one last breath

Cassiel Xanilov.

Maybe when he'd been a young pup raised on stories of his father, before he'd learned the truth, he might have been proud to have him give him that title. Now, now it was just an insult.

Cassiel stiffened, anger raising his hackles and curling his lip. "No," he snarled, one short, angry syllable. The old man cringed away from him. He took a deep breath, slamming the lid back down on his rage. "You can keep your name, mate," he continued in a more moderate tone, though the harsh edge still wavered there. "I'm not interested." He took another calming breath, then more gently, "Eat the medicine. It'll stop the pain."