Garan pointed his fat finger at Sora. "You!"

Sora held up her fists, ready to fight if she has to. "Yes?"

The mammoth moved his finger toward the corner near the cell door. "Could you please hand me that book?"

Sora looked down and spotted a leather book on the floor. She picked it up and held it up. "This?"

Garan held out his hand. "Yes, please."

Sora handed the book to the mammoth and stepped back. Her cellmate opened the book and smiled. "Flowers of Flames, my favorite. A good romance to spice up your heart before the battle."

Sora tilted her head. “Okay…..”

"Oh! Forgive my rudeness." Garan closed the book and bowed to Sora. "You may call me Garan. How shall I pronounce you?"

"It' sss Sora."

"Sora, huh? An ancient word meaning the blue sky. Beautiful, filled with dreams and hopes. Attracted to many people, searching for inspiration. Sometimes cloudy, but sunny on the outside. A wonderful name indeed.”

Sora blushed. “Why thank you.”

Garan stared at his bed and stepped away from it. “You can have my bed if you don’t mind. Sleeping on the floor won’t upset me.”

“I won’t mind.” Sora stared at the bed.

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It was flat and covered in hay. One pillow and a yellow sheet covered the top. A grain-like odor with mold drifted from the warm bedspread.

Maybe it wasn’t a suitable bed, but Sora has to sleep somewhere in the cell.

Behind the bed in the corner of the cell was a stack of books with different colored covers. Why would a gladiator needed to read when others usually fight like jocks? To escape boredom inside his cell?

Sora sat on the bed and wiggled her rear on it. The bed felt like she was sitting on a soft haystack. At least her bushy tail could make a better pillow to sleep on. “So Garan….. Any chance you know how to escape from here?”

The mammoth sat down against the wall and opened his book. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be here. Right?”

"I guess so."

"Though it is common many had attempted escaping from here. They were never heard from again."

Sora crossed her legs on the bed. "So there is a chance?"

Garan shrugged and turned a page. "Perhaps, or perhaps they were slain before they could reach their freedom. I cannot be sure because I never attempted without losing my life."

"Why didn't you try to escape?"

Garan’s long trunk turned the next page. “Look around in this cell. Not a single hole where I could fit through.”

“What about the outside?”

“All the slaves are only allowed to roam freely through the lower corridors. There is a mess chamber, a bathing chamber, and a training courtyard. No one, except for the guards, could walk up to the upper levels. When the games begin, all slaves must be present or else tortured. If one slave miraculously puts on a good show, the masters will invite him to their feasting hall, or put him in their pleasure chamber to mangle with their females.”

“And outside the arena?”

Garan swung his trunk toward his right ear and rubbed it. His eyes still focused on his book. “The desert is hot as the demon’s armpits. Without water or food, one won’t last through the firing sands under the great sun. If one managed to survive under the sun, then the monsters will finish him off before sundown. No one has ever left here alive without the means of fast travel.”

“So this is Urgana?” Sora asked to make sure her assumption was correct.

“Indeed,” Garan answered. “The only place where the lizards rule supreme.”

Shit!

Sora would need to be very strategic to survive, and she knew escaping was possible, for her sake at least. “You don’t look surprised to see a female fox here.”

Garan closed his book and stared at her. “I do not receive many cellmates before, nor do I care. Every friend or foe I met died in the arena ruthlessly. Why should I care if you will meet the same fate?”

Sora shrugged. “What if I do survive?”

Garan chuckled. “Then you would be the first to prove me wrong.”

Sora laid down on the bed, facing the ceiling. She cuddled next to her tail, feeling how cozy it was. “This is nice. I better get some sleep.”

Garan shrugged and opened his book. “A wise decision, considering I do enjoy peace and quiet for once. A pleasant meeting you.”

Sora yawned and closed her eyes.

Whatever happens later or tomorrow, she will find a way to escape and search for her male body.