Fight 5/5
Fight 5/5
When Laurel’s teeth cut the side of Vaken’s face, he let out a sharp whine. He felt the teeth sink in, and pulled away in a panic. He felt careless and stupid for letting the other wolf attack him like this, but knew it had been futile. Their faces were so close now, there was no way to really defend from the sharp teeth. He felt the warm spread of blood drip through the fur on the side of his face, but didn’t register the pain. He was hurt, but not horrendously. The cut would not leave a permanent scar. While Laurel had broken skin, he hadn’t managed to rip out too much flesh. The attack only made Vaken more desperate to pin the other wolf.
Fumbling to keep Laurel on the ground, Vaken opened his mouth and closed it around Laurel’s muzzle. It was his final attack. He wanted to show as much dominance as he could. His ears turned forward and he raised his head, exposing his neck a little bit more. He felt comfortable enough now to resume a dominant position rather than a defensive one in conflict. His tail stayed high and stiff, proud of his victory. He opened his eyes more too, not keeping them narrowed, but glaring at his opponent with pride. He spat Laurel’s muzzle out and stepped back.
The coyotes had stolen the doe during the action. Clearly they had arrived while the two wolves fought, and rather than get involved had dragged the prey away. It was unsettling, but Vaken knew the coyotes would be back for more. They could not have taken their meal far. “It’s over,” he grumbled, his chin raised high in the air.
Not only had Vaken refused to help him, he also suddenly and, almost randomly, felt the need to put Laurel in his place. Which was.. where, exactly? Always on the ground, on the losing side, begging to be let go? Why wasn't he strong enough? What was wrong with him? Was he too different, too strange, too misplaced? Laurel felt suddenly undeserving of anything. He'd always been undeserving of anything, why did he fight so hard against it?
He hadn't turned to look back at the darker yearling as he got up. Coyotes had taken what could have been a good meal for the next few days and now he was sore and tired and defeated. His eyes felt hot and started to sting. Laurel quickly blinked any tears back, his face scrunched up in anger as he slunk off without another word.
— Exit Laurel!
There was a twinge of guilt within the young wolf, but he ignored it. He caged his heart up from feeling regret, but stepped away from the injured wolf nevertheless. He didn’t want to turn his back on him, so instead he stood still and watched him leave. The victory felt a little pained. Was it still a victory if the other wolf was already at a disadvantage?
Laurel had been struggling to survive already. Vaken snorted and turned around, ignoring his thoughts. A fight was a fight. That was the way it went. He was struggling to survive too, maybe not as bad, but they were equals. He didn’t watch the other wolf vanish. He wanted to leave before the coyotes returned, or before another wolf showed up and asked questions. Vaken didn’t feel like talking. Even though he was sore, he wanted to keep moving to get his mind off the situation.