"Owwwwwwww" I groaned as I struggled against the thick chains holding me captive, the tight metal collar burned my throat.

My bones were chilled by the icy wind that bit at me. My fur coat did not provide me with any warmth. It was thinning out as a result of my worry, fear, and anxiety.

Lack of food and water also made things difficult for me.

I have not been in my human form since I arrived here. They kept us tethered when we were wolves.

I was unable to shift back because of my weakness. I felt like I was being punished for being alive and having a wolf because I was being treated like a mutt and chained outside.

I tried to limber up by pacing around the small area I had as the snow and ice crunched beneath my paws. Today I had to fight once more. They treated us like fighting dogs.

They wagered on us, on who would win, and on who would bleed first.

The stinging bite mark from the battle was still hurting me on my shoulder. Despite my victory, there was no ultimate prize.

If you're their favourite, they might award the winner with a tiny cup of tainted water and a piece of rotten flesh.

In their favour, I knelt on the ground, bowed my head, and awaited being led to my combat. I've been there for over two years now. Nearly as long as I have been here, there is just one other wolf.

I had never seen her and had only heard men making oblique jokes about her after fights.

The others are hardly old; most stay for a brief while before passing away. We are continually bringing in new ones. I could only make out one, and it was only a few feet away. She was a diminutive wolf with a copper coat. She was frail, and we both knew she wouldn't last long.

As soon as I heard footsteps coming toward me, I snapped my head up. It was Butch, a rather tall, hulking man. I was constantly accompanied to the arena by him.

You are aware of the drill: I will murder you if you attempt to flee. He took my collar's chain off and grabbed my scruff. It hurt severely.

The tight metal collar had left my neck's flesh raw and red. He carried me into the jungle until we came to an area that was used as an arena.

The earlier battles had left the white snow-stained scarlet, giving the air an ironic fragrance.

Zack pushed me into the centre of the group of men. They alternated between grabbing me, punching me, and pinning my ears.

A huge brown wolf, perhaps a gamma's daughter, was standing across from me. She had a thin coat that was stained with dried blood and filth. We were then enclosed in an open circle by the men, who closed both sides.

Put money down immediately! Our two oldest are engaged in this fight!" I observed the men pulling out wads of cash and giving them to the ringleader. As she did the same to me, I observed my adversary and searched for her flaws. We were both driven to succeed because we both understood what would happen if we lost. "You're aware of the laws! Go!"

Immediately, the brown wolf charges at me. She surprised me and threw me to the ground. She was clenching her teeth and slamming her jaw at my neck as she attempted to pierce my flesh. I raised my rear legs and sank my teeth into her belly's tender flesh. She whimpered as I tore the tattoo off of her skin; warm blood began to seep into my fur from her abdomen.

I drew blood as the men applauded. They were unwell. With my guard up, I shoved her off of me and circled her. As she tried to approach me once more, I let out a growl. She tried to scratch my face with her front claws as she pushed herself up on her hind legs. To avoid it, I bit her front paw. She hissed and buried her claws close to my ribs along my side. We began to thrash about, growl, and tear and bite at any flesh we could reach. She made the error of leaving her neck unprotected, which I took. I bit down hard on her neck with my teeth.

My mouth was full of her blood, leaving a taste of metal. As she fought me, I threw my entire body weight on her, pinning her firmly to the ground. As they yelled at me to kill her, the men's cheers grew louder. She fought valiantly to throw me off as I dug my canines impossibly deeper. She screamed and hissed loudly as I felt her bonce crush beneath my hold. I gave my head one last twist before snapping her neck, causing her bleeding corpse to fall limp on my lips. She was finished, and I lowered her lifeless body to the ground when I was certain of it.

As they lost their wager, the men were yelling at one another and cheering loudly. I shut them out. Why would they celebrate killing someone? I never meant to kill or rob anyone of their right to life, but that's how things were done here.

Either you were killed or you were killed.