บท 58: Tensed silence
*SELENE's POV*
Channing had a coin in his hand and held it in his fist. The pack members were here to watch the duels and also some other people from the village. The encouragement from the spectators grew with every passing second.
Channing raised his fist, holding the coin, and there was silence. Even the people who weren't the pack members obeyed his actions. After all, he held the second-highest position in this village, after the elders. His eyes shifted between me and Arina, landing more on Arina, he said "Okay, make your opponent accept defeat or push them out of the fighting area to win. Remember, any kind of serious injury inflicted will lead to direct disqualification."
Channing pulled the coin onto his thumb with a fist, ready to toss it. "How will you choose to fight? As a human or in your wolf form?"
I looked at Arina to confirm if we were on the same page and said, "Human form"
She nodded, agreeing, "As human."
"Very well, best of luck to both the opponents, ", Said Channing, slipping the coin back into his closed palm as he did not need it. He moved back two steps and raised his hand, "and... Fight!" His hand sliced the air between us and he took his exit, heading to his seat outside the fighting square.
And so began the fists and kicks. The crowd uproared with Arina, landing the first blow which I blocked gracefully.
I had had many duels with my trainer during the training hours in the castle, but this was my first time in an actual match. Here there was no one to hold me when I fell or stop the match just because I got a simple scratch on myself.
Arina was not backing away here and so wasn't I. We were at it with everything we had, punching the opponent and finding openings to push each other out of the ring. Arina stood in a defensive stance after taking a distance, with both her arms in front of her while the legs prepared for a kick. Both of us were panting from the nonstop fight we had a minute ago. The crowd was enjoying every moment of it.
"You are good!" She said, panting frantically.
"Well, I underestimated you too" Saying this I ran up to her and jumped in the air, twisting 360 degrees to land a kick on her face, which she easily blocked with her arm. I honestly didn't want to go rough, but Arina was giving a pretty good fight. We both knew no one was going to admit defeat.
Unlike her, I was still fine with my stamina, but she was just stretching it now. It would be foolish to spend all of my energy on the first match itself. I had to save it, especially for the next match where it can be against Hailey. I walked around Arina in a circle and she turned herself so her back would not be facing me at any instance, "Arina, you look tired. Admit defeat and it would be easier"
Arina snickered, "I did not join this competition for fun, Selene"
I smiled at her answer. I was expecting nothing less of her. My feet sprinted to her, trying to replicate the previous kick. She reacted exactly as I wanted her to, by blocking above her head, but I stopped the jump in time to land a punch in her abdomen. I had not tricked her till this point in our duel, and it took her by surprise.
I stepped back, "come at me Arina, until when will you just keep defending?" I asked, provoking her with my finger, signalling her to come at me.
"No thanks, I'll take my time, " she said in a huffed tone from her parched throat. Her feet were turning wobbly, but she refused to show it.
Arina was waiting for me to get tired. But in that course, she was the one losing to her body. It is difficult to block so many heavy kicks and punches, run around and still be standing there, intact, waiting for your opponent to get tired. She did not stand a chance right now as I was still fit and fine, just a little heavy respiration. But I didn't want to play around as there was a bigger goal to be achieved.
This time I tricked her with a punch while my foot swooped her legs off the ground. She fell down with a big thud.
To my surprise, she twirled her leg and almost made me fall the same way she did. I was quick to do a cartwheel, take my distance, and Arina got back up into her defensive stance. The problem was that she did not leave her defence posture, making it harder to do a hook or actually attack. Threatening to admit defeat was easier when you hold your opponent in a pinch, but she barely gave any opening for that.
I reverted her strategy onto her. It won't be tough to get her to lose her remaining stamina as well, so I closed the distance between us and showered her with attacks. Arina was not just getting sloppy blocking all of them, but was now losing her strength.
It was a perfect time now!
I grabbed her wrists that were holding her safe till now and swung her round till her feet left the ground. She was shorter than me and lighter as well, so when I left her she flew almost across the border. Arina tried to get in, but I caught up to her and pushed her out. One push was enough to send her strengthless self out of the boundary.
The crowd cheered louder and applauded when Channing held my hand up in the air. He was quick to let go of it and directed me and Arina away from the fighting zone. Elaine came ahead to help me bring Arina back to the sitting area.
Channing was not wasting any time between the matches as he spoke. "What a brilliant match it was. We all know who the next competitors are" There was not a lot of chaos in the crowd this time and I wondered why. I saw Hailey enter the fighting zone nonchalantly and stand beside Channing, followed by Sam. There was an eerie silence looking at her. A few people who were not part of the pack clapped for Sam, but apart from that, there was nothing but tensed silence.
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