Firefly Glen You belong somewhere you can feel free

He was touched that she tried a bit of self-deprecative humour in what he assumed was an attempt to lift his spirits, but he simply gazed at her, his features softened by appreciation, but he didn't offer any form of a rebuttal. While he knew that Fennec- like all wolves- had her flaws, he didn't perceive her as being any more messed up than most others he'd met. He also knew that she might not believe him if he said so, and that she wasn't fishing for a compliment. She did that occasionally, but this time, he could tell she was simply trying to make him feel better. 

His cheeks still warmed when she mentioned the fight she'd had with Niamh, and from the sounds of it, Niamh hadn't taken it easy on her. She wasn't even capable of remembering it properly, which bothered him- and made him think that she'd probably suffered the same fate that he had. Unlike him, though, Fennec seemed somewhat impressed with the way his mother had snapped at her- he could tell that for some reason, Fennec seemed to admire Niamh more for having fought her...But it still didn't mean that he would empathize with Fennec's sentiments. Not after he'd seen the small puncture wounds just shy of her jugular. 

If his mother had messed up her aim even slightly- she could have killed Fennec. And it didn't matter to him that Fennec seemed to admire Niamh, for whatever reason, not when it meant his mother was taking such dangerous risks with her sparring. All it would take would be one inch too far in the wrong direction...

He swallowed hard when Fennec asked him the same question he'd asked himself several times, and he sighed heavily. Even though he'd contemplated it so much, he still wasn't sure what his answer was, though fortunately, he was at least somewhat prepared to offer his best guess. "I like being a guardian, because I want more than anything for the wolves I love to be safe." He said, quietly. He shrugged, then, as his gaze dropped to the ground. He felt small, as though admitting his weaknesses made him shrink. "And I'll do whatever it takes to do that, I just..." He murmured, and trailed off. A memory flashed in his mind's eye and caused him to flinch. When he spoke again, he sounded distant, quiet, but perturbed.

"I did it once, to protect Sugar Glider. I fought him, this...Guy, I dunno, I dunno who he was. And I beat him. I had him by the throat." He said, though he could feel his own tightening, slightly. "...I could feel his heartbeat, through my teeth." He shook his head. "And that's how I got these-" He said, trailing off. Fennec couldn't see his scars- she never would have realized that he'd had them. He scooted closer to her, knowing she'd be aware of his proximity by the sound of his breath and the touch his breath. If she listenec closely enough, he was certain she would hear his heartbeat as it raced inside his chest. "Here. Feel." He said, and he reached up to gently touch the underside of her chin with the bridge of his muzzle- so she might feel his face, and for perhaps the first time, get an idea of what he might look like.