I jumped off my bed the moment the clock struck twelve and carefully snuck out of my room, shutting the door behind me as silently as I could.
Using my heightened eyesight, I found my way through the dark corridor and out of the barrack. I snuck past the night patrol unnoticed, stepped into the empty training ground, and looked around as I wrapped my arms around myself pushing down the ominous feeling Rieka was projecting onto me.
"Pftt." I heard someone say and I turned around to see Rosie waving to me from behind a tree. I ran to her and she giggled when I got to her.
"I thought you wouldn't make it." She whispered and I smiled looking around to ensure we haven't been caught yet.
"Come on, we're already late." She whispered as she turned and started into the woods.
"Silveen, I don't know about this." Rieka said suddenly
"I'm not going to fight, I just want to see what the cage fights are like. What's with you anyway, you love the idea of a fight." I argued as I followed Rosie through the forest in the cold night.
After breakfast I had taken a shower and had a nice nap, when I woke up the pain in my limbs was all gone, I was no longer limping and had attended the evening sparing practice.
"This is not about fighting. I don't trust your new friend, you can't just trust people blindly." Rieka argued back.
"I never said I trusted her neither did I say she was my friend. She's just a member of this pack, and I am trying to get all the help I can to get stronger." I defended and Rieka raised a brow.
"How can you say you're trying to get stronger when you don't even know the basics of a fight yet, are you planning on kissing the feet of your fellow Austan wolves? And that girl is a rogue, rogues can't be trusted." Rieka protested angrily and rolled my eyes.
How can Rosie be a rogue, even if she was before she isn't one anymore, she has been in our training group longer than anyone, Rieka was just being paranoid maybe she's getting cold feet. I snorted at my thoughts,
So much for someone who used to be so eager to get into a fight.
Rosie stopped at the entrance of an old door hidden by overgrown vines. "You're just a show off Rieka, anyways it's too late to back out now, we're here." I said to Rieka quickly as I rushed to stand by Rosie and she smiled before she pushed the door open.
..................................................
The moment the huge door opened, loud music from within filtered into the silent night, we rushed in and Rosie pulled the heavy iron door shut behind us then smiled at me
"We are here."
Okay, I thought as I looked around we were in an empty room with a staircase that lead down. The loud music was coming from below the stairs, must be the underground party.
"Come on." Rosie said with excitement as she began to walk down the flight of stairs and I followed quickly.
The closer we got to the party, the louder the music got, at a point, my ears began to hurt. For an Austan wolf who could hear sound from afar, the loud noise was torture. Rieka cringed at the sound.
For me who was also a girl from a small werewolf village, the loud music was sounding in my chest, making my ribs vibrate but I couldn't back out not now, not when I could hear the loud screams of excited crowds mixed with the sound of the music.
Soon we walked into the brightly lit arena with a giant silver white cage in the middle which went all the way up to the roof of the underground. Hundreds of werewolves were gathered around the cage screaming in excitement, so I couldn't see what was going on in it.
At one corner, a large group of werewolves were placing their bets, there was a drink stand on the other stand opposite those betting and lots of people were gathered there too as they filled their cups, some danced while others moved their heads to the loud music before they hurried back to watch the fight in the ring.
"Are those real silver?" I asked Rosie as my eyes drifted back to the shiny silver cage and she shook her head.
"No. just for effect." She said and I nodded.
Rosie grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the cage, pushing people out of the way until we got to the front.
What I saw there made me widen my eyes in surprise.
It was a bloody battle, a very bloody battle. The two men in the cage were bleeding but they were still fighting. The graveled floor of the cage was darkened by blood both dried and fresh. I couldn't help but wonder if the fight that happened there was a fight to the death.
I wasn't even sure who the crowd was rooting for, all I know is that they ran wild with excitement at every spill of blood.
I looked away in disgust as one of the men lost an arm, while I wondered what this place really.
"It seems bloody right!" I heard Rosie say to me as she handed over one of the cups in her hand to me. I didn't even know how or when she got it. I nodded but didn't collect the cup.
"I don't drink alcohol." I shouted back and she laughed.
"Me neither. This isn't alcohol." she said and pushed it into my hand before drinking hers freely without a concern in the world. I slowly lift the cup to my lips and tasted it.
Orange juice.
I drank it all immediately and turned to see Rosie smiling at me, I smiled back.
"You want to try out your skills in the ring." Rosie asked suddenly with a smile and I shook my head laughing.
"Na. I won't last a second there."
"It's not as tough as it seem." Rosie said and I laughed again.
"Yeah, right." I said and turned back to the fight, which seem to be coming to an end.
Just as I turned back two men came to stand in front of me facing me, I raised a brow at them.
"Excuse me, you are obstructing my view." I shouted at them but they grabbed my arm, pulling me up and towards another corner of the room.
"Hey! What are you doing, let me go! Let me go!" I struggled in their hands, "Rosie!" I shouted as I turned back to see what has happened to Rosie but find she was following behind with a smile on her face.
What the hell,
"Rieka!" I shouted internally as I began to feel my strength slowly drain out of me. "Rieka you're right she's planning something, you have to get me out of here. You have to help me."
"Silveen, I can't. There is something wrong. Something is seriously wrong with me." Rieka said weakly, I was also feeling weak.
Oh God, the drink! They poisoned my drink again! Oh God Rieka!
"Rieka, are you okay?" I asked with panic as I began to feel the link between us getting weaker. "Are you dying?" I asked again as fear gripped my heart.
I have never been in this situation before, I have never thought I could lose Rieka. Rieka was always the strong one, the tough, the bloody and bossy one. How could she be helpless like this? What could make her helpless like this?
I have heard of werewolves who lost their wolves but I never thought it possible. What if I lost Rieka because of my stupidity, what if I lost the one person who was loyal, protective, and cared about me the most in the world?
The one person who could never betray me.
"Rieka." I whispered again as I felt her presence slip away. This time I didn't get a response.
I blinked away tears as I saw that the men had stopped directly in front of the cage, the small door that led to the cage at one corner was directly in front of me and I realized what they were doing, they were going to force me to fight.
That bitch! I thought as I turned to look at Rosie who was still smiling at me as July walked to her out of nowhere and handed over some cash to her. She flapped the money and smiled at me one more time before leaving, then it dawn on me clearly,
I have fallen for a trap once again.