Roaring applause thundered through the air in crashing waves. Ulyssia blinked rapidly, her sharp senses thrown into disarray. One moment, she and Jasper had been walking toward the famed Arena of Champions, the colossal structure that had previously stood ahead like a mountain of stone and glory. The next, they were here--standing in its very center, the sun beating down on them as though it, too, were a spectator of the chaos.
Thousands of voices were screaming for blood, for victory and for entertainment. Jasper crouched low beside her, his Silvery-white fur gently swaying in the wind, his teeth bared in a way that reflected Ulyssia's confusion. He was as disbelieved as she was, his tail slamming frustratingly against the sand.
"Wha-what the hell is happening...?" Ulyssia whispered under her breath, instinctively tugging at the strips of cloth that passed as her outfit. Of course, she had no time to change into something more modest before whatever this was had abducted them. Wonderful. Her scars, her jewelry, even all of her curves--all exposed for the crowd to ogle as if she were some kind of exotic animal.
She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, attempting to stay calm and find the pattern, angles, or clues that could explain all of this before she lost her mind. The crowd grew louder before she picked up another scent that wasn't her companion's near her. Ulyssia spun, every muscle pulling power into her fists, prepared to fight, to claw, to--
Oh.
It was a man.
He was tall and lean with dark long hair. His skin gleamed in the sunlight like polished onyx. He was Slim but broad-shouldered. "S-sir?" Ulyssia managed, trying to push past the lump in her throat. She was a warrior, for spirits' sake, not some timid dog. "What is happening? H-how did we get here?"