It was the most brutal takedown she’d ever seen. But Kam had certainly deserved it.

Corso on the other hand, couldn’t help but grin. “Good job, Jak.”