He had been defeated, Angusho knew it. He might not have gone down easily, but as far as he was concerned, a loss was a loss. He lie there, unable to move, and completely ashamed with himself for having lost to his own son. The boy he had come to destroy. Now that same boy was standing over him, his fate in the younger lion’s strong paws. He might have had something snarky to say about it, but he was unable to speak.
His jaw had been broken in the fight, making him incapable of saying anything. Not that he would have been able to say anything even if his jaw hadn’t been smashed. He had lost so much blood from the cuts all over his body that he knew he wouldn’t be able to move, much less hold any kind of conversation. He was lucky his son had known when to stop, or he might not have been able to even breathe. His front right paw had been broken in several places, and he knew it would never heal correctly. That meant, if he survived, that he would never be able to move as well as he wanted to. He wouldn’t be able to fight like he wanted to. Not being able to see out of his left eye was going to have a similar effect on him. The wound to his face left him with a massive blind spot- it would making fighting even more impossible. Even if he did continue to attempt battle, he would probably never win another brawl.
In one battle, he had gone from the top of the pack to no threat at all. Just because his son had decided to mock his life, rather than end it. What kind of mercy was this? Letting him live with these wounds?
This was not what he had wanted when the fight began.
Jeraha stood over his father, who’s broken frame heaved on the dirt, his blood sinking in between the grass. He tilted his head, watching the male breathe almost curiously. This was the male he had been so afraid of for so long? Lying there, defeated, he suddenly didn’t seem like such a threat.
“I know you can’t speak,” he growled, “but you can still hear me- so listen good. I’m letting you live because my brother doesn’t want me to kill you. If left to my own devices, I would have taken your life from you today. But perhaps this is better after all- you’ll never be able to hurt anyone else. If you die in battle, it’ll be your own fault. I have no guilt over what happens to you from this moment on. Hell, if your wounds kill you, it won’t be my fault. Better make sure you take good care of yourself, right dad? I don’t think I’ll be able to lend you a paw. Gonna be moving on now- there’s no reason to stay here. Make yourself at home in my cave.” He chuckled and shook his mane, sitting down in front of his defeated dad. Angusho watched him with his one good eye, though he barely seemed aware of what was going on. Jeraha didn’t seem too concerned with that little detail, however.
“Never come looking for me again- you’ll never be able to defeat me, anyway. If you survive this, I hope you take some time to reconsider your life. Looks like you’re going to have plenty of time for thinking. If we ever meet again, even by chance, I will kill you. I don’t care if Abin doesn’t want me to- no one gets a second chance with me, not even my own father. Cross me again and die. Simple as that.”
Angusho wanted to say something- to tell his son that he wasn’t afraid of death and he would indeed be back to attack him again. But… he didn’t know if that would end up being true or not. He was aware of his serious he was wounded, and he knew he would never be able to beat his son now. How irritating. The only reason he would meet up with Jeraha again would be to ensure his own death, but then, he didn’t want to die by his son’s paw. Anyone else would be fine, but not Jeraha.
So he really couldn’t meet the whelp again.
He groaned and struggled to get out something, anything, that sounded like a real word, but nothing came from his efforts. In his state, he couldn’t say anything coherent. He could barely think it. Coughing weakly, he closed his good eye, feeling his senses starting to cloud over. This was… not going to be a fun recovery time. If he recovered at all.
Watching, Jeraha got to his feet, grunting with irritation. “You are a fool, and I’m glad to be rid of you. I lost a lot running from you, but now it’s all over. You will never hurt me again. And, hey, I even got a brother out of it.” He turned, leaving Angusho to stew in his own blood.
“Goodbye father. May we never meet again.”
He moved away from his father, letting the older lion pass out shortly after he finished speaking to him. If nothing registered, he wouldn’t be surprised, but he was never going to find out anyway. One thing he knew- Angusho would think twice before coming after him. With his paw ruined and his eye gone, he was not a warrior anymore. He was nothing but an old lion with no more tricks up his fur. Good.
It wasn’t like Jeraha was walking away from the fight free of injury- he was beaten to hell. If he hadn’t had age on his side, the fight would have gone very differently. It was only his stamina that had allowed him to force more attacks against Angusho. His body was coated in cuts and wounds, his back and shoulder having taken a particular pounding. At least the scars would blend in with the old ones. They were worth the pain if it meant no longer having to deal with his father. Back pain, if it lingered, was a small price to pay.
Off he went to find Abin, so the two could move on to find a new home. Finally, they didn’t have to worry about Angusho anymore.
It had been a good day after all.
