Ankyra Sound shoop da whoop (alpha challenge)

the young man did not think that his dark challenger would have been so relaxed about his position. in fact, illidan feared that he would be met with hostility and anger. alone, vercingetorix was not likely to succeed against the rest of the pack. the wildling could not blame him for trying. it must not have sat well that there were hardly any others within the ranks who would allow for verx to really be a member of rusalka. they all treated him poorly as it was, without the premise of leadership weighing over them.
 
and as much as he did not wish to admit it, the dark wolf was right to distrust his ability to keep caiaphas from the sound. a quiet breath slipped from his lips at the realization that he had failed to provide for those who were most important to him. he had failed to bring his pack to a place of success and had allowed his own love for his mother to cloud his judgement. she still had not returned, and illidan wondered if she ever would.
 
vercingetorix attempted to coax something out of him – tried to rouse a fire that had long since been extinguished. once, he had possessed the same spit and vinegar that his mother and sister had. tragedy had a way of dousing most of that. “it would mean my death,” he admitted almost absently, eyes looking past his challenger and into the distant terrain that was not claimed but existed on its own. blinking a few times, illidan fixed his sights back on the face of the other man.
 
“it is yours. i do not have the strength-“ his voice cracked, as though it had been hinged on the back of his throat. then, he attempted to make it seem as though he was okay. there was a halfhearted wave of his tail from between his hocks, but the dark circles around his eyes betrayed his attempt at putting on a good face for the man who had taken his rank from him. “maybe i’ll spar with you another time,” he then added with the softest curling of his lips. the smile did not meet his gaze, though. there seemed to be a storm in the hawkish gold there.
 
“please be careful, vercingetorix. you do not have many friends here.”