Lord Wolf: Chapter 37 — Challenge #3 — Tug of War
There was the usual fanfare and introductions as the current standings were read aloud by the MC. Black was in first place with 16 points, having won the previous two events. Green in second place with 14 points. I was in lower middle of the pack with only 9 points. The combatants were paired off by size and weight for the first round trying not to make it look too lopsided in the beginning. I (Blue) was matched up against the slightly bigger Black Knight.
The pair of wooden circular platforms from the last event had been raised about 3 feet in the middle of the field surrounded by large foam pads that looked like they had been borrowed from the local high school track and field team.
The goal is to get your opponent out of their circle. The only rules are you couldn’t leave your circle and you couldn’t let go of the rope. This opened up a surprising number of strategies beyond just pulling on it with all your might.
The small but very agile and crafty Asian Red knight easily defeated the Sky Blue Knight who was really just a geeky fan with no real physical skills. White, a big bulky power lifting gym owner had to work to get the Purple Knight, a big, but very fat bouncer who just wrapped the rope around himself and sat down. Eventually White was able to win by pulling the rope away from Purple. Green defeated the former linebacker, Orange as I faced off against the dreaded Black Knight.
We squared off and each of us leaned back trying to move the other. Neither gave much and like in most battles, it rapidly saps the energy and strength of the combatants. Really it was mistake on my part. It definitely wasn’t intentional. But during the heavy intense pulling, I lost my grip on the rope. Which caused Black to jerk backwards causing several feet of rope to slip through my hands. I was able to regain my grip right at the end of the rope. Looking up, I saw that Black had stumbled and fell backwards with half his ass hanging off the circle and a hand had instinctively gone backwards brace himself. His hand briefly touched the pad before he yanked it back and grabbed for the rope. I quickly stepped forward to create as much slack as I could so I wasn’t holding him up. Black scrambled to regain his balance and then stood up. Both of us looked over at the referee waiting to for the ruling.
Did Lord Wolf let go of the rope? Was the Black Knight considered out of the circle?
After what seemed like forever, the old fart raised the flag signaling that I had won. There was a loud cheer from the crowd and a few boos. Black jump off his platform and started yelling that I had let go of the rope. The old man just let him go until he ran out of steam and stated that the although the rope was loose, it was still within my hands the whole time. Black stomped off the field in a huff. I would love to say that I celebrated, but I just smiled and stepped off the platform.
Next, I faced off with Red. I was grateful that I wasn’t facing the much bulkier White Knight. I had an easy foot height and 40 pound weight advantage. Red tried a few tricks like jerking the rope and then letting it go slack. I just pulled in the slack and once he was at the end and at the edge of his circle. I was able to use my size and weight advantage to pull Red off the front of his circle.
Fortunately, it went pretty quick. Green and White’s battle was a more prolonged and heated battle. Green eventually won due to his stamina. They called a brief time delay to allow the final two combatants a few minutes to refresh themselves and catch their breath. I was sitting in a chair under a canopy trying to catch my breath when one of my squires came running up to him.
“It’s from Antie.” The squire said as he handed me a folded piece of paper.
I took it and read it. “Be a tree.” I turned it over, looking for something else.
‘What does that mean?’ I thought. ‘How do you be a tree?’ As I tried to decipher the meaning the Knights were called to back into the arena.
I stepped onto the circle and lifted the rope. ‘Be a tree’ ran through my head and as if by instinct I shifted my stance offset and wide. I bent my knees lowering my center of gravity and wrapped the rope around behind my back. My left hand anchoring it to my body at my hip and my right hand outstretched on the rope ready to pull.
When the ref dropped the flag starting the match, I just stood there holding the rope firmly taut. Green pulled and pulled but the roots were too deep, and he couldn’t budge the tree. In a brief moment of exhaustion, Green lessened his tension, and I quickly took in the slack and reanchored my left hand. Green got angry and pulled with all he had left in one giant effort. But the tree never moved. It held firm. Eventually Green’s strength waned, and I was able to pull the rope free from his weakened grip.
It wasn’t until the flag went up that I came back to my senses. Everyone was cheering and celebrating. Lots of blue scarves and ribbons waved throughout the crowd. I walked over and shook Green’s hand and then started to leave the field heading for my tent. I was dripping wet with sweat and my muscles were screaming at me. But Billy stopped me and reminded me that I needed to accept my trophy for winning the event.
The King came down and went through the motions of presenting me with the trophy. But it wasn’t the same as when Black had won. No real enthusiasm and got it over with as quickly as possible. But the crowd showed me the love. They were cheering as I raised the trophy up in salute to them. They continued as I made my way off the field, heading for my tent. It was great seeing the stands filled with my colors.
I was hot, sweaty, but elated. Once in my tent, I peeled off the tunic and shirt leaving my chest bare and walked over to the water basin. I poured the pitcher of water over my head and then plunged my face in.
As I withdrew my waterlogged head from the basin, a very excited and jubilant Sophia came rushing through the tent flap all in a tizzy about my victory. She jumped into my arms nearly knocking me over. She was bursting with desire and was kissing me all over my wet neck and chest.
Well, there was one muscle that still had lots of energy left.
As I came to my senses, I pushed Sophia away from me. Seeing the displeasure on my face, Sophia quickly dropped to her knees and placed her head on the ground at my feet. She started to blurt out her apology, but I cut her off with a loud snap of my fingers. I was trying to regain my composure and clear my head as a loud commotion rose from outside my tent. Sophia looked up and turned to see what it was.
Looking up, I saw the queen burst past my young squire who had kept trying to keep himself between her and the tent flap. She was demanding to see the knight and would not be denied an immediate audience. As she came through the flap, the squire was trying to but not succeeding to impede her progress, Sophia stood up and stepped back in an attempt to hide what she had been up to. She took up position mostly behind me by the big chair. However, I stood firm with my steel gaze fixed on the Queen. She just invaded my domain.
“I demand to speak with you alone NOW.” The Queen demanded standing with her hands on her hips trying to look opposing even though she was much shorter and smaller than me. She glared at Sophia and then back to me.