15 MMA Bears One - Part 4

"You still do not approve, Young Marlow?" said the Elder.

"I do not. I see no reason for us to maim and kill each other for the amusement of the Cabal."

The Elder rested his hand on Marlow's shoulder. "I understand young one. But your brother has a duty to perform, and if he does not, then our entire clan would be imperilled. None of us care for the Cabal, but this arrangement must be kept."

Suddenly, a gong rang out into the air. The various conversations which were happening on around the clearing slowly diminished. Until one of the Cabal stepped forward.

He was overweight, sweating, practically bursting out of the expensive suit and shirt he was wearing. He padded the sweat on his face with a handkerchief. "We, the Cabal salute tonight's fighters. This tournament has kept the peace among the shifting clans of the world for over 500 years. The sacrifices made tonight, are noble and just. The Cabal appreciates your compliance. Let us begin." The man then walked away from the centre of the clearing to a large comfortable chair, brought by one of his servants.

The Elder turned to Gage: "It is time, Gage. Remember, you must embrace the beast within. For your opponent will do likewise, and if you do not, tonight could be your last. You are a great warrior, Gage, let it in."

Gage patted his brother Marlow on the arm affectionately, before moving forward to the centre of the clearing. Tonight would be a difficult test. Gage had faced wolf shifters before, but tonight's opponent had won every fight he'd taken part in so far, and he had a reputation for showing no mercy and killing his opponent. Indeed, the Wolf clan that he was from seemed confident that he would defeat Gage, despite his own undefeated reputation.

Stepping forward, both men stared each other down. For a wolf shifter, his opponent was unusually large and loomed over even Gage, slightly. His eyebrows met, his eyes gleaming gold to such a degree that it was clear he had embraced the anger and rage of his animal nature, in a way Gage never truly could.

Saliva dripped from the man's mouth, and even in his human form there was something savage about him. The anticipation in the air was palpable, both clans knowing how much was riding on the fight. This was the only reason Gage fought, to protect his family and his community, otherwise he preferred the gentle solitude of his cabin.

A gong rang out once more. It was time. Normally wolf fighters were nimble and thoughtful in their attacks, as they were usually less bulky than a bear shifter. But this wolf opponent struck fast and hard, attempting to gain an early victory.

Gage tried to evade the man's strikes, but he was too fast. A fist crunched against Gage's lip, the resulting blood spraying the forest floor beneath him.

Dazed for a moment, his Wolf opponent began to change; the snapping and stretching of cartilage and skin and bone, piercing the night. Gage backtracked to give himself time to regain his composure. But he did not change, not yet, the rage was just not there.

The now bipedal opponent stood in front of him. This was curious, many wolf shifters preferred to run on all fours, but this fighter remained upright, the claws from his hands black and menacing.

Gage leaped out of the way as the wolf shifter ran towards him. Normally Gage could dominate physically, but it was clear that this opponent was at least his match in that department. He was going to have to use his wits to get out of this one alive. It was clear the wolf fighter was going for the kill.

Gage finally began to change as self preservation kicked in; stepping forward, the brown hair growing from his skin, and his snout pushing forward as his teeth long and sharp glistened in the night.

And then he let out a roar which would chill the heart of even the most fearless; man or beast.

Gage, now in beast form, galloped towards his opponent, barging him to the side with his shoulder. But as the wolf shifter fell to the ground, he spun his hips catching Gage in the face with his foot; an expertly placed roundhouse kick. Then he struck with this claws, tearing the flesh of Gage's arm, wounds which dug deep. Gage retaliated with a slice to the abdomen of his attacker. But the Wolf was nimble, jumping back, and receiving only the most shallow of cuts in retaliation.

As Gage's clan looked on, there was disbelief among them. He had never been defeated, never bettered, but here he looked to have met his match.

The Elder watching from the sidelines leaned in and whispered to Marlow: "He has no heart for this any more."

Marlow stepped forward, but the Elder grabbed hold of him. "No! If you intervene, the cabal will execute all of us!"

Gage limped on three limbs, unable to put weight on his front right which bled profusely. His gleaming golden eyes looked on at the hulking wolf shifter in front of them. It panted and huffed, waiting to deliver another brutal strike.

The wolf then jumped up into the air, managing to get behind Gage, it opened its large jaws and clamped them down on the back of his neck. The pain was agonising as blood seeped from the wound. Gage moved as best he could, shaking from side to side, the colossal figure of a bear being torn to pieces. But he could not escape the wolf's grip.

Marlow could not bear to watch. He was always sceptical of the tournament, but to see his brother so badly hurt, that only increased his hatred for the tradition.

The Elder was right, Gage's heart was not in the fight, it had never really been. But something had changed over the last few days in him. As the jaws of his opponent dug deeper into his neck, and death appeared likely, he could think of only one thing: Lacey, and making sure that she was okay, that she would not be a victim of the cruelty of Miles.

Suddenly, Gage roared with new found motivation. He stuck his paw between his legs grabbing the knee of his opponent. He stuck his claws deep through the bone and cartilage. And then with span round with a leg sweep dropping the Wolf to the ground.

The wolf shifter lay yelping in pain, unable to walk.

The beast within was now in full flow. Gage's eyes glowed golden, and the taste of death was in the air. The Cabal who were watching screamed in delight, shouting that he should finish him. Gage grabbed hold of his opponent, who was barely conscious on the floor, and brandished his claws ready to strike a mortal blow.

But he could not.

Gage turned and looked at his clan, and then at the Cabal, that collection of salivating onlookers in suits. He could also see the wolf clan, no doubt loved ones of the fighter defeated beneath him, preparing themselves to watch someone dear to them be killed.

Something stirred in Gage's chest. A feeling of sorrow, of pity. He retracted his claws and turned to face the Cabal, letting out a defiant roar. He then shifted back to his human form, battered and bloodied.

"I choose mercy," Gage said, his body covered in blood and sweat. He then turned to the wolf clan. "Please attend to your fighter, he fought well."

The Cabal were not happy, expecting to see Gage kill the wolf shifter following defeat. But each fighter always had the option to choose mercy. And that's exactly what Gage had done.

As he hobbled to the edge of the clearing, the old Elder and Marlow walked by Gage's side. The Elder then spoke softly: "I believe that was your last fight, Gage."

"Perhaps," Gage replied.

"You nearly lost that fight, Gage. In the past you never would have. Something else is on your mind, and I suspect it is the women resting in your cabin. Tread carefully, for shifters and pure bloods do not easily mix. Take care, my friend, and if you need us, we'll be there."

Gage smiled and said his goodbyes to his brother and the Elder, and then sunk back between the trees into the darkness and undergrowth of the forest.

It was an hour later when Lacey heard the noise outside. It sounded like a large bang, as if someone had thrust against the door of the cabin. At first she was terrified, thinking only that Miles and his men had finally found her; somehow managing to track her down to the cabin. But, after sneaking a glimpse through a window, she saw what had caused the noise. It was Gage, collapsed on the step.

Lacey opened the door quickly and helped Gage, semiconscious, to his feet before laying him down on his bed. He was bleeding badly.

"Oh my God, Gage. What happened?" Lacey asked panicked at the sight of the blood.

Gage spoke quietly: "Under the sink, you will find a medicine bag. Please bring it to me."

Lacey did just that, and attended to his wounds as best she could. It was clear though that Gage was used to treating his own wounds, as his instructions were precise and detailed. This seemed like all too often an occurrence for him.

After stitching the cuts as best she could, applying bandages and administering some medicine from the bag, Gage fell into a deep sleep. His breathing laboured, and yet strong.

Lacey sat by his side for the next two days, and looking at him in such a fragile state, his wounds, his body battered and bruised, she realised how much she cared for him. For it was more than just a passing crush, or infatuation with a shifter. No, this was stronger than that, there was only one word for it: love. She couldn't explain how it had happened over such a small amount of time, but the feelings had grown quickly, and now they were undeniable.

And that scared her the most.

She couldn't bear to see Gage hurt and, without knowing about the tournament and the fight, Lacey came to a not unreasonable conclusion. She was sure that Miles and his men must have been responsible. They must have known that he'd taken her in and tried to torture him to find out where she was.

She cared too much for Gage to let him be harmed because of his kindness; because he took Lacey in and looked after. her She had to get away, to leave Gage behind so that he would not come to harm. She needed to protect him. That was all that mattered.

On the third day, Gage seemed to be regaining his strength to a degree. Lacey was confident that he was going to make a recovery with some more rest. And so, with his welfare at the front of her mind, Lacey sneaked out into the forest in the early morning, without saying goodbye. She knew Gage would try and stop her, and for that reason, even though it killed her to do it, she had to leave without speaking to him.