Little Wolf

Ch 13 Fight Club

"Escort him to Doc. Next."

Mac wasted no time as he turned back to the sand as another guy stepped up to fight Ed.

I led the wounded guy to Doc and watched as he cleaned the wound.

Doc was ready to make a few stitches when he stopped and looked up at me. "Why are you still here? Get back down there."

I was startled for a second before I realized he was right. Knife fights would probably only last a few minutes each. After a few trips up and down, I had to help one of the guys from the ring.

Mac had to holler out to me that the equipment stayed down there. I pulled off the man's helmet and gloves and found the container where the used mouth guards went. Totally gross.

"And that's why they don't drive themselves here," said Derrick as he showed up to help the guy to one of the couches.  Doc had cleared the fighter for now but wanted to double-check for concussion in a bit.

The night wore on with groans, cussing, and quiet cheering on occasion. The crowd was oddly low key. I realized it was because this wasn't a spectator crowd; it was a participant crowd. Most of the guys were intent on the fights, evaluating future competition while waiting for their match.

I saw a wide variety of fighting; kick-boxing, regular boxing, different martial arts, flat out punching, even some wrestling which I eagerly watched. Fighters used a variety of weapons: knives, staffs, even one bout with swords. Derrick explained a bit of the setup. Weapon fights were held in the sand and usually ended with first blood. Hand-to-hand combat was mostly held in the ring.

Men came and went. I couldn't keep track of them all. I don't know how Mac did.

The crowd had thinned, and the fights grew longer, when I caught a smell that threw me totally off guard. I breathed deep after a subtle shift. The odor was as clear as a flashing neon sign to me.

There was a wolf in the room somewhere.
My nails dug into my palms without thought. The wolf part of me surged to the forefront, and I struggled for a moment to maintain control.

It had been rough at different times of the night, with the smell of blood and the surges of testosterone. I had stepped outside a few times for breaths of fresh air, but right now, I wanted to go deeper into the basement.

The thought of another wolf was exciting. Mac had to call out to get my attention to help someone up to Doc.

I hurried the guy upstairs and headed back down as soon as I could.

Caution. Vigilance. I practically vibrated with excitement, using Dad's mantra to keep myself steady.

It didn't take long to figure out which one was the wolf. He didn't seem to notice me. I even wolfed it up as much as I dared, fur thickening under my clothes, reeking of musk as I walked by. If I could smell him, he should have been able to detect me, but he didn't react to my presence at all. I was mystified.

Mac finally called me over and pulled me off to the side.

"What's up with you suddenly, Rick?"

"Do you know that guy?"

"Which one?"

"The big guy dressed like a biker, with tats on his neck."