In the Arena: Foxglove vs. Fluffy

      The roaring of the crowd is what shakes it awake.

      Foxglove stumbles, falling onto its knees in the dust of the arena floor. It shakes its head, tufted ears flapping against its fur, and blinks its small, glittery eyes open. It stands in the center of the large, round arena, rows upon rows of onlookers peering down toward the center.

      Foxglove stands, shakily, and the audience roars once more. It cocks its head as it looks around the stands full of people.

      "And here is the disoriented screech, measly opponent in our champion's fight today!" hollers the announcer in a deep, enthusiastic voice from the booth in the crowd.

      Foxglove glances around the empty arena floor, confused. Opponent? Fight? What's going on?

      The last thing it remembers is following a trail of fish treats out of its mossy den. Delicious, salty fish treats. How lucky it was, it thought at the time, to find such an easy meal! It followed the fish trail, gobbling up each treat one by one, growing closer and closer to the city nearby. There was a crowd of people in the distance, but it didn't pay much attention, too focused on its scrumptious snack. It followed the trail into the city, towards the large round building that smelled of people and popcorn. A mustachioed man was waiting at the end of the trail, it remembers -- a man who smelled suspiciously of fish treats. Foxglove sniffed right up to the man, hoping for more fish, before the man covered its purple head in a dark cloth bag.

      Only now does Foxglove realize the fish treats must have been a trap. Darn... who was so heartless as to use fish snacks in their nefarious plot? They must have known Foxglove couldn't resist the delicious scent of fresh fish.

      Foxglove is pulled back to the present as the announcer blares once more through the loudspeakers. "And now, what you've all been waiting for: our champion--" the crowd goes wild with cheers-- "Fluffy!"

      At the rumbling sensation it feels through the ground, Foxglove spins to face the opposite side of the arena, where an iron cage door raises slowly. It waits, and the people in the stands fall silent. After a few moments, it starts to think maybe this was all a trick, and nothing was coming out the door.

      Just as it thinks that, a loud grumbling sound echoes from the door and Foxglove instinctively crouches low to the ground, cocking its ears. Its blue whiskers twitch nervously at the tension in the air. A heavy thud comes from the dark space beyond the door, and then another, and suddenly the champion is stomping into the arena.

      "Fluffy" ducks under the iron door, too tall even for the 10ft clearance, and lets out a mighty growl that echoes through the arena, making Foxglove's fur stand on end. But Foxglove isn't afraid; despite his size and his roar, Fluffy doesn't look all that intimidating. He resembles more of a giant ball of fur than he does a scary monster-fighting gladiator, with his short legs, giant, round body, fluffy curled tail, and tongue poking out of his mouth. His wet black nose twitches and his tiny yellow eyes fall on Foxglove.

      I must smell like fish, Foxglove thinks.

      Fluffy looms slowly towards Foxglove as the audience grows more excited, chanting Fluffy's name. Foxglove knows it's supposed to fight this creature for the entertainment of the onlookers, but it seems so cruel, and something about Fluffy makes it hesitate. Something about how his tail wags and his eyes shine with a friendly greeting.

      Foxglove leans down onto all fours, peering up at the giant beast. Its tail wags and it lets out a series of happy, dog-like barks.

      Fluffy halts in his tracks. His floppy ears perk in Foxglove's direction, and his tail wags slowly. With a massive thud, Fluffy suddenly drops into a play bow, tongue lolling out of his mouth excitedly.

      The crowd goes quiet, clearly confused, but Foxglove takes his chance to pounce on Fluffy, nipping and swatting at him playfully. Fluffy rolled onto his back, careful to wrestle only very gently with the purple screech several times smaller than him. The pair roll around the arena floor, lunging and nipping playfully, letting out delighted barks. They take turns tackling each other, Fluffy using only one paw to hold down Foxglove.

      "Well, this... is certainly a turn of events!" The announcer sounds flustered. "Please stand by, folks." But the crowd is already laughing and pointing, watching the two fluffy monsters play fight with each other. They cheer as Fluffy flops down dramatically, pretending to let Foxglove beat him as it climbs on top of his massive furry body.

      "And it appears we have a winner! Let's hear it for the screech, everyone!" And the crowd goes wild.