Conflict is something which is deeply rooted within the very nature of life.
From the moment that life came into existence, conflict has been it's very essence.
Even plants fight over the soil which they gain their nutrients from.
But this conflict is merely a means of survival.
Creatures will fight over resources in order to live.
Those who have not will attack those who have, or they die out.
Life is a cycle in which the fittest make it out on top, and the rest die out.
However, conflict evolved with the institution of intelligence.
Conflict became more than merely a means of survival.
Morality. Emotions. Hatred. Love. Resentment. Affection. Desire.
With the introduction of intelligent life, all these things were introduced, and a new form of conflict was born.
Conflict that was beyond mere survival. Conflict which was not as simple minded as a predator consuming prey.
Conflict which had complexities to it.
A rabbit would not hold resentment towards the wolf who consumed its brethren. For an animal, these things are impossible.
But for a human, resentment can be born when one harms another.
It can become ingrained into the minds of people, and society itself.
Conflict can arise from a number of other factors as well.
The establishment of a hierarchy brings a new meaning to conflict- to prove one's position in the pecking order.
This concept is not completely foreign to animals, but is most commonly used in human societies.
However, there is one more concept which the complexities of human society can bring to the table regarding conflict.
Forgiveness.
Redemption.
It is impossible for an animal to hold resentment towards another.
Fear, yes. This is a natural instinct, and as such animals can hold such a thing. However resentment- long lasting hatred- is something which is impossible for mere animals to retain.
So too then, it would be impossible for an animal to forgive one who they resented- for there was nothing to forgive in the first place.
To every coin, there are two sides.
For every dark cloud, there is a silver lining.
There is no such thing as something purely good and purely evil. Everything has a positive and a negative to it, even if it can be hard to see.
However, even if the existence of resentment creates the possibility for forgiveness, how often is this taken advantage of?
How often will one rise above the system and break their way through?
Rarely.
How easy it is to hate, and how difficult it is to forgive.
In order to rise above the system, one must become a saint.
These saints are one in a million.
On average, people do not rise above their resentments.
They keep them bottled in their hearts, or they allow them to explode. But they do not forget.
----
A young set of twins were born into this world 17 years ago.
These two were a set of female humanoid gerbils. One was a light grey, and the other a dark grey.
Their father was the boss of the gerbils group- one of the three mafia leaders in the ratmen city.
These two were raised normally at first- as normally as the daughters of a mafioso could be raised. They were served by the people under their father, and lived a relative life of luxury in their early years.
Their mother died after getting caught up in a gunfight. She was locked up in a small sector of the city for most of her life, and wanted to see the city outside.
As a result of careless exploring and insatiable curiosity, she found herself in between the crossfire of two factions and died in the streets.
At 7 years old, the father approached the two children.
"One of you is going to take over this group some day. I was hoping to have a son take over, but that's no longer possible. One of you is going to need to fight. I need you to become a machine so that we can take back our rightful land from those rats and ferrets."
The two young girls looked at one another with fear in their eyes as their fathers expectations beamed down on them.
"Which one of you will do it?", he demanded. "It's got to be one of you."
The two stayed silent, neither willing to volunteer. They held each other, hoping that their father would take pity on them and change his mind.
"So neither of you are going to volunteer? Fine then. We'll do this another way."
The man walked over to the cabinet, opening it and taking out a pair of dice.
"Fina. Choose evens or odds."
The girl vigorously shook her head no, tears coming to her eyes.
"Do we have to do this, father?"
"I need one of you to succeed me. It doesn't matter which, but I need one. So yes, we have to do this. Now pick. Even, or odd?"
"Please don't do this!!", the other girl pleaded.
The father simply shook his head.
"One of you will go off to fight. The other will work. If the one who fights dies, the one who works will take over. That's how it has to be. Now choose, or I'll choose for you."
The two girls stayed silent, refusing to choose, and the father furrowed his brows in disappointment.
"Fine then. Fina, you're odds. Gina, you're evens."
And as the father said this, he rolled the dice.
They bounced on the table before coming to a halt, and the father glanced over to the value.
A 6 and a 4. 10 total.
"Gina wins. Fina will become the fighter."
The father grabbed the daughter with darker fur, but the two held onto each other for dear life.
"No!!! Don't take my sister away!!!"
"Don't do this, father!!!"
The father ripped the two apart, carrying the young girl as she struggled.
He didn't say another word to the two, and merely closed the door, taking the girl away.
Gina was left to cry alone in the dark room, wondering to herself.
'Should I have volunteered?'
She didn't know.
Would it have been better for her to suffer, and take her sisters place?
It was too late now.
She had already forfeit that opportunity.
----
The young girl, Fina, was taken to a place underground with a number of shady men.
All wearing industrial suits and fedoras, she was handed over to the men by her father.
"No!!! I don't wanna go!!!!"
"She's quite the feisty one, isn't she?", one man asked as the father handed her over. "We'll make sure to turn her into a worthy heir. So long as she doesn't die, of course. But you always have another one in case that happens, right?"
The father merely nodded, not giving a verbal response to the mans comments.
"Wait!!! Stop!!! Let me go!!!!"
Fina struggled in the hands of the man who took her, screaming and crying, but the man tightened his grip on her, preventing her from struggling.
Her father turned and began to walk away.
"I have no room for an incompetent heir. Stop being such a baby and grow up. If you turn out badly, then our entire group will collapse. Take on some responsibility and try to realize what's at stake here."
The father walked away, his cold steps echoing through the room.
Fina merely watched, holding back a sniffle as her father abandoned her.
"Now then.... it's gonna get a little crazy, lass. I know you probably are scared, but you gotto understand- your father is doing this because he loves you, and he loves our people. He doesn't want you to end up like your mother."
The man placed Fina down, seeing that she had calmed herself.
"Do your best to survive. Not a single member of this group wants to see you die. We'll be watching, hoping for you to become strong."
The gerbil men surrounded her in an escort formation, and the man waved for Fina to follow him.
"And you have a sister, don't you? If anything, shouldn't you do this for her sake? Because you're here, she doesn't have to be. But if you die, then she will be next. Just remember that. Hold onto it."
----
Fina was brought to a room which looked like a jail cell.
She was fed two meals a day, bound in chains, and told that she would be fighting the day after she arrived at this place.
"Where is this?", she asked the man who stood guard near her cell.
"This is the arena. Members from all factions come here to watch as the participants battle each other. Sometimes they bet on the fights. Your father had something in mind when he sent you here, though. Anyways, you might want to get some sleep. Your first fight is tomorrow, and it would be no joke if you died on your first day here."
Fina shivered with fear, terrified of what awaited her.
That night, she couldn't get to sleep.
The only thing she could imagine was facing some powerful opponent in a fight, being overwhelmed, and dying.
She was scared.
Would she be faced with adults?
People with weapons?
Beasts?
She didn't know. And she didn't want to find out.
'I wish sister was here....'
----
The next morning, Fina was woken up by the guard.
"Oi. It's time to get up. We need to get you ready for tonight's fight."
Fina got up, her eyes swollen with tears and drowsiness, and shuffled out of her cell.
She followed the guard through a hall of jail cells, passing by a number of others who were imprisoned- likely people who were also being forced to fight in the arena.
"Don't look at them. Don't try to make friends. You'll only regret it.", the guard warned.
The two exited the hall and went into a room which looked like a dressing room. Inside was a female humanoid ferret who smiled at Fina.
"I'll be standing out here. Just holler in case anything happens."
"Got it", the woman said with a mature smile before shutting the door on the guard.
The woman made her way around Fina, taking a look at her.
"My my.... a new face. And you seem to be awful concerned about being here. Well, don't worry!! I'll take care of you for now. I'll make it so that nobody will even be able to tell that you were crying last night!"
The ferret got out a set of makeup from the dresser and began prettying up Fina. She sat down in a chair, and the woman played with the girl as if she was nothing more than a doll.
"Oh!!! Now look at you!! All dressed up and ready to go!!!"
The woman had even dressed Fina up in an outfit. She wore short cut suspenders and a white button up shirt underneath, with a leather jacket and leather gloves.
"Now I'm sure the crowds will cheer you on! Come with me, darling! It's time to go meet the sponsors!!!"
The ferret dragged Fina out of the dressing room, eager to show her off.
'I'm scared... I'm scared.... why did this woman dress me up like this? What's going on?'
Fina was just going along with the flow, but she knew deep in her heart that whatever was going on, she wasn't a part of it.
She felt distant.
Like she was in a completely different world from this woman.
It was as if her own feelings and pent up stress didn't matter.
She was thrown in here, confused and afraid. She was locked in a cell, and told that she would have to fight. And now, they dress her up and want her to play nice with everyone?
'I wonder what sister would do.... would she go along with this? Would she try to run away? I... I don't know....'
Fina was brought to a fancy room, one which screamed luxury.
Even the doors were elaborately patterned, and as she walked in, the lights blinded her.
The laughter and chatting of many people filled her ears, and she opened her eyes to see people of all races- ferrets, rats, and gerbils- having a good time together.
Every single person was dressed elaborately, in outfits that shouted of wealth and power.
This was the VIP box in the arena.
The arena was an underground facility in the ratmen village where highly illegal fighting was performed.
However, this village was lawless to begin with.
The mafias ruled the streets. The only ones in charge were these criminal gangs. To even speak of something like 'law' in this city would bring a laugh out of anyone.
However, despite the lawlessness of this place, there were unspoken rules.
One of them was 'you don't cause trouble in the arena.'
The arena was a place for anyone and everyone to be entertained at the expense of the fighters.
There were no gang fights in the arena.
To hold a fight in the arena was to declare war on every person in the city- even your own faction.
As such, despite being a place that hosted bloody death matches, it was actually one of the safest places in the entire city.
Ironically, the closest thing to peace in this city was bred through the desire of people to witness death and slaughter.
Fina walked into the VIP room. Many women dressed in puffy dresses and expensive clothing fawned over her.
"Awww!!!! She's adorable!!!!"
"Is this one of the fighters for tonight!?"
"She's so cute!!"
"I'll be rooting for you, sweetheart!!"
Many of the men smoked their cigars and took sips from their glasses with a smile, glancing over to Fina.
'So that's the contestant, eh?'
'Should be a fun match to watch. I hope she doesn't get killed too quickly.'
'It will be fun to see a squirt like that get slaughtered.'
'I heard that this fight is going to be pretty even. Maybe I'll bet on this one and she'll surprise us.'
Fina felt some nasty glares not only from the men, who seemed to be looking at her from afar, but even from the women who seemed to be swooning over her.
"Isn't she just the sweetest lil thing?", the woman who dressed her up exclaimed.
The women laughed and drank from their glasses, and the men smiled and took the women in their arms. The music blared, and everyone continued having their fun.
But Fina could not feel at ease.
She was under attack.
The atmosphere was supposed to be one of light fun and games, but it was all just a prelude.
These people were bloodthirsty vampires.
She felt their cold glares, even when it was masked with laughter.
Distance.
They were far away from her.
Just as Pluto was far from the sun, existing within the ice cold depths of space, so too was Fina.
These people existed. They were right here, right next to her.
But they were in a different world.
She could laugh alongside them.
She could try and appease them, impressing them and perhaps gaining some supporters.
But she didn't bother.
Fina stayed silent, partially out of fear, and partially out of despise.
Soon enough, she was taken out of the room, and brought back to her cell, where she waited a few hours before she was called by the guard to go fight.
"Fina. It's time. Don't die. Your father and all the gerbils are counting on you. Your sister too."
These were the only words the guard said to her as she was led through the dark tunnels.
She came across the portcullis, and stood there with the guard behind her.
She heard the cheers and laughter of many from here.
"When the gate opens, you enter. When they say go, you fight. You kill your opponent, or you die. Don't let us down, Fina."
The guard stood with his arms crossed, and the gate began to open. He put his hand on her back and lightly pushed her forward.
Fina stumbled into the arena, blinded once more by the lights.
Uncovering her eyes, she looked around to see the mocking faces of the people.
Wealthy scum, thirsty for blood.
Some cheered her name when they saw her enter.
"Get him, Fina!!!"
"Don't lose, you cute little thing!!!"
In the center of the arena was a rack.
On the rack were two knives, hanging.
Fina knew what she had to do.
She knew, but she couldn't move.
Her body was too filled with fear.
The crowds screams blasted her ears, and she could feel their thirst to see blood.
Fina felt herself becoming dizzy.
'I.... I'm scared..... sister.... what should I do???'
She looked over to the opposite end of the arena, which was a blur.
The opposing gate was opening as well.
A young boy was pushed out.
A child of the rat race, dressed up similarly to Fina.
He looked just as scared as she did.
Suddenly, a sleazy announcer came on an intercom, his voice broadcasted throughout the entire arena.
'Ladies and gentlemen.... for our opening act tonight, we have a match which has been personally requested by a large number of the sponsors. As promised, and to provide you all with the highest level of entertainment possible, we have two children who have never before seen the heat of battle. I'm sure you all will greatly enjoy watching them agonize over the choice they have on this lovely evening.... to kill, or to be killed? Which one will make the decision first? Only time will tell. Bets will be closing very soon, so please make sure to finalize them before the round begins.'
Many of the people in the crowd began to frantically punch numbers into tickets and pass them around to collectors.
However, Fina was not paying attention to this.
She was staring into the eyes of the ratling child.
They were both terrified.
Neither of them wanted to be here.
They were both forced by external factors to come to this wretched crockpot of corruption.
And now they were to kill one another?
For the pleasure of these people around them?
So that they could laugh or cry as their side won or lost, and pretend to care about the outcome?
'I....ugh...'
Fina began to cry.
She couldn't get up from her knees.
Sniffle*
"Wah...."
She lightly cried in place, horrified.
She couldn't do it.
She wouldn't be able to kill this child.
Yet she knew that these people would never let them go until somebody died.
They came here to see blood. And blood they would see, one way or another.
"The betting is now completed. We have a rat kin child on the East side of the arena, and a gerbil kin on the West side. There are weapons in the arena, however the only rule is to kill your opponent. There are no other rules. The first one to die loses, and the one to survive wins. That is all. Now start."
And with that, the crowd burst into a fury of screams.
"Little girl!!!! You better grab that knife before the boy gets to it!!!"
"Stand up!!! I bet on you, so you better win!!!!"
"Come on boy, what are you doing just sitting there!?!?! If you do that, you'll never get anywhere!!!"
"Hurry up and do something!!! These kids are just crying in their corners!!"
Fina found her consciousness waning as she was bombarded by the crowd.
'I.... I wanna go home!! Somebody.... anybody.... h-help me!'