Toxic Tales: Chapter 14

The Arena

Asclepius raised his head off the cold stone floor, he looked around at the stone surrounding him, the only places without any stone was a small window blocked by metal bars and a wall made of metal bars, it was a dark hallway, it was massive, big enough for a rex to walk through without ducking. On the other side was another wall of metal bars and a dark cell. Suddenly he heard a roar from behind him, he turned around and peered through the bars into a large, flat, arena with a dome made of metal bars over it. On each of the far sides was a large doorway, the doorways were pushed open by groups of humans and large carts pulled by equus, the carts had a cage on them, each one with a different creature inside it. One had a scar-covered carno and the other had a pair of deinonychus in it. Humans did something to the door of the cage, swinging it open, letting the creatures out. The carno charged the deinonychus, ramming one into the wall and biting its neck. The second deinonychus jumped onto the carno's side, who bashed it against the wall, and pinned it to the ground with its foot. Asclepius looked away, "where am I?" He asked.

"In the arena, you'll be here awhile," said a voice from the cell across the hall.

"Who are you, and why am I here?" Asclepius replied.

"I'm a velonasaur, my name doesn't concern you, and you're here because those humans love watching us fight, specifically to the death." The velonasaur stepped into the little light in his cell, revealing the long, deep scar running down his snout and multiple other scars over his face, "I've been here awhile, hopefully, we don't meet in the arena, something tells me you won't leave that arena."

"Why do you fight? Can't you just not fight?"

"If I did that then the humans would kill me, and I'd like to live thank you. Oh, look at that, looks like someone's going to the arena, have fun!" A large cart was pulled into the hall and a human opened Asclepius's cell, another pointed a wood and metal thing at his face. The first poked his leg with a sharp stick, he stepped into the cage, which was closed behind him. It was pulled into the arena, where he heard a baryonyx roar, then a click, a chirp, and then the door swung open.

- Sol