[center][b][sup][h1][color=f26522]M I R A G E[/COLOR]  A N D  [color=slategray]F E N R I R[/COLOR][/h1][/sup][/b][/center]
[COLOR=slategray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]T H E   S A N C T U A R Y[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sup][color=darkgray]July 3[sup]rd[/sup], 2020  |  Mount Justice, Rhode Island[/color][/sup][/INDENT][/INDENT]

	When the runt had first approached him he had been ready to ignore her. His blood was already up, and he had doubted there was anything of worth she could possibly of had to say to him. More than likely she was going to say something foolish, which would make him lash out in anger, which would make the others, soft fools that they were, turn on him. No great loss, but Shayera had asked him to do his best to [i]‘make friends’[/i], and he was loathe to let her down. So he had decided that it was better by far just to turn his face from Mirage’s, and show her that she was, at that moment, beneath his consideration. Hopefully that would make her realise her place in things. 

	His course decided, he deliberately rotated his whole body from the girl in an obvious dismissal. Annoyingly she didn’t seem to get the message, and carried on regardless. He readied himself to snap at her, to make her realise the folly of bothering someone she should be showing her subservience too. Only then did he hear her words. Only then did he realise that she agreed with him. He paused in surprise, reappraising the strange girl anew. She may have just been agreeing with him as a survival tactic, the weak allying themselves with the strong, but somehow he doubted it. There was a real conviction in her tone, a fierceness, an iron belief in her own words. He realised that even if he hadn’t voiced his disapproval of Tachyus, she would have voiced hers, even if it set her against the whole group. The runt had suddenly become far more interesting.

	He kept his silence while she asked her questions, studying her with a close, intense scrutiny, his storm-grey eyes fixed upon her, the way the vigilant wolf watches the heedless herd of deer. The answer to Mirage’s question was a far more personal one than she could have ever expected. It was one linked inextricably with his past, a past of blood and pain that he was unwilling to share with her, or anyone else for that matter. His past was his, and his alone. 	 

	[color=slategray]“I have been hurt worse. Many times. While my body is still capable of moving, it will move. If I can fight, I will fight.”[/color] And that was all he was willing to say on the subject. If she felt he was being oblique, then good. Perhaps that would dissuade her from trying to pry too closely into his affairs in the future. 

	And yet he could see in her the need for an answer. This was important to Mirage, that much was clear. Maybe she felt that if she knew the secret to his strength she’d be able to use that to bolster herself. He approved of the runt trying to better herself, but he would never subject an other to the things he had to go through to become the man he was, but perhaps there was another way. There was more than one path to strength. After all, Hawkwoman was one of the strongest people he knew, and yet had she not used a different route to arrive at her greatness than he had? Maybe he could help Mirage find [b]her[/b] path.

	[color=slategray]“It is not something I learned, to keep fighting. It is something that was forced onto me. Inflicted upon me. I do not know if I can teach it. . . But I can try.”[/color] He fixed her with his gaze, trying to make her make up for the lack of eloquence in his words with the earnestness he felt in the pit of his being. [color=slategray]“I doubt I will be a good teacher, but I would not give up. That is all I can offer.”[/color]

	Kassy was initially unnerved at Magnus and his focused glare. She knew he didn't like her. None of them did, but at least he was upfront about it. She almost regretted asking him anything, but there was no taking back the question. 

	From his tone, she'd obviously overstepped some invisible boundary. It was suddenly all too clear why, and she kicked herself internally. Of course! Not all of them could be like Juno and Connor, handpicked because they were the best and brightest. At least [i]he[/i] was like her - tossed into this collection of guppy heroes because there was space to fill. The apology was springing to her lips, but before she could speak it, he spoke again. 

	[color=f26522]“You.. you’ll help me?”[/color] Her whole face seemed to light up. [color=f26522]“I- I can’t promise that I will learn fast, but if you won’t give up, I won't either. I'm very tired of being a useless little guppy. Or worse-” [/color] She stopped, shaking her head briefly as if forcing a thought from between her ears. [color=f26522] “Nevermind.” [/color] She stepped close, and very carefully touched his arm. [color=f26522] “I'm sorry you were hurt too, Magnus. But maybe we can make something good from it.” [/color]

	Then she smiled, and it was probably the first genuine grin she’d displayed since the team had come together. 

	And then the light in her eyes was very suddenly snuffed. Tachyus was close and yelling, and Kasy seemed to fold into herself. She flinched visibly at the rage in her teammates voice and shrank back.

	[color=f26522]“I- I- I’m so- I’m sorry, I - “ [/color] There was fear painted all over her posture as she backed away. As her gaze dropped back to the floor, there was something else in her face. Not just fear, but resignation. Of course, she’d messed up. Of course, she was being yelled at, of course, next would be- 

	Juno was speaking but Kassy couldn’t hear through the rushing in her ears, and she started edging backward further. 

	Magnus watched Kassy’s humiliation in silence. A part of him, a surprising large part, wished to leap to her defence. However he would never be able to teach her to fight if he waded into all her battles, fought all her wars, took all her injuries and won all her victories. Better to let her taste this small defeat now, for it to serve as a prod to drive her towards greatness in the future, and a painful reminder of what happens when you merely gave up. It would hurt, but it was ultimately for the best. A learning experience. 

	Then Tachyus challenged him, and things changed quickly. Fenrir’s rage was swift and all encompassing, forcing out any rational thought that he may of had. He became deaf towards any calls for patience or temperance. He was dimly aware of Juno demanded peace, but she may as well have been telling the sea to stop being wet. All he could hear was a howling in his ears, hollow as winter and hungry as a forest fire. There was an ache, such a terrible ache, deep in his bones, in his muscles, in his very core, twisting at his every fibre. He knew that there was only one way to stop that ache, to cease the howling. It was the call of the Beast, and the Beast demanded blood. Even if he was inclined to refuse the call he wouldn’t have been able to. The arrogant fop may have been able to cow the guppy, but he would quickly come to regret challenging Fenrir.

	Without preamble the feral teen’s fingernails lengthened into talons, and he took the first step towards the [i]Godling[/i], a wordless snarl upon his lips and and an bottomless hunger in his eyes. 

[SUb][b][i]Collab between [@Mistress Dizzy] and [@BlackSam3091][/i][/b][/sub]