The cat let out a hiss of displeasure, but he complied, and after one circuit around Rocky River property, Seth slowed to a walk. While it was good to let their animals out and get some of the anticipation and nerves worked out, it wasn’t a good idea to exhaust himself. They needed to be in top form when they began their matches.
Coming to a stop in a patch of sunlight, he sat and basked in the warmth of the sun as he leisurely licked his paw. A noise hit his sensitive ears, and they perked as he paused, glancing around the woods.
A flash of orange caught his eye, and his hackles raised as he hissed out a warning. Zane surely wouldn’t be so stupid as to challenge him in animal form, and on Rocky River land. The tiger walked closer, head canted and neck exposed just a bit, and it was then Seth noticed its eyes. A blazing electric blue with silver specks. They belonged to Ian.
Seth let out an annoyed growl as he sat back down, and then the piercing cry of a bird of prey echoed. Glancing up, he found Jax flying above them in eagle form. They never shifted together before matches, and his chest tightened uncomfortably as he realized they were showing their support and encouragement for his upcoming fight.
Ian walked closer, distracting him, and Seth glanced over as he felt the foreign urge to swat at him. But it wasn’t in annoyance, or a need to fight. With shock, he realized his leopard felt the urge to play. When was the last time his animal felt playful? No doubt, it was in early childhood.
Giving in to the urge, he bounded over and pounced at Ian. The tiger dodged, but Seth promptly swatted him while Ian hissed, exposing long, razor sharp canines. Undeterred, Seth pounced again, and with an almost human sounding sigh, Ian gave in.
They didn’t play long, since they both neede
d to conserve their energy, but it was enough to leave him content in a way he hadn’t been in a very long time. He joked and played a lot in human form, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had fun as the leopard. Ian’s tiger was much bigger than his leopard, but his bulk slowed him down. Seth was faster, so despite Ian’s strength, he hadn’t been able to best Seth as they wrestled.
Content down to his bones, Seth headed back to the house to shower and change. They needed to leave for the fights soon. Rushing through his shower, he grabbed the bag with his fight gear and met the others downstairs, following them out and piling with them in Ian’s truck.
For some reason, the guys shifting with him left him filled with confidence. He wasn’t overly cocky. He knew it would probably be a hard match, and there was a chance he might lose. But he felt secure in his abilities, and like he had more than a good shot at beating Zane.
They pulled up to the fight barn, getting out and walking toward the building. He wasn’t sure how many would be fighting before his match, but judging from the noises coming from the open barn doors, the first match was already underway.
Walking in, they headed straight to the back of the barn where the fighters got ready. There were a few horse stalls, and every fighter was able to claim their own stall, complete with a speed bag in the corner, suspended from the ceiling. The stalls were spacious, so the fighters from Rocky River usually shared one on fight nights, despite there being enough to go around. It helped keep their animals in check if they were around other friendly shifters.
Dumping his bag on the old bench in the corner, Seth pulled out his gear and quickly exchanged his jeans and t-shirt for the MMA style shorts. Not bothering with shoes, he pulled his hand wraps out and quickly wrapped his hands. Some of the men who fought here, regulars and out of towners alike, sometimes wore shoes, which he thought was epically stupid. They fought MMA style, which meant using the whole body, not just throwing punches.
The only saving grace was the rule that if one fighter wore shoes, the other fighter had to as well, to eliminate any advantages gained. It happened more often than he could really believe. He couldn’t count the times he heard a human complaining about how fighting barefoot was distracting on a dirt floor, the inevitable twigs, clumps of dirt, or even occasional small rocks, hurting their feet.
Bunch of pansy ass wimps, the lot of them.
Like you? his cat taunted.
Head falling back, Seth groaned. Really? You want to do this now? I thought we were on the same page with this fight.
Silence for a moment. Then, Good point.
Rolling his eyes as his cat went quiet, Seth got back to his pre-fight routine. It was times like this when he was sure he and his animal really were borderline insane. He was just finishing his stretches when a knock sounded on the side of the stall, and Cammie poked her head in. Grinning, she walked in, Alex trailing behind her.
“You’re up after Jax and Ian, who are next. But you got this, Seth. I know you can focus and take Zane down.”
Ian and Jax gathered their things. “We’re going to go to another stall, give you a chance to have some time to yourself and prepare,” Ian told him. He gave him a fist bump, saying, “Like Cammie said, you got this. You’re good enough, Seth. Just don’t let your animal’s taunts get to you when you’re in the middle of the fight. Do your best to ignore him, and focus on the fight with Zane, not on your animal being a dick.”
Both of the fighters gave him a hard clap on the back, and went to find another stall.
Eyes wide, Cammie watched them go and then held up a hand. “Whoa. Back the fuck up. What the hell is he talking about? Your animal talks smack to you while you’re fighting?”
Seth turned his gaze away, pretending to study the speed bag. “You know my leopard is a dick.”
“Well yeah, but I didn’t know he was taunting you, messing with you while you fought. I thought you were unfocused as a fighter most of the time, and rushing your moves naturally. You never let on you had trouble with your animal.”
Reluctantly returning his gaze to hers, he shrugged. “I didn’t see the need to tell anyone. Ian only knows because he figured it out on his own.”
“Didn’t see the—for crying out loud, Seth, I reprimanded and lectured you for hours after a fight, on multiple occasions, and I didn’t need to. I went around for years thinking you were the least skilled of all of us, but the truth is really, you’re a much better fighter. You were fighting not to let your cat’s asshole taunts get to you, while fighting to keep your human skin, all while fighting an actual opponent. Even making it to the end of a fight is a win under those conditions, and you’ve never bowed out. You even beat us sometimes. My God, you’re a beast. If your cat left you alone, you’d be damned near unstoppable. You should have fucking told us.”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” he replied with another shrug. “He’s always done that, and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. And while he continues to act like a dick when I fight, I’m still going to struggle to finish, or come close to winning. I don’t see it ever changing. It is what it is.”
“Listen,” she said, squaring up to him, going up on tiptoe and grabbing his shoulders while she met his eyes. “I believed it when I said I thought Amelia could be a turning point for you. And this fight is about defending her honor. I’ve seen Zane fight, and he’s not as good as you, even when you’re fighting your animal. I really do think the odds of you winning are high. But you can’t let him get in your head. A douchebag like that will do whatever he can to win, even if it’s not honorable, because he has no honor. You cannot let what he says get to you, hear me?”
“Yes, Oh Wise One,” he said with a grin.