Turn 145 of 226

Track something larger than the boar deeper into the scrub. We are succesful. The injuries turn us on and we have sex after our succesful hunt. We then enter the next tournament to test our timings against human fighters. Same size and prize as before. We win all of our fights except against each other in the first 10 seconds

The tracks are the things Lena finds at the edge of the rail spur. The tracks are the things that are wider than the boar tracks — wider by half, deeper by the weight that made them. The weight is the thing Lena calculates from the depth and the spacing. The weight is the thing that is four hundred pounds. The thing that made the tracks is the thing that is the bull. The bull is the thing that lives in the scrub — the scrub that is the thing beyond the rail spur, the scrub that is the thing beyond the boar territory, the scrub that is the thing the bodies have not entered.

The tracking is the thing that takes an hour. The hour is the thing the bodies spend moving through the scrub in silence — the silence that is the thing the dark hunts taught, the silence that is the footwork on the dead leaves without sound. The bull is the thing the bodies find in the clearing. The clearing is the thing that is the creek bed, the creek bed that is the thing the bull stands in. The bull is the thing that is black and the bull is the thing that is massive and the bull is the thing that sees the bodies.

The bull charges. The charge is the thing that is faster than the boar. Lena's arms are the things that wrap the horns. The wrapping is the thing that is the grip — the grip that is the thing the ceramic insulator training built. The bull's head is the thing that swings. The swinging is the thing that throws Lena — the throw that is the thing that sends Lena into the creek bank. The creek bank is the thing that Lena's spine finds. The spine is the thing that compresses. The compression is the thing that is the pain — the pain that is the thing Lena registers and does not stop for.

Diane's attack is the thing that comes from the rear. The rear is the thing the sparring taught — the rear that is the position, the position that is the control. Diane's arms are the things that wrap the bull's neck. The bull's hind leg is the thing that kicks. The kick is the thing that catches Diane's knee — the knee that is the thing that hyperextends. The hyperextension is the thing Diane feels. Diane does not release. The holding is the thing that is the choke — the choke that is the thing the ground game built, the choke that is the thing that cuts the bull's carotid supply. The bull staggers. Lena's hands are the things that find the bull's forelegs. The forelegs are the things Lena pulls. The pulling is the thing that is the trip. The trip is the thing that brings the bull down. The bull is the thing that dies on the creek bank.

The blood is the thing that is on everything. Lena's back is the thing that is scraped. Diane's knee is the thing that is swelling. The blood is the thing that is the bull's and the blood is the thing that is Lena's — the blood from the horn gash on the shoulder, the blood from the creek-bank scrape. The blood is the thing the bodies are covered in. The covering is the thing that is the arousal. The arousal is the thing that is the violence and the violence is the thing that is the sex. The sex is the thing that happens on the creek bank. The creek bank is the thing the bodies grind on. The grinding is the thing that is the 1,250 pounds on 1,250 pounds. The wetness is the thing that mixes with the blood. The blood is the thing that is the lubricant. The orgasms are the things that are the convulsions. The convulsions are the things that shake the creek bank. The bull is the thing that cools beside them.

The tournament is the thing the bodies enter three days later. The healing is the thing that is done — the shoulder closed, the knee functional, the spine aligned. The tournament is the thing that is 8,192 fighters. The prize is the thing that is $1.6 million. The bracket is the thing that puts the bodies on opposite sides. The bodies are the things that clear the brackets. The clearing is the thing that is easy — easier than the bull, easier than the boar, easier than the dark hunt. The human fighters are the things that are not the animals. The animals are the things that taught the timing. The timing is the thing the human fighters do not have.

The final is the thing the bodies meet in. The meeting is the thing that happens in the center of the ring. The center is the thing the bodies stand in. The standing is the thing that lasts ten seconds. Ten seconds is the thing that is the exchange — the exchange that is the jab and the cross and the clinch and the takedown and the ground and the reversal and the position. The position is the thing that is the stalemate. The stalemate is the thing that is the bodies knowing each other. The knowing is the thing that is the thing the humans cannot touch. The referee is the thing that stops it. The stopping is the thing that is the draw. The draw is the thing that is the bodies. The $1.6 million is the thing that is split. The split is the thing that is $800,000 each. The bodies walk out. The walking is the thing that is the walk home. The walk home is the thing that is the lot behind the foundry. The lot is the thing that is home.