FABLES [vs Wyatt Benjamin]

[The air is cold and Ordell’s breath hangs in the air for a second after each exhalation. The ground is snowy, crunchy underfoot and the sun sparkles through the gently swaying trees. It is far too cold for his ringwear, so he is dressed today in a parka coat and thick camo jeans. Around him, silence, permeated only by a distant howl. He sits on a bench, just off the road. Next to him sits a German Shepherd dog, tongue lolling to one side, his breath hanging in the air too.]

“When I first arrived here, Smiley taunted me about freedom. He told me that if I was bound by this anklet, that I would never know freedom. I laughed. This week, I am set to face Wyatt Benjamin in the ring and I was reminded of that. I’ve got a story, and maybe I’ll concede some defeat on his point by the end of it.

When I was younger, my mother read me stories every night to “feed my imagination”. She particularly liked a faded, old book with the crooked spine, a book full of Aesop’s fables. And in that book was a story I liked a lot called The Dog and The Wolf. It’s a short fable, and it goes something like this.”

[Ordell takes a dog biscuit from one of the many pockets of the parka, and feeds it to the dog, patting him on the head and stroking his chin idly as he continues.]

“A Wolf, gaunt almost to exhaustion and only hours from death was on a road, when he met a house-dog, and greeted him as cousins would. The dog told him he knew this wild life would be the end of him and asked him why he did not work steadily and receive regular food as he did. The wolf replied that it sounded great, but he had never come across this sort of delight. The dog told him he could help and so they set off towards the dog’s house. The wolf, on this journey, notice the dog had a section of his neck where the fur was worn and chafed, and he asked him why. The dog told him that was just where he had to wear his collar at night to keep him inside. The wolf bid him adieu and said he would rather starve free than be a fat slave.”

[Another howl, this time closer, gets Ordell to his feet and walking, leaving a pattern of compacted footprints in the snow behind him and the dog.]

“This reminds me an awful lot of the situation I find myself in, because Wyatt, you are the wolf in this story. I saw recently that you claimed you were here to fulfil your blood lust but as far as I can see you haven’t succeeded in that aim here. The wolf in the story initially follows the dog on the promise of sustenance to help him survive and thrive, and then turns his back when he learns he will not be 100% free. I think this fable was written to encourage people to fight for freedom but I read it the other way.

Wyatt you are a lone wolf, and you have not had your sustenance yet, this means you are weak and gaunt, just like the wolf in the fable. This lone wolf stance, this blood lust will be the end of you because it’s always all or nothing. A win satiates your lust, a loss puts you closer and closer to the chopping block.”

[After walking this far, there is a clearing just to the side of the road. Ordell smirks slightly, and the dog whimpers lightly before sitting and allowing his tongue to flop back out of his mouth.]

“And the reason I find this funny is because that must make me the dog in the story, and his collar is how Smiley described my anklet all those weeks ago. And so I must concede to him somewhat. From where I’m standing, Wyatt, I’d rather be a content slave to this anklet than meet the fate you are destined to meet. Your door is closing Wyatt, the end is near.”

[The camera pans to show the clearing as Ordell walks away. The clearing contains a raised section of snow and on the mound lies the motionless body of a lone wolf.]