Empowering Orenda

Chapter 9- Quick Whip

A noise behind me brought my attention away from Mayflower's fleeting form. "Get away from us!" A pompous voice screamed harshly, causing me to nearly roll my eyes before stepping to the side of Prince Jailyn's limp body and taking a seat to watch the show. The King and Queen were trying to fight their way out of the crowd, however, it is still against the rules for anyone other than the two contenders and the announcer to enter the circle until the announcer officially calls the condition of the loser. Prince Caspien approaches me with a neutral face, scanning his brother for movement in the process. Guards were blocking the King and Queen from entering the circle behind him, as much as they protested. It's funny how they think the rules don't apply to them when it comes to official Lupussapien traditions, though I could care less. Our god Lutaily made these decrees herself before she left to their realm. 

"Someone get a medic into that circle!" The King tried to order, but a medic was already here as per custom, not in the circle though. "Guards! Arrest that imbecile for killing my son!" They continued to rage and rant as Prince Caspien finally reached me and bent down to check his brother. He hummed as he assessed the wounds before resting two fingers on his neck to check the pulse. 

"I'm surprised you didn't end him."  Prince Caspien said through the link, his voice calm, collected, and deep with a hint of surprise on the tone. Which, of course, makes sense. 

I rolled my eyes at his statement. "As much as your brother has threatened me and prodded at me during our training, I have the logic to not give in to ones given by a bitch that has been after me for the longest time. Not to mention the decency of not killing a child in front of their parents." He chuckled slightly before nodding and standing up from his brother and gesturing to the medic looking to him for orders. I watched Caspien as the medic walked towards us with narrowed eyes. "There's no way you didn't know about this."

He spared me a tiny glance but kept his calm demeanor. "Even if I did, nothing was against the rules of a challenge." He started. "Jailyn was right you know. You had to learn to focus without the initial preparation. Had Mayflower used one of her friends, you would have been easily prepared to fight and just treated the challenge as a game." He began to talk with the medic once he reached us and informed him of his brother's state. 

I rolled my eyes at his speech before watching the medic, who shivered slightly once I looked at him. I must be a terrible sight right now. "Next week's fight will be no different if that's the case." I started. "We are going to fight either way. You guys are just drawing out the inevitable." The medic wrapped the neck wounds on Jailyn before looking up to Caspien and nodding. A code for all clear I'm guessing. 

"That's true, but it's not my place to tell you what reality you're supposed to see right now." I narrowed my eyes at his words but before I could ask he turned and spoke to the crowd. "Prince Jailyn has been knocked unconscious. Therefore, as the sub of Mayflower Marlowe, he has lost this challenge against Velanthropine Fissure." He turned back towards me, formalities still in his voice as he dipped his head towards me slightly. "Congratulations Miss Fissure, we will see you again next week." He quickly turned away from me, allowing the medic who had picked up Jailyn to follow him out of the ring and others to enter, finally. Jami reached me first thankfully and looked me over with worry and pride swirling in his eyes.

I winced when he touched one of the open cuts on my chest and glared at him. "Excuse you?" 

"Are you okay Vel?" He asked, apprehension and concern lacing his voice. I rolled my eyes. 

"That's a dumb question." He rolled his eyes at my sarcasm before removing his hand from my open wound, finally. "Little boy wasn't expecting that finish." I mocked before trying to stand up. I winched in pain again from the stretching of cuts along my body and the strain that I was putting on my broken paw. The rules of challenges also, unfortunately, include the winner having to either make their way to a medic by themselves or until the medic that treats the loser comes back. I didn't have the time nor patience to deal with sitting in pain so I looked in the direction that Prince Caspien and the medic left in and moved to follow. Luckily the crowd was dispersing, a few exchanging money with sour looks and walking off. I guess quite a few weren't expecting me to win today.