The Dragon and the Fox

Time passed ever so slowly in the darkness of the prison. The only way Kira could tell if a day had passed was when the light from the window faded into darkness.

Occasionally, guards like the stallion patrolled the hallway, all decked out in spiky armor and wearing smug expressions on their faces. Anala shot glares frequently at Kira, snuffing and snorting angrily. The prisoners did little talking, though sometimes there were bug shouting matches over practically nothing. Kira felt her sanity edging away as she listened to the most recent argument, over how many bars someone had on their cell compared to someone else’s.

Why are we all at each other’s throats? Kira wondered. If we joined together, we would most likely be able to overpower the guards and get out of here.

Every once in a while, the guards dragged someone out of their cell. Sometimes they came back.

Sometimes they didn’t.

Kira shuddered, thinking of the arena above them. She could hear the jeers and shouts from out of her window. She knew that if she wanted, she would be able to watch the battles. But she didn’t want to. She remembered the flashes of death in her village, the bodies and screams and—

Don’t think about that, Kira chided herself. It won’t do you any good.

Behind her, the cheers grew louder. One of the contestants must have succeeded. How could other creatures enjoy that type of entertainment?

Kira heard the guard door clang open and sat up. The guards didn’t like the prisoners “slacking”, as she had found out when the occupant next to Anala was whipped while he was sleeping. The result was that she was jumpy, always perking her ears up, and never fully sleeping.

Padded feet trotted down the corridor. A wolf, perhaps?

A loud clang, clang, clang echoed down the hallway. Kira stuck her head between the bars and found most of the other prisoners doing the same. The wolf stood at the end of the corridor, sneering at all of them, a rock in one paw posed above one of the bars.

“Mess!” she called. She began walking from cell to cell, unlocking the doors. Another wolf followed in her wake, prodding the prisoners out of their cells with a spear and forcing them in a line in front of him.

There were no words exchanged between any of the creatures. Kira was shunted along with them, and they marched to a metal door at the end of the hallway, labeled SECTION 3. The guard in front unlocked it and swung it open, leading them through.

More cells greeted the line, but they didn’t stop to unlock them. Paws, claws, and hooves reached through the bars, reaching towards them

“Hey! I’m hungry too!”

“How come we can’t have food too?”

“They’re starving us…”

“Quite!” the front guard barked. “You’ll get your turn soon. Any more complaining, though, and you might not.”

The other prisoners fell silent, though there was much grumbling and muttering.

“Hurry up,” a voice hissed in Kira’s ear. She turned her head to see a large, black, Komodo dragon looking at her grumpily. She stuck her tongue out at him, then continued walking.

“Give it a few days,” he murmured under his breath. “Then you won’t be so cheeky.”

Kira acted like she had not heard.

The hallways were all curved slightly to the left, and it took a while for Kira to realize that they were circling the arena. It made sense, and it meant that they were at the very grounds of the arena, at the fighter’s level. The windows would all have a very clear view of what was going on.

They trapsed through six more sections, each one stuffed to the brim with prisoners. Finally, they reached a door titled MESS HALL. The guard swung open the door and shoved the prisoners through it, one by one.

Kira found herself in a large room, big enough for four Deya-sized Dragons to fit in comfortably. Small tables and platforms where animals could sit were scattered in the space. Near the back, a tray held some chicken, fish, and greens. Torches rested in alcoves on the walls, casting a flickering light on all of them. Five guards sat rigidly along the walls, glaring at the creatures. Other than that, there was nothing else in the stone room.

“Remember the rules,” the guard called. “No serious fights. No stealing food from others. No arguing with the guards. And no discussing forbidden topics. You all have one hour.”

One hour? Kira thought. Isn’t that a long time?

The prisoners all murmured assent as the guard clanged the door shut. Then they all made a beeline for the tray, grabbing food greedily and stuffing it in their mouths. Kira ducked under a lion, weaved around a haughty-looking owl, and pounced on a piece of chicken in the tray, putting it hurriedly in her mouth and bolting to a table in the back corner of the mess hall.

Kira noticed that almost all of the prisoners divided into groups. Anala had the biggest number of followers, and they were all shooting dark glances at Kira. She made a mental note to watch out for them.

“Hey.” A leopard carrying a deer leg joined Kira at the table. She froze, staring at him. Was he going to attack her? What should she do? She’d never eaten with another creature.

“I heard how you insulted Anala,” he continued. Kira’s heart quickened. Was he one of her followers, ready to get revenge on her for Anala? Should she make a run for it? Would the guards notice if she got hurt?

“I just want to say congratulations.” The big cat grinned toothily at her, and relief washed over Kira like a raging tide.

“Thanks.” She smiled back at him.

“What gave you the guts?” he asked, yanking a piece of meat off of the leg with his teeth. “Usually newcomers are the shyest, most scared things in Cyalia. I’ve never seen someone like you.”

“I’m a very talented individual,” Kira said casually.

The leopard raised an eyebrow at her.

“Oh, all right,” Kira gave in. “I’ve yelled at a bunch of Dragons before. That little kitty is nothing compared to them, if you ask me.” She blushed was she really bragging about losing her temper? What was happening?

“Dragons?” The leopard’s eyebrows rose even higher. “Is that—”

Whatever he was about to ask, Kira would never know—for at that moment, Anala approached their table, with five lionesses on her tail.

“The little kit found a partner, I see,” she drawled.

“The pussy cat needs a gang to insult a little kit?” Kira retorted sweetly. “Is the little kitty scared?”

Anala snarled. The leopard laughed.

“Burn, Anala!” he snorted.

The lionesses behind her all bared their pointed teeth, growling. Kira pretended that they were below her interest, instead delicately peeling chunks of chicken off of her piece and placing them in her mouth. Anala watched, her tail lashing.

“I can make life miserable for you,” Anala purred in Kira’s ear. “I can make you suffer. Feel pain beyond your imagining. Do you really want that?”

“Oh NO,” Kira said dramatically, putting one paw to her forehead. “My life is the BEST! I am TOTALLY NOT MISERABLE AS OF RIGHT NOW! It could get SOOOOO much worse, oh no! I’ve never EVER been MISERABLE in my life!”

Even some of the prisoners on the tables next to them chuckled as Anala gave her a livid face.

Kira went back to her chicken as the leopard began giggling again.

Then, it all happened in a flash. Anala swiped at Kira, claws outstretched, roaring. Kira ducked, but she wasn’t fast enough. Anala’s claw was going to hit her face, maybe even give her a scar loke the others—

Suddenly, a blinding light erupted between them, and Anala was thrown backwards across the room and slammed into the wall. Kira stood next to her sitting platform, panting and completely clueless as to what had just happened.

The mess hall was silent.

Then the guards began to break out of their daze, and they rushed over to Anala. She was groaning, and her left paw looked burned beyond recognition.

“What did you do?” one of the guards—a hawk—demanded, stalking up to Kira.

“I don’t know!” she cried, putting her paws out in a placating gesture. “She lunged for me, and I tried to cover myself with my wing to protect myself, and then this happened!”

The guard turned to the leopard. “Was this what happened?”

The cat nodded. “Just like she described. Anala lunged, the kit threw her wings above herself, and then something exploded between them.”

“Hmm.” The guard looked thoughtful. “We will have to do a more detailed search.” He flew on top of one of the tables and screeched, “Everyone out! Back to your cells, until we figure this out! You are allowed to bring your food with you!”

The creatures were quickly rounded up and shoved back into their cells. Many of the other sections stared at them strangely as they hurried by, looking at the food in their jaws or talons.

“Why do they get to take their food back?”

“What happened?”

“Why do they look so panicked?”

The guards paid them no heed, but continued ushering them down the hall. Kira kept a low profile, but she could feel the curious and accusing gazes on her.

She trod into her cell, and noticed that the leopard from the mess hall was in the cell next to hers. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she gave him a weak grin. Then the stone wall was between them both, and the bars were shut.

As soon as the guards left, the whispers and mutters started. Down the hall, everyone was pointing at her cell, talking about what they had seen. Anala paced her won prison, scowling at Kira and murmuring insults under her breath.

And the little fox lay in a quiet, curled ball, taking everything in numbly, and wondering if there was something wrong with herself.