High Matriarch (discontinued)

14

"MBALI! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!" Iyo nudged a hyena aside and growled at me, his face twisted with fear and worry.

I just realized I made a mistake and there was no turning back now. I couldn't decline. Ellone would never let me live with that. "S-sorry..."

"Sorry is all you have to say?!" Jenue nudged her way in, anger and worry rose from her. "You know if nobody backs down, it's fight to the death?"

"Back down." Bees looked straight into my eyes fear strangled and made her painfully choke out her words.

Anger was boiling inside me. I didn't like that my friends had no confidence in me. It hurt and I growled. "She talked down to me like I was a piece of dung!"

"You're acting's like it!" Jenue's hair rose.

"We haven't even finished training!" Iyo butt in.

"I will be stuck in this matriarch forever!" I howled.

"It better than being dead!" Bees words shook us all and it was silent between the four of us.

After a while I raised my head a tail. "Well I have faith in myself and now I have no choice." I whipped around and stalked over to Nakato and Kura.

"Be careful." Nakato said to both of us although we were staring at each other with our hatred, barely listening. "If you don't surrender, you fight to the death."

We agreed a fair fight and all the hyenas gathered in a circle. Ellone and I enetered on opposite side and I felt the smooth hard rock floor beneath us. I growled, looking at her in the eyes, studying her. She was a runner. Quick fast and flexible. She was skinny and not really built for fighting but her speed might be back.

I saw Iyo's nervous snout poke through, looking at her intensely. Nakato raised her muzzle and howled, signaling the fight to begin.

Ellone ran swiftly towards me, snapping but I moved my paw just in time. But she butted me and I fell to the side and she pounced on me, keeping a paw on my throat. It was harder and harder to breath. I could hear sighs of disappointment from the others and watched as they averted their eyes from the pathetic scene I was causing.

I wasn't ready to give up.

I kicked with my hind leg, sending her lightweight body straight into another hyena. I leaped up quickly and rushed at her, but she rolled to the side and slashed at my shoulder. I yelped as scarlet blood dropped from my shoulder to the ground. I turned to her, snarling. But she was too quick. She jumped on me, her jaws locking on the back of my neck.

I screamed as I felt blood drip down my neck and to my paws. I stepped in pools of my own blood and I became dizzy. The barks and shrieks were dying down.

I dropped to the ground, looking up at the blurry vision of Ellone. She had no scratch on her, but she was covered in blood. My blood. "Ready to give up?"

I let out a furious howl, and flung my self at her, swiping at her but she easily dodged. I made a massive leap, knocking the breath out of her and I reared up on my hind legs and came crashing down on her. I heard a crack and the air was filled with howls and laughter of disbelief. Ellone shrieked the loudest.

I backed off of her, not sure what I broke, but she looked at me with pure hatred. She attacked diving at me, with slobbering jaws. I dodged, whipping around and slamming my paws into her back and she fell with a bark. She got up quickly and swiped at me. I spit out blood as she successfully hit me but didn't take long to recover.

She jumped at me but missed and I grabbed her scruff, seeing the opportunity I saw and bit hit, flinging her like I did Jaka.

She fell on her back, panting, looking up at the sky. I let her have space as the entire ring was quiet while I caught me breath. She painfully got up, the stone below us covered in blood. She charged at me. I didn't see a way out so charged at her, slamming straight into her chest, she managed to scape me but barley succeeded.

She leaped up and tried at bite me and I bit too, grabbing her ear and tugged with all my might. There was a loud agonizing cry and I saw Ellone standing there, staring at me with wide eyes—with one ear.

I opened my mouth and dropped a very bloody ear. I gazed at the sight and didn't believe I did suck a thing.

She took this moment while I was distracted and disgusted to leap at me. She landed on my face and she clawed and bit furiously at me. I bit and grab the first thing I could. I bit hard and heard another crack as the once beautiful hyena broke her forearm and fell to the ground.

She looked around, terrified and tears filled her eyes. She was bleeding and she might bleed to death. She looked at me with hatred but chocked out a howl. "I surrender!" She managed before coughing up blood.

Shrieks and laughter filled the canyons, echoing off the walls. I didn't feel so good myself as I saw Nakato walk over to me. She seemed...afraid of me of was I just imagining it? "Congratulations. You moved up a rank."

Her last words were slurred as I collapsed in front of her.