Even in the darkness, the Rex could hear the dull roar of the crowd above, smell the scent of fresh blood. It was the small things again, fighting to the death not for food or for territory, but for something she could not understand. Here, meat was provided for her; the small things she killed in this place could hardly be expected to sustain her. Here, she fought for only one reason: to survive.

Once, she had fought for other reasons, but that time seemed dim now. Distant. A dull pain settled in her heart when she recalled the ones she had lost. That hateful small thing, who had taken her clutch from her.

She snorted, a harsh chuffing sound. And she also waited.