4x4

The day of the match the trainer got the other brothers that would be fighting with me. That started a lot of my other brothers talking. The people who knew what was going on didn't really believe it. I followed the trainer and the brothers he had called pups followed me.

It wasn't exactly an in apt description. I had been my father's cub when he trained me and no man entered the arena. These three knew how I think, which does make them the most dangerous to me if I didn't trust them. Now I will get to find out how much they trusted me.

I stepped out of the iron gate and could see right away that the other side was as prepared as I expected our first group to be. If this continued enough it wouldn't stay that way. About all I could say for the men across the line was that they look much older then the average on my side. I signaled as I stepped into the sand. To the other side it might look like I had just lost my balance for a second before correcting, to my side it was firm instructions on what I expected them to do and what I was going to do. I felt the one behind me nod but that was the only reaction that might give me away.

The rest of the fight went as I expected the other side was as woefully unprepared for the skill needed to fight as a group as my unit had been on the first day. I kept the group occupied and my brothers tore them apart one by one. The last member of the other house collapsed unable to breathe from the blow I had landed. The three that had been fighting with me let their knees hit the sand as soon as the last body fell. I didn't look at them, I didn't need to. I looked up at our matriarch. She didn't seem as happy as my brothers with the win.

I waited and she pursed her lips. The other matriarch didn't look happy with the results either but she didn't look too mad for having lost four prise fighters, to three barely bloodied contenders and the crazy wild man. I watched our matriarch and waited. I felt the three kneeling flinch as the matriarch finally found her voice, "Continue."

I smiled at the woman, one of us had miscalculated the other's control, time to find out who was wrong. "Gladly mother, please provide a valid target."

"You have three."

I looked around the ring like there might be targets I don't know about. "I don't see them, might you offer me wisdom on their identities?"

The matriarch actually turned red, the woman who stood across from her seemed amused, I wondered if it showed in her expression. "Travis, have that man removed so that the priests can do their job."

Travis looked up at the matriarch with a surprised expression that wasn't duplicated in my other sense. "I cannot enter the ring until you call an end to the match mother. Unless you want me to take part in the match?"

"You don't have to do it yourself." She almost seemed to stomp her foot and call him an idiot but I had to be letting my imagination get away from me.

"You are right, I am sorry mother, I miss spoke. No non-combatants for this match may not enter the ring until the match is called."

Her mouth fell open in shock and the other mother was now hiding her mouth behind a fan. Which didn't make much sense in winter but who am I to judge. "I feel like I should also point out that even in winter these bodies aren't going to last overly long, mother."

She looked back at me and closed her mouth before she caught a fly. "Kneel, let the lord's priests collect the blood price." She made the words sound like weapons and I was sure that if she could kill me and get away with it right now she would.

I knelt in the sand as the priest's iron gate lifted so that they could come out. I looked down at the sand and I could feel the other three men with me breathing a sigh of relief. If they were smart they would not accept a group challenge next time. I think I like these three because they aren't that bright.

The trainer stepped out onto the sand after the iron gate closed. I didn't need to look up to know that everyone, except the pups had left already. "She is going to make the blood price look mild."

"She is an interesting opponent to make life worth living. I would be grateful if you would set up a meeting for me with a priest, to take place the day after she tells you I have another match."

The trainer gave me a puzzled look as we stepped up onto the stones around the pit. My brothers were still on the sand. "I didn't think you cared for priests."

"I don't. If you think about it you might understand, but I bet it will be clear to you when she tells you about my next match. It just may take longer for you to find a priest that will talk with a wilder and I don't want to wait."

We didn't say anything else on the way back. My unit met me where we practiced the next day, and the rumors started circling. The trainer started to have to spend more time talking to everyone and couldn't really watch anyone train. He didn't like the annoyance but he put up with it.

The trainer walked up to my group while we were practicing and didn't even wait for us to come to a stop. "You have a fight in two days, the time and place was all she would tell me."

I called a halt and the others stopped and formed up behind me. "So did you figure it out, then?"

The trainer frowned and for a moment I worried that he might have thought I was joking. "The priests have the information on the fights and the terms are open to any who ask for them. Well, guess we should go see if he has time now." With that the trainer turned and started towards the door. I followed and I was surprised when my unit followed me.

I didn't stop them the trainer hadn't said if it would be a four on four fight or not and like he said the terms were not supposed to be a secret anyway."

The trainer walked up the arena, the iron gate stayed closed this time, and we walked around the edge. It was quite a walk there were more then a few arenas and to get to the priest you had to the center of all the arenas. There were a few priests walking around, they took care of the grounds before and after fights. They didn't look up as the group passed. Priests didn't fight and they were made sterile if they hadn't been already when they joined the order. Most of the arena priests are male but there were a few woman around as well.

The trainer knocked on a door that was near the edge of the priest group. Priests did also hold services for people who wished to show how they worshiped our lord and they would take private meetings with other men who wished to understand our lord better. Their style of belief wasn't for me but I could understand the draw for some people.

An older man opened the door with a look of surprise, "Travis, I wasn't expecting you today, and you seem to have a rather large group in tow."

"Sorry for not announcing myself sooner, but I didn't know my friend would need to speak with you until today. Do you have time to talk?"

"For troubled children of our lord I can make time." I noticed that the priest said our lord instead of the lord like everyone else around here had seemed to be doing. I entered and the last of my unit closed the door behind us. It was a little tight in the room. It wasn't really meant for six people but it was nicer then if we had tried to pile into my room.

Once the door was shut I faced the graying priest. "May our lord stay safe with the lord." The priest froze for a moment and his smile vanished before reappearing.

"Maybe you and I should talk alone."

I shrugged and took one of the chairs facing a desk that was covered in paper. The rest of my unit and the trainer seemed to want to stop me but they weren't sure if touching me would be a good idea. They probably thought that I had just said that our lord was dead, that was the same phrasing. "It will just make them more curious, I don't intend to discuss anything that truly matters. The only thing that might border is that I would like to ask for a meeting without my house. My transgressions are my own, not my matriarchs or my brothers."

"Not what I was hoping to hear when your trainer asked for a meeting. I will see what I can do, son. I get the feeling there is something else as well."

"I wish to know the terms of my next fight. My matriarch refused my trainer when he asked for them."

"That is her choice of course. You realize that you might only have enough time to use this path once? She might wait until the day of next time to even tell you, you have a match."

"She will only be able to take that course once after an ever loyal man to our lord will suddenly find new calling to spend at least a fraction of everyday at worship and unless she is a fool she won't try to stop such a man."

The priest nodded, he opened the door and left without any more words. My unit was looking from where the priest had left to me over and over while the trainer sighed and took the seat next to me.

"I find myself annoyed that you don't know your father's name, I think I might have it narrowed down to a few high criminals."