All Rights Reserved ©

Chapter 2 - Black Fists

Braeden

My legs blurred in the corner of my eye as I strode briskly down the pebbled street. I was already late. My brown boots struck the ground in a repetitive pattern, the sound bouncing off the white walls of the residential buildings around me.

The citizens of Paladu didn't wear shoes but I would never consider myself citizen. They said they felt more comfortable when they could feel the ground beneath their bare feet and I did understand that. However, where I was from, only those in extreme poverty went barefooted. And I had been barefooted for far too long.

I kept my gaze focused on the floor ahead of me, knowing that if I looked up I'd be squinting at the blinding whiteness around me. There were more people on the road now; the legs of a young couple passed me on my left. It was only when the crown visited the city that it went truly silent.

A few minutes later I came to my destination; a small white cottage on my right. I walked briskly up the driveway glancing up to check the symbol on the front of the house. The paint had been peeled off in the shape of a rugged X to the right of the door. It was the symbol of rebellion.

I didn't knock, knowing that she was expecting me. The door creaked on its hinges as I swung it open and I quickly closed it behind me, not wanting anyone to inadvertently look into the house and see the mass of colour within.

"Braeden honey, you are late."

I looked up at the sound of the feminine voice. The walls and floor were made of glossy wooden boards and the many colourful drapes hanging around made it feel smaller than it was. Wind chimes and talismans swung from the ceiling by invisible string and all manner of books and clutter filled every corner of the space.

All of the windows had been covered with paintings and drapes but I knew that behind the articles were boards with white blinds painted on them for the world to see. It was essential that the guards believed we were law abiding citizens.

Gelina stood in front of me, her fiery red hair partially covered by the hood of a black cloak. She was obviously ready for the fight, unlike me. Her features were translucently beautiful and her green eyes blinked at me as her full lips lifted into a smile.

Gelina thrust a vial into my hand which I immediately uncorked, throwing my head back to swallow the contents in one gulp. It tasted vile but I'd become accustomed to the bitter potion over the years. We drank the disgusting liquid everyday to keep our scent disguised from the leopards.

"Now go, go!" She waved her arms at me, "The sun's already gone down, we'll miss it if we don't hurry."

My lips lifted into a smirk at her mothering. I loved Gelina really but she could be a bit overbearing at times. "A'ight," My smirk turned into a smile as she started to forcefully push me out of the door. "I'm going, I'm going." I laughed a bit as I walked out of her home with her on my heels.

She was right to be pushy though, if we didn't hurry we'd miss our time window and then there would be tons of disappointed citizens banging on our door.

The sun had dropped behind the horizon so I could now look up at the streets without being blinded. My wolf enhanced eyesight sharpened as I took in the many running citizens draped in black cloaks.

Every fight night, the rebellion wore black cloaks and together sprinted to the underground arena. The fact that everyone was already making their way there just proved how ridiculously late I was. Curse beautiful Snow Princesses and their incessant chatter for holding me up.

But I wouldn't think of that now, I was about to go into a fight. I couldn't have any distractions on my mind.

The black cloaks were a dancing sea in the darkness of the night, the only sound the fluttering of fabric and the soft pads of bare feet hitting the ground. The guard free window was coming to an end and people ran with more urgency to make it on time.

I smiled at a couple of fans who gasped, pointing at me as I ran past them. Yes, I was very late.

I made it to the venue panting slightly. There were several soundproof doors you had to make your way through to get in and I pushed my way through the silent crowd waiting on the street. Recognising my uncloaked face, they all let me pass and I had bypassed all of the security minutes later. It was funny going through all of the doors and seeing the crowd slowly increase in volume through each one.

I burst into the half full hall and was immediately grabbed by my mentor, Henrik. He hustled me through the raucous crowd with rather obnoxious, "Excuse me's" and, "Coming through's". I rolled my eyes at his antics but went with him. His method may not have been the politest but at least it actually got us somewhere.

Soon we were at the far side of the dimly lit hall, next to the megaphone and betting stands. I didn't fight for the fun of it, I fought for money. I couldn't exactly say that I enjoyed sending my fist into other men's faces but it was one of the only methods I had of putting food on my pack's table.

I stripped off my shirt and someone held up a piece of cloth in front of me so I could change out of my riding breeches and into more comfortable loose linen trousers. I quickly waved them away so I could start my warm up routine. I was slightly apprehensive about tonight's fight, especially now that I didn't have time to warm up as thoroughly as I'd like. I did my best though, kicking back my feet as I ran on the spot. I looked around the now deafeningly loud auditorium, taking in the black and red crowd.

I was fighting Delair today, he was from the city of Anell and I'd heard that he was a demon in the ring. Red was his colour and all his supporters wore some form of red on them, whether it was in the form of a cloak or just a simple wristband. I started stretching out my hamstrings but I had to rush my usual routine, damn Princess!

It was completely her fault that I was so late and not at all my own for choosing to entertain her for as long as I had. It was her fault for being so ridiculously beautiful and annoyingly intriguing, there was nothing I could have done to defend myself from the piercing violet of her gaze.

My distracted thoughts were interrupted by the sudden increase in volume from the crowd. I flicked my hair out of my eyes as I lifted my head to look up at what I knew I was going to see.

Delair stood at the other side of the hall. He had been warming up outside and had only just entered now. I watched him carefully as he moved, hoping to observe something of his fighting style.

Henrik hosted the at home fights and he stood raised on a block in the centre of the ring so everyone could see him. In his hand he held a white megaphone. I rolled my eyes, white this, white that. Every city and land was associated with a colour but it was only here in Pladu where the King insisted on there being no variation.

Delair was a tiger, a fact that was blatantly obvious from the way he moved. I'd fought many leopards over the years and it was said that fighting a tiger was pretty similar.

His red hair gleamed in the dim light of the candles surrounding the open space of the hall. I knew first hand how hot it would get in here once the fight started and if it was bad for me then I couldn't imagine how awful it was for all the spectators, packed together as they were.

Henrik continued to wind up the crowd, screaming at them down his megaphone.

"Are you ready?" He asked them all and was met by a deafening roar.

"I can't hear you!" They roared again, this time twice the volume. I winced in pain; my wolf hearing was very sensitive. How all these leopards hadn't gone deaf yet I couldn't comprehend.

The noise was really quite inconvenient seeing as the voluntary officials had to ensure the palace guards didn't hear. Prizefights were extremely illegal in both Paladu and every other city this side of the Tainted Sea.

I stepped into the arena at the same time as Delair. He smirked confidently at me and I smirked right back at him.

I'd noticed that he walked more heavily on his left side than his right. My smirk was less bravado and more real confidence. Unless he was faking that slight limp, he would be easy to take down.

We approached each other slowly, both taking measured steps to the centre. Delair clasped my hand in a masticating shake which I returned perhaps a tad too enthusiastically. We both stepped back a metre away from the centre line which had been chalked onto the concrete floor.

"GO!" Henrik screamed and the crowd's volume fell significantly as we started to circle each other. I stepped in my usual grapevine formation, being careful to keep my weight centred at all times.

Delair matched me step for step and as I watched his footwork I was surprised to see no signs of a limp. So he had been faking it.

His fist struck out suddenly and I'd give it to him that he was fast. I dodged his punch with fair ease, watching his fist fly past me. It was then that he sent a kick flying straight into my side. Off balance as I was from his previous attack I was caught off guard and stumbled as his foot caught on my waist.

The air wooshed out of me but I wasn't fazed, continuing to circle him slowly. I wouldn't allow allow distraction.

This time it was me who struck out, sending my fist flying into his face and then following up with two quick punches to his stomach. He blocked his but grunted in pain as my fist pushed his stomach backwards. But he did not fall.

We continued for several more minutes, each landing a couple of hits on the other but nothing close to what was needed for a knockout.

The first round ended and we broke for three minutes. The drum of my heart grated in my ears, sweat dripping into my eyes as I took in the money exchanging hands in the crowd. This couldn't drag on any longer, I had to take Delair down in the next round.

We were both slightly slower this time, although I thought him a little more than me. I put a few rounds into him and allowed him to get me a few times, only for the crowd's pleasure. After he caught me in the side with one of his punches, I whipped around and roundhouse kicked him in the side of the head. A dirty move, but I figured that these were illegal prizefights and I hadn't signed up to play fair.

The kick sent him stumbling and I didn't hesitate to press my advantage clocking him twice more in the face. Wolves were physically stronger than tigers and I used this factual knowledge to my advantage, hitting as hard as I could.

I felt more than heard his nose crack under my punch and Delair fell to the floor in a heap. Rivulets of blood leaked out from around his face and I willed my churning stomach to settle. I hated fighting in human form, but I was skilled and my pack relied on me to make money from it.

Delair started to rise but I stamped hard on his head before he could get far. He collapsed with a thunk and I flinched at the motion.

"Ten, nine," Henrik screamed down the megaphone as the crowd roared, some in triumph, some in anger.

"Eight, seven," I saw someone go down in the crown and I winced for them, surely they were being trampled on.

"Six, five," A man with red hair punched a man in a black cloak. I watched them scuffle with a straight face; the adrenaline of the fight made people do ridiculous things.

"Four, three," It was a full out fist fight now, many other people had started to get involved and drunk punches were being thrown everywhere.

"Two, one," A girl screamed as she was pulled into the brawl. Someone phased and a leopard started tearing at the people around it.

"Knockout!" I immediately turned away from the roiling crowd, knowing that the officials would deal with the mess. I held my hand on my stomach as I walked away; I was going to be sick.

I shouldered my way through the crowd towards the doors. People moving away from the centre sunk through like metal in water, whereas people trying to move in towards the ring were met with the furious resistance of the crowd. Luckily I was going in the right direction and I easily slipped out and through the several sets of doors.

The bitter cold air of an autumn evening bit into my bare skin, causing me to shiver. I fell back against the side of the building, my head thunking against the wall. My skin was slick with sweat and my body burning up. I ached to change into my wolf form but it was impossible.

I swallowed deep breaths of icy air, trying to slow my panting. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt drops of sweat plummet from my hair. I needed to go back inside. Guards patrolled the area on an hourly rotation and I had no idea when the next guard would come around the corner.

My stomach rolled once more and I knew there was no stopping myself this time. I ran to a nearby shrub and threw up into the white spray painted leaves. It really was disgusting how synthetic the city was.

I had my hands on my knees and was still leaning over the plant when a soft sound startled me. I turned my head slightly, thinking it was a guard on patrol and needing to confirm my fears before I ran for my life. What I hadn't expected, however, was a vision of the stunning Snow Princess standing there on the street and gazing at me with her wide purple eyes.

"Princess?" 

--- A/N ---

Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoyed Braeden's POV up above, vote and comment if you like. I love you if you've read this, you all mean the world to me! - Love, Zoe :)

NB: edited