She was itching to get back to fighting, but it seemed that this week she had no willing competitors to go up against her. “Hmph. Serves them right,” she would mumble to herself, but she would wear a frown on her face when she stared at the empty training ground. She needed to put Cellen’s words to the test. She needed to prove herself not to J.Boyd, but to herself, just as her ‘mentor’ had told her. While she believed that she was the best, the truth was she had a lot to learn. Her green-like mentality would wane with age, but until then she believed she was all that.
It had been days since the horns and scales ‘grew’ in. The kirin scales itched like crazy, and sometimes caused bits flake off. Ai growled at her shoulder. When it came time to battle again, she had to suffer through the incredible awful sensation that distracted her, she’d be pissed. Plain and simple. If she had a mean bone in her body against humans, she’d probably go after the man who did this to her. But the Ai of today just couldn’t. He trained her from a puppy, she could not bite the hand that feeds.
Speaking of J.Boyd, here he came now. He was a rugged looking man, sporting a black beard with the matching mustache. He tried to act as if he was a higher classman, but in reality he was just a commoner. Married to Leticia Lindon, the two them were almost exactly the same. Leticia would also act as higher class, primping herself up to go out, and wearing the extravagant gowns that she could barely afford.
However, with the similiarites also came differences. J.B. preferred fighters. They made a good chunk of money without humans having to do much. And, when they were unable to fight in legal competitions, J.B. looked into the underground matches. One day, when times got tough, he would consider placing his fighters into that pit, but for now, they were good.
Leticia preferred the pearl diver mokais. The more pearls and jewels the water-liked creature would find, the more she could make her own pocket change off of. She wasn’t into the little prissy pet dogs that a lot of women her age were particularly fond of.
Ai’s golden eyes watched as her owner came nearer to her, holding that strange glint in his dark black eyes.
“Ai my girl. Let’s go. You’ve been out way to long. We need to build you up to be the best.”
The best was right, Ai thought to herself, smirking. Her tail gave a few thumps on the ground, leaning into her master’s outstretched hand for a brief rubdown. She made she not to pierce his hand with her newly grown appendage.
Looking up with curious eyes, she tilted her head. An expression for the humans that meant ‘what are we going to do?’ or ‘where are we going?’
Outside the main compound arena, a few training pits were set up. Although empty today, usually they were filled with life, especially right before a giant tournament. Here is where JB led his ‘prized’ female, tugging softly on her leather lead as they entered one of the sandy pits. Already in one of the pits, a feeble looking young man stood, staring wildly at the young female mokai. J.B. took off the leash, but made sure to keep the collar on. J.B. had been around fighters for a long time to know you just can’t trust them. Any minute they could turn on you. Even if he loved the striped scaly female, he still held the same thoughts for her.
It wasn’t unusual for J.B. to assist in Ai’s training session. He always said to his friends, “Gotta make sure I made a good investment.” He had uncanny ways of training the female. Sometimes he would get on his hands and knees and act like another mokai himself, or other times he would find pay another to have Ai train against them. Either way, he made it apparent that he needed to see these sessions through and through.
Today, he didn’t act like a mokai, or bribe another to let his pet win. Instead, he held in his hand a large leather like glove. “Come here Ai.” His voice was gruff, but Ai knew those words well, and did as she was told. She gazed up to the unknown man, before returning her gaze to her owner. J.B. handed the large glove to the other, telling him to put it on, and get ready.
“What exactly am I doing?” the man, Carlson, asked.
“You are going to be testing her speed. She needs to be quick, and I can’t seem to find any other person with a willing mokai available.” He said simply, turning towards his fighter.
“Sit, Ai.” She did so. “Carlson, when I count to three, run. But keep your hand as a point for her to get you. Otherwise, she may latch onto something you might find more valuable.”
Ai listened to the humans, knowing the language barrier between human and mokai was something that would never probably change. The conversation between the two men threw her through a loop, but she still remained motionless waiting for whatever instructions from her master.
“She won’t hurt me…right?”
“One.”
“J.B.?”
“Two.”
The man shuddered, and began running around the small pit. He did as he was instructed, only looking back to see that the fighter was still at her owner’s feet.
“Three.” J. Boyd announced. “Get him.” He growled towards his fighter, causing her to leap to her feet.
With a burst of speed, the female ran after the now still man. Humans could be so stupid sometimes. If he was smart, he’d be running away from the creature charging at him, not standing like a deer in the headlights.
“Better run, Carlson!” The master yelled, causing the stilled man to continue doing so. It was too late, Ai had already caught up with her ‘opponent’ and latched onto the thick leather hide. She growled, shaking her head, her horn managing to snag the clip keeping the glove on. With a screech from the man, the leather slid off his arm. He continued to run, leaving the female shaking her ‘prize’ in the sand.
“She can take off gloves? Man I’m out.” Carlson shouted. “Put her up against another fighter, not me.”
“Now, now. Don’t be such a pansy.” J.B. unrolled some bills, smacking it right into Carlson’s hands. “Call it a ‘tip’ for being such a good sport. It’s not like she actually bit your or anything, so I don’t see why you are complaining.”
The man known as Carlson just rolled his eyes, took his money and left.
Ai, still distracted by the loose leather, did not see her master come up from behind her, and snag a leash onto her light collar.
“Need to do better than that, Ai.” J. Boyd muttered, pulling the female fighter away from the tearing glove.
He didn’t have much time left to continue her training today, but he would have to bring her out again and again before her next fight so she could get better. He would not have a losing mokai on his hands.
{End - 1,222 words}
