Fated

Chapter 9 - The Keys

“The battle will now commence!”

The referee jumped back as the two fighters shifted and charged at each other, jaws snapping at the other’s necks, splattering blood everywhere. Kaden frowned at the bloody sight, wincing at every blow his member took and subconsciously stepped back when the fight got too close.

“Don’t close your eyes,” whispered Andrew when he shut his eyes at a deadly hit to Jake’s skull.

He forced his eyes open to watch the match. He looked around, seeing the determined faces on his pack members and he strengthened his resolve to face this with them. No running away now. If they could handle it, so could he.

“Go Jake! Go!” He heard his pack members’ cheer and he turned his gaze to watch.

Jake growled and circled his paw on the dirt ground as his opponent watched him with wary eyes. He kept his movements to a minimum, his mind concentrating on rearranging the earth underneath them. The golden wolf before him, impatient and irritated, gave up on being vigilant and lunged straight for Jake. Jake jumped back from fright at the sudden growth of size of the golden wolf. He heard his heart thump loudly in his ears when his opponent appeared right in front of him and before his mind could register the situation, he felt the set of jaws embedded themselves onto his shoulder. A yelp escaped as he fought hard to throw the wolf off him but with his each action simply made the wolf hold on tighter, the fangs tearing further into his flesh.

Twisting his neck, he snapped his jaw at the wolf and pawed at the face. Both canines were relentless in their attempts, both intending to win. Jake, extremely frustrated, tilted his body back and slammed the wolf onto the cold, hard ground. The grip loosened but the wolf held on. He got to his feet and snarled with his back arched menacingly. He stomped a foot onto the ground, his eyes ablaze with fury. The earth below had remained in their distorted arrangement from earlier.

The sounds of the grumbling earth rattled in the silence and a fissure appeared right by the fighting wolves’ feet, evidently dropping them into the deep dark. There were gasps and cries from the crowd but none moved to help. It was forbidden. Either stay or forfeit your life to help.

Jake scratched at his enemy’s face, his claws drawing blood. The wolf yelped and released his hold, now a permanent scar on his face. Three claw marks was added to the many other scars he had and not to say that he didn’t mind; it was just that he was blinded in one eye cause of it! Jake dodged to the side when the wolf came at him again, letting the victorious smile appear when he crashed into the wall of the fissure. They kept falling…and falling… It was a nonstop free fall. There was only the darkness crawling in every corner and the only light came from the moon.

Kaden watched the scene over and over again in his mind of Jake falling into the crack in the ground. Dozens of questions ran in his mind and one of the many was: would Jake survive? His stomach churned at the nervousness that continued to grow. He took deep breaths and holding them for a few seconds before exhaling in an attempt to calm down but it was for naught. He remained a restless wreck. Kaden jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, his head automatically turning to see the person. Andrew gave him a small smile, with worry also eating away at his nerves. Kaden frowned and sighed. He couldn't calm down unless he had absolute proof Jake was alive.

The ground vibrated under their feet and slowly, the fissure became bigger. Who could it be? Kaden almost let out a victorious cry at the sign of Jake’s powers but where was he? Could it be that the enemy used the same element as well?

Hopefully…not.

Everyone seemed to hold their breaths at the fight sight of the furry ears. Time ticked in slow motion. Heavy and still was the air around them. The head of the wolf appeared but it was lowered and shadowed, and then its body, tucked in close. Kaden narrowed his eyes trying to make out whether it was a brunette or blonde coloured wolf but he hadn’t been that helpful when it came to the night. He was blinder than a bat at this hour if not for the moonlight.