The jingling of the bells announced the arrival of the half elf- half dwarf and a pair of rabbit ears perked at attention that were barely sticking out behind the counter in the inner half of the smithy. The walls were lined with sample armors and weapons as this smithy was not one of mass production but did business more along the lines of requests and commissions.

The pair of fluffy grey ears with an inner lining of white fur had then straightened as the sound of light wiping of cloth over metal stopped, a head soon followed that was covered with the same grey fur but there had as short mop of hair that framed the furless face in a bob cut. The face had the accent of youthful features sharpening into maturity as a small feminine voice escaped the lips of the bunny before coming to a sudden stop. "Welcome to the Long Ears Smith-"

The young man then waved with his free hand as he set down the chunk of ore in under the other one and said "Hi."

"You're back!" A gleeful declaration made as the bunny girl made her way over the counter in a single jump and landed in front of the young lad.

Cracking a smile and with a sigh "Yes Glen, I am back." He then opened his arms as to welcome a hug which the bunny girls simply jumped into and squeezed her arms around the young lad's neck.

"Welcome back dummy. What did you get into this time?" But without waiting for a reply Glen just turned to the slightly open door behind the counter and shouted. "Hey dad, your apprentice is back and he has the material you asked him to get 2days ago!"

Turning back to the young lad that had set the bunny girl's feet set back down on the floor, "You took your sweet time?" The bunny then patting herself of and wiping away some of the oil off her hands that she was using on the bits of plate armor she was polishing earlier. Some of the oil was now on the young lad's neck which she tried to wipe away with a clean rag.

The young lad, not even minding the oil, just bent down and let Glen get it off him and noticed the exit of an older bunny from the now fully opened door behind the counter.

"Hello Dale." This bunny had stood a little taller than Glen whose ears, at their tips, could only reach the bottom of the lad's nose and her head was just below his collarbones. The darker grey Dale's head was at his chin and his ears were longer as they were level to the top of his head and the his general build fits that of one working as a smith with strong rippling muscles under the similar attire that the young lad was wearing.

"Carrots! What took you so long? 'You fought a monster on the way back from the other side of the city?" Dale sarcastically remarked

"Sorry Dale, had to spend the night in jail after I got into a ruckus in the markets." was the plain reply with no hint of apology or regret.

"Let me guess, after you got the merchandise, someone tried to pick it from you. You then gave chase and got it back but the thief got away with a broken hand and you leaving a trail of collateral damaged in your wake." was the strangely accurate assumption made by Dale.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Oh that just sums it up pretty nicely." The lad said with a bit surprise.

"Heard it from Old Man Grant. He saw you barrel through a few stalls chasing after a masked, hooded runner carrying a bulging pouch over their back that was trying to give you the slip." Dale paused as he eyed the young lad from head to toe. "Thought you'd have that elven grace in you, with your whole build and all?"

Shrugging, the young lad replied. "Turns out charging through like an axe splitting wood feels more natural to me. Just like how smithing came better to me than archery and forestry did." 

The young lads statements were half true as Dale thought back when the lad was still learning from the trades before settling on his current one. The young lad showed promise in archery, forestry, foraging, hunting and trapping the same way he was good at ores, mining, metal working and smithing was, though he was visibly more at ease with the later set of skills.

"Yeah but your good at both those things and you even have that strange graceful touch whenever you were finishing the metal." Glen had countered the lads remark and ended with, "Don't put yourself down too much."

"Thanks Glen." came the reply as the young lad patted Glen on her head and letting out a small smile.

"Come on Carrots! Bring the ore out back. We still gotta get that refined and the last order to fill." Dale snorted as the young lad picked up the hunk of ore and Glen setting back down to finish the piece she was polishing and placing it unto a pile of finished pieces and reaching from a different pile of unpolished armor.

"Could you please stop calling me that Dale. I've been your apprentice for five years now. It was a bit funny at first, though now it's just annoying being called that." an almost defeated voice came with young lads complaints.

"I'll consider it after we finish this last request, run the armor and equipment through their paces. Then you have time to bring me your 'finished product' and we'll see if that is enough for you to graduate as an apprentice." the declaration Dale had made about 2 years since the young lad started complaining about the nickname as even Glen was stuck to calling him that whenever her father was around.

The deal the lad had made was when they were out in the market meeting with a supplier of ores and Dale called him over with the nickname which was heard by not a small number of people in the market on a busy day. The nickname had elicited quite a few giggles from the female half of listeners, stifled laughter from some but rowdy hollering from a few boisterous laborers and merchants. Glen was also with them back then and was embarrassed for her fellow apprentice but could only stand witness to it all as she knew there was no easy way to change her father's stubborn ways.

The agreement they had made was that his nickname would never be no more when he was able to impress his mentor, which in itself would be a difficult task counting that the times he was really amazed in his life could be counted with both hands, a trait he was well known for by friends and family. Dale then made the condition more realistic by defining it as when the young lad would finish his apprenticeship and become a full-fledged smith or by producing a set of equipment of comparable make than the bunny was able to.

"Fine. I remember that condition. So what are we waiting for?" the lad becoming excited with the nearing prospect of ridding himself of the embarrassing name.

Dale just gave a stern look to the motivated apprentice which was already rushing into the inner workspace. He then looked back to his daughter Glen as he observed the almost finished polishing work she was diligently doing. After that Dale then moved to check a list on the wall after the door noting a lack of a few more pieces that were needed.

Glen then promptly put all the pieces she had finished in an area below the counter after covering it with a clean cloth as she placed a 'closed' sign on the outside of the smithy's door are followed after her father.

Later that night, with the embers glowing into a slow smolder, the last sounds of hammers falling could be heard. The smith marks were struck into the finished pieces, the proof marks of Dale Greenfield over those of his apprentice Felnar Orefist.