10.

It was not necessary for Roland to endure a task, an initiation or anything of the sort as he had been expected to the year before. The scars on his left arm had for those previous twelve months served to remind him of the beast he is, was and forever will be, so when Roland awoke back on the island so too did the beast within him. When he did awake, he felt good, he felt strong, and he was more than ready to deal with whatever would come at him.

Roland would not hang around at all like he did when he had first arrived twelve months earlier. He would not be caught off guard. If anything, he was going to have a much more destructive first day back on the island than what he had the first-time round. It's time to put distance between himself and the cage he arrived in.

Only moments after beginning his walk, Roland came across a much smaller man than himself. Kind of an everyday moment this is, of course Roland is a big man and most everyone he ever comes across is smaller than himself. However, the island, or show, has a thing for smaller men and this is something that serves two-fold.

Smaller men generally are the cannon fodder in this kind of event, people who are generally killed without too much effort though this is not always the case. They can be underdogs who can punch above their weight so to speak. And of course, too, smaller people can be capable of looking after themselves. No matter an ability to fight or survive, underdog's can be victorious. For every Goliath, there just may be a David.

Anyhow, this particular smaller man had only just awakened, and he came to stand silently in a spot a few feet away from where his cage has come to rest.

'Oh crap' eventually speaks this man knowing only too well who it was that was about to come right at him.

It is not that this fellow had no confidence in himself, but more the fact of recognizing the previous year's champion, and in person, Roland comes across much larger than what one may imagine him to be. Roland had been a heavy-set man the previous year, and now he had built somewhat of a physique in the run-up to this year's event, and to see this for a first time ... well such can be quite intimidating.

Roland's walking pace soon became a slow run. As the smaller man turned away from Roland in an attempt to make an escape, Roland picked up speed. Indeed, his recent physical training was already paying off. With ease, Roland caught up to the smaller man and clobbered him on the back of his head. Roland really liked this knockout punch of his and was certain that he would get to use it again, and today is not the day for anyone who may have the name David.

Even though the little guy before him was completely out cold Roland was not done. Is he leaves him be, leaves him to recover, who knows what this man may be capable of somewhere down the line? So, understanding all so well what needs to be done, Roland picked up the what was to him no more than a sack of skin and bones, and brought the little fellow to a nearby tree and rammed the little guy back first into the thick tree trunk, a move he so happens to be quite fond of.

Not only could he hear the sound of a spine break, but Roland could also feel that the body he was holding had just lost all stability. Yeah, as it is, this was not the first time he had heard or caused a spine to snap. Having dropped what he held; Roland began to admire his handy work. What felt like an all too easy beginning to a second stint in a place where few leave with their lives intact, was about to become a lot more difficult.

'Hey big man' came a loud deep voice from a little off in the distance behind Roland. 'I would like to see you try that with me' continued the voice.

Roland turned and smile upon seeing a man as big as himself looking back at him.

'I don't have any weapons' spoke Roland's newest adversary, who raised his arms in proof of his given statement.

'I do' responded Roland raising his fists, 'I have two of them.'

Roland had missed this smiling thing that he was quite often getting to do, when he had been he before. He had no reason to smile once Rachel had died and the months between stints on the Island, there had also been no cause to smile, but this moment here, the prospect of it certainly brought the smile back.

It indeed was something he learned how to do on his previous excursion to the island. This time, in this moment Roland was in for a fight and from the moment his set his eyes upon this monster that faced him, he began to relish the thought of being in for such a fight, a fight he may just have as much a chance of losing as much as he may have of winning.

'I know you. I watched you a year ago. You were good, tough while also being soft at times. You destroyed your competition, but you do know you really didn't have any competition at all right? There was no one on this island this time last year who was in any way like me. I am tough with no soft side. I will not let any woman affect me like you were affected ...'

Roland stood in one spot and watched this other big man move about as he spoke, and Roland was happy to let him move about and talk. It was only when the man began to speak indirectly about Rachel that Roland began to get annoyed and annoying a big angry beast is never a good thing to do even if you are a big angry beast yourself.

'That woman was your weak spot. If she had not of been killed for you, would you have been able to kill her if it had come down to just the two of you?'

The man kept his distance as he spoke, moving, circling Roland who at this point had begun to pace from side to side over a distance of about ten feet or so.

'You do not like any of this do you? You do not like me talking about a woman you met here on this very island. Rachel, I believe her name is or should I say ... was.'

This guy, he is either brave or stupid, or perhaps ... both, as with what he said, that was it. Roland had listened to enough of what his counterpart had to say and before anything else could be said, Roland began to make a charge which would culminate with a dive towards the other man's torso. The dive had been sidestepped and Roland was left looking at tiny black ants running around in the dirt only inches away from his face.

'I see you have picked up a bit of speed and agility. Having lost a little flab from around that massive gut of yours has helped with that but unfortunately for you, you are still just a little ... should I say ... slow.'

Roland made it up onto his hands and knees and spoke for the first time since coming back to the island.

'What is your name?'

'Why do you want to know that?'

Roland received a kick to his gut, a kick which knocked him onto his back. After a moment or two and a bit of coughing he would respond.

'So, I could give less of a shit about you when I kill you.'

'Ha, that is a good one. I must remember it.'

When Roland moved to sit up, he looked at his hands. He thought they may have been grazes with his fall though they were fine. He moved to his feet only to see there was no sign of that other man. He was gone, had moved away in the short time Roland had taken his eyes off of him. Yeah, he is gone but only for the time being. This other fellow is no chicken, he is no coward. This meeting had been just a setup of sorts, a preamble for what would surely come. And Roland can respect that.

Roland would look forward to their next encounter. He never got a name, would there be an opportunity for that at some point? Before Roland could make a decision as to what to do next, it began to rain, lightly at first but before long it was coming down heavy.