Kade pried himself off the floor, spitting out another mouthful of blood. He shoved himself to his feet, ignoring the stares of his pack, who were never very sympathetic to begin with. He scowled, back straight, and walked out of the room, to go lick his wounds and regain some face. A hot anger flashed through him. Why should he lose? The Blackteeth Pack were so much kinder than his own pack, and they actually cared about their members, beyond winning or losing.
Abe sat on the dirty floor after being handed back his shirt. He used it to wipe the sweat off his face and neck before slinging it over his shoulder. The heat in the room was fairly intense, especially now that he'd gotten his blood pumping. It would be torture to try and put it back on right now. Maybe when they left, he would. Maybe.
With his quicker healing, the smaller scratches and bruises healed in about an hour, but there were some wounds that took longer to heal. For one thing, Kade was pretty sure a few of his teeth were loose, and one of his ribs was out of place. It was annoying.
He didn't like this feeling, of losing. He had been one of the strongest members of his pack, even at such a young age, and this was what happened. He really didn't want to face his pack again. There would be taunting and teasing, and he would have to push his way back up the ranks again. The prospect wasn't appealing.
Abe laid back on the floor, stretched out. The cheering had died down, that they were in that awkward phase between fights where the blood on the ground was beginning to dry in deep maroon patches. He picked at a forming scab on his hand. Thank God he won- losing was practically a death sentence in the Blackteeth. Even if you weren't ostracized, they'd work you to the bone until you were skilled enough in fighting to win.
He'd still have to train, obviously, but the spars wouldn't be so aggressive and frequent. He pushed himself up, off of the floor, worming through his swarm of packmates to leave the room. He needed fresh air. The smell of sweat and blood hung thick and heavy in the air, and it was becoming nauseating.
Kade leaned against the wall of the warehouse, taking a drag on a cigarette. He flicked some ashes off the end, absently watching an airplane fly past, lights flashing under it. He sighed. The cool air was a welcome relief to the hot of the warehouse, and it smelled slightly better too, more like dirt, and less like sweating bodies and blood.
Abe caught sight of Kade on the opposite wall. If he pretended he didn't see anything, maybe nothing would come of it. The dude was bound to be pissed at him, which was understandable, but clearly he had a huge-ass ego that wasn't happy about losing. He shut his as he leaned up against the wall, picking an empty beer bottle up from the grimy concrete. He gripped it by the neck. Outside, the sounds of sirens screamed through the streets.
"Not sure that's going to produce any beer anytime soon," Kade commented, seeing Abe, and noticing the empty bottle in his hand. "I mean, maybe if you wished hard enough, and poured some in there, it might happen." It was hard, swallowing back his arrogance enough so that he didn't kill anyone, but he managed. Somehow.
"Oh, funny!" Abe sneered with a roll of his eyes. Jesus, this guy was pissy. He moved his hand, smashing the base of the bottle of the wall. "Surprisingly annoying words for a man who just got his ass kicked. Watch yourself, Devil." Abe clearly still had an open disdain for the Dog City Devils.
"I know, I take pride in being funny," Kade said, shrugging. He didn't know why Abe was out here, but he wasn't going to act like a sore loser. He would show this asshole who was the man. "And being annoying, so thank you."
Abe rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Right." He snorted, looking away. He dropped the bottle, ducked back into the room with his packmates, and came back out holding a half-drunk bottle. He took a swig, walking past Kade and the shattered glass to check out something on the other side of the warehouse.
Kade let out a quiet chuckle. He may have lost, but it was amusing to see how his actions annoyed this guy so much. He didn't see why. After all, he wasn't the one who lost. Still grinning, he turned back to the street, leaning back against the warehouse and staring into space.
Abe could be heard clicking his tongue softly, crouched down on the grimy concrete. He tapped the ground, seemingly trying to lure something out from the mess of empty cardboard boxes piled haphazardly in the corner.
"There's nothing there," Kade called. "Unless it's your sanity. In that case, I'd suggest that you look elsewhere. I doubt it'd be there."
Abe ignored Kade, continuing to try and coax the thing out of there. He whistled softly, finally luring out what appeared to be a tiny puppy, no more than a couple weeks old.
He snorted. "A puppy? Why would you go to all that work for a puppy?" He wasn't bothered that he was being ignored. He was used to it, and he liked to hear the sound of his own voice.
"Shut the fuck up, cunt." Abe snapped back, barely giving Kade the dignity of looking at him. "Do you get off on being an asshole? Is that what it is? I just kicked your fuckin' ass. You're still gonna try and upll this shit? You know I'll bust your teeth in."
"I'd like to see you try," Kade said mildly. "You just had the upper hand because you have more endurance. I don't think you could beat me up now that I know how you fight."
"Alright, dipshit." Abe pulled his shirt from his shoulder, wrapping it around the little puppy. "I could feel your bones and shit when I got you on the ground. I know your ass can't hold up to another fight today."
"You know, there's a double meaning for what you said," Kade said, with a tiny smirk. "And I probably could. You misjudge how much my pack teaches to blow through pain."
"Oh, funny. Hilarious." Abe rolled his eyes. He snorted at that last statement. "Y'all don't even fight with real weapons. Pussies. You're softies compared to us."
"I know. I've often been told that I'm the funniest person they've ever met." He smiled, looking for all the world like he was discussing the weather. "And of course we fight with weapons. We just choose to fight with our fists, which are weapons in and of themselves. But you wouldn't know, of course. You're so used to relying on stupid man-made weapons."
"'Stupid man-made weapons?'" Abe repeated with a sharp laugh. "Oh my god, man, keep lecturing me on this shit. You should like a fucking caveman. It's '89, man. Fists are great, but a bat'll fuck you up harder." Abe shook his head, setting down the puppy in his arms. "Goddamn!"
"Is something wrong?" Kade's voice practically dripped with amusement. "Do you need to see a doctor? You sound like you're in pain. Perhaps a bat over the head would help?"
"Fucking Christ. Why did I stop beating the fuck outta you?" He muttered, looking towards one of the warehouse's exit doors. He had half a mind to just leave, go sit outside until one of his packmates came looking for him.
"Because you decided to be a good boy and listen when someone told you to stop fighting." Kade shrugged, flicking his cigarette away.
Abe, who had begun to turn away, suddenly froze at that. He bristled with anger as he turned back to Kade. "Shut up. Shut the fuck up, man, you don't fucking know what you're talkin' about."he poured the rest of his beer out, gripping his bottle by the neck.
Kade gave him a mock salute. "Whatever you say, Your Highness." He didn't look worried at all. He was a master of making people annoyed, or angry, and this guy was wound up too tight. It was fun, egging him on.
Abe walked up to Kade, taking a moment to set down the bottle before swiftly kneeing Kade in the groin. He stepped back, picking the bottle back up and gripping it tight. "Fucking cunt."
Kade smiled. It hurt, like hell, but he wasn't about to act like it did. "Is that all you can do? Man, I wonder how you haven't been kicked out of your pack already. Such a weak kick, and so easy to anger."
"Because packs aren't built from brute strength, you fucking dipshit. Oh my god!" Abe laughed. "Holy shit. No wonder your pack is so fucked up. Y'all aren't a family. You're a gang. No wonder the media fucking hates werewolves."