As the days passed and his right ear was beginning to mend, he still felt the bitter sting of defeat in his heart. Whenever he moved about, his gait was a little more broken and his heart a little less full, of life. Guelle was still very much the same spirit but he constantly felt deflated. That he couldn't even win one stupid fight and that meant that even though he'd had every intention of protecting @Rhea and his mother, he wouldn't have even been able to do that. Guelle Casales felt useless down to his very core and that was the last thing he ever thought he would be.

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do not go gently in to that good night

Things had been so hectic after the war that Rhea hadn't the chance to check up on her friend @Güelle. In fact, it had bothered her so much that today she went searching for him. It didn't take her too long and as the golden boy man comes into sight, the medic picks up her pace an exasperated "Güelle!" leaving her lips. Though it is not hard to notice the staggered steps that he takes, the low head, and the utter lack of defeat that plagues his form. "Hey!" She says again coming up to his side, slightly winded, but otherwise okay. "What's wrong?" Brows furrow slightly in concern, one paw lifting to touch his shoulder. Did something happen? While it had horrified her to see him attacked, Rhea had become too busy with healing at the war to notice what had become of his fight. While there were fresh scars on his pretty pelt, they had been bandaged and the medic was relieved they had been tended too. Scilla was in good supply of qualified healers. Herself included.

code by loki - art by rabbit / stars

There was no doubt in his mind that he felt depleted. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what the root of it was for his tiny little boy brain but the truth was that it came down to humiliation. Feeling like after all this time that he would have been capable of taking someone down and doing a lot of help for the pride and yet he had lost, the evidence of it being the piece of his ear that hadn't made it back to the den.

When he hears his name in that familiar voice, he was surprised when his shoulders dropped a little further. Not believing that they could've sunk lower. I thought I could do it, he says in a hushed whisper. Committed to telling @Rhea the truth because if anyone could show him compassion and understand, it would be her. Even now he was surprised that she even bothered to be in his presence. How could he ever protect her when he couldn't even protect himself? Foolish boy, stupid oaf.

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do not go gently in to that good night

The slumping of his shoulders causes raised brows to rocket further up her forehead. Concerned was an understatement to see @Güelle looking so defeated. Rhea rests her paw on his shoulder, leaning her face in closer as he mumbles about feeling he could have done it. Done what? “What do you mean?” she asks him because in her head he is already great the way he is. Even if he had lost, she found him brave for fighting off his attacker and escorting her to begin with. He had fought while she had stood there flabbergasted at the war. Trying not to vomit while he spilled blood. So, who was the brave one here? The medic waits for his answer and hopefully he would stay committed to telling her because now that she had seen the sour mood he was in surely she couldn’t leave him until she turned that frown upside down!

code by loki - art by rabbit / stars

Protect you! he said, probably louder than he should have but not so loud as to break anyone's eardrum. Only he realized his volume and turned it down to say, I thought I could protect you — them, anyone. But what good could he do when he couldn't even protect himself? His ear was all to show for it how absolutely washed his fighting skills truly were when it came down to it. Of course he understood in some far corner of his brain that he was still young and thus more inexperienced and less wordly than others but the fact that he had failed seemed to be the only thing at the forefront of his mind. @Rhea

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do not go gently in to that good night

His volume did indeed surprise her, Rhea's ears pressing back for a moment as the hard pitch pierced them. @Güelle realizes this and lowers his tone and now it all makes sense to her as the young lion explains himself with drooped shoulders. "Güelle," she breathes softly reaching out to gently place a paw on his in a gesture meant to comfort him. "You did protect me," she tells him, her voice pleading for him to reconsider what he deemed a failure. "So what if you have a torn ear? All the handsome men have scars etched on them," she teases softly hoping that she is at the least lightening his somber mood. "I was the one sitting there, flabbergasted at the whole thing. At least you were fighting, protecting me. Protecting your mom!" And she was sure he gave his opponent a few scratches of his own for her to remember him by.

code by loki - art by rabbit / stars