“I think you were forceful enough with him. Alexandre is going to chuck you into the world’s deepest hole. And then Principal Jenner will fill it in—probably with poop.”

“Maybe.” Dellian shrugged. He looked around at his cohort. They all had bruises and scratches, and two were limping. “I’m proud of you guys.”

The muncs nuzzled up against him, each wanting the reassurance of touch. He stroked the glossy fur on their heads, smiling fondly. Dellian glanced around for Yirella, the one person who hadn’t thanked him or even said anything. She was walking behind Tilliana and Ellici, her face devoid of expression.

As if nothing’s happened, he thought, or too much.

In the home team changing pavilion, the boys took their muncs away to clean up first. Sports clothes were thrown into the laundry hopper, then the cohorts showered, soaping then sluicing their pelts before standing on the air-dryer where they larked about under the warm jets. Finally they put on their everyday tunics—simple sleeveless one-pieces that went over the head. Dellian had chosen a fabric of orange-and-green stripes for his cohort, which stood out from the blander choices of his yearmates.

Once the muncs were done, he showered himself. Standing under the hot water, he suddenly felt profoundly tired. His nose was swelling badly now, and it was aching. His arm felt horribly stiff and a little numb. Bruises were making themselves known. The brief fight replayed in his mind, and, strangely, he began to appreciate Ellici’s comments. It was all dumb instinct, no thought, no strategy. Hit and be hit. “Stupid,” he told himself.

Uranti, the munc-tech, was waiting in hir clinic. Arena matches always produced a variety of injuries and bruises among the cohorts that sie patched up. This time Uranti’s head shook in bemusement as Dellian brought his cohort in.

“My my, what have we got here?” sie said with acid sarcasm. “Am I tending your cohort or you?”

Dellian stared at the floor. Uranti was female cycling, which Dellian always found more intimidating than when sie was in a male cycle. He didn’t know why; he just did. When the grown-ups were female it somehow managed to make any guilt bite deeper. With a groan he remembered Principal Jenner was also in hir female cycle now.

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