Healing through fighting

Even as he felt himself swing around he had felt some satisfaction in scoring a bite.  He may lose but it wasn’t as much of a failure as it could have been.  Rudy felt himself get swung about, brows narrowed as he tried to tighten his group on his brother's shoulder.  When his back hit the ground his teeth dislodged, thinly raking thinly between skin and fur. Personal victory even if a lost battle.

Then something Rudy hadn’t expected happened.  Art pinning him wasn’t a surprise with how common of a way he’d bested Rudy in a fight.  The surprise was when Rudy’s heart picked up, pounded in his skull at the feeling of being pinned.  The surprise was the feeling of terror and wide eyes staring at Art and how Rudy pulled back his lips for a momentary snarl that came from a desperate need to protect himself as he realized he was helpless.  He didn’t see Art regardless of looking at him, he just saw a force that had him down and the sense of searing pain that was about to come as his body was mutilated.

It felt like his heart stopped forever, it only lasted a second.  It was Art’s scent that he acknowledged the next second, blinking his eyes it was his brother he saw.  Still, he’d attempt to shove his way free of his brother’s grasp.  Rudy wanted air suddenly as if it was somehow denied while pinned and he didn’t want Art to see the fear he’d felt for a moment, that was draining out with each breath.  Hell.  What was that about?

Was he a coward now also? Pride stitching together demanded he not be such a coward.  Cowards couldn’t get revenge, cowards couldn’t protect his family.  There was no moving forward till he got past all this, “another round,” he grumbled, looking to Art.   Rudy internally repeatedly told himself never to let anyone else ever see that expression on his face.  Oxx had to die.  Rudy needed to help him die or at least see it happen.  So, Art would help him to not be a coward.

Rudyard Carpathius