I thought the outer cities' arenas were loud. They were whispers compared to the thunder of Cicil's stadium. The people in the stands across from us were mere specks of color. Trumpets and other horn instruments blared over the sound of cheering.

"Shouts don't carry far enough," Cyrus explained to me. One thing I did like over the smaller arenas was the shaded booths reserved for the trainers, all lining the front row of the stands. "Trumpets are for the males, horns for the females. Each tune is for a different class. That was just the opening theme for the day." A short series of trumpet notes rang out from the official's booth. "And that was the amateur class."

"I see." The arena was split into several smaller areas by great walls, so six pairs could fight at once. The amateur lycans were released and immediately began their duels. I tried to appear interested while not really paying attention. I had seen my fair share of lycan fights in the past weeks.

"They’ll take down the dividers for the finals of each class," my manager babbled on. "And they only use them in the qualifying round of the pros." I felt him clasp at my arm. "Listen, it's been a dream of mine to compete in the pros here. Really, I can't thank you enough for this."

I didn't answer him. The lycans finished their fights. Trainers chased them to their stalls. Horns played their melody and the females were released. Preene was a sick place if it raised its children to dream of the suffering of others.

Try as I might not to watch, I didn't miss one over-enthusiastic female rake her claws across the stomach of another. Blood spilled from the wound, wetting the already red sand. Although the fight was halted, I knew the injured lycan wouldn't survive. This wasn't the first time I had seen a lycan fatally injured in the fights, but the feeling never changed. I wanted to hurl.

I tried to breathe through clenched teeth. "Cyrus?"

He glanced my way. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Do you ever think lycan fighting might be wrong?"

He blinked, then tilted his head slightly. "No, they're just aggressive beasts. It's not like they're sentient or anything. Why? Do you?"

I stared at him, careful to keep my face expressionless. However, I feared my eyes revealed much more than I meant. "Is that what you think of Cerberus? That he’s just an aggressive beast without thoughts or feelings?"

Cyrus began to answer, then stopped himself. He hesitated, looked down, and finally settled on a reply. "I think you give that lycan more trust than he deserves."

I nodded, turning away so my eyes couldn't speak what I didn't wish to say. "I did too once."

The man's gaze didn't leave me for the next six rounds.

It was nearing midday when an official came to our booth to inform me it was time for me to move Cerberus to his stall. When I returned, there were two other men in our booth, each unmistakable with their brilliantly dyed hair.

"Looks like you weren't just bulling about competing in the pros!" Fandaris said as I took my seat, which he had conveniently placed himself beside. "I had some errands this morning. I've only just arrived. Anything interesting happen so far?"

I lifted my chin, trying not to picture the fatally injured lycan. "No."

"I figured." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's all so dreadfully boring until you get to the pros." A wicked grin spread across his features. "Hey, why not make it a little more interesting with a wager?" He placed a gloved hand on my thigh. I fought the urge to squirm. The flowy robe Cyrus had insisted I wore was far too thin for my liking. The trainer leaned in, speaking softly in my ear, though I was sure our managers could hear him. "If your lycan wins, I'll pay for that custom muzzle you're having made. If mine wins, I'll give you a private lesson at my place."

I glanced from his hand to his vibrant pink hair. A small smirk crossed my face as the trumpet tune for the pros echoed over the arena. "I'll take that offer."

Fandaris grinned. "Well, I hope you're in the mood then, because that's my lycan there." He pointed to a deep chocolate male with auburn highlights. He was by far the largest captive lycan I had seen thus far, standing at least seven foot three. A long list of sponsors were rattled off along with a few aggressive-sounding words I assumed to be the lycan’s name. However, my smile only grew.

"Quite," I said. "It seems my lycan was in the same draw as yours." From the adjacent stall stepped my albino alpha. He towered a foot taller than his opponent and, judging from the build of the other, weighed sufficiently more.

Fandaris gasped, along with most of the crowd. Roshaun was right, they did breed lycans larger in the capital. Even so, none were a match for their wild cousin.

I was impressed Fandaris's lycan didn't immediately surrender, as many others had. The chocolate male stood his ground, baring his teeth in a silent challenge. By now Cerberus was more familiar with acting the part of captive and mimicked the expression. There was a mere moment as they contemplated their opponent, then charged.

The two rolled, locked together in fierce combat. Teeth flashed as they bit into one another. Long claws raked through thick coats. They quickly became the last of the pairs still fighting, though neither showed any sign of surrendering. Cerberus's fur dyed red, mostly from the arena's clay ground. Hopefully. It was difficult to tell if the other had sustained much injury due to his coloring, though I was certain he had.

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The other male's canines sunk into Cerberus's forearm. My eyes widened, yet my companion stayed silent. His long claws wrapped around his opponent's biceps, lifting the dark lycan off the ground. Another gasp from the now hushed crowd. The albino threw him down, once, twice, yet he still kept his grip. Again and again he pounded him into the clay, and still, the other male kept his jaws firmly in place.

Finally, Cerberus flung him to the ground, pinning him down with his superior weight. The albino dug his own teeth into the side of his opponent's neck. The other lycan released his grip, bending back to let out a soundless howl. When Cerberus pulled back, his opponent's tail was between his legs.

The crowd exploded into cheers so loud they drowned out even the trumpets that announced the end of the match. Fandaris was on his feet, knuckles white as they gripped the metal railing.

"No! Bastard!" he screamed out over the arena before rounding on me. "You bitch!" he yelled.

I leaned back in my seat. Cyrus bent forward, placing an arm protectively across my chest. I suddenly wished I had my poison back, if only for that instant.

"You dirty whore!" Fandaris hissed. "You snake in women's-" He paused. The trainer took a deep breath, seeming to calm himself. He closed his eyes. "I am sorry, that was very unsportsmanlike of me. You see, I have not lost the qualifying round for some years." He raised his hands in a submissive gesture. "I know, I know, it is no excuse for me to act so ungentlemanly. Please, let us walk down to the pit together."

I eyed him. Although still clearly agitated by his loss, I determined he was unlikely to try anything with so many people around. Besides, my dagger was hidden against my leg. I gently pushed Cyrus's arm aside and stood. A false smile crossed my features. "Of course. All is forgiven."

He smiled as well, easily taking my arm. I found myself still wishing for my poison. "Yes, all is forgiven between us."

***

Despite the size of the capital's lycans, they fared no better against Cerberus than those of the outer cities. None of his opponents were quite as tall as Fandaris's lycan. I suspected, had I not come, he held a good chance of being the champion. Fandaris knew this as well, judging by his increasingly foul mood, though he did his best to hide it.

"You're doing excellent for your first fight in the capital," he said as I once again took my seat.

"Yes, thank you," I replied absentmindedly. Cerberus had just won his qualifying round for the championship nearly as easily as he had his first fight in Treef. Even still, I sensed something was off. For several rounds he had received blows he could have easily blocked, as if he hadn't seen them.

"I'm glad the clouds cleared," Fandaris remarked, glaring at the sky as if it were responsible for his poor luck at the first draw. "I thought it might rain, but it looks like we're in luck."

I didn't bother trying to answer over the trumpets. Cerberus entered the arena along with a solid gray, seven-foot male. The moment he stepped onto the clay, I knew something was wrong. He hesitated in his steps and didn't look toward his opponent. The brightening sunlight shone off the lycans' light coats. The gray male charged.

Cerberus took the full force of the blow to his side. I jumped to my feet. He twisted around, biting blindly at his opponent until his jaws met fur. His hind feet kicked out, knocking the other lycan off him. The albino got up, violently shaking his head.

I leaned forward over the railing. His eyes were nearly shut.

The gray male charged again, this time striking head on. Cerberus lashed out, missing his opponent by over a foot. The other lycan didn't. The albino stumbled sideways, shaking his head again.

A solid pressure pushed into my back. I felt my center of balance shift. I hardly had time to let out a cry of alarm before I was falling.

I landed on my shoulder. My breath left me for a moment. Its return was quickly followed by a dull ache and a deathly quiet. I looked up. Both lycans had turned my way. Yellow eyes bore into mine, while the pinkish nose of my albino sniffed at the air.

Then they charged.

"Cerberus!" I screamed. "Cerberus! Blood Eye, it's me!"

The gigantic white form slammed into the arena wall. A deep growl washed over me.

"Why are you here?" he snarled, voice so low only I could hear.

"I... fell," I whispered back. "What's wrong with you?"

He snorted. "It’s too bright. I can't see."

"Oh..." I remembered reading albino animals often had photosensitivity, though I hadn't thought much on it in the cloudy lycan mountains. I glanced around his heaving chest. The other lycan was observing us with a tilted head, no doubt his sensitive ears picked up our conversation. However, I knew his interest would only preoccupy him for long.

Cerberus turned, seeming to come to the same conclusion. He stood up and chuffed. The gray lycan tipped his head. The fingers of Cerberus's paw-like hands curled into wicked claws. He let a challenging roar.

Several people screamed. The silent stands suddenly exploded into a chaos of voices, all a drone of confusion from my position. I peered around Cerberus's tail. The gray lycan stumbled. His yellow eyes narrowed. Then, he charged.

Cerberus caught his opponent mid-leap, throwing him back. No sooner had the gray landed than he charged again. The albino's claws buried in the other lycan's fur, digging into flesh. He no longer held his snarls of fury as he fought his opponent with a viciousness I hadn't seen in him since he fought Thorn.

Since he killed his beta for me.

He was going to kill him. The realization hit me just as Cerberus's jaws closed around the back of the gray's neck. He lifted the other male up as easily as he would a cub.

"Stop!" I screamed. "Cerberus, don't do it!" Tears started to stream down my face. Red began to color gray fur. "Please! I'm begging you, don't kill him!"

The albino alpha released his grip. The other lycan fell to the ground, rolling on his back, his tail between his legs. Cerberus glanced his way, then looked back to me.

"Go back to your stall. It's over."

Cerberus stared at me. His hidden message swirled in his crimson irises. He said nothing, but it hardly mattered. I knew what he would say if he could. The albino turned and trotted back the stall from which he had entered. The other lycan's trainer rushed into the pit.

I twisted around, looking up the pit wall to the booth I fell from. Cyrus was staring down with a mixture of awestruck and alarm. I only caught his true expression for a moment, but I could tell Fandaris's face wasn't so pitying.