Entering The Ring - Part 4
#4 of Entering The Ring
Part 4 of 7!
Dan had trained harder than he had at any point in the last 22 weeks. He was determined to be able to fend off all comers now until he was ready to go, which meant he had sparred with every other guy in the complex, worked on the weights and running machines in spare time and had asked Mike to randomly go for him to test his reflexes.
There were only a few days to go until the next round of Contenders would be upon them, so to speak, and he felt ready. Over dinner, Mike had stolen his fork suddenly and the stout bear had grabbed his wrist shockingly fast. Dan felt more prepared for this than he ever had. They ate in near silence together until Mike quietly said, "How do you know if the right person to acquiesce to comes along?"
Dan was struck by this and shrugged, "I don't know, I hope my gut can be trusted,"
Mike pushed a half-eaten potato around his plate slowly, "If you were up against me, would you?" He didn't make eye contact.
"Mike..." Dan stuttered a little and put down his fork, "I don't know, I..." He reached out for his friend's chin and lifted it so they made eye contact, then he grinned and quietly whispered, "I might do, but I wouldn't go down quietly - I'd make you work damn hard for me."
Mike actually blushed - it was obvious from the redness in his ears. Dan smirked at the response and patted his friend's cheek. The timber wolf continued to blush and just smiled as he resumed eating.
Later that night, as Mike was undressing for bed and had ditched his shirt and both straps of his singlet, Dan reached out and touched his arm, leaned in and kissed his cheek very softly, "Mike, I promise that when we're both out of here, I'll find a way to contact you,"
Mike turned to face his bear buddy and smiled shyly, "I'll do the same, my friend" he was suddenly hugged tightly by the shorter male and blushed again, his heart rate raising. He hugged back warmly and rested his muzzle on the top of Dan's head, inhaling the scent of his freshly showered friend. In all their weeks together, this was the first time they'd had any kind of contact that wasn't about practicing.
Dan smiled and hugged his friend tightly and eventually let go, looking up into the smiling face of the wolf, whom, incidentally, was only keeping his gear up by a distinct swelling in his loins. The bear looked at this and smiled more, chuckling to himself as he looked up at Mike.
Mike blushed again, sitting himself down on his bed as he pushed his spandex clothing off, freeing his member to the room. He grinned impishly and shrugged, "What can I say, you have a bit of an effect on me, Dan!"
Dan shook his head a little and sprawled out on his bed, looking over to Mike, "It's not just me! A stiff breeze has that effect on you. I swear that thing is hard more times than it's not!" Dan wriggled out of his gear and flung it playfully at Mike, "I'm amazed you don't get hard in the ring,"
Mike snorted a laugh as he was hit in the chest by Dan's lycra, "I know better than that, don't want to give my opponent something else to grapple!" He flung the garment back and it hit the wall by Dan's bed and slid down behind the bear, who had rolled on to his side. He gave the bear a cheeky grin before reaching for the light.
As Dan tried to drift off to sleep, he listened to the sounds of his room-mate masturbating quietly, sharing a room with someone so sexually charged wasn't easy, but he was glad Mike never made a pass at him - it would have made things awkward. Dan's crotch stirred as he heard Mike's pace increase and the bear's paw wandered south to his sheath and began to dance over the fur there.
His paw teased and stroked as he listened to Mike's gentle rustling of sheets as the wolf's paw brushed back and forth as quietly as he could. It was more than a little exciting as Dan was now very hard and quietly stroking himself too. He pulled the singlet that had landed on top of his bed under the covers and wrapped it around his member, listening to the sounds of his sparring partner approaching climax was quickly pushing the bear to a similar conclusion.
He heard the first sigh of Mike's orgasm and his stroking slow down. This, coupled with the soft, stretchy fabric feeling amazing against his hot bear-hood was too much for him and he very quietly grunted his first spasm of seed into it. Pump by pump, he released a sticky mess of relief and sighed. Suddenly aware that he'd made a sound, he went quiet and listened for any sign from his roommate that he'd been caught.
Mike snored quietly, spent. Dan exhaled in relief and dropped the singlet out to the floor and drifted off to sleep quickly.
The morning was upon him and Tyler sat on the end of his bed, staring at that red singlet. He was utterly terrified. Thousands of people would be watching tonight, and not just those in the auditorium - but television-viewing figures soared when someone was having a long run. He'd not considered that the secret of his fortune would be forfeit if he publicly fought at this level. Everyone would know that he had the sort of money required for this, win or not.
He busied himself with his morning routine, but the fog in his brain slowed him considerably. He showered, cleaned and combed himself through, making sure that his golden fur and contrasting stripes were the cleanest they'd been in years. Once dressed in loose fitting sweatpants and a t-shirt, he bundled his training shoes, his favourite yellow singlet into his bag. He then tossed in another singlet just in case and a change of clothes for 22-Z-441 just in case. He didn't want the bear to be forced to leave the Arena wearing his gear on the off chance he won.
He ate a slow breakfast of toast and anxiously watched the clock, sipping a mug of coffee. After a while, it became too much for him and he grabbed his bag, headed to his car and drove to the Arena complex.
Once he arrived, he entered through the administrative offices, presented himself at he desk and was told to wait by the disinterested man behind the counter. There was no-one else there yet.
He sat and fidgeted, looking at the posters and information. There was a leader board on the wall of the national and local statistics for best performing Gladiators and Contenders. He browsed the lists and then flopped back into his chair and stared at the grubby ceiling tiles.
After a few minutes another Contender walked in, he had also dressed in sweatpants and carried a sports bag. Tyler thought the Rottweiler looked a bit thin and gangly, but otherwise fit and good looking. He smiled to the stranger and nodded, he nodded back and checked himself in at reception.
As the new guy was checking himself in, another two guys entered the room, smiled at him and queued up. The Contenders were an incredibly athletic looking gazelle, he looked very strong and a little feminine, and a stocky bulldog that had a very obvious gait.
"Tyler?" A voice called from the frosted glass doors at the end of the waiting room.
He looked over to see a tall, thin lioness in a trouser suit holding a clipboard and he raised his eyebrows at the novelty. Now that he did not expect.
"Please come through, Tyler, there are a few things and bits of paperwork we need to go over before tonight's show," Tyler nodded, grabbed his bag and followed her through the door.
Dan paced the quad back and forth. He was worth 512,000 shillings tonight. The others who were doing stretches or waiting patiently watched him curiously. The new guys were terrified and looked awkwardly uncomfortable in their singlets, tugging and pulling at them as discreetly as they could to shift their bulges so they were less obvious. Everyone else was just calmly waiting for the gate to open and for them to be shown their ringside seats.
Their seats sat on the opposite side of the ring to the Contenders, so in theory they wouldn't get to see whom they were up against ahead of their match.
Dan watched with distant interest as the first matches for the new boys took place. Most of them were easily despatched, but one managed to pull through to his second week. A few of the other made it through, but for the most part, it was a washout for the Gladiators.
It didn't take long for it to be Mike's turn and he grinned is way up to the ring, turning and giving the bear a sly little wink. Mike was just too confident for his own good and Dan really enjoyed his showboating.
Mike's opponent was a slightly shorter version of himself, except for the choice in clothes, they were such a close match in colour and pattern. The Contender had opted for a pair of knee high cotton shorts and an Under Armour vest.
The mouse referee started the match and dashed backwards out of the way of the two, who suddenly grappled, gripping each other firmly around the waist, trying to lift one another. The contender got the advantage and Mike came down between his knees and twisted, but suddenly, Mike had pulled the other wolf down over him.
With a gentle pounce, he had the wolf down on his front and pushed his knee into the small of his back. But before he could transfer his weight fully, the smaller guy had somehow rolled out from under him and skittered backwards, panting.
The wolves circled each other in the ring now, the referee flicking his attention between them. Dan was thankful that they were wearing different clothes, as it could get mighty confusing had they both been wearing tight blue wrestling singlets.
The Contender leapt forwards and then feinted left, dodging to the right and catching Mike off guard. Mike tumbled backwards into his behind and thudded into the mat. His canine opponent pounced and pinned him as best he could, the referee beginning the count.
The crowd stood up, cheering and gasping as the shorter wolf pinned Mike down. Mike twisted and thrashed until he locked his leg around the shorter wolf's and waist, flicking him down hard and righted himself over him.
The crowd erupted and Dan saw Mike mouth the words "Not today," to the struggling guy he was holding down with the sheer force of his toned physique.
Once the referee had counted to three and the Contender declared the loser, Mike did something a little different: he offered out his paw to the guy he'd just defeated. The smaller wolf looked confused and accepted, and Mike pulled him into a big hug. The crowd was going nuts and stomping on the stalls at the sign of the two of them being such valiant sports.
Dan readied himself, standing up from his seat and mentally preparing himself for the challenge ahead. He watched Mike climb down from the ring and smile over at him. He heard the call of 22-Z-441 ringing out over the Arena speakers and the crowd began their chant again.
"4-4-1! 4-4-1!"
Dan stood awkwardly in the ring again as he waited for the man he'd be facing today. The audience continued their chanting and stomping. Eventually the little chocolate-coloured bear saw the Contender as he carefully pushed himself through the ropes.
It was the tiger.
He faltered mid step and then caught the referee's eye, he was trying not to smirk, but his professionalism was cracking a tiny amount.