A month earlier - Show Arena manager's office.

It was late at night when Baraki the Raccoon's office door creaked open as three individuals strolled in. It was the Inarigumi again on schedule looking to collect their share. The aging raccoon was in the middle of getting comfortable after enjoying another payout. By now he was more relaxed around his benefactors, in fact sort of enjoyed their company. "Ladies! Welcome! I hope you were able to enjoy tonight's matches." He took note of the fact that Priscilla was not among them, counting his blessings as she was the only real one that intimidated him. Instead it consisted of the one he recognized as her protege, the tall lanky one, and the child that seemed to follow them around everywhere.

"I got your share in that duffel bag over there. It's all there. You ladies having a nice evening?" He said as he lit a cigar with a friendly mindset, like these weren't gangsters that could whack him if he said the wrong thing. "I'm so sorry to see Priscilla couldn't make it. She missed some spectacular action."

"Yes. We saw." Fa said rather distant, more focused on the task at hand. "Priscilla had another arrangement to attend to. I'm in charge right now."

"I guess... must be exciting being off her leash for once huh?" He asked, still trying to be candid.

Fa didn't really care for the Raccoon's attempt at a rapport with her. It felt disingenuous and more like he could be trying to be sweet with her to invest in some future favoritism. Like that would happen. The fact that he didn't give her his full attention, rather continuing to enjoy his cigar, rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't bother entertaining anymore of his banter and went straight to the real reason they were there. "Loba, you carry the weight. Baraki, we have that business we discussed."

"Right. Right. You said over the phone you handpicked another fighter. Who you have in mind? That tall amazon over there?" Baraki said eagerly pointing towards Loba who hefted the heavy bag full of wrapped bills over her shoulder. "I've had eyes on her ever since you guys took over. Tall, built, great amount of muscle for a vixen her size...or are you a wolf I wonder? Your features strike me as one, but I didn't want to assume."

Loba's actually blushed at the raccoon's positive assessment. "I am a fox, but you are closer than you think." She said in her heavy accent.

"You're a warrior though, I can tell." The raccoon said with a smooth swagger and a crooked smile of white and gold plated canines. "I got a few people right now I could pit against you, I got tough as nails lioness for example. The two of you ripping into each other... would be almost as beautiful a sight as you are Lovely, I just know it."

Loba's smile slowly turned to a disgusted frown. "Hmph, you may want to work on your pick up lines. A death-match usually isn't the way to a girl's heart. Besides I am not the one who wants in. Our dear sister Lùn is one you should be inspecting."

"Lùn? Okay. Is she here? Where is she?" He stood up and scanned the room. He looked to the black masked fox. "You? I thought your name was Fa, so are-" Fa stopped him and pointed down to the other person in the room. The short fox who constantly had a scowl every time he saw her? No...Really? He thought.

"Who? The kid?! What is this some kinda joke? She looks like she should be worrying about homework, not being part of some blood sport! Besides I don't need another lightweight. I got too many as is."

"Lightweight?! Why.. you.." Lùn clenched her fists as her temper flared at his underestimation of her. He barely was taller than her and he was judging her based off of her size? The nerve. The utter NERVE! She thought.

"He's just classing you as a lightweight fighter like the rabbit. He does not mean nothin' by it." Loba said.

"Like that has anything to do with who I get to fight...I'll take down anyone you put in front of me if I get to take on Kyuu!" Lùn said slamming her palms on his desk.

"'Fun-size it actually does. You may not be aware, but the rabbit has been fighting a lot of smaller opponents since she fell Mischa." Loba said.

"And that ain't no accident either sister. I ain't no fool." The raccoon pointed his cigar at them as he explained. "That herbivore is hyper lethal if you aren't careful. Suffice to say, I'm trying to keep most of my bruisers intact. Besides it gets boring seeing her fight big guys all the time. It becomes predictable. She's either too fast for them to hit, tires them out, or just something about her spooks em' I'm not sure. Heaviest guy since then I had her go up against was a panther and well, he lasted longer than most."

"Then pit me against her!" Lùn exclaimed. "Why can't I participate?!"

"Kid...maybe when you grow up a bit... then we can talk."

"I'm not a kid! I'm 20 years old!"

"That is so cute." He said with a soft chuckle, shaking his head.

"Baraki, Lùn is my sister and you will afford her the same respect you afford me or Priscilla." Fa said with a frown. She wasn't the white fox, but she was damn close.

He rubbed the fur on his snout and let out a low sigh. "Alright. Look. I run a successful arena around here, people show up in droves to see a spectacle, a violent and brutal spectacle. They come to see two strong people fight each other and expect to be hanging on the edge of their seats to see who's going to win and who's going to lose, like the gladiators in the olden days. I only tolerate the rabbit because she's proven and guaranteed to draw a crowd." The raccoon paused to blow the smoke from his mouth letting the flavor sink in before pouring himself some Stag whiskey. He offered the trio some glasses from his desk, but was rebuffed. "Now, basically what I'm getting at is why should I give you a chance? No offense hon, I don't know you and you don't look like you'd last much longer than 2 minutes."

"Why do I need you to give me a chance?" Lùn asked with a puzzled look on her face. "Isn't this an underground fight club? Can't you just show up and fight? I mean how did an herbivore like Kyuu get started then?"

He swished around his glass and took a big gulp. "Dumb ki-"

"Don't." Fa interrupted as she slammed her palm on his desk splashing some of the whiskey on his papers. Fa's frown now more vicious revealed the sharp canines poking through her lips and the glare she gave off sent a chill down his spine. It was as if somehow Priscilla herself were here. He could see why she was the protege for sure. "That's your last warning. Belittle my sister again and I'll gladly explain to Priscilla why we need a new owner for the Arena. Now explain to her respectfully...why?"

Baraki took her threat into consideration and looked over to Loba who was picking the bag of money off of the floor, also having been fully prepared to tear him apart. "...Alright. The Psycho had fought in another arena that had got shut down by that Black Devil they call a Beastar, and well…" He took a deep sigh. "When she came here, it was her reputation that spoke for her. All I was hearing was killer herbivore , I didn't even know she was that small, but I thought 'Hey! Might as well pit her against Mischa.' Rest is history. Pretty much, she's only here because I'm not the one that gave her a chance to make a name for herself, and I'd probably never would have if she came to me first."

He had answered that question. but Lùn still didn't see why he couldn't give her a chance. "Okay, but..."

The Raccoon sighed. "You're not getting it. When I first started out a decade ago, yes... any bum could throw his hand in there, but now we're more organized. The business has evolved. To keep it interesting, we have champions, weight classes, betting, all that glamour. The suckers eat it up." He said trying to visualize with his hands to better explain his point.

"Basically...someone of your stature is just another guaranteed order of meat for the market. You think you're ready huh? What happens if I pit you against some bruiser and you get dropped early on. That's bad on me for booking that and definitely bad for you because mercy around here...it happens, but very rarely. We also don't look too kindly on cowards around here either."

A hint of doubt began to eat at Fa, as various gruesome scenarios where Lùn could be killed began to fill her mind. They were in a dangerous profession as is, but this seemed like a definitive death sentence. However, she knew she couldn't let that show though, she was Inarigumi and she was in charge right now, she needed to be supportive of her sister.

"What about the Rabbit? What if she went down quick?" Lùn protested.

"She's a rabbit, people are more willing to see some rabbit die than they are to see some fox." He said swishing around his whiskey some more. "Besides the rabbit is a proven attraction and I'm in this mostly for the entertainment money kid, not just the market side hustle. Seeing people fight has always been my passion. Otherwise I'd have been a mortician or something. So back to my point, why should I even consider giving you a shot against the Psycho? What's so special about you?"

Lùn's mood grew sour by the moment, as she began hissing very low under her breath. Was it really going to be this hard to get my shot at that bitch? I hadn't even stepped into the ring yet. Who was he to be a stumbling block in my path?

Fa noticed her sister's impotent growling even if it was faint and she could tell it was only a matter of time and pressure before she lost it. She moved in to speak for her so she didn't put her foot in her mouth. "They have a history." Fa answered as she sat on top of his desk trying to sell Lùn's abilities to the skeptical raccoon. "Lùn was actually our measuring stick when it came to choosing Kyuu, that's how we knew to stake our bets on her. She fought her to a standstill in a street fight. Almost won."

"Fought the Psycho in a street fight and lived huh? Well...color me impressed." He said very sardonically. "Okay...and? You got proof? Can you prove it?"

"These scars across my eye are proof enough!" Lùn spouted furiously through gritted teeth.

"Anyone could have done that. I want you to think about this; you're just some random fox being thrown in there. A nobody. Who is going to care about your revenge, except you?" A beat went by. "Exactly." The raccoon said, answering his own rhetorical question.

"The fact that I didn't even know about it should make my point even more clear considering I hear a lot of things on the street. Any thug can come in here and say they had a scuffle with a champion and want a rematch. Unless they have proof, I'm just going to laugh their butts out on the street." He stopped to clarify. "Not that I'd laugh at you nice ladies." He sighed and sunk into his seat before downing a swig of the bronze liquid.

"Can't you just make something up? Be creative?" Loba chimed in.

"Look beautiful, you foxes may own this block, but I'm the booker around here. I told you before that there is more to this business than just throwing people in there making stuff up. So, what if they tussled before? Have they done it in public? Is the fight online? Another arena perhaps? You have to think about getting a pop out of these people, a reaction. You can't do that with some nobody with a grudge. She's just another pipsqueak to me and everyone else."

Lùn patience wore thin at the mention of "Pipsqueak", she could only take this degenerate's insults for so long.

"WHO ARE YOU TO DENY ME YOU CONNIVING BASTARD?" Lùn cried out ready to hop across his desk, both kukris ejecting out of her sleeves into her hands. She barely made it into his face before Fa caught her by the collar.

"We talked about your temper, Sis." Fa said, dragging Lùn off of the desk.

Baraki was slightly impressed, even giving her a slow clap. "Well she's got more fire in her than I see in most her size at least. Fast too. Those blades are a nice touch." He complimented while tapping his desk with a cigar. "Maybe she can do something with that combination."

"She is capable." Fa said as she was barely able to hoist a fuming Lùn back on the ground. "We made sure of that."

"You trained her huh." Maybe the Inarigumi aren't trying to sell me a dud, I mean why would they? Priscilla has always been about good business. He gave in and decided to entertain the idea. "Alright." He relented. "Say I am interested, sell me on how am I supposed to profit from another underdog, when that's what I have the rabbit for?"

"That's just it. Another underdog to challenge the original. You can bill our sister as the rabbit's rival. They do actually have a history and they aren't exactly friendly with one another." Fa said. "Baraki-san, what if we could recapture that same energy and hype as that fight, the one she had with the Siamese girl last month, remember we got a substantial payout on that fight."

"Yeah, but it caused a riot when the cat lost so abruptly. Thankfully you ladies stopped the crowd from wrecking my joint." He said taking one last sip from his glass. "Honestly, though that was a good fight, shame that old bastard ruined it before the finish." He said, feeling on his neck as if the blade was still there.

"Exactly, but this time we ensure it finishes as intended. No interference, better security, and just these two in the Pit." Loba said, putting down the duffel bag again.

"The Pit? Why the Pit?" He asked. "I've been trying to get more mileage out of the cage. Makes it more easier to see the action then staring down in some cramp hole."

Loba stepped out of the shadows and explained. "Think about it, these two can reasonably go at it. Also, it would make the most sense given their size. Small cramped area. You wouldn't want to waste a lot of space for some nonstop action."

"Riiight. I see. So these two small girls, with a lot of attitude, things get pretty hairy in there. Crowd gets a spectacle." The Raccoon said, trying to get the last drop of alcohol to fall.

"In fact, this has more stakes for both to give it their all given the history." Fa added.

He slammed the empty glass down on his desk. "Fine, if you can make it that far that you become a name, IF... you got your shot...uh, Loon, though I take it you gals probably want me to pave her way with some chumps or somethin' Fa-san? This does sound crazy enough to work."

"Ye-" Fa started to answer, but Lùn quickly cut her off.

"No! I don't need any outside help to get my shot." She interrupted. "Give me the toughest you got."

"Lùn..." Fa said as she hopped off of the desk to talk her sister down.

"Don't you fucking Lùn me Fa." Lùn protested staring up at the taller fox. "Priscilla said-"

"Not-in-front-of-the-Raccoon." Fa said under her breath.

"No Fa, I don't need help. All I needed was a way in."

I don't want to lose you over this Kiddo! The rabbit is one thing, but these people in there- You heard what he said about a Lioness!"

"I can handle myself, Fa!" She yelled growling at her sister.

Baraki snickered at two squabbled with one another. Both of them paused and turned from one another to see what was so funny.

"So, you're that eager to end up as market meat, huh?" Baraki interjected. "You had better take this serious girl. This isn't some game, every fighter that steps in that ring knows they might not leave it alive. Even your rabbit knows that. One slip up, your fox meat and pelt go for a nice price on the market. End of story. No one will mourn you except your sister maybe."

"I know this isn't a game! I just want to earn my chance just like Kyuu! I'm prepared for anything or anyone you throw at me."

"You're prepared for anything huh?" The Raccoon began to outright laugh at her. "Ha Ha Ha Ha! What a stupid joke. Young vixen like you, wet behind the ears. How the hell do you know you're ready? Are you that foolish that you think your goal is within your grasp? Are you even truly aware of the hardship that awaits you in that arena? Yeah...you think you do, but what you're thinking is just a bunch of childish nonsense!"

"Baraki... I warned you..." Fa growled, readying her claws. He had insulted her sister for the last time.

Baraki ignored her as he leaned over his desk as he continued to shout at Lùn. "Those people in that ring...they will eat you alive! Have you even killed before?! Take a beast's life with your own hands?! Watched them die right before you-" The fox's breaking point was finally reached.

"HRRRRRGH!" Lùn shouted as she hurled one of her kukris at him, embedding it in Baraki's executive chair just shy of splitting the hair on top of his head.

"Don't make me add you to the list you greedy, big mouthed lout!" Lùn snarled, piercing into him with her fierce emerald eyes. A bad vibe resonated from her within him. Like she was somehow much bigger than what she really was. "Don't pretend you know me! You don't know a damn thing about me or what I've done, so save your lectures!" She said through clenched teeth.

Once the shock had worn off, after a long beat Baraki composed himself, looked at the blade, and carefully edged himself from under it. He patted his head, feeling for any missing fur. He could clearly see she did indeed mean business. He looked at the other girls who were poised to join their sister in murdering him. Fa being the closest ready to wring his neck. He raised his hands to calm them down. "Alright just calm down. There's a point I'm trying to make."

"There had better be." Fa growled through her teeth; her lips still curled and quivering.

He straightened his suit as he walked around the desk and gave the small hybrid fox a look-over. "You got the eyes of a killer; I can see that. You've probably been told all your life you can't participate, because of your size. I'm very familiar with that too." He said taking a puff from his cigar given it might be his last before these foxes kill him, but he wanted to make his point. The raccoon stood snout to snout with her so she could get a good look at his face as well. The black mask pattern in his fur hiding the bags and scars under his eyes that told of years of hardship. A closer look into his face told of an animal who had to fight tooth and claw to get where he was. "Yep. You're a throwback, someone that no one wants so they discard you for others, and you're tired of being treated like one. I can respect your drive to be accepted, I really do. But you got a problem."

Lùn breathing heavily still fuming stared right back into him. Her fur spiked with rage, looking every bit ready to kill. "I may be some low life fight promoter to you, but if you take any advice at all from me, it's 'don't let the impulsiveness and overconfidence get the better of you.' As simple a message as that sounds, it's true. I've seen way too many a warrior fall from grace just from being too high strung. That temper you have, if * I* can make you lose your cool with just a conversation, imagine how bad it'd be when you are fighting for your life." He said before nestling the cigar back between his teeth.

He backed away and gave the taller foxes both a respectful bow to signify that he was done. Both calmed down and relaxed. It was fitting as he had pushed his luck, and he was sure if Priscilla had been there, he'd have been mauled for sure. He moved back towards his desk and noticed the Kukri still embedded in the top of the chair and waited for her to retrieve it.

The cord was yanked back sending the blade flying into her waiting hand. "I'll consider your advice." The small fox said begrudgingly in a cold manner. Lùn had soaked in his words, she still was very agitated, but his words had made their point.

Fa looked back to her little sister, just to agree with the raccoon. Her sister always did fly off the handle even when they were kids. "He is right, y'know. You can be a powder keg." She walked over to Baraki and caressed his cheek with her sharp claws. "Baraki dear, set her up with an opponent and we'll take the risk."

"I also agree with Lùn, it's best she fights good fighters, so we can get the audience behind her." Loba added as she posted herself back on the wall, basking in the moonlight poking through the blinds.

"Hmmm..." Baraki pondered as he rubbed his snout, then it struck him. "I got it!" Baraki exclaimed as he pulled out a big catalog from his desk's drawer and began flipping through pages. "I think I can introduce her somewhere into the undercard the same way we did the rabbit. Psycho made a name for herself here by defeating Mischa, the big bad bear, right? Big carnivore taken down by a small herbivore. What if... we put our girl here up against a big bad herbivore. The disadvantage alone would sell the fight."

"An herbivore?" Fa inquired.

"See I got a deadbeat bull named Tasca, owes us money."

"Deadbeat? What?" Fa asked, raising her brow and folding her arms wary of any attempts that Baraki might be trying to shortchange them.

"No no...guy's tough, former prizefighter, got kicked out of professional sports for killing a few people in the ring. Now he's just a thug that owes us big. Fool has a gambling problem and now he's trying to pay it off in the arena, honestly never liked the guy. Jerk's always late paying us and he beats up the loan sharks we send after him. Probably better off selling his beef on the market to recoup."

Fa was again worried about this bull, but didn't let it show. She looked down to her sister to get her approval. "That good enough kiddo?" She asked.

"Perfect." The small fox said with satisfaction. Her ears flicking with excitement as she clenched her fist.

"Excellent. I'm going to assume you are in fighting shape now, so I'ma give you a week to get ready. Square away anything you might regret leaving unfinished...you know that whole jazz." He said pretty nonchalantly.

"I'mma give that nose ring bastard a call in the morning. He ought to be in shape too, considering he took out 3 freaking collectors last week. You take him down and we can get to work on an angle."

He actually laughed as a thought came in his mind. " I got it, The Uncanny Hope of the Carnivores!" There was an air of pageantry and fanfare in his voice. "That's what they'll call you. The Psycho finally meets her match. Hell, I'm actually kinda bummed I didn't come up with it sooner. Heh heh. Maybe you ladies do know a thing or two."

Fa could see the eagerness on Lùn's face, but still felt a bit of reservation. Don't make me regret this sis.