shiny new toy

Somewhere along the way, he'd fucked it up. Hazel had managed to trip him up, or he'd stumbled, something like that. Either way, he lost his footing and went down. Hazel managed to get a hold on his face, sharp teeth getting a hold of the thin skin beneath his jaw as she made one last quick lunge, and he felt like a fool. Flattened beneath the Lieutenant and bleeding from the face, clearly defeated. A long sigh shuddered its way from his chest and out through his nostrils as Hazel turned him loose. All fine and well, he needed a moment to catch his breath and center himself. Certainly wasn't blinking the tears out of his eyes, no sir. The boy heaved himself onto his belly, arranged his heavy limbs beneath his bulky frame, and stood. Towering over the victor, head drooping in the face of his loss. It didn't matter that Hazel had more experience, more practice, a high rank. He was a Fatalis, he was supposed to make them all proud. And he hadn't done that.

The weight of his sire's presence was titanic, threatening to crush him as the dark furred man stepped closer. Congratulated Hazel on her victory- as she deserved, having done well against the bumbling fool of a boy. It wasn't anyone's fault but his that he hadn't emerged victorious. He kept his eyes low as his sire turned towards him, ears pinned back in anticipation of the disappointment that would ring true in the Warlord's admonishment. Yet it never came. Instead, soft spoken encouragement. Despite his glaring failure, his sire was proud. Finally the dun coloured youth could lift his gaze, catch the hint of a glimmer in Sirius' eye that betrayed just how thrilled he was to see his advancement. The Warlord welcomed him into the rank of warriors, and stooped to press a small kiss against his turquoise masked brow. Quietly, his sire assured him that if he kept up, he'd continue to rise through the ranks.

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, the blond youth uttered a meek "Thank you," and blinked a few times. Nah, there were no tears there, cause it would be really pathetic to start crying twice in five minutes.