Arena Games 

A Heaven & Earth tale 

By LonelyRider

Lonely giggled, having a hard time holding onto the thick leather leash that held the massive male Akita, he had on a thick black collar with silver spikes protruding from it. He barked happily, his fluffy tail wagging, friendly despite his enormous sturdy stature, like her man. 

"Brutus, you will just love my Jamesy, I hope he likes you too, boy! Good boy, okay, here we go." Lonely said, patting the big 130 pound guard dog and walking him down to where her wingless angel sat; he'd told Lonely he'd run into his young friend he'd lost contact with and had a great time, but the young girl had run away from him again, and big James, though trying to be kind, was down over it. He looked up with a gasp and a twitch of a smile at his curvy anthro mule girlfriend, a huge dog preceeded her on a thick leash; the dog was fuzzy with black brindle fur and a spiked collar and elongated face. 

"My baby....what a fine animal!" James gasped, impressed and cheering up at the sight, Lonely smiled; she knew how much her James loved God's creatures, but especially equines, gryphons, and canines. "Hello there, aren't you friendly! Brutus. Hello Brutus, I'm James, pleased to meet you! Good boy. Darling, are you dog-sitting? May I help? He's so pretty!" James gushed, cheered up, he chortled happily as Brutus licked him, patting him roughly, blushing happily. Lonely giggled, smiling at him with delight to see him happy again, her heart warmed. 

"If you accept, he's yours! I found him from one of my flock, well...my Bible group, that is. Do you like him, my angel?" Lonely asked sweetly, cocking her pretty muzzle, her long ears swaying slightly with her thick hair. James gasped, clearly moved. 

"This beautiful beast is for ME, darling? Oh....my!" James guffawed with delight as Brutus played with him roughly, sensing the male was big and strong like he and could handle it. "Are you for me? You're so pretty...just look at you. What a beautiful coat. Baby..I...I....oh!" James laughed, he'd touched her face tenderly but Brutus pounced on him and he laughed and cuddled the big dog, who wiggled and squeaked happily. 

"I knew you'd like each other! My pleasure, darling. He's also trained in combat, if that interests you. He uses a whistle, just like Stormfeather. Here you go." Lonely handed James a silver whistle carved like a snarling dog's head. Brutus recognized it and sat down obediantly, awaiting orders. 

"My....he fights, sweetheart?" James asked her, gasping in wonder, Lonely nodded. 

"Uhuh! He's trained in defense, just perfect for a tanker, I thought to myself. I'm so pleased you like him." Lonely admitted. 

"Darling...I'm at a loss for words, you've been so kind to me lately...it hasn't gone unnoticed, I'm sorry I've been..." James started to apologize, Lonely shook her head and hugged him tight, kissing his cheek and then his mouth; they both moaned a bit and their eyes fluttered. 

"Don't apologize baby, I know you've been going through an awful lot. I love you always, fear not my love. Don't worry...either. Natalie will return, and so will your dad. They will realize how precious you are, and will miss you." Lonely gushed, James kissed her; he was always gentle with his smaller girl, yet his kiss and big hand on her neck were hungry and very possessive, betraying his emotions. 

"Lonely." He gasped, his voice hoarse and quivering, he tried to be stoic but failed, and he kissed her deeply again, and she shuddered. 

Gladiator Arena: later that day. 

Lonely cheered from the spectator's seats in her velvet dress James' sorceror father had gifted her, watching him tie with an opponent and waving. He waved back, Brutus barking by his side. 

"Hey, sweetheart!" He started towards her to talk to her in between fights, she smiled and did the same, but the anthro dragon announcing the matches yelled into his literal bullhorn. 

"Next up, we have tanker angel James LightningSword and his guard dog Brutus, versus the Dumont Brothers, a 10 raccoon rogue gang. Remember; no lethal wounds. No attacking your opponent's pet directly. No cheapshots of any kind." 

James nodded, he waved to Lonely again, grinning as she waved back excitedly, he withdrew both his huge broadswords, his lightning magic surging all over him and focusing on his bracers, rippling down his weapons, which hummed with holy energy, they'd been a gift from his mother, comprised of enchanted angelic steel. Brutus stepped in front of James, who crossed his huge swords and took up a tanking pose, snarling at the brothers, who withdrew their weapons, an attack fox growling at James and Brutus. 

"Awww...you guys are cute....oops, excuse me, I...I didn't mean..." James stammered, abashed at his accidental rude admittance. 

"Cute! Maim him!" The lead Dumont brother shouted, Lonely gasped, she was used to this bloodsport as her man's treasured past time, she always winced when he took blows, but kept it to herself out of respect for him. She knew the battle healers would patch him up after the fight, and at this arena he liked, no one fought to the death. 

"Yes, raise my bet on James LightningSword, please!" Lonely told the wagering anthro as she passed by, who handed her a ticket and took her coin. "Go James!" she cheered, worried but excited for him. Brutus and the attack fox were fighting, sharp fangs flashing in the sunlight. All 10 Dumont brothers attacked James' huge frame towering over them, slicing at him with their daggers, shooting their bows, the fox went for his ankles but Brutus took the smaller canid out of the fight with a carefully placed disabling but non-lethal bite, the smaller canid limped away, whimpering, where the battle healers tended to it. James crossed his blades in front of his face as the raccoons stabbed at him furiously, his usual strategy in the arena was to outlast his foe, favoring defense over savagery. With a snarl he threw three of the brothers off his broad back and cleaved at them with his blade, which sang melodiously as it swiped. Two of the raccoons limped away, their legs badly injured. The others leapt at him, tearing at his flesh with sharp little teeth and making him bleed. James took 3 of them by their throats with one big hand and slammed them up against the wall, pinning them there, not even using his full strength. He snarled and channelled his lightning magic into them, again, holding back, they shrieked and convulsed, getting the shock of their lives. He let them go and they passed out; he turned to the remaining brothers, advancing on them slowly with his dog, whose hackles were raised, long teeth bared, raccoon blood dripping from them; no one had been slain, just wounded, as always. 

"Enough!" The lead Dumont brother screamed, raising his clawed hands in the air, James immediately backed down respectfully and his dog copied him. "We concede!" The lead brother finished, James knelt down and extended a friendly and apologetic hand, the brothers who were not yet being worked on by the battle healers each shook it, James himself covered in bleeding bite and claw marks, tiny arrows and dagger wounds; Brutus was mostly unharmed except for a few nips from the fox. 

"You men put up an excellent fight, it was an honor to battle you! I'm so sorry about my little utterance back there, you're ferocious, every one of you!" James admitted genuinely, petting Brutus fondly, who smiled as he panted, tongue out happily. Lonely watched fondly from the stands, feeling proud and tender toward her beau. 

"Says the nephilim who wiped the floor with us!" The brother who hunted with the bow and fox piped, in a snarl. 

"Silence, Thomas! He has won this fight, stay your pride. You are a formiddable tank, LightningSword. & an equally lethal spellcaster, from the electricity burns on my men. Stay hale. To the healers, now!" The alpha brother ordered, James waved goodbye to them politely and grinned as the announcer handed him a sack of gold he'd won from bets and the match and held his arm aloft, though James towered over the average sized dragon man. James grinned and blushed, touched by the compliments from his opponent and the cheering crowd, especially his beloved girlfriend, she clasped her hands and sighed wistfully at him, seeing the boyish excitement and yearning for approval on his face, how she adored seeing him get it. She watched sentimentally as a pack of young boys ran up to him and asked him about the fight and he told them about it with gusto, letting them pat Brutus and touch his huge swords, he put some of his lightning magic in a jar for them to play with too. From the highest seat overlooking the arena, empty today as it was reserved only for nobility or the very wealthy, James' dark sorcerer father Abaddon watched the whole scene, Lonely watching James with adoration and James entertaining the boys in his ever-friendly way. Abaddon adjusted his raven angel wings around himself, feeling his goatee in thought as he secretly spied on his son and his son's girlfriend and new dog. He clutched the balcony rather tightly and looked over more boldly, his black wings extending; no one had noticed him watching so high up, he could afford to be bold. He watched them like that until the 3 of them finally left, James towering over Lonely, his big hand on her waist as he fondly escorted her home. With a final snarl and a scoff, Abaddon LightningSword wrapped his dark wings around himself, muttered a spell and teleported from sight in a vanishing surge of fire.