[center][b][sup][h1][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]

	He was beginning to think that allowing Stephanie to lead him from the training room had been a mistake. Tachyus and Juno were probably both mocking him for his spinelessness, while the rest of the team were no doubt questioning his right to a place amongst them. And right they should be. What had he been thinking? Backing down from a [i]beta[/i] male? For [i]bacon[/i], of all things! 

	[i]You’ve proven yourself little more than a trained dog,[/i] he thought, [i]rolling over to show your belly as soon as someone throws a treat your way.[/i] 

	If he wasn’t so worried that it would show a lack of conviction in his decisions – which would no doubt just exacerbate his weakened position in the other youth’s eyes – he would have marched back to the gymnasium and finished what Quickling had started, then and there. Instead he was left with the bitter taste of his mistakes, wondering where he had gone wrong and how he could rectify the situation. It would have to be something drastic, that much he knew.

	Stephanie and Andy were discussing a meeting between their parents, but he was hardly listening. Even if he didn’t have his own problems to address, he wouldn’t have been listening. There weren’t enough hours in the day for him to start caring about that particular topic. Thankfully the alien entered, the one who claimed to be connected to all life through something called the [i]‘Red’[/i] entered, and with his appearance the conversation moved on. 

	Magnus didn’t know what the Red was, or what kind of creature Rannick Telo was, exactly, but despite himself he felt that he liked the strange creature. He couldn’t put his finger on just what it was that he found so agreeable about Avatar, he only knew that he did. There seemed to be an aura about the alien, some indescribable sensation that was beyond the ken of his senses, that spoke to the wildest and most animal parts of him, and somehow quieted them. He, like Tachyus, seemed  Maybe it was a by-product of Telo’s connection to the Red, or maybe his own calm was just contagious. Whatever it was, the wolfman just felt more comfortable in Avatar’s presence, more able to relax. So much so that he found himself chortling aloud his response to Stephanie’s question, a dirty, hacking cough that doubled in volume at Andy’s hurt expression, though it cut off quickly when the boy made his [i]‘[color=ffbc57]interesting[/color]’[/i] crack.

	Shayera had made the costume for him, designed it herself even. He didn’t appreciate her efforts being undermined by some foolish youngling, and was about to make his feelings known, when he caught himself at the last moment. A moment revaluating Hellfire’s comment and he was forced to accept that Andy had just been making a joke - a good natured one at that. For that Fenrir had nearly quarreled with a teammate for a second time that night. 

	For a moment he marvelled at Hellfire’s ability to respond to insult – if Rannick’s joke could be called that – with humour, and wondered if it wasn’t a kind of strength, an ability to deflect that robbed a remark of it’s power. He wondered how he could claim that strength for his own. If he could, he didn’t know how to even start going about it. He didn’t consider himself to be particularly witty, and his tongue lacked the necessary swiftness to make jokes. To him it seemed to be a magical ability, mystical and unknowable. If he couldn’t joke with the group, the least he could do is respond to them. That would have to do for now.

	[color=slategray]“Costume is not supposed to be interesting. It is effective. Frightening. Stretches to fit form. Easy to wash blood from.”[/color] He nodded to cement the point. There were few smells worse than old blood. Function over form. What good was style, if it stopped you from taking to the shadows and stalking your pray? Though there was one of them whose costume had managed to marry the best of both worlds.

	[color=slategray]“I like Batgirl’s costume. Cape is bad, too much drag. . . but purple is pretty.”[/color] His face turned from the group, slightly embarrassed to have voiced that thought aloud. He was suddenly worried that if he hadn’t lost all of their respect earlier, then this would certainly be the moment to finish the job.