And all I could do was watch as the Ape's other hand came down.
_SMACK!_
A brutal punch landed on my brother's lower jaw.
My brother let out a cry of pain and went limp, knocked out cold.
_Drip. Drip. Drip._
Blood dripped from his mouth. The Ape held my brother's unconscious body high, sticking out his tongue.
_Drip. Drip. Drip._
The Ape caught the drops on his tongue, savouring the taste with a twisted grin.
I raised my hand, shouting, "WE YIELD!"
It wasn't a surprise—everyone could see the fight was over. There was no point in resisting now.
But the old grey wolf overseeing the match was asleep.
"Your brother was right—no need to wait till night," the Ape sneered as he opened his mouth wide, ready to take a bite.
I hurled a mudball in desperation. The Ape quickly used my brother's limp body as a shield, grinning smugly. The mudball struck my brother where the Ape gripped his fur, loosening his hold. But the Ape just shifted his grip, now holding my brother firmly with both hands, using him like the perfect shield.
He peeked around my brother's body, his eyes glinting with malice, ready to take another bite.
"Sorry, Big Brother," I muttered, steeling myself. I shot two more mudballs. The Ape let out a mocking loud laugh, lifting my brother's body higher to block them.
But this time, I had a third shot—a sharp pebble.
_Pak-chk!_
Every male spectator winced, clutching their groins in equal shared pain. But none hurt more than the Ape—the real target.
Did this Ape think he was the only one who could act like an evil beast? Come back after 100,000 years of evolution, then we'll talk.
The sharp pebble hit dead on, piercing the Ape's groin. His face contorted in pure agony, but no sound came out.
His fingers went limp, and my brother's body dropped into the mud.
Without wasting a second, I dashed over and grabbed my brother's hind legs, dragging his heavy body back to our corner.
I dragged him near the Pig girl. "Oi! Wake up!" I slapped the glistening pink fat back of her.
She squealed and stood up.
"Help me!" I immediately asked for her help.
She immediately obeyed and put her snout below my brother's body and I pushed and rolled him on top of her.
"Go! Leave!" I ordered her. She immediately left the mud arena. Away from everyone's eyes.
The Ape struggled to his feet, his face twisted in rage and pain. His fingers clawed at the mud, leaving deep marks as he tried to stand.
His one hand carefully trying to cover and check his groin when he felt a warm wet feeling.
He looked down and his hand was all red, blood.
He glared at me with raging eyes. "I'll... kill... you..." he wheezed, each word strained through gritted fanged teeth.
I slowly scooped up another handful of mud, weighing it carefully. "I am here."
"YOU LITTLE—" He roared.
_SPLAT_
Before he could finish his cursing, the balanced mudball in my hand struck him square in the face, inside his mouth. His roar turned into a high-pitched wheeze as he spat and coughed.
I waited for him to recover, my expression was neutral but a silent rage boiling in me.
"ENOUGH!" he bellowed, trying to straighten up.
"FACE ME—"
_SPLAT_
The mud hit his face again. He wiped it away furiously. Seeing the opportunity I shot another.
_SPLAT_
This time however, it hit him on his groin as he forgot to protect it while wiping his face.
"Ooof!" A sharp pain froze his spine and so did his voice again. "My…my.."
Before he could finish his words, another mudball in his mouth.
The Ape staggered back, trying to spit out the mud and clutching his bruised groin, his face contorting in pain and disbelief.
His massive shoulders slumped, and he could barely keep his balance. Each attempt to wipe his face or adjust his stance just made him look more pathetic, especially with mud dripping from his mouth.
The entire mud arena laughed out loud at the misery of the Ape.
"Serves him right!" Said one of the wolves who fought him previously.
Rest joined to curse and mock.
"Hey! Is that big Ape gonna start crying now?"
Another wolf, this one smaller laughed and barked, "He wasn't so tough when he was stomping on us. But a few mudballs, and he's done for?"
"Big muscles, empty head. Just a fat, stupid brute too dumb to see he's already lost." jeered a hyena, her cackling sending waves of laughter through the crowd.
The Ape's face flushed a deep red, and his eyes darted around the arena, taking in the mockery, the laughter, the taunts. It seemed to sink in that his tough-guy act was completely shattered.
With a final, desperate attempt to salvage his pride, the Ape clenched his fists and took a staggering step forward, his gaze fixed on me. "You… little… furless rat," he hissed, his voice a mix of pain and fury. "When I get my hands on you—"
_SPLAT!_
Another mudball, right in his eye. The laughter exploded anew, filling the arena with jeers and howls of amusement.
The Ape was left blinking, blinded and sputtering, shaking his head like a dog trying to shake off water. The crowd's laughter turned into a full-blown chant.
"Again! Again! More mudballs for the Ape!" they chanted, the entire arena now fully united in the Ape's humiliation.
The Ape's eyes widened in pure shock. He looked around, pleading, searching for some shred of support in the crowd. But there was none. The beasts who'd once feared him were now laughing freely, calling him names, and mocking his every move.
"Hey, Ape, maybe next time just ask for a mud bath instead of a fight!" shouted a bear, who slapped his knee and roared with laughter.
The Ape opened his mouth to protest, but all that came out was a weak croak. He glared at me, his eyes burning with anger and shame. His body shook as he tried to move, but he couldn't get up from the mud.