My teeth wrap around the shaggy dog's neck but Hawk doesn't react. When his skin begins to give against the points of my fangs, he still doesn't react. When the first taste of rust fills my mouth, I freeze. Hawk hasn't moved the slightest bit, he's still limp beneath my grip and doing absolutely nothing to prevent me from killing him. It's as if a filter lifts from my eyes. I step back from where Hawk lays on the ground, my eyes wide. "I-I..."

"Arrow, are you feeling better?" Hawk asks, interrupting me. I don't reply for a few long moments.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know... I don't know what happened. I just. Something just snapped in me."

"You're stressed. It wasn't you. Don't worry about it. I knew you were not going to hurt me so don't feel bad or anything. Let's get some food and forget about the Wasteland battle for a bit. Jay's probably wondering where we are." I nod and follow Hawk out of cave 14. How on earth am I supposed to just forget about this huge battle where I kill other's for absolutely no reason? I think as I walk through the corridors of the Chambers. My body shakes as I hold onto the strings tying myself together.

A guard walks up to us. "Get in line." He says coldly and points to the growing line.

"Please don't tell me what to do." I whisper, looking at the ground.

"He's having a bit of a rough day. We'll be going now. Thank you and have a nice day, Mr. Wasteland Guard." Hawk smiles cheerfully at the Wasteland guard and digs his shoulder into my forearm, trying to get me to move.

"Wait," the Wasteland guard says as I slowly lift a forepaw, "I really don't appreciate you talking back to me, Gladiator. Try responding again."

"Make me. You wouldn't dare hurt me, would you? I'm Arrow, the best Gladiator. If all you want is a show, you wouldn't hurt someone who can give you that, would you? But go ahead, try. Try to hurt me. I dare you to do so." I lower my head and look the Wasteland guard right in the eye. I'm really getting tired of all of this.

"You're right, I wouldn't dare hurt the best Gladiator. I'm not going to. You're not the best. The Silver Shock, Tremor is. He doesn't take first place every time. He works for the points he earns. He lets others get better places than he does. He actually fights. He trains endlessly, honing his abilities. Coming in first every time doesn't mean that you are the best. There are other measures of success. You aren't even half the Gladiator Tremor is, Arrow. I feel no shame attacking such a lowlife." The Wasteland guard spits out the words and draws his sword.

"If he actually fights, how do I always beat him? He keeps saying next time yet sometimes he's killed within the first few minutes and he's yet to kill me. Please, enlighten me."

"He lets you." The Wasteland guard whispers.

"Ha, I don't think so. Now, if you please, let me through. I'm getting rather hungry."

"I think not. Why don't you just stay right here and eat the leftovers. What everyone else doesn't want."

"I'm hungry and I have places to be. It's been a very long night. Please don't push anything." I bunch my muscles and leap over the guard. He lets his sword cut a wound on my ankle. When I land, I whirl around with my teeth bared in a snarl, my claws sliding across the stone as I come to a stop. I stalk forward, the world red with fury. A low growl rumbles in my throat and chest as my body trembles with bubbling anger. "I thought I told you not to push anything. I warned you." I murmur as I lunge and sink my teeth into the skin connecting the Wasteland guard's neck to his shoulders. Blood sprays on my face and across the stone ground of the Pit. The Wasteland guard goes limp in my grip as his life drips to the ground in a pool of red. My jaws open and the body of the guard falls to the ground with a thud. I take long, deep breaths and let my head hang. Beads of blood drip from my stained, red muzzle. What have I done?

Jay and Hawk rush up to me. "Wow, Arrow, are you alright?" Hawk slows to a halt beside me with Jay right behind him

"What do you think." I don't look up from where I'm staring at the ground. I watch the blood from my muzzle and paws pool beneath me, waiting for the Wasteland guards to get here.

"ARROW! You're coming with us." Wasteland guards surround me. One walks up and clamps a collar around my neck and pulls it tight while four others attach similar restraints around my ankles. Heavy chains hang from the bands and guards pick them up, pulling me with them. Jay and Hawk watch helplessly, their eyes wide with fear but I tell them with my eyes not to follow; this is my fight. I feel panic take hold in my stomach. They can't turn me berserk but why would they do that? I just killed someone, isn't that what they want? What will they do with me? Are they going to torture me? Or will they kill me? What will they do? Are they going to find out that I'm Lily? Will they force me out of the shadows? Questions and thoughts spin around my head.

I follow the Wasteland guards without resistance but my heart rate keeps rising and I tremble. My head stays low as rapid, hot breaths stir dust on the ground. I don't realise I've stopped moving until I feel several tugs. "Keep moving, Gladiator." A Wasteland guard says, tugging forcefully on the chain he holds in his hands. My foreleg moves an inch forwards but that's it. My mind is whirling. I can't keep going; I'll just be more trapped. But if I put up a fight... I'll still go but it's worth a shot; it's the only way to stay free. Who knows what'll happen if I go with them? I resist all their attempts to get me to move.

"Karla, please, help us. This Gladiator won't move and we need him to." Out of the corner of my eye, I see a Wasteland guard gesture to me. Karla stands behind him in her crisp, white jacket.

"I see. Give me a moment. If you could just restrain him, please." She pulls out a syringe. Fear runs through my veins. Ha. I'd like to see you try. Remember last time? Yeah, good luck sedating me. I smirk at her while shifting my weight. A flash of worry flickers through Karla's eyes but it's gone as quickly as it came. Wasteland guards gather up their chains and proceed to push me towards a wall and onto the ground. "No, thanks." I growl and snap my jaws at the nearest Wasteland guard who jumps back nimbly.

"Follow orders, it's so easy, Gladiator."

"Gladiator, get on the ground."

"Follow this simple order."

"Come on!"

"Stop resisting."

"You're just making it worse for yourself." All the words blend into one and turn almost foggy. Wasteland guards shove against me, trying to force me to the ground. I shake my head side to side and try to block all the voices out. I resist the hands pushing against my legs. A soft whine crawls from my mouth. My heart rate, which had started to level out, spikes and pounds against my chest and ribcage. I dig my claws into the ground. My muscles tense and relax, tense and relax, tense and relax. I open and close my jaws, gulping down air. Something starts to give within me, like a huge rock that's just starting to creep forward. I feel the rock roll. Its slow pace quickens until it's an unstoppable force careening towards a cliff. Closer and closer it gets before teetering at the edge as pebbles skip and echo down the canyon. A roar rips from my jaws as the rock tumbles over the edge of the cliff.

I jerk a foreleg and the chain comes loose from the grip of a Wasteland guard. I take a step and bump into another Wasteland guard. They're all around me. There's nowhere to go. One shoves at me and I trip over my paws, sending me sprawling over a Wasteland guard. They grunt and pound at my sides with their fists. I bat at them with a forepaw and three lines of red sprout on their cheek. A cry of pain leaps from the Wasteland guard's mouth and they cup their cheek as blood runs through their fingers.

There's a moment of silence. A moment where the only sound is our breathing. A moment where nothing happens. Everything is silent, and I stand there panting. But that only lasts so long, after a few seconds, the Wasteland guards are on me. As soon as the first one touches me, I fight back with a growl. I send one crashing to the ground with a flash of my claws and another one hunching over a leg with a vicious bite.

More fall to the ground gripping and curling around wounds but none are dead, I can't do that. All they tried to do was take me somewhere that I don't want to go to; they never really harmed me. Yet. I ignore the thought. I see a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye. A Wasteland guard sends the flat of their sword flying into my cheek. I stumble a few steps to the side. Pain explodes on the side of my cheek and I gasp, stars dancing before my eyes as I shake my head and try to regain my balance. When my vision clears, there's another hit then another. Several Wasteland guards attack me with the honed edge of their swords, slicing at my fur and flesh. Red drips to the ground. I fell a few more Wasteland guards but my movements are becoming more and more clumsy. I see a sword swinging towards my shoulder as it it's in slow motion. My eyes watch it and I react just as the metal glances off my golden armour. I jump to the side, a heavy breath rushing from my nose, and stumble into a Wasteland guard who wraps a chain around a foreleg and jerks on the two ends. My foreleg gives and I fall roughly on my shoulder, the force pulsing through my body before I hiss in pain. As I try to rise to my feet, a Wasteland guard lassoes a chain around my neck and yanks on it, pulling me back to the ground as the metal links dig into my neck and my breath catches in my throat. I strain for a breath of air until the chain goes loose and claws scratch across the stone. Wasteland guards cry out in anger and pain as a new visitor arrives and attacks them.

Thank you so much for reading this! Please consider voting if you liked this part of my story! Feel free to comment. I hope you are all having a wonderful day! 

Is Arrow going to be able to escape the Wasteland with Jay and Hawk? 

Where were the Wasteland guards taking Arrow? 

Who arrives to attack the Wasteland guards? 

Thank you all for reading Blend the Light!

-Werewolf14-