Love Thine Enemy

Volken

I willed the rat to come over to me. All it would take was a few simple seconds of scurrying in my direction, and my jaws could clamp easily around the rodent. I could practically taste the blood, feel the flesh stick on my fangs, impatient for the howling of my stomach to finally stop. That stupid rat had been sitting outside my cage for ten minutes, and no matter how still I remained, it never came even an inch closer. It was as if it could sense my presence; see my intent to kill in the shadows about me. Just as I thought that maybe, just maybe, the rat was about to come closer, my stomach rumbled and caused its ears to perk and twitch. It then took three hesitant steps back and turned to run back down the hall.

Rage flooded my mind as I threw my body against the silver bars in protest, immune to the flesh-stinging sensation they gave through my fur. That rat was the first living thing I had seen in what I thought was maybe a week, judging by how many times the light of the days outside had passed under the door of the cell. Frustrated with nothing to take it out on, I returned to my previous gnawing on my right back leg. My own blood tasted different to me than the blood of all the others I had tried, and it fascinated my bored mind to watch my skin grow back together just moments after I took a chunk of flesh, making it as though I had never injured myself. I repeated the process over and over, slowly easing the pain of my starving belly with my own meat one bite at a time. Over time, a puddle of my blood gathered beneath me, soaking my underbelly and haunches in that glorious stench of crimson.

The jangle of keys perked my pointed black ears, my head jerking up so fast that blood slung from my muzzle. My body stilled in hopes that I had heard correctly, and yes, I was rewarded with the heavy pounding of many feet coming down the stone steps. I was on my feet, barking and yipping excitedly as I thrust my sides against the cage once more, oh-so-ready for a fight.

"Looks like she's ready to go," chuckled Pasos, dangling the keys in front of my nose as the other four men took their battle stances. His gigantic frame hunkered down a bit to look at me with a sneer through the dark. "Are you gonna behave this time, or do I gots to use that silver pole again?"

I thought it over and immediately sat down and snapped my mouth shut. I hated that silver pole that kept me ten feet from everyone and made it impossible to breathe. I knew what would happen to me if I ate anyone before I got to the fight. I would be good this time. I just wanted to eat, and although the burly Giants of Volken looked like tasty mammoths in my opinion, it was not worth the punishment to sink my teeth into one of them again.

"Good girl," he grinned, his yellow teeth not anything like my pearly whites, despite my terrible diet. "Men, open the door and lift the gates. Our guests have been promised a fight, and a fight they will get!" He opened my cell and stepped aside as I pounced out, shaking my cramped muscles out in anticipation.

I held back my urge to run around in circles, fearing my chance to eat would be taken from me if I did, so I settled for panting heavily as I trotted between the sets of guards who would escort me to the gates. The rows of cells filled with Lykens like me didn't even catch my eye as we moved down the long hall to the big silver door that kept us all inside this dungeon. We stopped at the end and I listened to the loud announcer on the other side of the gates, the ceiling above us raining down dust as the massive crowds cheered and stomped for bloodshed in the stands.

"We stand to make quite the fortune today," Milgor smirked, eyeing Pasos. "Our bets on this little beast will one day make us rich! Long live Hood and her perilous reign!"

Pasos offered his devious grin as the announcer welcomed Hood into the arena, and I stood at attention, nose almost touching the door, muscles rigid, ready to kill anything that moved. Milgor nodded at Pasos and they both heaved the silver gate with their massive arms, finally giving me a view of the blinding sunlight and the glorious arena littered with carcasses. I shimmied under the gate's prongs before it was even fully open and dashed into the ring, eyeing everything with suspicious excitement.

The arena was the same. Same blood, same bones, same smells, and mostly the same faces watching me. The large bowl-like pit was lined with pure silver, keeping beasts in and the Volkens safely out of reach. Silver chain-link was strung in a web-like appearance over the top of the ring to keep the strongest wolves like me from leaping out of the pit and into the stands. There was one thing different, however; a decent sized hole had been made in the far corner of the chain-link webbing, almost as if a fireball had been hurled at it and burned through the metal. I'd fought a Volken firebird before, and its breath could definitely melt chains.

The cheer of the crowds only grew, hurting my ears that were so used to utter silence. I just wanted to eat. I did not understand why I couldn't just eat already.

Just as I began to consider snacking on one of the guards before the gate shut again, the gate across the arena opened and a large white ape pounded through, sliding to a stop in the center and slamming his large fists into the dirt repeatedly as he hooted and roared in rage at all the noise. My mouth automatically watered. I hadn't had animal flesh since three fights ago, and I craved the tender flesh as I imagined ripping it off the ape.

My hunger drove me forward first, running full speed at my opponent until I slammed into him with my front legs, teeth already sunk deep in the stupid animal's wind pipe before he even moved once. I grunted at the easy win and snapped his neck with my teeth, ripping the head clean off the spine and thrusting it into the air. Refocusing on my kill, I ignored the mix of angry arguments and victorious cheers above me as I tore into the carcass lustfully, hardly stopping to swallow as I scarfed down the first meal I'd had in days.

I hardly noticed that the shouts of anger from the guests at their fighter being defeated so quickly had turned into chaotic callings for a second match. Suddenly the gate across from me opened again and a giant that was larger than even Pasos stepped out, only one large eye in the center of its head to help it see. I frowned at the creature. I could not recall ever seeing any of the giants having only one eye. What kind of Volken being was this?

Did it taste good?

I did not even have time to finish my meal before the strange one-eyed thing ran after me, large feet leaving holes in the ground in his wake due to his great weight. I scurried off to the side and spun around, deciding the best way to defeat this one. He was too strong to overcome. He seemed pretty stable on his feet, so I wasn't sure
I could trip him up. Even if I could get near his feet, I would risk being stepped on and crushed. I snarled at him as he swung back around and roared like a bear, bringing a fist up to pound his chest. His people cheered from their side of the stands as he did so.

I circled him outside of his reach, much to the disapproval of my fans. They wanted violence immediately. I was famous for it. This giant creature seemed to have only one thing that was not protected- his eye. Having made up my plan in my mind, I quickly began to bark and snarl and snap my teeth at his heels as I ran in a circle, forcing him to keep spinning around to keep me in his view. When he became dizzy and put a hand to his head, a ran at the wall and pushed off it, giving myself momentum and enough height to land with my claws in his shoulders.

Without wasting another second, my fangs dug deep into the socket of his eye and pulled out all the hot juices inside. I spit out that oddly bad taste and allowed myself to topple off his shoulders as I watched him scream and wail, falling to his knees as blood leaked from between the fingers covering his face. Determined to keep my reputation for violence, I leapt at his throat and brought his mighty frame to the ground. I repositioned my teeth over his spine, bit down as hard as my jaws would let me, and pulled at the bone. The satisfying sound of spinal cord being ripped from bone and nerve, all in a fluid series of pops and tears, made me shiver in delight. My opponent dropped dead.

The roars of approval fell on deaf ears as I tasted the flesh of my first one-eyed beast, and I liked it.