A/N: Hey there! So I read this manga a few years ago, and it's still as sweet to read as it was the first time around. Of course, I couldn't get these two character concepts out of my head, and I thought hey, why not? So here it goes. I hope you enjoy!
She knelt on the stone floor, her coughs showing no signs of stopping. Flecks of blood were beginning to mix with spittle. The girl sighed, only to release another hacking cough that wracked her body. If she hadn't been sick before her last fight, she certainly was now, and the injuries were little help. They wanted her in the ring again tomorrow, whether against man or beast this time, she didn't know. Didn't really want to, either.
Wiping her mouth across the back of her hand, she shakily got to her feet, snarling with disgust. At herself, her surroundings, the situation and condition she was in, who could tell anymore? Stumbling over to the corner of her cell, where a threadbare mattress of hay lay, she curled up beneath the musty skins that served as her blanket. She was too drained for her growling stomach to be a concern; should she survive the next match, she'd be rewarded, hopefully with adequate food. She didn't really care, as long as she didn't have to face the wolves.
She was slapped awake for what must be the start of a new morning. Relatively docile as she was dragged from the darkness of the underground into the ground floor of the coliseum, she couldn't help but grin. There was a very special treat for her, in anticipation of a win, it seemed. Snatching the orange into her hands, she ran her fingers over its rugged surface, having difficulty in believing it was real. Fresh fruit. Oh, what she wouldn't do for just a little slice!
As she regained coherent thought, the nagging part of her mind moved to the forefront, the one that hadn't shut up since she'd tried to lock it away months and months ago. About how she was no better than a dog, responding only to the kicks and pets of her master. How low her dignity had fallen, to remain passive unless in the arena, where she'd desperately tear apart whatever faced her like a rabid beast. Right now she wanted to grind that voice into the dust; it was ruining her little moment of pleasure. An orange. A real orange. There was a burst of ecstasy sitting in her bloodied and calloused palm. She ran a clawed fingernail along the edge, savoring the trickle of juice that fell into her palm before carefully tearing apart the slices, taking her time to relish each piece. While it wasn't anywhere near enough to satisfy her stomach, her mouth was very pleased. The sharp tang of citrus was the sweetest thing she'd had in...whenever the last time she'd had fruit was. When was that, anyway?
Soon as she was done, reality came crashing back upon her. Resentment sparked in her heart. There was that voice again, the one sick of this, sick of being treated like a prize-fighter animal. But how was it her fault? It wasn't supposed to happen, she was never supposed to go into the arena, but Maggie was displeased with her... And her body responded to the wolves in kind. She glanced down at her exposed legs, the bandage she'd wrapped around her +Anima marking filthy and coming untied. Along her calf lay the sign that branded her as different, as a lesser person than those who were solely, fully human.
She cleared her throat, using her raspy voice for the first time in several days. "Where's my pay?" Nobody responded to her, all the managers deep in fake conversation. "Everyone else gets paid for this. Why am I any different? I want my pay." Because the young Maggie hates +Anima, that's why. She didn't know why, exactly, but there were whisperings about something that happened a few weeks before she'd gotten here. About a boy who escaped because he gained a bird's wings. Funny, the same sort of scenario trapped her here. Gritting her teeth, she stomped over to the weapons rack, snatching up dull blades and tossing them back down in frustration. Eventually she settled on a basic, short wooden staff. She'd abandon it seconds into the match, anyway.
"And now for a match we've all been waiting for, a being with the ferocity of a beast and the intelligence of a human! Here enters the wolfgirl, Rin!"
Ugh. What sort of introduction was that? She reluctantly entered the arena, eyes trained to the ground instead of her opponent.
"Today, we have a special treat! After battling with a new challenger, this young champion will be pitted against the very animals who give her her strength, the wolves themselves!"
Rin froze, her thoughts derailed. That was the one match she thought she'd never have to fight. Maggie swore, she promised that much. Everything snapped into perspective: she would get paid and she would get out of here. Somewhere else had to have more opportunities for a young girl than here. For now, though, there were bigger problems to focus on: the brutish man in front of her, a blunted axe in his hands. "Nonlethal" wasn't quite as advertised. She hurled the staff into the man's face, distracting him to give her time to scramble away and begin to change form. Her ears elongated, reforming into the fur-covered points of a canine's, her hearing improving threefold. From her nails extended long, sharpened claws, her hands reconstructing with less dexterity and more sheer power. She whipped around, facing her opponent with new eyes, ones with clearer vision and muted colors. Growling low in her throat, she crouched down, ears pinned back and aggression barely contained.
Much to her surprise, the man moved first, charging towards her with axe thrown aside and her discarded staff held between his hands in a defensive stance, which would have been effective if it was her intent to bite him. as it was, she dodged away from him, gripping her hands tightly around his dominant right arm and clamping down like a vice, hauling herself up and kicking his legs from under him. As they fell, he shifted his weight, pinning her beneath him, his demeanor changed: before he was fighting a child, now he was subduing a feral beast. He slammed the staff hard into her shoulder, then her stomach, leaving her whining and winded. As he leaned back, she shot forward, catching him by surprise and giving herself enough room to elbow him in the neck, using his own force against him when he tried to knock her out. She slammed the side of her fist into his skull, one, two, three times before his eyes rolled back and his body went slack beneath her, breath ragged with exertion.
As he was dragged from the arena, Rin felt anxiety building in her chest. The wolves were coming, not again, so she could defend herself now, who cares, not wolves...
The barred gates were dragged up, releasing the yelping pack into the ring. There were four, the alpha and his mate, the cringing omega in back, and another young male eager to prove himself and gain dominance. Rin's ears were now plastered to her skull in fear. Once the pack began circling, she dropped to all fours, her jaw extending and teeth snapping, smell heightened as a tail gradually appeared and lengthened, giving Rin the extra balance needed to keep on her feet. She wanted, more than anything, to give a display of submission to the alpha, avoid a fight, but she couldn't. They'd been starved, and she still smelled far too foreign to prevent them from using her as a meal. The only other option was to subdue the alpha and establish dominance herself.
Raising her tail and pricking up her ears, she gave a keening bay, waiting for them to make the first move. That would decide what path she'd take. When all four maintained distance, displaying more curiosity than hostility, she cautiously approached the alpha, ducking low and tapping his chin. Rin remained still, waiting for a warning growl that never came. Did that mean she was safe? His mate remained aloof, the omega was too skittish to come near, but the other male bared his teeth, leaping at her and aiming for her throat. Rin fell back, yelping, and shoved her clawed arms deep into his chest, giving a sharp bark before biting his shoulder, latching on and continuing to claw at his underbelly. He leapt away, fur bloodied and body rigid as he began circling again. Now the alpha was angered, with her or his subordinate Rin couldn't tell. The omega, eager to enhance his station in the pack, came at her next, mangy and desperate. Rin bounded out of his grasp, leaping onto his back and digging in, jaws clamped tight on one of his ears before he whined in submission. She released, once more dropping low to slink to the alpha, nuzzling the underside of his chin. This time he was not so accepting, snapping his jaws in warning as she scampered away. Rin wildly looked around the arena, searching for something she could use to her advantage. The discarded axe was too far away...the barred gate that led to the wooden entrance of the coliseum was firmly latched down...but that might change.
Reverting back to a more human form, Rin sprinted for the gate, leaping up and using her superior dexterity to climb higher than the wolves could reach. There was lots of shouting now, the spectators were loving it; the handlers were not. Giving a small grin, she jumped down to the other side, landing hard on her shoulder and rolling to her feet, shoving the wooden gates open as best she could. Rin had moved too quickly for any of Maggie's 'guards' to catch her, and the one manager who came close to snatching her was soon relieved of his weighty purse. Slipping through the doors, ignoring her throbbing shoulder and the splinters that ripped at her clothing, she ran, ran far harder than she ever had before, not allowing herself to stop until night fell and Maggie Vil was far behind her.
A/N: Well, hopefully this is off to a good start! Rin's name wasn't used until someone else announced it because her sense of identity is a little shattered. Next chapter will introduce our other main character in a similar, de-individualized manner. The two will eventually meet, somewhere around the fourth or fifth chapter, but for now, they're on their own.