*Lazlo*

The sharp snap of jaws and growls cuts through the training yard like thunder. I lunge forward, my claws scraping the frozen earth, forcing Nolan back a step, then another. He snarls, his muscles coiling, then strikes. But I’m faster, twisting low and knocking him off balance.

He hits the ground hard, his breath hissing out in a frustrated grunt. I bare my teeth, close enough to his throat to feel his quickening pulse.

“Yield.” Nolan glares up at me, his dark fur matted with sweat and his eyes burning with challenge. Through the mind-link, I hear his voice. “You fight like a damned beast when you’re brooding.”

I...