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To think there's been a time when he'd been content sneaking off from his parents and chasing bear cubs... only to get chased and nearly mauled by their angry mother, in turn. Well, those childish games had faded long ago, and he'd been crafted into a stronger, smarter beast. That was what he liked to tell himself, anyway. Swooping through the cold winds never ceased to amuse the thrill-seeker within him, and the stallion made up for whatever grace he lacked with tireless energy. Save for the eerie gleam of his eyes and the thundering of his wings, Kerberos blended in quite well with the darkened sky.

Once he'd had his mindless fun, the stallion snapped his wings out and allowed himself to glide, his body aching pleasantly in a good sort of way. He lived to push himself--hadn't that been the reason he'd come all the way to this place, far from the watchful eye of his mother and father? Oh, true, he was sure they wanted him gone so they could enjoy some time to themselves. His mother acted like quite the she-devil, but Kerberos had learned many a thing or two from her, and greatly respected her cunning, manipulative mind. His father... well, he had bestowed his terrible temper upon his son, and the great strength that came with it.

What didn't he have to be proud of?

It was the unexpected sound of laughter that interrupted his trailing thoughts, and a gleaming eye angled itself downward to curiously scour the earth in search of its creator. Truly, it was too dark to see much, but he'd gotten a good idea of where it'd come from. Back winging silently until his hooves grazed the cooling earth, the young male surely made quite an impression with only his eyes glowing dimly in the shadows. There was definitely someone here--he could smell them. Who or what... well, that was to be determined.

"Somethin' particularly funny? Or is that just your way of getting attention?" The words could have been biting, but had been phrased more as a soft, amused drawl. "s**t like that can get you trouble--unless you can handle it." Whoever this was, he sure as hell wasn't acting like he was slinking around in the shadows to keep his a** safe!

"If you need to be taught, sure..." Kerberos let his wings fold casually against his sides, comfortable, relaxed, and unconcerned. As far as he was concerned, any danger this place could throw at him was a joke. So long as he played it smart, hell, he might as well have some fun as long as he was awake, huh? That was until the geezer started running his mouth a little, and whatever movement he'd just done, it'd been pretty damn dismissive. Though the statement had been calm and quiet, the youth bristled all over, let dark lips slide back to expose his teeth and pale gums.

"I'd watch your ********' mouth, if I were you." The growl was low, but rumbled on and on in his throat. He was moving now, beginning to circle slowly around the relative area he knew the other was standing, letting his tail snap through the air until it hissed. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Couldn't even see him, but though he could say s**t like that? Well, he'd better be prepared to back it up.

His neck snaked forward in a mock-lunge, twisting horns dangerously close to the stallion's sides... but it wasn't a serious attack, and even if the other chose not to move, it wouldn't connect. Nu-uh, he was gonna see if he couldn't rattle this punk up first, laugh at him a little, and then get down to business. That stunt had given him a good look at the relative shape of the stallion--and he was Kalona! Well that was just dandy... He would prove himself as someone not to be messed with, even if that meant roughing up his own kind to earn some respect!

So now he was being mocked?

If his temper had been a ticking time bomb before, it was just now beginning to detonate. Though he did have to strain to see the faint shiftings of movement, the condescending tone, as predicted, was enough to have his jaws gaped in a full-throated snarl. "Let's see you say s**t after you've proven something, old man..."

Somewhere, he knew he was overreacting... but then again, he'd never bee outright insulted before, either. It made his blood hot and riled, and though he knew he should ignore it and ride it out, it was just that much more satisfying to be able to put someone in their rightful place. Time to see if he could use what mommy and daddy gave him, huh?

Another lunge, but this one was meant to draw blood. His teeth were bared and ready to sink into the first bit of flesh that presented itself, regardless of the damage he might take in turn. That was just his style--win out through endurance and be the last one standing. His tail would snap around as well, not above leaving a stinging blow in hopes of throwing the older male off balance.

Though he was young and had plenty of energy to keep going, could that prevail against experience?

A hit! His lips curled away as he unexpectedly tasted blood; Soquili had never been prey, nor had he ever considered truly hunting one. His jaws tightened then, trying to hold on though it'd be a tricky feat; the other was clearly muscled and this was an odd angle. Better to let go and try again, but even as he began to shift his weight, his own tail was jerked to be used against him.

He staggered right into the blow, hot air hissing past his gritted teeth as pain flared through his neck. Didn't have time to focus on the damage, and Kerberos shook himself furiously. So those teeth would tear through a little deeper--if it'd get him free, that was all that mattered. His head jerked and twisted the best it could, trying to scrape his horns against skin. His teeth were grinding so loudly that the other could probably here them, and the stallion attempted to shift his hooves so he could try--somehow--to bludgeon the other's legs with them.

This wasn't going exactly how he'd planned, but he could deal with messy...

What did he have to lose? His reputation was at stake, his strength! The very things that made his family who and what they were, gave them respect despite the scorn they received for their ideals... and more than that, Kerberos didn't want to lose. A bruised ego, though not fatal, would be devastating, especially when he had thought so highly of himself up till now.

Perhaps the other was enjoying himself, but he hadn't been in enough fights to completely let go yet, still too angry. As soon as he was able to yank himself away, he did, snorting and snarling with bloody froth flecking his jaws. Wings snapped themselves out with a huge 'thwack', unconsciously making himself bigger before he realized his opponent was suddenly barreling towards him.

Without thinking, the young male reared up on his hinds with a scream, lashing out with heavy hooves to try and catch the other in the face. Of course, it left him wide open for those horns to slam right into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him gaping like a fish. The sheer force and weight behind the enemy stallion sent him dangerously off balance--and Kerberos was suddenly tipping, limbs flailing helplessly until he landed on his side with a heavy crunch.

The shriek that burst from him was purely of agony this time, and the stallion scrambled wildly to his feet, right wing hanging limply at his side. He somehow looked even more deranged this way, jaws gaping as he heaved heavy, gasping breaths, fangs still bared, still bloodied.

"You'll be... screaming... when I'm ********' through with you..." He managed to hiss, widening his stance slightly to prepare for another charge.

His lips were twitching with pain besotted rage, the worst of his fury punctured and deflated by the devastating damage he'd just sustained. So when the stallion suddenly backed up, the young adult shook his head, nostrils flaring with frustration. Enough? He was going to smack the bear over the head with a stick and then say it was enough?

"You gonna kill me?" He shot at the other at that, tail snapping back and forth to strike his own flanks, trying to keep his temper up. It was a lot harder to think about what he was being told and still try to figure out how he wanted to maul this guy. Of course, being insulted again was enough to make his ears slowly flatten, and the fury began to die to foul-tempered irritation as the throbbing pain took over most of his emotions.

"My wing's what's banged up, not my brain." Came the growl, low, heated... and then the teeth were sheathed with soft, black velvet, and the stallion twisted his head away to glower into the darkness he couldn't pick through. From insulting, to condescending, to lecturing? "Need to make up your mind about what you want, goddamn it."

His position was still rock-hard, refusing to waver although the blood oozing through his fur was now beginning to steadily drip. What had all this been for? So he could lose, make a fool of himself? To act and then be treated like a child, to stand here, so baleful and resenting, and wait to see what this jackass would do next?

Typical. Just his ******** luck.

Hmph. So, he had managed to pay this stranger back in small, insufficient ways. One ear pricked at the unexpected... well, he didn't know what the other meant by degrading himself, but Kerberos wouldn't tell him he was wrong. "I don't know what you were doing, then, but that's one hell of a conversation starter. The ******** do you think you are? You try to piss off whoever's civil to you so you can beat the crap out of them and then act like they're stupid?" All right, yes, he was sour about this whole thing, but seriously! He wasn't going to back down from an insult, especially when he'd only landed because he was curious about who the hell was secure enough to wander about by their lonesome in the dark.

This must have been what his father was talking about. Opinions of others... who gave a s**t? It... was stupid to get riled up by every little thing, and, he thought bitterly, it'd taken a crunched wing to get that through his head. He knew better! Hooves smashed themselves angrily into the dirt, and he whipped himself around and away, unable to even look at the other right now. Goddamn. If there was one thing he hated more than being insulted, it was being wrong and knowing it.

"S'because you're smart." Came the growl. "Not smart enough to ignore when a kid's acting a damn fool in front of you... but didn't kill that kid either, so." His tail was lashing like a mad thing, his rage needing an outlet and turning it on himself. Hell, what would his father say about him now? His mother?

"Might have been fun for you," He corrected roughly, "But I went in there to prove something. And anyone can bash themselves into each other to 'prove' a point, but it takes some ********' brains to..." Kerberos shook himself roughly and winced from how it hurt, stiffened and straightened himself.

He honestly had nothing else to say, his tongue twisted into knots and disgust weighing heavily in his chest. A grand way to impress anyone--not only did he seriously maul himself, but he'd fully lived up to the other's earlier assessment. His steps were slow and jilted as he skulked towards the trees, knowing he needed to find a secluded place where he could stay for a long while.

Funny that he'd been so secure of himself only minutes before; he was easy pickings for hungry predators, now.