ROUND 2 - On All Levels Except Physical

I sprawled out on the grass, absolutely exhausted. After that riveting display of nihilistic storytelling involving the ant, and finally completing my training afterwards, I didn’t think I could handle another fight for today. Or so I thought. As the sun began to set and twilight broke the horizon, I heard a loud and menacing howl.

I was immediately quaking in my boots, the same feeling I had when confronting my father. Anyone could recognize this signature cry, even if you weren’t an animal aficionado like myself. It seemed to most closely resemble a gray wolf. I considered heading back home, and saving the fight for tomorrow, but this thought was immediately dispelled. I am a fighter! I am a human! And I will succeed! I ran towards the direction of the howl, preparing for battle.

As I got closer to the sound, I slowed my pace. i attentively searched for any hint that would lead me towards my opponent. Eventually, as the sun continued to set, I saw a striking silhouette on the city skyline. One that looked suspiciously similar to that of a gray wolf.

Sprinting as fast as I could, I lunged at the dark figure and we both tumbled to the ground. Indeed, it was a wolf, albeit its facial features were a bit larger and cartoonish compared to other wolf species I’ve seen. But it didn’t matter; unlike last time, I was the one who had the advantage of surprise, I and would not go down without a fight.

After throwing a few punches to disorient the wolf, I rolled to my side, shifted my body behind it and wrapped my arms around its neck. It wailed in pain, a noise that was sounded strangely humanlike in nature. For some reason, it was also much less aggressive than what I expected for a creature of this caliber. Quite sus. It merely threw its abnormally large paws haphazardly in my direction, trying to free itself of my grasp.

After we squirmed around for a bit longer, the sun had all but faded away, and our battle was illuminated in the soft glow of the moonlight. Seemingly as one last struggle for survival before losing oxygen, the wolf threw its head forward in an attempt to loosen my grip.

Somehow, it had managed to decapitate itself this maneuver.

I immediately let go, taken aback by what just occurred. After both parties caught their breath, a yell pierced the silence.

“Gah! What the hell is wrong with you? You fucking animal!”

As the creature rose to its feet, I noticed that it was no creature at all. Merely a man, dressed in extremely expensive-looking wolf costume from head to toe. He was not decapitated, as it was only the mask that fell off his head. Was this perhaps a hobby of his? Due to the darkness, and my intense bloodthirsty desire to engage in fisticuffs with an animal, I was unable to notice this fact before. I was instantly flooded with an intense wave of shame and guilt.

“I... I-I’m so sorry, I-“

Before I could give even the most basic of apologies, I was cut off by yet another loud howl. This one, however was different. It did not simply resemble a gray wolf, but embodied the nature of one in every way. This, unmistakably, was the cry of a real wolf. And, due to my father’s command, it was out for blood.

It lunged out of the shadows, my primal instincts just sharp enough to evade at the last second. Looking down, I noticed a large gash on my arm gushing blood, but at least the limb had not been removed from my body entirely. But it wasn’t over. Directly behind me was the man in the fursuit.

“WATCH OUT!”

It all seemed to happen in a fraction of a second.

I could do nothing but scream and watch in horror as his lifeless body was thrashed around like rag-doll in the gaping jaws of the carnivore.

And like the weak, worthless prey that I was, I ran.

He died because of me. All the animals immediately approach me; the man only died because I was there. Despite him being the one with the appearance of a wolf, I was the true animal in this situation. I should never have suggested this challenge. I should never have started beating up animals. I’m not worthy to be a fighter.

“Wait wait wait wait, hold the phone!”

The voice seemed to originate deep within the bowels of my brain.

“You’re running away again? Who do you think you are?! You’re the main character for crying out loud!”

I could ask the exact same question. Who was this disembodied voice? Was it God? A creative deity from beyond this realm? Or simply the inner machinations of my mind, pushing me to surpass my limits? Regardless, I decided to listen.

“You lost against your dad, and your only win so far is against a measly ant? Nobody likes crybaby protagonists! We need to give the people the content they deserve!”

“What do humans have, that no other creature in the animal kingdom possesses?”

This question from the voice unlocked something deep inside me. A fact I was overly familiar with, but had somehow forgotten about in this instance of intense despair.

“AN INDESTRUCTIBLE WILL!”

At that moment, I embraced my animalistic rage wholeheartedly. I ran on all fours, bared my teeth and howled at the moon. As I reached near supersonic speed, I pounced on the wolf and bit into its flesh. Its fearful whimpers were drowned out by the sound of the impact of my fists. After what felt like an eternity, and after unleashing a nearly never-ending amount of hits, the whimpers were no more. I sat on the body of the beast, soaked in blood as I basked in the complete and utter indulgence in my instincts. And I laughed.

Now the hunt would truly begin.

But this time, I was the predator.