Chapter 9: Two vs One

Ferral was knocked back into the water of the pond after taking a right hook from Attar. He blocked it, but Attar was far stronger than Dante. The force of the blow was too much. But while he was very strong, Attar was also slow. It contrasted with Dante’s incredible speed but poor offense. The two of them combined really kept Ferral on his toes and made the fight more exciting. “I must admit, you are a more capable fighter than I thought,” Attar complimented. “However, a mere wolf could never compare to the power of the silverback gorilla!” He backhanded Ferral across the face, sending him flying.

He crashed into a park bench. As he tried getting up, Dante glided over and tried to slash him with his venomous nails. Ferral quickly ducked, rolling out of the way, Attar leaping into the air, ready to slam his fists down. Ferral had no choice but to block the oncoming attack. He put his arms up, Attar’s fist slamming down with the force of a wrecking ball. He continued lifting his arms and swinging them down. Ferrall finally managed to roll out of the way, hopping back and socking Attar across the jaw. The large experiment stumbled to the side, hardly phased by the blow. Ferral huffed and puffed, his arms shaking from those heavy impacts.

Ferral exhaled, “Boy, you guys are really tough. I don’t know if I can win at this point.” Dante slithered next to Attar. “For what it’s worth, you’ve fought well.” Attar said. Dante added, “I’ll give credit where credit’s due. You’ve lasted longer than I expected.” Hearing those words of praise, Ferral could help but smile with joy. They filled him with even more determination. He got back into his fighting stance, “I never said I was done yet. Let’s keep going!” They shared a glance at each other, then looked back at Ferral with grins.

“If you can still fight…” Attar got into a fighting stance, “Let’s continue.” Dante flicked his tongue, “Yeah, this has been pretty fun.” They stared off; no one made a move yet. In an instant, all three charged, continuing their brawl.

*Back at the Facility, all the scientists watched in awe at this epic battle. They have never truly seen what it’s like when experiments fully let loose. “I-It’s incredible!” One said, her jaw on the floor. “How can 9320 keep up with those two?” Another commented. Everyone, even Dr. Aero, was baffled by Ferral’s performance. But not Dr. Atlas, who watched with satisfaction. This is exactly what he wanted. To get stronger and stronger. As the doctor observed more, he could see Ferral enjoying himself more and more with each traded blow. The savagery and lust for battle kept boiling. No matter what Dr. Amber did to him, she could never take him away from his true purpose…to fight a defeat of all that stood in his way. He was the combination of the strongest wolf species in the world, after all:

*Canis lupus occidentalis(Mackenzie Valley Wolf), Canis lupus lupus(Eurasian Wolf), Canis lupus arctos(Arctic Wolf), Canis lupus pambasileus(Interior Alaskan Wolf), and Canis lupus nubilus(Great Plains Wolf). All of these species are what will help Experiment 9320 gain even greater strength. Becoming an unstoppable weapon…*

Ferral grabbed Dante by the tail, swinging him into a basketball pole. Upon impact, he coughed up blood before falling to the ground. Leaving a large dent in the pole. Feral kicked him in the ribs, sending Dante far across the basketball court and hitting the pole on the other side. Attar burst out of the pile of rubble after being thrown into another public restroom. He charged top speed at Ferral, determined to take him down. He threw countless punches, each one Ferral dodged with ease. He grabbed Attar’s left fist, pulling him in and kneeing his stomach. Attar groaned in pain, walking back as he held his stomach. Ferral looked on, a wide grin on his face.

His eyes were wide, looking almost deranged. His heart pounded loudly in his ears; every fiber in Ferral’s body wanted to keep fighting. He swiftly socked Attar in the face, then again and again and again. He didn’t have any time to react, each blow getting stronger. In the end, Ferral raised his right hand, slashing his claws down across Attar’s chest. He fell back, screaming in pain. Ferral stomped on his chest, looking down at him with a crazed expression. Attar’s eyes widened with fear…he was going to die. Ferral grabbed him by the throat, picking Attar up off the ground, ready to deliver the final blow. But just before he could, a voice inside his head shouted. “STOP!” rang throughout his brain. It was the voice of Dr. Amber…

*It was eight years ago. Ferral was only 10 at the time, doing his first real fight with one of the security guards. He clawed through the back, knocking him down. “Good 9320, good.” A scientist said, “Now…kill him.” The guard looked at him, shocked. Ferral hesitated for a second, but I nodded and flipped the guard over, placing one knee on top of his chest. Ferral raised his right hand, aiming for the guard’s throat. He looked terrified, pleading with his eyes not for Ferral to do it. But, he followed through…it was the only way to win.

“STOP!” Dr. Amber shouted, bursting into the training room. Ferral stopped, his claws only inches from the guard’s throat. He looked at his mother, seeing her angered expression. She picked him up off the guard. “You should never take another person’s life. Especially if they don’t deserve it.” She scolded. Ferral tilted his head, “Why? Only way to win, no?”

Amber shook her head, “No, it’s not the only way to win. If you do, you’d be taking them away from their family and loved ones.” She placed her hands on his shoulders, “Promise me, you will never take another person’s life unless they are completely irredeemable.” Ferral didn’t understand much of what she said, but didn’t like seeing her so upset. So, he nodded, “Okay, anything for you.”*

Ferral snapped back, remembering where he was. He stared down Attar, who was still frightened. He calmed himself down, letting go of his neck. Taking a step back. Dr. Amber’s words echoed in his head. “Promise me…” Ferral nodded, “Okay.” He replied under my breath. He looked to see that Attar was slowly getting back up. “Hey, you guys weren’t going to try to do anything bad, right?” Ferral asked.

Attar looked at him, confused. He responded, "No, we were only sent out here to take you back to the Facility.” Ferral understood, “Well, I’m sorry, but I’m not going back. I have to be free. Please leave.” Attar didn’t respond and started limping toward Dante, who was unconscious. He picked him up and slung him over his broad shoulders. As he started walking off, but after a few steps, stopped and looked back at Ferral.

“You know the Organization will just send others after you, right?” He said, “Us leaving doesn’t mean you’re safe.” Ferral didn’t say anything for a second, clenching his fists. He said, “Yeah, but I’ll be ready. I’ll take on as many people as it takes.” He didn’t respond and continued limping off, leaving Ferral in the middle of the basketball court.

Ferral won, and yet, he didn’t feel good about it. Perhaps he got too carried away. “Gonna have to work on that.” He told himself. While lost in thought, Ferral suddenly remembered…Ms. Clare! He quickly turned and bolted off back to the store. He hoped she was still okay.