“Rip and Tear until it is done.” - Wild man from the sewers.

  *****

  The days swam together but now they were exg in a reviously cked. Fighting. It sang to me, unlike anything else. It was a way and form of improvement deo me for so long. What use was fighting when you were weaker than a child? Who would you even fight?

  But now! Now I could. I’d stockpiled meat too. My hole was too small, so I’d begun g and g at it with my fingernails. The rock was tough but my fingernails and fingers would heal, it wouldn’t. In a few more months, I might even be fortable.

  In the meantime, I’d begun dev meat. Fighting was exhausting but I could feel it flowing through me. Knowledge, experience, skill. The smaller rats o be attacked a certain way, they would attack a certain way, and my fists knew where and how to hit.

  A kick here, a punch there, a throw, a stomp, it was almost amusingly fun to fight the smaller rats. But they were no challehey were just annoyances between me and the real enemy. I still avoided the bigger groups because strength could only do so much against numbers, but I ruthlessly hunted down the bigger rats.

  Most were the same I’d fought before. But a few…

  [7]

  It was night and day between now and my first fight. For starters, at some point I began to actually be able to see them move. For the , tearing out throats with my sharpeeeth was no longer nearly impossibly difficult.

  I didn’t hesitate, blinding it, tag it, and trying to rip out its throat. It filed, it kicked, it cwed and bit. But I was Mutai. I was a Warrior! And I wasn’t going to die here. I gripped its body close and bit and tore. But I ended up far too wounded from it. To the point I had to take it easy for over a week after a single fight.

  The water area was still deathly w and once, I’d even heard a croak. I had run with all my speed without looking bad heard nothing following me, but the fear had been real.

  This wasn’t te was a miracle I’d survived the siess and it was a miracle the toadman hadn’t returned and ran into me. I needed some way to store the water. Easier said than done. All I had were half eaten rat corpses.

  But the things you’ll do in the name of survival, they’re gruesome.

  A hollowed and ripped open rat… teically could tain water.

  It wasn’t the only tool I made use of. My hair had beguing too long and in the way. It was already grimy enough, it o go. A lot of trial and error with rat bones and cws finally saw it ing off. I stared at my dark hair ing off in ks and pieces. The water wasn’t nearly reflective enough but I did my best.

  I’d also had the bright idea to start trying to use the tools to better dig out the hole. It made too muoise. A pity. But oh well, what you do?

  I fought. More and more. Energy and vigor filled me. But I had to improve my ability to limit damage. Which was easier said than dohe only way I could properly fight was to bite their necks through to cause them to bleed out.

  Or was it?

  The days all bleogether but today, I decided I would try something new.

  *****

  It took a while but I found a [6] rat. I had to search farther for them and dodge not o two hordes of rats. That was a w development to find. I had no idea what they were eating besides each other. Well, if there was anything else, I hadn’t run into it yet.

  This time, I fought differently. I still blinded and ambushed it but I didn’t tackle it this time. I focused and punched. I was cautious, my aggression was great but I rei in. My punches smmed into its face over and over, dazing it, but doing no real damage.

  It squeaked and yelled but I merely grinned a going. A dodge, a kick, a roll, but alunch after punch, backtrag along the walkway. It always came at me, squeaking in rage. But I didn’t stop. Not even when I heard more squeaks ing.

  What finally showed up first was a small group of five and not a horde, thankfully. But I finally got to see something I hadn’t before. The enemy rats didn’t rush to help their fellow, they attacked us both. I’d seen rats fight each other but never a smaller group go after a bigger one.

  That only left two for me to deal with and they were dead quickly, only being [3] and [4]. The rat for its end didn’t take long to tear its fellow brethren apart either. There was a brief moment of pause, as we both stood among corpses, and gred at each other. Well, it gred and I grinned like a lunatic. I couldn’t help it. Every fight was fun and new now. Perhaps I’d gone insane down here but then again, none of the battles felt like I was going to die.

  Even now, I knew I was going to win.

  It rushed and I rained more blows into its face, only barely managing not to lose a finger, and stantly having to dodge and move to not be hurt. Once I even had to shove it into the water and do a palm strike for breathing room but always we fought. Awo groups ambushed us but her were any threat.

  As the miicked by, it slowed.

  And it slowed.

  More and more.

  It was getting tired, which baffled me. I was tired, sure, but not exhausted. It was stronger, it had better everything than me. How was it tiring out more quickly? The thought pgued my mind as it luried to tackle me, bit at my legs, and cwed at me.

  Finally, it clicked.

  “You’ve never been pushed this far have you?”

  My voice felt rusty and broken, ing out strangely hoarse through my brokeh. I even nearly cut my tongue. But it was true. This rat had more endura that didn’t mean it could use it all. It also didn’t know how to serve its stamina. It was going all out, trying to hunt and kill and survive, and it was dooming it. Humans were strohan they knew and I guess so were rats. This might be the most tired it had ever been.

  I ughed, letting my j out. There was no use being too silent in fights, I’d already made too muoise in every single one I’d fought.

  I tinued and finally, it stopped, panting, dazed from my blows.

  Then came a part of the fight I didn’t enjoy.

  I punched and punched and punched and-

  Stopped.

  Everything in my body froze all at once as I thought about what I was doing and why. I had won the fight. I wasn’t hungry. It… my pupils shook.

  It wasn’t a threat to me.

  The other rats, they could’ve gotten in the way. They made my fight more dangerous. They had to go. They had to die. But this ohere was no more fight. I’d won. I was just killing it because… it would kill me? It was dangerous?

  I didn’t o kill it.

  I was strohan it.

  I had won the fight.

  Something in me broke open. A sound like steam and a groan escaped my mouth, as a mix of feelings unlike any other arose within me.

  I was stronger. I’d won. I didn’t o kill it. I had won without killing. I could let it live.

  Those, none of those had ever been real options before. It was kill or be killed and now, and now! Here I was, seeking a fight, finding it, and winning! All without needing to kill anything!

  Tears streamed from my eyes.

  I was feeling so mubsp;

  Joy, relief, shock, pride. I had won. I had truly won. It was no longer just a desperate scramble for survival. I had grown strong enough to decide, to choose, to seek and fight, and to let go if I wao. Death, death was now only an option.

  That kind of power, that kind of choice, it floored me.

  “Ha…ha….hahaha!”

  I stared at the stone ceiling, letting my emotions roll over me. I don’t know how long I stood there, experieng the shod awe, but I was broken out of it as I heard the sound of cws on stohe rat had begun to stand.

  I could kill it. I could.

  But what would be the point?

  I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t like killing. It was gruesome and gross and reminded me of the worst parts of my family's lives. The day they were all taken away. The look i’s eyes was always the same way my mother’s was. That emptiness, the look of the soul leaving the body, I truly hated it. It hurt me every time but I’d grown numb to it now.

  But it didn’t o be that way anymore.

  Killing gained me nothing. Not anymore. Not from this rat.

  How hadn’t I realized this earlier? Fighting… fighting without having to kill was the best. Not only that, but it was grossly overp. A warrior held life ah in their hands. Not just death. Could I even call myself a true warrior, if I wasn’t strong enough to survive without killing?

  I ughed out loud again and puhe rat in the head. It fell, knocked out.

  I stretched, feeling lighter than air.

  Death would e. I’d be forced to kill things to for me to survive without doing so. I also still o eat. Survival of the fittest after all.

  But I had choiow.

  It was like the sweetest of elixirs. I hadn’t felt this good since I’d been in a healing tank.

  And not only that! I’d won with my fists without taking any damage! I barely evehat tired. This, this! Now this was winning! I’d won in every way that ted, in every way that mattered, in every way that a warrior could!

  It was intoxig, being this strong!

  “e on you rats! Fight me! e one, e all! I’ll show you how strong this Mutai is!”

  I ran, sprinting dowunnels. I o find more! More rats to fight! More rats to win against!

  Not in a desperate scramble for survival, but as a true warrior!

  Warix_Viviana