FicWad

-Togot looked over his opponent: a burly man wearing animal skins with unwashed hair and dirt blotched skin. He had a piece of carved bone sticking through his nose, making him appear even more savage. The man looked like a mindless brute, sneering at Togot with a cocky arrogance that annoyed him.

-Vosh and the other Grizzly claws stood in a semicircle around the two of them. The Furies completed the ring of people, keeping their backs to their home. Vosh stood with his massive arms crossed over his chest as he watched with vague interest. "Begin," said the giant in his deep voice.

-The large man rushed at Togot with his arm reared back. He roared as he charged in clumsily, hoping to catch Togot off guard, but Togot saw the attack coming a mile away. After sparring with BlackFire so many times, he was able to stand with confidence.

-The werebear threw an unbalanced right punch at Togot's face, putting all of his weight into the attack. Rather than retreat, Togot stepped towards the man, allowing the Grizzly claw's fist to pass his face harmlessly. Togot then grabbed a hold of the man's extended wrist with his left hand and used it to help his ascent as he launched himself up, driving his right knee into the man's chin.

-The brute's face was forced skyward by the impact, and Togot came back down. He used gravity to lend him even more strength as he roared in anger and drove his right elbow down into the man's forehead. Togot's feet touched the ground and he landed in a low crouch, ready to attack again if necessary. The much larger Grizzly claw swayed for a brief moment, and then collapsed.

-Vosh blinked in surprise at the upset and everyone was silent for a long moment. When it was clear that the man wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon, Togot stood up straight and shot a smirk at the Grizzlies. "Next," he said with condescension in his voice.

-The other Grizzly claws snarled in anger and moved to attack him all at once, but Vosh let out a ferocious roar, baring large canines and a shooting a vicious look at his angered comrades. The outburst was so unexpected that even Togot was taken aback by it. Vosh continued to glair at the Grizzlies until he was sure that they had gotten the message before turning his attention back to Togot.

-Vosh looked at Togot with a renewed interest. "So there is more to you than it would appear," he said thoughtfully before looking back at his companions. "You want to avenge your brother, do it properly. Who's up next?"

-Another of the brutish men stepped forward in response to the challenge. Togot flexed his fingers, ready for another fight. He knew that the Grizzlies wouldn't underestimate him again, but he was confident he could win. The bears were tough, but seemed clumsy and unskilled.

-His new opponent rushed at him like the first, but rather than over committing to an off-balanced attack, the man feinted to the left and tried to backhand Togot with a balled fist. Togot ducked the attack, crouching low to the ground, and sprang back up while driving his left fist into the man's exposed ribs.

-The werebear grunted in pain as Togot felt two ribs break under the force of the impact. Togot followed through with a right punch into the man's stomach. Both punches were at full force, and both of them took their toll on the large man. He stumbled back, his right arm protectively wrapped around his abdomen.

-Togot waited patiently for the man to recover. He wasn't about to make the mistake of rushing in blindly; with so many battles to fight, he couldn't afford any stupid mistakes. The larger man glared at Togot hatefully as he tried to catch his breath. The scowl on his face seemed to darken with every labored breath.

-Finally the man couldn't contain his rage any longer. He rushed at Togot, arms spread wide as if to wrap them around the young werewolf. Togot reacted quickly; he reached out and grabbed both of the man's wrists, using them to launch himself up into the air and out of the man's reach. Togot then brought his forehead down to meet the bear's upturned face. Togot drove the top of his head down into the bridge of the werebear's nose.

-The man dropped on his back like a stone, blood oozing from his crushed nasal cavity. Togot landed in a ready position, but he knew the fight was over. He looked at the remaining Grizzlies and shot them a cocky grin to infuriate them further. He knew that making an opponent angry was a good way to win a fight before it even began.

-The bears bared their teeth at him and growled, but they stifled their response for fear of Vosh's reprisal. The large man shook his head at the sight and sighed, "This is going to be a long day."

-Togot managed to defeat three more of the Grizzly claws without breaking a sweat. He was amazed at how strong he had become from sparring with BlackFire. He hadn't realized how much he had improved since no matter what he had done, she had always beaten him relatively easily. But now the fruits of his labor were being revealed.

-By the sixth match Togot was beginning to tire. The bear he was fighting managed to land a few glancing blows, but they were nothing compared to the beatings BlackFire and Kaitlin had given him. Togot broke the bear's arm and punched the back of the man's head into the ground to knock him out. He had to be more brutal to win; the same old tricks weren't working anymore.

-Togot overcame his next opponent without difficulty, but the eighth one proved tough. Togot received several direct hits to his ribs and back that left him very sore, but nothing was broken. To vent his building frustration, Togot jumped up and kicked down at one of the man's legs, breaking it just above the knee.

-The large man cried out in pain and dropped down on all fours. When he tried to get up, Togot swung down at full force and punched him in the side of the face, splitting the man's cheek open and knocking him out cold. Togot shot a look towards the remaining bears with fire in his eyes. He was breathing hard and sweat was dripping down his face, but he wasn't going to yield no matter how much pain he was in or how tired he became.

-None of the remaining Grizzly claws seemed willing to fight Togot. They tended to their wounded comrades and shot timid glances in his direction, but Togot's blood was on fire. They had trespassed on his home and called him out; he wasn't going to let them leave so easily. He knew that it wasn't just about him; it was political posturing. The Grizzlies were using him to intimidate and demoralize the Furies, and that enraged Togot to no end. He didn't like being used.

-"Is that all you can do?" he spat with contempt in his voice. "Did you really come all this way only to give me a light workout? You're pathetic! I don't care if the rest of you attack me all at once; you're not leaving here until every last one of you has bled for this insult."

-The largest two of the remaining challengers stepped forward in response to Togot's boast. Indignation and wounded pride had overcome their trepidation. They circled around to either side of their opponent, and then they charged in.

-The bottom of Togot's left foot found the face of one of the men, and he quickly ducked the swinging arm of the other. Togot landed a blow into his attacker's stomach before spinning out from between the two. Togot knew he had to keep them both where he could see them.

-The two men quickly recovered and closed in on Togot once again. Togot backed up to keep some distance. The two men tried to corner him against a tree, but Togot shot to the left and then went for the closest opponent. Togot buried his feet into the ground and struck the man in the chest with both of his fists at the same time. The large man was went flying back. Landing on his back with a large thud, he did not rise again.

-His companion dove at Togot, but Togot had been expecting him. He spun around and caught the man in the right cheek with a right back spin kick. The man tumbled to the ground but rolled to his feet almost immediately and landed a solid blow against Togot's face that spun the smaller man around.

-Togot continued to come full circle and drove his elbow into the same spot where his foot had landed a moment before. The man fell off balance and scrambled back to his feet. Togot could taste blood in his mouth and he tried hard to hold back his rage. He wasn't missing any teeth, but he could feel a long cut on his lip with his tongue.

-The man rushed at Togot again, roaring as his anger got the better of him. Togot ran at the man and planted his left foot and the man's right thigh. Before the man could react, Togot kicked off the man's leg, doing a back flip and kicking the man under the chin with his right foot.

-Togot landed facing the man in time to see him falling on his back, blood spraying from his mouth. Togot stood up and sighed with relief; he had won. "That takes care of that," he said confidently.

-"Not quite," said the booming voice of the giant. Togot turned to see Vosh stepping forward while rotating his shoulders to loosen up. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."