'This day has been going on for so long. I just wish to sleep at this point...' Michael groaned as he was now faced with a new challenge.

He stood now before Runhar, who waited for him to get ready. Due to Urla's condition, if he wanted to stay here, he needed to have a fight, despite Rok being the original opponent, the poor guard wasn't too excited about that prospect after the tender touch Michael gave him inside the cavern.

'Well... I guess it makes sense. I would also want to see what a person I don't know, can do, before I let them in my house. Still... I can't... I should stop this.'

Michael sighed as he awkwardly rubbed the side of his arm. "Chief- uhm... Den Mother, Urla. I... would like to call off the fight." The human said with his shoulders slumping.

"And why is that, may I ask?" The elder sow looked with a tempered expression, yet clearly with a surprised curiosity, just barely held back from being too obvious.

"Well... how can I say this? My people, where I come from. Fighting is... not so... common? We fight for sport or sometimes when disagreements happen,but now-a-days, those fights are not meant to hurt someone severely. We have people who train to fight most of their life for entertainment, but I'm just... a stude-... a scholar! I know how to fight just because I needed to learn to protect myself. I am no warrior. I fight if my life depends on it, but... I don't like to hurt people."

++++

Gharna stood there and stared at Michael in desbelief along with Yenna and Azhul.

"He is no warrior? Then what can warriors of his kind, do?" Gharna whispered to the other two as she looked to Azhul.

"Don't kno', den sister, but I didn't imagine this is what a scholar would look like. They usually seem a bit more... decrepit, thin, so... focused on reading dusty books, at least from what I heard. Michael, clearly has some muscle, a bit of a gut so he most likely eats plenty of bounty. If he was a Tuskir he would be prime marriage swine material. The height scares me. All our men are shorter than him. Do you think there are taller people of his kind?" Azhul said whispering back.

"I am personally curious about the women. It would be nice to be able to talk with a girl and not have to keep looking up at her." Yenna added, at which remark both Gharna and Azhul oinked a groan.

"Oh, blood brother of course you would..." Gharna said petting Yenna on the head.

Still the moment got interrupted as it seems A commotion is being started by a really pissed off Runahr.

"You! You spineless pink worm are afraid to hurt me?" He said oinking in a rage.

Urla wierdly kept silent as she watched the two, suspiciously so, but she seemed to simply glance to Runahr.

"I didn't mean specifically you. I just don't like hu- WHOA!" Michael couldn't even finish his sentence as Runarh was charging at him, head first and in a swift motion he used the same frog hop like technique to hop over the captain, like he did before. Once more did he avoid getting rammed and once more the human ate shit on landing, or in this case a face full of fighting circle sand.

"I am starting to feel like this day is starting again from the beginning..." He groaned under his breath as he scrambled back up to his feet.

Runahr was at this point turned and he simply came up to Michael, attempting to head butt him at an angle, which the human responded to by side stepping and once more keeping light on his toes.

"Please, man! Just stop. Am I really the only one, trying to be the voice of reason, here?!" The human said as he was lightly panting.

"Reason?! You talk about being afraid of hurting me, as if I am a ginger flower! You insult us by underestimating us!" Runhar oinked and snorted angrily while changing from his tusk attack to blows aiming at Michael's body. They would connect, but the human would ram himself closer before Runhar could swing in fully.

All of a sudden though, Runhar simply wrapped his large arms around the human and began holding him tight, he let out a squealing roar as he opened his maw wide and bit into the human's shoulder, although not deeply, due to the tusks sliding with the blunt side against the human, instead of skewering him.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Then the most blood curdling scream of agony and pain rang out, which made the whole, village flinch and scatter backwards a few steps. Nobody dared step in, as a duel is settled, once started, although based on Urla's stare, there would be words, about how it was started.

++++

"AAAAGH! HAAAAH HAH HAAAaaah!" Michael screamed out, as his shoulder stung and burned like it never had before, his eyes teared up as he felt his T-shirt dampen, his eyes closed and every muscle in his body tensing.

A silence then overcame him, followed only by the hiccup of a pained gasp. 'W-why is it always me? What did I do to deserve this?'

The human then roared out, as he brought his left arm, with the untouched shoulder, up in a fist and splattered sand into Runahr's right eye and flat nose.

The swine squealed and coughed as he let go of Michael as he stumbled back and began wiping at his face.

++++

"What is he doing with a fistful of sand?" Azhul asked confused, not knowing why attacking Runhar with sand would be so effective.

"He is giving himself an opportunity." Urla said from the side as she kept watching.

"But how is that fair in a fight?" Azhul continued clearly annoyed.

"It is not. He made it clear. His people truly fight only when they are in danger. Only when their life depends on it. When your life is on the line, fair is only for those strong enough to afford it. For him, it means the chance of death." Urla said simply and plainly, unsurprised by this, but her gaze clearly showed an awe and admiration at the cunning actions taken for survival. It was terrifying yet... inspiring, akin to a predator catching prey off guard, hard to look away even though the slaughter is about to happen right before your eyes.

++++

Michael could feel the burning no longer, he could only feel a warmth wash over him as he made his way towards Runhar who was still struggling with sand in his snout and eye.

'There is always someone looking to pick on me. Someone who thinks, I stepped on their toes. There always has to be.' He said as a clear scowl, came across his face, his teeth gritted and bared openly.

"You damned underhanded cough critter! Hack! You will pay for thi- UGH!" Runhar bellowed, but he couldn't finish his words as he felt a punch hit his gut. The blow made him bend forward with pain at which point a kick from Michael to the side of his knee, made him crumple on the sand.

"You call me all these words, but I wonder if you even know what half of them, mean." Michael said as he then sat on Runhar's back, while he attempted to get up. "While I was walking over here, I thought of so many not so pretty words to describe you, but then I realized they were just words to hurt your pride, to make fun of your apperance. But... how can I do that, when I know there are some of you that are nice." Michael said with a certain calm in his tone, almost jovial, care free, yet cold as he grasped with both hands into the thick fur and hair at the back and top of Runhar's head.

"Get off me and fight m-" Once more Runhar got interrupted as his head got pulled back and then slammed snout first into the sand.

"This is not a fight anymore. It's a beating." He stated simply as he kept lifting Runhar's head and slamming him face first repeatedly into the sand.

The sound was short and thudding dully, as each slam made the tuskir man squeal and oink, angrily at first, then painfully and crying and then eventually it turned silent, the last thing that rang out was the sound of bone snapping, as one of Runhar's tusks cracked and snapped eventually.

The sand below Runhar's head turned red as each head thump splattered droplets further outwards.

++++

The Tuskir just stood there looking as if a phantasm showed itself before them, listening to the thuds.

"B-brood Mother... this isn't a fight nor a beatin' i-its an execution..." Azhul said, the 6'3" brute staring shaken at the scene before her.

"I-... agree... its... I..." Gharna said stumbling over her words as the only thing she could think, is how glad it wasn't her. A flashback of the fight from the cave played in her head and she couldn't believe it was the same creature she fought. This wasn't the merciful furless creature she met before, it was a predatory beast. A monster... and all it took to bring it out was spiteful words and a single blood drawing bite.

Her train of thought snapped out as she saw Urla slowly walk up towards the two. He expression seemingly unchanged.

"I believe now my point is proven. I am thankful for this fight, but I am also mournful of how it began. I am sorry." The elderly sow then did a small bow. "If you would permit it please, Michael. Spare my foolish blood son's life."

++++

'D-did she... just say her son?' Michael thought as he looked wide eyed at Urla, while he froze.

A wave of memories began rushing over him. How his mother cried when he came for years with bruises from school. How the school did nothing despite both her and his father asking. How he got brought in to learn to fight at the local gym and how years later his parents would defend him whenever he fought back against someone who was physically bullying him. Yet all of that passed by, as one thought remained.

'I am beating a kind lady's son in front of her.' This thought just echoed in his head over and over, the echo collapsing in on itself distorting in his head.

His face was splattered with blood, which he didn't know who it was from, he just stumbled backwards and off Runhar, as his brown eyes began glistening with tears, he was biting down on his tongue to not spill. He had no right to cry, when this boar woman in front of him looked at him with the same restraint and damp eyes, just like his.

"I-... I am sorry." Is all he managed to stutter out as he let out a gasp.