Following the directions Reyes had given him, Mikree struck out for the surface and the little pool of water where he was to wash up. It had taken a few tries to find the proper tunnel that led him back the way he had come, but eventually the small lion came out into the daylight and blinked in the sunlight. Man, it was tough going from darkness to light like that!

After some quick sniffing around, the tan cub found the pool Reyes had been talking about. There were a few other lions there washing as well, but he didn't pay them much mind. Mikree hopped into the water and splashed around, enjoying the cooling bath. He didn't notice the glares he was getting as he fooled around, splashing and drinking and paddling around with delight. He rarely got to act like a cub while with Deadlock, but it seemed Overwatch and Blackwatch weren't going to be too different on that front.

"Knock it off, kid," one leopard snapped as she got a face full of water when she was clearly trying to stay as dry as possible. Mikree paused in his rough housing, his ears pressing back against his skull. "Sorry ma'am," he said, giving her a little grin along with his words. She didn't look terribly amused, though, and stalked away from the water in a huff.

Mikree shrugged slightly and went back to washing, finally emerging from the pool soaking wet. If anyone had cared to look they would have been shocked by just how much the scruffy fur had hidden. Mikree was very nearly a walking skeleton, ribs clear as day and bones horribly defined. He didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary though as he shook himself off, the little flop of brown mane hanging in his eyes.

So far this whole Blackwatch thing seemed to be a pretty sweet deal. There were cool tunnels to walk around in, he had been fed fresh meat for the first time in a long time, and Reyes looked like a strong lion. Mikree wanted nothing more than to become big and strong and while Deadlock had been his first attempt at growing up that way, Blackwatch and the dark lion seemed to be a much better option.

Reyes had said something about healers that would groom him, right? Mikree glanced around but he had no idea who was a healer. He decided it would be best not to bother anyone since he had already annoyed one of the leopards, so he plopped down in the shade and started to groom himself. He'd miss some spots, sure, but it would do.

As he went about grooming himself, he was completely unaware of the three large figures that approached and circled him. It wasn't until he rolled onto his side to get his stomach that Mikree noticed the looming figures. They all had scars to match or even surpass Reyes and the other pale lion, and they all had a slightly tired look about them as if they had seen far too much in their lives.

"Listen up kid," one of them growled, the largest by far. "This isn't a place for runts like you. You're gonna get killed before you ever get a mission. Reyes'll see to that."

"Yeah," another one agreed, this one sounding a little less intellectual, but his muscles made Mikree think quite about sassing him. "He'll break you and you won't get...un-broke."

"I ain't gonna break," Mikree said, standing up despite his soggy pelt. "I know I'm little but I got what it takes! I'll prove it to you!"

"Oh yeah?" the third said with a snort. She was the smallest of the three lions but was still as big as any male that Mikree had come to know in Deadlock. She moved forward, looming over him, and reached out to shove him back onto the ground.

"If he doesn't break you, we will," she hissed, lowering her head to stare Mikree straight in the eye. The little cub tried to hold his ground, but her unblinking stare was the stuff of nightmares. "So watch your back. We don't take well to weaklings here."

"'m not weak," Mikree muttered, the fire still in his eyes and his voice despite his defensive position.

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" the first lion said as he reached forward, a massive paw shoving Mikree back against the trunk of the tree that he had sought out for its shade. The push was hard enough to knock the wind out of the small lion as he hit the trunk, his expression making the gathered lions laugh.

"Ah...what a little cub," the leader of the pack said as he approached Mikree, looming over him once again. "Don't know what Reyes was thinking letting you live. If it were me I'd have stepped on your head the second you were in my sights." As if to prove a point, he roughly reached out and and pressed Mikree's head into the ground forcefully, earning a yelp for surprise from the tan lion. He struggled to pull his head from under the huge paw, and when he did his face was smeared with dirt once again.

"Leave me alone!" Mikree snarled, the hair along his back standing on end. That only earned more laughter from the three, who took turns leaning in to snap their jaws at him or shove him around their little circle. At first Mikree tired to fight back, swiping at their faces and paws as they were stuck close to him, but these three had seen the cut on Morrison's face and knew to keep their distance. Finally, though, the trio grew bored with their little toy and left Mikree, filthy and dizzy and mildly banged up to do as he pleased.

The small lion laid on the ground for a while, catching his breath, before sitting up again. His head hurt and he was pretty sure he had a few scrapes on his hide from those claws, but he shrugged it off as he moved back to the little pond to clean up again. As he washed much more efficiently this time, the desire to kick their behinds grew. He memorized their pelts and their voices so he'd know who to seek out when he was bigger. Before Blackwatch seemed like a good alternative to jail, but now it seemed like a great way to become an amazing fighter to put those lions in their place.

He shook himself off again as he moved to the tunnels, intent on finding Reyes. The lion had promised to break him and re-build him, and now Mikree wanted that more than anything. He wanted to be the biggest, most bad a** lion to have ever set foot in Blackwatch so he could walk by those three and they'd look away, embarrassed and ashamed for pushing him around when he was little.

Looking like a walking skeleton with fur, Mikree headed through the tunnels with a spark of determination in his eye as he sought out Reyes. He didn't bother asking for directions, but rather used his nose to follow the scent of the lion that he was now ready to listen to and work his tail off for. Reyes was going to turn him into exactly what he wanted to be and he wanted to get started now.

FIN
WC: 1240