Rogues: The Beginning

Chapter 12 -3rd person-

   The next day goes about the same for the wolves in the stone cell room. They fight, return to the cell, eat and talk, repeat. Sometimes they talk about their favorite fights, some of their harder battles. Slowly building a true bond bewteen themselves.
   When Ryo is very pleased with her mate, she indugles him with more information. Shedding alittle more insight on the lives of fighters in the pit, her life in the pit.
    On the 4th night of fighting, Jin's improvements have become more visible to on lookers. Jin is progressively getting swifter in one bite kills. With his reflexes rapidly growing it awakens Jin's natural instincts. Further fighting helps to hone the wolf's talent precisely.
    Nothing like life and death experience on a nightly basis to really fuel the learning process. He is taking less damage as well now, but Jin still responds to pain, nothing can stop that except years of exposure.
   Instead of trying to ignore the sensation, he decides to avoid it all together. Soon Jin understands the words his mate spoke to him. How his senses are dull compared to hers, the faded injuries still lingering.
   He is starting to pick up on the slight change in the challenger's body, the way each strand of fur moves. The way their muscles contract and stretch beneath the surface.
    The way slight ear twitches effect the dust particles floating in the air, the. The way their body shifts sends vibrations through the ground, giving away their attacks.
   They fight rogues as a pack fairly commonly. The rogues he has encountered never presented a real challenge. Even the a few heavy clashes never seemed as hard as these fights here.
    Soon after noticing the slight differences does the Alpha realize these rogues have different way of fighting.
These rogues aren't like the typical rogues they encounter out running the lands, remembering her words from previous nights come back and haunt him.
    Zaru is positive these fighters have stronger instincts and that is why they are harder to fight. Some of them are nearly up to Ryo's level if he is being honest with himself. Shaking off the last fight of the night, Zaru shifts the moment they enter her room.
    "Ryo there is something I wanna ask you." Zaru looks at his mate with determination.
    "Go on, as reward for yalls victory tonight." Ryo grins pleased by their growth in the ring.
   "What makes the rogues in pit different then the rogues in the stands?" Zaru's tone is firm, he definitely knows something is different.
   "You finally noticed?" Ryo responds openly, "It took you longer then I was hoping though."
   "It's a very subtle difference.." His meek attempt at defending himself pulls a chuckle from Ryo.
    "To you, any wolf without a pack is a rogue. First explain a rogue as you know them." She tilts her head, looking at him like a parent indulging a child.
   "A rogue is someone who was kicked out of a pack for behavior issues. They can't rejoin a pack after that either. As a werewolf is only allowed one pack..
Unless a mate is involved then typically the female goes to the male's pack..." Zaru's mind nearly wondering off topic.
    "What of pups born to rogues? Are they packless or does a new pack bond form?" Ryo's suddenly serious tone takes Zaru by surprise momentarily.
    He thinks deeply, never once have they thought about rogues having children of their own.
    "Their children?" His confusion thick as butter.
   "Yes, fighters of the pit were born of the pit... You are able to give them new packs, why? How?" She growls lowly, truly testing his wits now.
   "I never really wondered about it to be completely honest. I always assumed cause they were pack wolves by birth.." Zaru shuffles on his feet, feeling more confused now, "And since they haven't shifted they can freely join any pack who accepts them."
   "You assume rogues only snatch children from established packs?" She laughs darkly, "Why can't rogues form their own packs? You don't need a mindlink to communicate."
   "Fangs..." The Alpha Prince falls deep into thought for a moment. A new understanding dawning in his mind.
   "Pack wolves are too sheltered." She snorts indignantly.
   "And the ones in cages? They don't smell like pack wolves. They are just malnourished rogues?"
   "What do you expect to smell here?" She looks at Zaru sharply, "Your senses are inexperienced, limiting yourself."
   "I've noticed I haven't actually even been able to smell anything since arriving, it all smells the same." Blood and the stink of rogues is all he can ascertain aside from his mate's scent.
   "That boy there, he is the youngest son of the Apha Rogue of this ring." The black wolf is trying hard to slowly open her mates' blind eyes.
   Zaru looks around stunned. "How can that be?"
   "Pup step over here." Without hesitation the boy stands and walks up, keeping his gaze down.
   "Lift your rags, show your mark." She orders firmly, her jaw snapping.
He turns sideways and lifts his tattered shirt. There is a brand burned into his upper thigh, a flame with the #12.
   Zaru stares hard looking back at his mate confused, "What does it mean? I've seen similar marks on children we rescued previously.."
   "The flame is the alpha's mark of the ring they belong too and the number is the pup count. This one is the 12th child the Master here sired, hence the flame." Ryo tilts her head, "Each territory has their own mark and only the ones sired by a master get a number. Their mothers are probably Watchers. The better her pup does the more benefits she gets."
   "Now sniff him and focus hard, block out the rest of the scents that burn."
Focusing hard Jin shifts and steps forward pressing his cold nose into the boy's skin. Breathing deeply he can pick up the faint scent of ash hidden deeply.
   Recalling that the top rogue has a similar scent buried deep amongst his stench. It's hard though to keep inhaling all the filth and soon Jin shifts giving Zaru back control.
    "How can you focus on such a faint essence with so much else burning the nose?"
   "Years of practice I suppose. The better your senses the longer you live here." Her sigh of exhaustion hints she is nearing the end of this. "Boy bring another pup here." She orders swiftly
   "Why does he listen immediately without a question?" Zaru has so much he wants to learn still.
   "I out rank him, everyone here is beneath me. Even the so called alpha. Any arena I step into is mine till I leave." She snarls proud of her strength.
   The young one left while Ryo is talking only to return shortly after. He shoves an even smaller child foward, the force used shows no mercy as the boy looks down with coldness. The new pup crashing hard into the stone floor, a puddle of piss pooling.
   "Move." The boy orders and kicks the little one closer when it refused to get up.
   The fericousness the boy shows now is a complete contrast to the submissive pup he was just a few minutes ago. Sensing her mates confusing yet again she speaks.
   "The cell boy out ranks the pup he brought." She tilts her head, "He is probably that little one's handler.. He has to retain his standing and treat the others below him as the the weaklings they are."
   Zaru shuffles uneasy the more he understands the old life of his mate, the more he doesn't wanna be here any longer. The boys kicks the little pup again till it comes to rest beneath Ryo's gaze. Feeling the pressure build, the little one balls tightly.
   "Jin smell the pup and then have Zaru tell me what yall figure out."
   Ryo already knows everything she needs. The moment the boy shoved the pup in she learned it instantly.
    The pup is roughly 5 years old and even though the head is shaved Ryo can tell it's a female. And on top of it she is child of the assistant that follows the master around.
   The very same one that visited her at her cell when she lunged at when her master showed up. That weak fumbling male hiding behind her master. This pup even has her father's cowardice, it rolls off her in waves.
   "Weak." Ryo snorts out stepping back.
   Jin steps up and presses his nose against her back, feeling her bones shallowly beneath her skin. He can tell it's a female and a really young one, given their experience with kids they guess her age around 4.
   They smell in deeper picking up a faint scent they have smelled before, before even coming to the pit. Realizing she is yet another child of a rogue.
   She does smell like a rogue but that's not /her/ scent. Focusing hard they realize the small little girl smells like a flower. Satisfied they shift, and Zaru tells Ryo everything he was able to figure out.
   Pleased he was able to get it right on the first go. Wanting to challenge him further she walks over the the boy, he kneels down and exposes his nape.
    Ryo leans in close ordering him to bring a child of a pack next. He turns in place and keeps his head down and walks back out of the room.
    Moments later Ryo smells the master of the ring appoarching, she turns to warn her mate but he is already in wolf form. His ridge raised, he stands tall next to the black wolf.
   "Rogue Killer," the alpha kicks his son into the room first.
   She snarls warningly, dangerously. He dares come before her yet again! Her heckles raise as she stares the rogue alpha down, nearly stepping on the little girl as she moves forward.
   "Are you planning a raid?" He looks at Ryo breifly before darting his eyes to the white wolf, threateningly now.
   Ryo found this incredibly disrespectful but he wasn't disrespecting her. Regardless it felt like he is and she didn't like it one fucking bit.
    "If you continue to glare at MY MATE, I'll rip the eyes from your head with MY FANGS!" She lunges landing a mere few feet infront of the rogue, her fangs snapping dangerously close to his face.
   "Mate!?" He says in pure shock, stepping back carefully keeping his eyes down, blood still lingering heavily on the beasts body.
    "LEAVE." She orders firmly.
   There is a flicker of hesitation but he inevitably turns and walks back to the hall without another word.
   The male pup cowering by the door, in shock that his master just backed down. The little girl is laying perfectly still, frozen in place against Ryo's back paw. It's nearly crushing the poor creature.
   Ryo's mind is racing at the emotions she felt, processing the words she just spoke. A pleasant feeling threatening to swallow her and she has no idea why or where it's coming from.
    Ryo thought she just wanted to assert her dominance, the white wolf belongs to her. She stands locked in place, trying hard to understand why it feels like something else entirely.
    Meanwhile the white wolf is in another stratosphere. Completely oblivious to everything else at the moment. His joy exploding like fireworks inside his soul, Ryo has finally acknowledged them.
    Jin is lost in his emotions, his mate just defended him! Called him hers, stood her ground firmly in his honor. Their honor. If he had wings he would be flying right now.