A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind)

One tiger maddened by the need to get free of the exposure and noise of the arena tried to climb the arena wall, but it was too high and he slid back to the arena floor, to the tune of jeers from the crowd at its failed escape. I had seen it all before many times, except I had never faced so many tigers at once, and I usually had other companions to help whittle them down or at least be chewed on while I took care of my own skin and that of my friends when I could. I had no armor this time either, just an arena short sword and a small round shield.

Soon the inevitable happened; they noticed me in the center of the arena and their first instinct to escape was taken over by their second great need, hunger. They approached me from all sides their eyes glowing with intent to rip me apart. I had to admit that faced with these odds it was an extremely likely scenario. The crowd's anticipation was a palpable sensation in the hot still air of the arena. Sweat coursed down my back in rivulets under the tunic I wore. I couldn't win this one! If there had only been three or four maybe, but seven! I remembered my mother's words and her belief in her Creator that He could do anything. I really couldn't win this one. The sword dropped from my hand to plop into the dust of the arena floor. I took the shield off of my left forearm and dropped it too. Spreading my arms wide I looked up into the blue sky over head.

"Creator it's all yours. Thy will be done."

I waited with baited breath, as did everybody else in the arena for what would come next. The husky roars of the tigers intensified. It wouldn't be long before they attacked. I heard the scramble of claws scraping on dirt behind me and I couldn't help but flinch, as I waited for the subsequent impact of fangs and claws ripping into me, but it didn't come.

"I Am mighty to save and intercede on the behalf of those who put their trust in Me. My creation knows My authority and obeys."

I heard the words as clear as day, as if they had been spoken against my ear and yet nobody stood with me in the arena. The roars of the tigers were gone and all I heard was a choked whining.

I opened my eyes that I had shut reflexively, when I had heard the scramble of claws behind me and looked for the tigers. They were all slinking away from me as fast as they could go, each heading to their respective dungeon chambers. The crowd watched in stunned disbelief, as the tigers disappeared back into their holding cells.