Vulpine & Lupine

Prologue
All minks are born warriors, and their training starts early in order to refine that potential into a tool for Zou's future success. It was customary for those young minks who dreamt of pursuing a life as defenders of the Dukedom to undergo especially demanding training, where they faced off against one another to strengthen bonds of camaraderie but also to ensure they had good combat experience.

Wolfgang was such a one, and today he would engage in sparring matches with his fellow tryouts to see who had what it took to become a Guardian with time. At just about eight years old, he was the youngest of those trying out by quite a margin, and hadn't he been the son of a Musketeer they would likely have refused him until he aged a bit. But his mother had taught him well.

Even now, she stood behind him, watching him as he got into the ring with a significantly older ox mink, who was at least three times larger than he was. Her muscular form towered over most of the adults present, and her mink was the same color as that of Wolfgang's himself, a bluish shade of indigo that was extremely rare among canine minks. She, like him was a wolf mink, his brother had inherited the traits of their gentle father instead. Their father was a warm man who mostly stayed at home looking after them, while bartering fruit and groceries in his personal shop.

The moment the match began, Wolfgang was already in movement, he easily evaded the strong but lazy punch thrown by his opponent before he leapt up into the air and sent the older kid hurtling many meters away with a single powerful kick to the face. Whether it was because he'd been understimated or because the other kid happened to be that much weaker than him didn't matter to Wolfgang. He was just happy to make his mother proud.

Wolfgang might've thought it easy, but the adults and other young minks appeared impressed at his strength and speed despite his young age. They kept muttering the word prodigy, which Wolfgang rightly didn't know what meant, but at least it made his mother smile.