take me home

If there was one good outcome of the Armada's raid on Aerie, it was to show him how much work he needed to do yet to have truly earned his position as Aerie's alpha. His skill, while adequate, was not near where it need be yet. He was nowhere near achieving mastery as a warrior. He worried that Malleus would be ashamed to see where he was still, so long after he was gone. Aureus' skill was far above his own, yet his injury in the raid had reminded Eligos abruptly and alarmingly that despite their bloodline they were still mortal and that reminder of their mortality had showed him how easy it would be to lose one or both of his brothers. Even aside from what that would do to him on an emotional level, it would deal a devastating blow to Aerie, with so few fully trained fighters among them. Ina was Pyrrhic's equal... but she was just as mortal as her cousins, and her wandering put her at greater risk, though the rewards could be great as well. It was frustrating to know that they were so close to failure because he hadn't pushed hard enough to grow the pack's numbers and skill. Well, he would push himself.

Casting a swift glance at his companions to stop them, he himself stopped, and raised his muzzle to call for an opponent to join him. The best way to better himself as a fighter, after all, was just to do it.