You will be what I am

The earth shakes and it sinks in for Irene. This is real, this is it. Irene wiggles her fingers experimentally, activating her coyote. Flickering animals light the arena.  

“To your right!” Whipping her head, her eyes widen. An elephant is charging straight for them. The groups jumps apart, just in time. He tramples past, skidding to a stop. 

“Top eight and we win. Let’s go ladies,” Wendy whistles. Seulgi groans on her back. Joy had tackled her for a good reason though. Feet shaking, Seulgi leans on Irene, standing.

“We’re not done yet!” Elephant Boy growls. He charges again, aiming for Joy. Without hesitation, Joy pushes the barely standing Seulgi and Irene to the side. Calmly, she vaults over the boy’s tusks, landing on his back. Sitting on him. The girl struggles, trying to stay in place. 

“I’m fine!” yells Joy. An anaconda and monkey are in the corner of her eye. Irene grabs Seulgi, hauling her. 

When he hears the horn, he searches for her. Joy. The girl who took Suho’s life. For his fallen brother, he’ll make her pay. The thought enrages him further. She doesn’t deserve to be alive. 

She should be the one with a cracked skull, lifeless at the bottom of the valley floor. Not Suho. 

Signalling his brothers to cover his back, he leads the charge. He misses, stopping meters away. No matter. He runs, tusks primed. Eyes on Joy, she bends her knees, not moving. A beat and she’s in the air. Weight crashes onto his elephant back, cutting his breath short. 

“I’m fine!” she yells. Fine? Arrogant . His avatar deactivates and she crashes to the ground. This is his chance. He swings his fist at her head, connecting with her arms. In a split second, she kicks his stomach, sending him flying. His forearms break his fall; sand scraping skin. Joy scrambles backwards, getting up.  

“Need some assistance?” a feminine voice teases. He snorts, eyes darting to the side. The newcomer rolls her shoulders, muscles rippling. An orange tiger with black stripes copies her movements. 

“Timely as always, Jennie.” She turns to him, mouth curled. 

“It’s pathetic that you’re losing.” Jennie stalks towards Joy, haunches tense. Joy’s nostrils flare and she raises her arms, elbows tucked in. Bouncing on the balls of her feet. Waiting. 

He rushes forward in a stampede, elephant radiating. Before they collide, Joy dodges, but a blur of orange seizes her. Knocking her over, claws directed at her heart.  

A feral roar explodes and he blinks. The girls had sprung apart, gauging each other’s reactions. But he can’t believe it, his eyes must be betraying him. Jagged teeth, deep-chested, stubby neck. Tuft at the end of her tail. 

“Finally,” snickers Jennie. Joy her head, basking in a golden glow.  

“You mauled Seulgi.” 

“It was a gift, did you like it?” Jennie’s pupils dilate, fixated on Joy. The lioness flexes her claws. 

“Ah, that will have to wait. Too bad this is over.” He scans the perimeter, but nothing is out of the ordinary. Bodies everywhere, twitching. Twitching? Less than ten people are still alive.

He doesn’t notice until it’s too late. A sting on his cheek, a shallow nick from nails, the telltale signs of a slap. Airy giggling, another girl appears out of nowhere. 

As if he was hallucinating, he sees unnatural skin. Aposematic black swirling with yellow in a beautiful frenzy. 

It would be comedic if his muscles didn’t freeze. Joints didn’t stop moving. He can’t feel them. Paralyzed. His heart beats irregularly, the world spins. His throat closes. Then the convulsions start. 

He can’t scream.  

Wendy has Rosé in her talons, hovering above everyone else. There’s the answer to her question. Irene had turned around to find them gone and she should’ve known. Right now, she can’t worry about them. The hisses and howls deafen every second.

The monkey leaps. She grunts, absorbing the impact. Irene throws the monkey off. Her opponent’s hands cup . The monkey points behind Irene.

“Irene!” She recognizes it. Seulgi. She doesn’t have enough time. Her legs, ready to sprint, only for the monkey to land between them. Blocking her way. Sneering. She sees Seulgi fighting off the anaconda. Irene has seconds at most. 

She lunges, slamming into the monkey, feet staggering. A jab, a feint, and her other hand drives down to the neck. Left, right. The monkey crumples, unconscious. 

“Help!” Seulgi screeches, hands shoving. Irene