Unlikely Bonds

Chapter 10: Underestimated

I could not deny the bath was amazing. After being tossed into the cold stone ground and beatings, my body was stiff. The hot waters did wonders to help ease the discomfort. 

While I bathed, I couldn't help but think of Baaul. He had been like a second father to me. I had loved him and now that I had a moment of peace, I couldn't stop the tears from his loss. I felt it like a physical wound to my chest. Maybe I could plead to Volok to allow me to gather his remains so I could give him a proper burial. I'd like that a lot.

When I was finished, I was led to a small hand built area by a very small male, probably not even entered UnBlooded training yet. The area. And it was horrific. On Yautja Prime there was a colosseum with rounded bleachers and an open center stage below them. This was a domed cage made up of bones from various creatures. Several of them were turned toward the inside with jutted ends so anyone who fell on them would be impaled. I could see the staining on them and knew they were never cleaned. The floor was nothing more than dirt that had been kicked around.

I was instructed to climb up onto what looked like a lifted throne of bones so I could see past the gathered Bad Blood males. As soon as I was seated the small male slapped a cuff onto my wrist and locked me to the chair. I tried to pull it off but the blasted thing simply didn't budge. Damn it!

A chorus of snarls had me turning to see my father being led by three males toward the arena. He was muzzled like a damn hound with his arms cuffed behind his back. A thick silver collar circled his neck that was leashed by three cords that ended in the Bad Bloods hands. Another leash led behind him as a fourth Bad Blood covered his back. Two more males walked on either side of him and I felt pride to know that it took six males and chains to subdue my father. 

However, that pride soon turned to fear when I saw Volok standing inside the area wearing nothing but his loincloth. He was so tall and broad that he made my father look small.

I don't know why I expected Volok to fight dirty, but I did. So when he waited while my father stood patiently as his restraints were taken off, I was surprised. When the cuffs were finally removed, my father was in motion. His claws sliced into the closest male's gut. It was so deep that the shocked male stared stupidly at his emptying organs in his hands. 

"YES!" I shouted it with oomph and threw my fist up in the air for him. I had seen my father fight multiple times and I never got tired of it.

He worked fluidly as he ripped the muzzle off his face and bit into another males neck while simultaneously tossing another, impaling him on a protruding antler. The male died instantly as it went straight through his heart. 

The last two Yautja rushed my father together, but he was much faster than them both. The one that thrust out his arm ended up with it bent upward at an unnatural angle when my father broke it after side stepping him. The other landed hard on his back when in the same breath my father shot out his powerful thigh into the male's stomach. Bones cracked from the force of it and blood sprayed out of his mouth. 

The male with a broken arm tried to continue his attack. He did, but my father slapped the unbroken arm away that thrust his direction and snapped the male's neck, dropping him instantly. With all six males either dead or dying, my father turned to Volok and roared with his arms thrust out beside him.

The male in question had done nothing but patiently watch as his males were all taken out in less than a few seconds. He waited as my father charged him. I could hear every heavy step my father made toward him and I held my breath as he closed the distance. Would he win? Could he win? 

My father struck out at Volok who had remained entirely motionless to this point, and missed when he suddenly vanished. I wanted to scream because it was an unfair advantage, but in the rules of fighting between Yautja, you can use anything natural at your disposal. Since Volok could alter his cells to turn translucent, he was within the rules to use it.

My father wasn't deterred by the sudden loss of visual like I was. He swirled the ground as he ducked, one hand firmly planted in the dirt. His foot kicked up a small cloud of debris and I watched in amazement when I saw the shape of something Yautja in the middle.

I couldn't believe it. My father was using the dirt to counter the phasing! I never would have thought of that! There was more than just his size and strength that made him the best Enforcer among the clans!

My father slashed up at the shape, but Volok was a fraction too quick. He stepped out of reach and countered by throwing a powerful kick. My father barely managed to bring his arms up in time to defend his face. He was tossed back, but landed on his feet.

He was charging again, but I couldn't see at what. The cloud that he had kicked up was already dissipated, taking away his visual. My father slashed with his claws, but stopped mid motion to pivot his upper body forward toward the ground. I screamed in victory as he did a somersault, and kicked Volok so hard in the head that he fell back onto one of the bones and pulled him out of his translucent phase. The massive male roared in pain, but it was far from a kill wound.

My father righted himself and slashed at Volok's chest, but Volok caught his arm too easily and snapped it. I screamed with my father and I hated the tears that were summoned against my will. Volok snarled as he yanked himself off the bones and slammed his hand into my father's throat, lifting him up off the ground. 

I was helpless as he slammed him into the ground, over and over with his freakish strength that shouldn't have been possible for a Yautja. This display of raw power showed not just my father, but me as well, that Volok had simply been amusing us. Like a parent pretending to be shot by a playing child.

When Volok was finished, my father was motionless inside a crater made by the force of the blows. Blood was seeping out of his open mouth and his eyes were closed. I screamed as my heart ripped in two at the sight of his broken body and felt such hatred when Volok lifted those fiery eyes to me. There was a look of guilt on his face that I didn't understand and I didn't care to understand it. 

All I knew was that Volok was never serious about letting us leave. He knew my father had no chance of winning against him. We were merely amusing toys for him until he got bored and eventually, toys always got boring…