"Wow! Those look amazing on you guys!" I exclaim.

"I know, right? I think I was destined to be a model or something; this armor fits absolutely perfectly!" Hawk strikes another pose, winking at me with a smile.

"Really, Hawk?" I halfheartedly frown at him.

"Hawk! Don't do that to Arrow! He doesn't like it!"

"Sheesh, so much hate around here. I know. Karly, thank you for the armour! I really like it!" The shaggy dog does a little twirl. The overhead lights gleam on the metal which spreads over his shoulders. Sharp spikes sprout from all over the armour. A small helmet rests atop Hawk's forehead and little triangles cast shadows that reach into his eyes. "I like the armour, Hawk. It looks quite nice. I can only imagine the damage you'll do to your opponents in the Wasteland." I hear a twinge of sadness weaving itself through my voice but I don't stop it.

"Yeah. We'll just have to wait and see." It's painfully obvious how much Hawk heard my voice change from the start of when I was speaking, until I stopped. He was kind though, not pointing it out or making a big deal about it.

"Karly, I'd like to say thank you for the armor. I'm sure it'll help me lots in the Wasteland battle." Jay smiles warmly at Karly, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Jay, is your neck going to be alright? Is it fine?"

"Yeah, it's perfect. Ok, not perfect, but it'll be fine. I'll do great in tonight's Wasteland battle." The blue-eyed dog turns to me and looks me right in the eye.

"Arrow, think you could teach Jay and I some moves? I'd like to try out a few things before tonight's Wasteland battle." Hawk's enthusiasm laces itself through his voice.

"Sure. Let's go. Thanks, Karly!" I jerk my head towards the doors of the Armory and the brothers follow me out to the Pit.

"Wait, Arrow... So... What does the Wasteland look like?" Jay frowns.

"Well, Jay. Imagine a seemingly endless plain, ok?"

"Yeah."

"There's nothing covering it except for dust, small rocks, and a few snags."

"It's that wide open?"

"Yes. However, apart from the snags, there are two dried up river beds named Thunder Creek and Stormy Stream. Along with those, there are the Rusted Iron mounds; twisted, oxidized strips of metal. Most of the fighting takes place at the Dozer Debris which is the biggest patch of the Rusted Iron mounds. There are also a few old truck bodies."

"I've got a good picture in my head." Jay murmurs. His eyes are looking at the ground but aren't focused, he's examining something not here.

"Come on, Jay! I can't imagine anything! I wish I had your ability to picture things!" Hawk frowns at his brother who lifts his head and refocuses his eyes to look at the shaggy dog.

"Just try, Hawk! Step by step. First, imagine a flat expanse of land. Then, add a few dead trees along with some bits of bent, old metal."

"You make it sound so easy." Hawk grumbles.

"Sit down and try. You can do it." Jay gently shoves Hawk's shoulder.

"Fine. Arrow, can you do that again?" Hawk reluctantly sits down and stares at the stone ground of the Pit.

"Sure. Perhaps try closing your eyes. Ready?"

"Yeah." Hawk's voice is soft.

"Alright, so picture a wide, open, seemingly endless plain. Now, add some dust and sand with a few scattered snags, small rocks, and pebbles."

"I think he's got it..." Jay narrows an eye at his brother and tilts his head.

"On one side of the plain there are two dried up rivers named Thunder Creek and Stormy Stream. They form a Y shape as they lead into one larger dried up river named Lightning Pass. At the point where they meet, there is a tall oak tree. However, it's dead and a few branches are about to fall off. Patches of the bark are worn smooth from the wind."

"Ok, ok, ok. I've got it. That stuff makes my head hurt." Hawk leaps to his feet, a slight frown on his face.

"It does?" Jay asks innocently.

"Yeah. Please don't make me do that again, Jay. I'll leave the imagine-y stuff to you."

"Alright." Jay shrugs.

"How about we all go fight some Clicks? That'll be a lot better than picturing what the Wasteland looks like; we'll find out in a while."

"Don't remind me." I murmur. Hawk takes a few steps towards the last few fighting squares before turning around to face Jay and me. He tilts his head to one side. "Coming?" He asks.

"Come on, Arrow, let's go!" Jay cries and trots to Hawk, who sets off for a fighting square.

"I'm coming." I pad over to the brothers.

"Arrow, here, you can go next to me." Jay jerks his head at a fighting square.

"Don't you want me to help you?"

"Consider it a warmup." Hawk glances at me before stepping onto his fighting square. Jay and I follow him.

Three Clicks walk to the opposing sides of the squares with robotic whirring. They hunch over and shake with their trademark clicking sounds. I watch my Click grow until it will be able to look me right in the eye. Jay and Hawk's Clicks grow as well, but not nearly as much. Their red eyes begin to glow, casting two bloody circles of light on the ground. Blood... The Wasteland battle... No! Arrow, stop it. Focus on the Click in front of you! I shake my head and look back up at the Click. It hasn't moved. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jay and Hawk battling their Clicks. When I turn my attention back to my Click, it's moved to stand right before me. I smirk and sit down, waiting for it to attack. We have a stand off. I don't move, and neither does the Click. Seconds tick by before turning to a few minutes. Then another. I part my jaws in a yawn. "Come on, aren't you going to attack? Scaredy cat! I'm not even moving!" I throw my head back laughing.

That moment is when I hear the robotic whirring of motors and the sound of metal sliding across metal. I shift and meet the Click's attack head on. We roll to the ground in a whirlwind of claws and fingernails. Sparks of pain ignite all across my body. With a snarl, I throw the Click off of me. It flies back and hits the wall of the Pit behind its humanoid body. Battles with Clicks rarely stay on the fighting mats. Weapons fall to the ground with metallic rings and clang on the stone ground. I wince at the high pitched sound and flatten my yellow-tipped ears to the sides of my head. The Click readjusts its eyes and stands, shifting its weight before running at me. I sidestep the Click's attack and let it stumble to the floor. My paws pin the robotic humanoid to the ground and I sink my teeth into its armour. Metal bends beneath my teeth. I cry out in pain as the Click's fingernails dig into my neck. As blood drips to the floor, I jump back before circling my opponent. With a robotic hiss, the Click lunges and swings its arm at the side of my face. Ducking under its attack, I rip long gashes into its torso, snarling.

I allow myself a quick glance over at Jay and Hawk and discover that Hawk's already defeated his Click which is walking away, its red eyes now just faintly glowing embers. A firework of pain explodes on my cheek. I jump back and see my Click with one arm across its body. Oh, well. I think. After opening and closing my mouth a few times, I trot forward before accelerating a bit and launching myself into the air. I swipe a paw at the Click, but it dodges my attack so my claws just barely scrape at its metal plating. My shoulder crashes into the ground and I tumble across the Pit's floor before my back smashes into the wall. A shield falls heavily on my forehead and I huff, glaring crossly at the Click as I rise to my paws. After shaking my head, I launch a barrage of attacks on the robotic humanoid which allow me to quickly finish it off. I look up as the familiar clicking noise fills my ears and see that Jay has just defeated his Click as well.

Sitting down, I allow Jay to catch his breath. "Wow," Jay says after a moment, "Arrow, I did it. I defeated the Click!" His face breaks into the biggest smile.

"Great job, Jay! That was some amazing stuff you did!" I'm not entirely sure what to say.

"Thanks! Wait, when does the Wasteland battle start?" I begin speaking as soon as Jay's said the last word of his question.

"In roughly an hour or so. The time has passed quickly." Far, far too quickly. I feel my mind start to fall into a spiral of a hurricane of thoughts, but I pull myself out. I don't have time for that right now. "Really?" Hawk says, "I thought there would be at least another few hours. Just one?"

"Yes, there will be an announcement soon. The Wasteland guards ought to say something about the fact that not all the dead have been brought back from the land of the dead."
There's the low echo of a gong. Hawk turns to me and I nod. Together, we pad to the yawning mouth of the Pit where Gladiators are beginning to gather. There's the large, wheeled board with a diagram of the Wasteland arena drawn on it, and several Wasteland guards standing in front of it including the plump one who's always at the pre-Wasteland battle meetings.

A minute or two later he begins speaking. "Hello, Gladiators. As you all know, in less than an hour you will all take part in another Wasteland battle. For some of you, this is your first. Because of this, I will go over the rules so you are aware of everything you can and cannot do with this honor you've been given..." I zone out and instead focus on what Jay and Hawk told me to do. My mind spins, threatening to go out of control, but I hang on by a thread until it slows to a stop. When I close me eyes, I make an attempt to picture what I'll do during the Wasteland battle. But then Rhys, who's sitting next to me, prods me sharply in my side. She frowns and pouts before pointing at the droning Wasteland guards with a small huff of annoyance. I have roll my eyes; it's just that amusing and ridiculous.

"As you may have already noticed, some of your fellow Gladiators have not returned. This is because we were unable to bring them back due to extensive injuries. That is all. Good luck at tonights Wasteland battle, and may you all win yourselves glory!" The Wasteland guard waves his hand, dismissing us. I rise.

Ok, ok, sorry, this wasn't the best ending ever, but I wanted to get a chapter out. I haven't done so in a while. Anyways, hopefully you liked it! If you deem this chapter worthy, please consider a vote and remember that you are always welcome to comment! 

How do you think the Wasteland battle will go? 

Will Arrow get killed, will he escape, or will he reign champion once more and be unable to escape? 

Thank you sooooo much for reading Blend the Light!

-Werewolf14-