One hell of a rematch

Felfeyn - 196 words

The wide arena was littered with large bodies, heavily panting in the aftermath of the free-for-all that had just concluded. Groups of haedians that caught their breath beginning to laugh with their neighbors and praised one another for their skills.

Off to the side, slightly away from the rest, lay a mismatched trio; two shadow coloured vayrons that were dwarfed by their companion, a koi patterned haedian, were coated in a fine layer of dust next to a moderately sized pile of golden stones.

"Hey, outsiders, that was a good fight you put up! You worked together really well," one of the nearby Brutes complimented between pants, "I might have to take not-"

A gong sounded, echoing through the arena and silencing any ongoing conversation.

Zarod, leader of the Brutes stood upon the lip of the arena.

"Everyone but the newcomers, clear out! You three..." she spread her wings and leapt, gliding down into their midst, "you might've won round one, but now you get to face round two! Against Me!"

Piers tiredly heaved himself to his feet and shook to dislodge dust from his long fur before meeting her gaze head on.

"So we shall..."

Xe-li - 165 words

Asarbs heart raced in his chest. How he had missed the chaos of a fight. Even if in the end he had to quietly agree to follow piers plan as these Haedians were a piece of work. Not to worry though, he knew that he didnt need to fight all of them at once. For only besting one of these haedians would be enough to earn him the respect of the entire clan. That being Zarod.

So when the Haedian declared a showdown Asarb more than welcomed it. Losing wasnt on his mind, only his glorious victory.
As such a cocky smirk had made it onto the puller face, painting his overconfidence quite clearly onto his face.

Zarod went over the rules of their competition once again, which in essence distilled down to a rematch. With the rules already being known to the trio it was time to talk about a plan. Even if Asarb might initially, potentially still insist on doing his own thing.

Felfeyn - 244 words

The trio was allowed a short period to rest and refresh before round two, and they intended to use every minute of it.

Piers gestured for Asarb and Cailu to join him near the back of the cave they had been given to rest in while the arena was reset. They were the only ones there, but better safe than sorry when their main chance at victory was a sound strategy; it wouldn't be smart to give their opponent a chance to listen in, even in the Brutes seemed like an honourable clan.

"Zarod was, no doubt, watching us closely during the first round. She probably has a good grasp of our strategy, but I still think it's our best bet-"

Asarb scoffed, cutting Piers off.

"You said it yourself, she already knows it, so why bother discussing it? Besides, she's just one haedian! This is no longer an all-out brawl, we can take her."

Piers frowned at the other puller, shaking his head.

"Zarod may be in her own, but she's also the Leader of the Brutes and shouldn't be underestimated."

Amber met garnet, a battle of wills playing out between the two, before Asarb huffed.

"I still want to try."

"You'll get your chance, but we have to be smart. I can handle going for the stones on my own while you both play distraction. Just keep an eye out for my signal to change things up. Now here's what we'll do..."

Xe-li - 121 words

Asarb listened to Piers plan and even if it didnt align with his vision of how he planned that this all would be going down, he was alright with going along with the plan as long as he still got to take a jab at tussling with Zarod.

Soon the trio found themselves in the arena once again, Piers plan still clear in all of their minds. Their roles were clear and due to it none of them felt intimidated once Zarod actually stood before them in the ring.

"Now then, strangers, show me what you are made of!" bellowed the Haedian with enthusiasm in her voice which was promptly followed by the chime of a gong. The game was on!

Felfeyn - 295words

Before the gong even finished ringing, the trio raced into action to begin their parts of the plan.

Asarb barreled straight at Zarod, ready to prove his strength to everyone watching.

Cailu kept pace with the dark furred puller, acting as his support.

And Piers darted into the shadows around the edges of the arena, collars jangling, and white mottled paws quickly set to work digging a series of small holes, some of which got filled back in immediately after. He needed to make it difficult for Zarod to attempt to steal back any gold stones they managed to steal, and false hides were the best way.

The plan seemed to be working... at first, but just as Piers had suspected, Zarod was aware of their initial method and aggressively rebuffed Asarb and Cailu whenever they went after her alone, and she was fiercely defending the stones she managed to scoop up. Piers wasn't able to get close like this, and time was tixking down.

"Asarb! Cailu! Plan B!"

Worn down but refusing to give up, Asarb and Cailu split up, coming at Zarod from each side, making sure to keep in her line of sight. When she'd attempt to charge Cailu, Asarb got underfoot, and when she tried to swipe Asarb away, Cailu would grapple her.

That moment was all they needed.

Hands locked with Cailu, Zarod was forced onto two legs and Asarb wasted no time sinking his teeth into one of her hind legs; Piers raced in from the shadows, darting behind her remaining leg and Cailu shoved with all of his strength.

Zarod toppled, Piers and Asarb began scooping up stones...

The gong chimes.

It was a very near thing, but they managed to secure their victory by a single stone.