Words: 1007 The day started normally.Ananta woke with the sun though his patrol didn't start until later in the day. He would greet his siblings, save Lakshmi who started his job far earlier in the day than any of them, and the he'd go for a run.
He'd peek in at Lakshmi and then go on his way. He usually stayed up near the guard point when he wasn't spending time with his siblings.
Good thing too. In the past month Koka had not shown up twice and he had to switch places with her. It wasn't as if he minded though, but seeing the other guard go down the path to comfort his brother made his blood boil.
Lakshmi wasn't a young pup anymore, neither was Ananta. They could both defend themselves well enough. Lakshmi was the reason they were here after all.
Janja had found the four brothers roaming the roguelands and she was seeking out a healer to help her son and daughters with their visions.
Still, Ananta was fiercely protective of his siblings. He didn't want this outside dog to hurt his brother. He would kill her if Lakshmi even complained once.
He hadn't though.
He'd have to settle for being brutal during sparring practice.
Sparring was done in shifts a few times a week, but Ananta had not been paired with Kiana at all since the other Kiambaza started making eyes at his brother.
He made his way into the meeting point. Today was a sparring day and he could only hope to be paired with the dark dog. He wanted to rip into her, injure her in some way or another. He watched the group of the other guards being lined up.
Koka usually called out who was going to spar. She listed everyone off, finally landing on Ananta. "Ananta and Kiana, you two are together today," Koka called out. Today was just his lucky day, huh? He padded up to Kiana, giving her a bit of a sharp grin. She gave him a hard stare in return.
Kiana huffed, eyeing Lakshmi's brother warily. He looked far too pleased to be sparring today. Normally spars were light and fun, but she had a feeling today would be far different. Ananta had this look in his eyes that said he was fighting for real, not just some spar.
She would have to defend herself well. Perhaps if she wore him down he would see that Lakshmi was safe in her paws.
In fact, Lakshmi was on the sidelines today. He volunteered to help just in case of any injuries and also to cheer on Kiana and his brother. Kiana glanced towards the silver boy. He looked concerned by their match, but Kiana gave him a small smile and turned back towards Lakshmi's brother.
"Ready!" Koka announced the start of the match. "And Go!"
Ananta lunged at Kiana immediately. She dodged him easily. His movements were sloppy in his misguided rage and she was able to predict his attacks far before they happend. He seemed to want to just... Bludgen her. The other make was using all his energy just to try to fight her.
He didn't even land a blow. She sidestepped him easily, just giving him a hipcheck to cause him to stumble.
She barely touched him.
Far too soon, Ananta was panting heavily where Kiana was barely panting at all. She took a deep breath and focused her red gaze on him. She took a step towards him, dodging another lunge at her. It was slow, slower than all the ones before. She turned on him and tackled him to the ground.
"You are foolish," She snarled, a sudden bit of rage boiling in her chest. He showed his neck to her, giving her his submission. She snorted, letting the green male up. She padded back towards Lakshmi, nuzzling the silver male's face softly. She murmured something to him and Ananta watched on in defeat. He sat there for a moment, trying to pull himself together. He stared down at the rocks at his feet for a moment. He didn't expect his brother and Kiana to return to him.
"Ananta," Lakshmi said softly, he nosed his brother, checking to see if he had any injuries. The winged brother pulled away, huffing. Lakshmi pushed forward though, resting his head on top of his brother's. "What's got you acting like this?" He asked.
His brother gave a soft growl, and at first Lakshmi thought he wouldn't answer. Kiana shuffled a bit at his side. She hummed softly, a sound of support. Lakshmi was grateful she was there by his side, but he'd never seen his brother act this way. It was strange, and a bit unsettling. He always held his own in fights, and now he lost so easily.
Ananta sighed. "I was... I was worried about you," He huffed.
Lakshmi's brother sounded small, worried about the words he said. It was only a part of the truth though. He was jealous. Jealous that his brother found a place in the pack without them. Jealous of Kiana for garnering his brother's attention. He couldn't admit that right now, though.
The words would stick in his throat like mud if he tried to speak them. He pulled back again, but not to escape. He looked his brother in the eyes, and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, brother. My behavior was inexcusable." He spoke with a clear sincerity. "I'll explain more at home."
The green dog pulled himself up. His pride was wounded greatly and he needed to nurse those wounds in private. He had to think about what he was going to say to his brother later, when Lakshmi returned home.
Lakshmi watched his brother go, turning to Kiana and pressing his head to her chest. He took a deep, calming breath. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened with that..." He said softly. Kiana nuzzled his head, silently accepting the apology.
"It's not your fault, Love. Let's go take a nap."