Consolation Prize

Briar bit her lip as she tried to hold back angry, frustrated tears while she stormed off, desperately trying to keep him from seeing her cry. She wasn't even mad at him - she was just mad at herself. Of course he wouldn't just let her leave though and she grit her teeth at the sound of him calling her name, trying to get her to stop. She wouldn't stop, she kept trudging forward even as he ran up beside her, keeping her turquoise gaze fixed hard on the ground in front of her and refusing to look over at him. Somehow him insisting that he didn't care about her wins and that he only cared about her hurt more. She cared about her fighting and her skills and how she would look next to him. She didn't want anyone to see him with her once he started leading The Hallows and just see her as some pretty face that got some kind of special privilege because he loved her. She was a Fatalis. She had to live up to that and so far all she had done was fail.

Suddenly he was in front of her, forcing her to skid to a halt as his paw pressed to her chest, leaving her no choice but to finally look up at him again. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide the hurt and disappointment and frustration in her expression so she didn't try. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes and all she really wanted to do was lash out and yell and shove him away. But even that felt hard to do when she looked into those amber eyes she loved that belonged to the boy she loved. Everything was hard. Nothing was easy, nothing came naturally. Not understanding what was happening with her family, not figuring out what she wanted to do with her life, and most certainly not finding any confidence in herself. "It's... It's not your fault," she managed after a moment, though her voice was strained and choked with emotion. She brought a paw to his that was on her chest and pulled it away, forcing him to let her go. "I just... I just need some time, okay? Please, just... I'm..."

She looked away from him again with a hard sigh, her fur bristling as she kicked a paw full of sand toward the ocean. Gods, she couldn't even speak well enough to say how she was feeling! "I'm not good enough for you, Artorias. Can't you understand that? You need someone that can... can defend a pack with you a-and be a good leader or something. I couldn't even manage to be a healer, I'm not that good of a tracker, I just... I'm just... What? A Fatalis Princess? Great, what good that's done me." Her throat hurt from all the tears and emotion she was trying to keep in check and even still she ultimately failed. Tears stained her cheeks and she growled with frustration, turning away from him and kicking more sand. "Just go," she muttered, falling back on to her haunches with her head hanging. "Just... Please just leave me alone for a while, okay? Please..."

"Briar Fatalis"