#devi.

Worm Row was home to a lot of sketchy places, including the underground fight club called The Grit Pit. Not everyone knows about this place, not everyone wants to be in this place, but rebellious teenagers sometimes sneak in to get a little peek at all the action. Sometimes, some of them just get dragged here by their friends, unable to say no because of peer pressure. Other times, troublemakers need a fall guy to pay for their tickets and get blamed by their parents. Case in point: A familiar face currently surrounded by two of his classmates, both sneering like privileged punks.

Devi heaved a sigh, pushing her way past other audience members to put a hand on one of the bullies, much to their surprise. “Danny, who are your new friends?” Danny was a good kid, but he’s never been lucky making friends. Most of his peers took advantage of him, and despite these new guys’ protests, it was clear as day that not much has changed. Danny mumbled the same thing about them being his friends while one of the buttfaces arrogantly asked who she was. Devi simply shook her head, heaving a sigh. “I’m security,” she stared daggers at the kids, trying to intimidate them both. “You two should scram. There’s nothing here for you. I see you near Danny again… You’ll find out why I was hired to work security in this hellhole.”

As if on cue, a loud scream pierced the room, and other people began running toward the entrance. Danny did the same, following his two other classmates, before Devi could say anything else. When she turned around, she heard another guy scream her name. “Devi! One of the fighters… It’s bad!” He then started running elsewhere, further in. Devi could do nothing else but follow his lead, tsk-ing her way to the cause of all the commotion. 

—

The wolf was furious. There had been a time where he had ran free, paws crashing against forest floors or else sandy beaches. There had been attempts to keep him restricted before, of course — with a dog crate, with chains and padlocks, with thick walls, with sedative drugs to keep him down. None had ever taken quite well enough, up until now. These past cycles he kept awaking in a cage that could hold him, leashed by something that could not be scratched or bitten off. These past cycles he had been witnessed, by more eyes than ever before. The applause confused the beast, but he did know one thing.

Fury. Violence. Of course, that was what they wanted, but Razor was not privy to what these humans wanted. He did not even know what the person he was during the day wanted — but he knew part of him wished to rage against the world the same way he did. So he raged. He raged on that podium, all claws and teeth and howling when his opponent was out. Part of him liked the challenge, the way these others fought back unlike so many of the others before this. But there was always this.

Back in the cage where he went to sleep and woke. It was pure, furious instinct that overtook the wolf that belonged to Samir – that was part of him – and he refused, jaw snapping at the employees of the Pit. Razor, they called him, for the sharpness of his teeth and claws. Growling, he intended to prove they’d been right to call him as much.

—

When Devi arrived on the scene, all hell had already broken loose. Or at least some hell had already started. Every damned fight was a little bit of its own hell, sure, but so was getting the fighters out of the ring, sometimes even into the ring. This time shouldn’t have been any different. Until Devi realized who, or what, this fighter was. “Ugh, the heck is this guy’s problem?” the tempered phoenix grimaced, realizing that if this went on for too long, not only was the next fight going to get delayed, but also employees including security could get hurt. Seriously hurt. Not to mention this troublemaker as well.

With that in mind, Devi tried to calm the situation down. With arms outstretched toward the other employees, including security, she had them take a step back and not further agitate the fighter that was clearly still on an adrenaline rush. “Hey, everyone just calm down,” she motioned for them to lower their pitchforks, weapons and tools, and give the wolf some space. “Take a step back! Don’t get too close! He’s just a little wound up from the fight, ain’t that right, champ?” A little flattery there should have gone a long way, if not for an overzealous employee drowning in fear. The little guy, out of Devi’s sight, got too close to the wolf’s backside and ended up shoved off. Devi couldn’t blame the wolf. She wouldn’t have wanted him that close to her backside either.

Unfortunately, that brief physicality worked against Devi’s attempt to de-escalate the situation, with everyone back to screaming and literally poking the figurative bear again. “Just great… Ugh! GUYS, STOP! YOU’RE JUST MAKING THINGS WORSE!” Devi tried again but to no avail. Some of the employees found themselves pushed back after trying to push the wolf into its cage with broom handles and stun batons. When Devi tried to help another guy off the floor, she inadvertently got thrown back as well. “Urgh... We've got ourselves a tough cookie!” She groaned after landing on the hard floor close to a different guy who was already prone and unconscious.

—

It was true, the wolf was a monster — but then what were these others? The humans and others that carried weapons against it. They riled him up. Sticks, whips, batons, electric currents. They did it before the fights, because Corinna liked the wolf at its most feral, like an animal driven in a corner that had to fight through to get to the other side. (Where, of course, there was another corner.) But sometimes the wolf didn’t want to stop fighting when the bell had rung, and sometimes the collar and chain-leash weren’t enough and that was how it was now: a bellowing, blood-hungry monster demanding more, because his hunger had been awakened.

Corinna liked him feral, but only against opponents. Samir would wake with a cut taken out of his pay for the damages done, but the wolf didn’t care about that. He cared about the yelling, which was too much, and his restricted movement. It was almost about to be alright, as a new figure joined the scene who seemed to calm all those prodding and poking. But then there was another one on him, at the back, and the wolf kicked furiously.

He was the monster, but he had no concept of such things. He just knew he was angry, that there was a bloodlust coursing through him and that there was all these people on him, trying to get him back in that small space. The wolf refused, roaring against attempted restraints and using its full body weight to push some of them over, paws finding target after target. It was almost fun to the wolf, to watch them fall. He stepped his paw onto one of the still bodies, still warm under his soft paw-pads. His claws sunk into the flesh and he roared once more, the smell of blood comfortable in his nose, eyes settling on the woman who’d once tried to restore peace.

—

“You asked for it,” Devi snarled as she got herself back to her feet, refusing the help of a faceless employee who sprinted toward her. The sight of the unconscious man on the ground reminded her of a past life, where all she knew was war, all she could do was survive. With furious eyes, Devi stomped her way toward the beast, reloading her biceps, which were obviously smaller than Henry Cavill’s, so the gesture looked less intimidating and more confusing. With a scream akin to a battlecry, she threw herself toward the wolf, and threw a mighty punch! A superman punch! Or in her case, a superwoman punch. “You’re dead meat!”

Unfortunately, despite her determination and rage, the wolf was still the bigger creature. It was more formidable than someone with brittle bones who was tempering their flames. It was more dangerous, with its dagger-like fangs and sharp nails that could easily rip apart her flesh. It was, in every sense of the term, the apex predator between the two of them, maybe even among every living, breathing thing in that room. Devi was determined, yes, but with all these facts and more, the only thing she would actually be able to do was boop the doggo in the snoot and then get flicked back on the ground.

—

The wolf knew hostility. He met it every day on that strange stage, the place surrounded by shouting faces. But it barely ever came in this shape: a small human, lifting a fist. It was strange, even to his simple mentality with lacking philosophy, to be met with this kind of aggression. And though the other moved with all her might and aimed for the face, the wolf barely seemed to feel it — but still, he responded with a look of confusion, as if almost stunned. Not in a way where he would keel over or pass out, but just … confused. As if his instincts were trying to figure out what the best response was to this strange kind of aggression. His head whipped, and he tossed the human onto the ground with it. 

But then he let out a noise, head turning the way that of a dog might who’s trying to understand what is being said. Ears turned flat as the wolf exhaled deeply, almost as if assessing if any damage had been done to his nose by the boop it had experienced. But no, there was none. Actually, the wolf found it had felt rather nice to have his snoot booped. Another whine escaped him and he nuzzled closer, nudging his wet nose against the small woman’s hand. 

—

I done messed up, was the last thought Devi had before she got (wo)manhandled down onto the ground. Hard. She heard the thud as her flesh and bones collided with the floor, felt the coldness and the firmness of that collision. Like getting slammed in the back by a car, a familiar feeling in itself from her murky past of regrettable decisions, all of which fueled more by adrenaline than brain cells. Oof! Her breathing was staggered. She realized that a few seconds later. She tried to catch up with it, tried to calm herself done, all the sensations rushing into her all at once. Pull…yourself together, Devi…

And then there was the unexpected wetness on her hand. Blood? No, something else, something more solid…and a little more fun. When Devi realized what it was, she couldn’t help but smile, slowly sitting up on that very ground, except with no more urgency in her. “Well, how about that…” When the others tried to rush the distracted wolf, Devi gestured for them to stop. The fight was over. They’d all won. If victory was peace, at least that would be somewhat true. Carefully, warily, she got herself back to her feet, making sure she wouldn’t spook the wolf accidentally. Peace was always fragile. This one was uncertain, too. 

“Does someone want some jerky?” Devi gently took some from her back pocket, a cheap product meant to keep her satiated somewhat until the job was done, until she could get a better meal, which in her head was a cold glass of beer and whatever that day’s payment could feed her with. With a warm smile on her face, she gave the wolf a taste and then tried to lure it back to its cage with what remained, eyeing the other employees with a glare that discouraged them from interfering. She’d rather not get tossed around some more. “Pretty good reward for a good boy, huh? Or a good girl. Whatever works for you.”

—

Wolves were pack animals in nature, but Razor had never been so lucky to have fellow wolves to care for. He was a solitary creature, the love his human had encountered not even registering in his animalistic mind. Things like a kind touch were foreign to him, both as deliverer and recipient — and so he was confused, yet intrigued. The sound that left him sounded like something he’d never heard before, but it made sense, instinctually, to make it. Something like satisfaction.

The smell of dried meat was enticing too, of course, perhaps even more so. The wolf followed it, nose wiggling as he sniffed the air for it, paws hitting the ground rhythmically. He might as well be a comic book character, enticed by the smell of a freshly baked pie, floating in the air behind it. Maybe it was the tone of the person holding it that kept him from attacking, ripping it from her hand (and perhaps her hand with it), and in stead following meekly. 

Into the cage, that place that he hated. Unrest started stirring in his body and he nipped for the jerky, digging his teeth into that metaphorical carrot on a stick and chewing with furious fervor. It was enough distraction for the employees to push him further in and close the door, locking the wolf in place where there was now nothing left for him to chew on the jerky and wait for the moon to leave the sky.

—

Devi heaved a sigh of relief. This time assured by the sight of the wolf retreating into the cage and finally the cage door being shut closed while it stayed still inside, no longer a threat to anyone and everyone. There was a sense of triumphant pride in what her eyes were seeing for Devi. But that was immediately replaced by a tinge of sadness. Was it fair that the animal was being held inside a steel trap, isolated from the rest of them like a criminal? Based on its uncontrollable actions, maybe, but the situation still didn’t look so far to the tempered phoenix. 

Another sigh and Devi approached the cage with a frown, with sadness in her eyes, empathizing with the creature. She had done her fair share of brutality as well, on innocent folks as well, and despite the change she’d mustered for herself, shouldn’t she also be locked up like the wolf? Maybe, but she’d rather not. No one in their right mind would want that fate. Not when they have the option to remain free, no longer the rabid and violent person they once were. “Sorry about all this,” she shook her head, still frowning. “Go get some rest. Soon as I can, I’ll set us up some good grub.” 

That meant waiting for the rest of the employees to calm down and cool off. The ones that were knocked unconscious to get carted off to the backroom and checked. And for the boss to not come in scowling and pissed off. Soon as a few minutes passed and all that gets checked off, Devi reckoned she could probably scrounge up a good meal for her and the poor doggo. From her share of course. Just a little better than the usual fare for the fighters. Mostly because she brought it herself.

—

He had once been a free wolf. There had been plenty attempts by Samir to control the beast within, but they had always failed — until now. This cage, the wolf hated this cage. He hated the collar around his neck, the shocks that jolted his body, the prods and pokes before he was dragged out into the pit, the way even after all of that, it wouldn’t cease. People would stare at him through the bars, shout things he couldn’t fathom. He only liked the fights. He only knew the fights, so of course he was snarling at the person across the bars. Even if she was soft-spoken and apologetic.

The wolf didn’t know apology, nor pity, nor kinship. He was a solitary creature made of a rage he didn’t understand the source of. And so he raged, even when left alone. He raged, and it seemed to get louder and louder as the moon sunk away. Bones cracked, changed shape, adjusted placement. Organs moved around, grew in size or shrunk. A fur made place for a scarred human skin, bare and uncovered until Samir properly became himself again.

He ached. He always ached whenever he came to again, and not just because of the transformation. Samir wasn’t sure what happened when he was a wolf, wasn’t sure what measures they used against that part of him, what they’d pit it against — and he didn’t want to. He wanted an advil, a glass of something strong and to go to bed. He got up, yanking the robe from the corner of the cage and throwing it around his body, waiting for whoever was going to come to undo the cage and hand him his winnings of the night.

—

The wolf reacted accordingly. Devi bore the creature no ill will. If she was in its shoes, or paws, she wasn’t sure she’d have reacted differently. Maybe she should be in the cage instead, though. She’d committed more nefarious, treacherous, deathly crimes against loved ones than she believed the wolf had, even though she knew nothing of the wolf’s own past, even though the wolf was an instinctive predator with more animalistic survival instincts than societal burdens of legal and emotional criminality. To her, compared to what she had been in her past lives, everyone else was a saint. This one a Saint Bernard. Nailed it. 

But then something happened to the wolf, something that shocked Devi and worried her…to the point of turning to the other employees for help, employees that just shook their heads and shrugged, making her remember that the wolf was one of those guys. The shapeshifters. The people who turned into beasts whenever and wherever. She’d fought some of them before. Never been a blast. As she watched the wolf-man in the cage transform, she winced and grimaced, realizing this must not be a blast for them, too. And then a random thought crossed her mind, something she thought hilarious, inappropriate but hilarious, something that could maybe ease the pain of their terrifying change.

“Hey, you,” Devi began as soon as the man fully resurfaced from all of that wolf, realizing she would never get the same opportunity ever again. At least not in this place. “You’re finally awake… You were trying to cross the border, right?” She shook her head, arms crossed over her chest, as if her entire spiel was real and not just a recently learned meme. “Walked right into that Imperial ambush… Same as us…” To add to her effort, he turned to one of the employees, a grouchy man who immediately scowled at her in confusion. She gave him a nod and ignored his sigh of annoyance. “…and that thief over there.” For the pièce de résistance, she took a deep breath and raised her fist at the ceiling. “Damn you, Stormcloaks! Skyrim was fine until you came along!” An audible groan from the same grouchy employee was heard nearby.

—

As the string of his robe was tied, one of the employees started talking and it took him a while to catch up to what was happening. Part of him didn’t want to understand, wanted them to just unlock the cage, give him his money and send him on his merry way. He hoped Corinna wasn’t going to call him in — she did that, sometimes, when he was exhausted from the fights and transformation and not as sharp as he usually hoped he was. She did usually supply some coffee, at least. Samir couldn’t fault her for that.

But this guard got under his skin, this woman who was quoting what he thought to recognize as something from a video game. A past life — he had no console any more, nor did he have friends he played with. Back in Florida, he’d play them before shifts at the restaurant with colleagues, but these days the escapism of video games was no longer a luxury he afforded himself. Samir just stared at her, with a tired expression and none of the appreciation he’d be able to muster if this was just another day. But the truth was that he’d just transformed in front of all these people, that they’d seen him go from monstrous wolf to the naked, harmless man he was now. He had some pride left, and his pride demanded he leave. 

“Skyrim,” he muttered, signaling that he understood the reference. There was no judgment in his tone, because if there would be, it would be angry — and Samir knew better than to be angry here. Anger was for the fighting pit, not for coworkers. For people not trapped in fighting contracts. “Can you let me out? I’d like to get a coffee.” And a painkiller. Shit, did his body hurt, but in a strange way, one that seemed stuck in his nerves. Must have been stun batons, or something of the sort. “Or … do you want to recite another video game monologue or some shit first?”

—

Devi maintained eye contact with the resurfaced human underneath the wolf that had been, in a way, a fucked-up way, his clothing. Werewolves, were-anything, animal shapeshifters… These were always tricky to the now-tempered phoenix. Were they the human underneath, the animal just a temporary mask or armor? Or were they more the animal their humanity had been repressing until it could no longer? Whatever they were, at the very least, they always put up a good fight. “Ah, good,” she smirked, nodding at the request. “Means you’re human enough again.”

Devi turned to another employee, gave them the eyebrow dance, and took a step back. She could have opened the cage herself and freed the guy, but this was more practical. If one person did all that, the guy in the cage could’ve used the distraction to shove his way out of there and transform again. Happened once before. Never again. This way, though, while the hapless employee gets trampled by an escaping fighter, Devi could pounce on the guy before he could get closer to the Pit’s exit. What did the kids call that again? A big brain move? Devi might not have finished school, but she’s experienced enough of the world to be somewhat useful. 

“Coffee’s that away!” Devi didn’t wait for the guy to fully get out of the cage, immediately gesturing for the pantry’s direction with her lips. “And some meds, if you need them, but they might take those out of your paycheck.” They didn’t. Most of the time. But if Corinna gets in one of her moods when she hears about that little backstage kerfuffle, she might take more than the meds out of this guy’s paycheck. “Nah, that was all I got. Can’t afford games these days,” she heaved a sigh, before showing him the remaining jerky in her hand. “Barely even afforded this, which I split with you to calm you down before someone got hurt.” The guy who opened the man’s cage scowled at them: “I got hurt.” Devi just laughed and shooed him away, giving him a mere thumbs up for a job well done and downplaying his battered and bruised left rib with a chuckle, much to the guy’s dismay. “Someone more…expensive, I mean.” She turned to where the higher-ups were. Or at least where they should be.

—

There was a level of trepidation around him that Samir wasn’t used to. He looked from the woman to the other employee, who was looking at him as if he’d done something to him, rubbing his leg. He closed his eyes for a moment, then cast his gaze up and waited for the embarrassing procedure of his cage being unlocked to be done with. He was glad for the bars and the containment they offered, but there was something awfully degrading about being stuck between them as a human.

He remained a pace or two removed from the door before moving out of the cage, glad that it was big enough to house his bestial side and thus, big enough so he wasn’t force to crawl out of there. “Appreciate it,” he said, to both the skittish employee and the chatty woman, who was waving some jerky around. “Uh, I’m sure the wolf appreciated that also.” So something had clearly happened. Maybe a more curious person would want to know, but Samir had embraced ignorance. He gave a quick look to the hurt employee, one he hoped seemed apologetic but he didn’t utter any words of apology. To do so was to acknowledge that what the wolf did was something he did.