Mettle

The blue eyes of hopeful youth met the dark, azure tide of the violent Atlantic as it crashed against the steadfast cliffs upon which Davey-Boy O’Brien stood. Despite his fear of the ocean which had taken his Da years prior, he endured with pride. Within a few days, Davey would be given his first opportunity at championship gold. It was true that he had never wrestled alongside his partner before, but that was the case with most of the opposing teams as well. Fortunately, O’Brien and his partner, Kronin, had both gotten to know one another a bit as they both were at the forefront of the healthcare battle against Mr. Mudcock, the proprietor of Ultimate Wrestling. Professional wrestling, after all, was a dangerous industry. Davey-Boy was only 18-years-old, and he had already suffered many injuries in the sport.

“Ye gonnae just stand there all day an’ gawk at the rocks, lad,” teased a voice from behind Davey.

A bright smile cross the blond youth’s mustached face as he turned to. “Ain’t ye just a stealthy bastard,” Davey snapped back as he embraced his visitor. “Whit took ye?” The height difference was quite noticeable. As the visitor was a rather tall aging man of nearly two meters tall, dwarfing Davey. However, Davey was definitely the more muscular of the two.

“Well, lad, I didnae expect ye to come out here all by yer lonesome,” the older man pointed out as he studied Davey’s eyes. He could see a mixture of emotions because Davey was the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve despite his years of experience as the man of the house.

For a moment, it seemed as though Davey had something to say, but his mouth shut again before any sound came out. His eyes just turned toward the horizon where the sun was failing. “Me Da,” he began slowly, “brought me here to watch a solar eclipse. ‘Twas the last tame I saw ‘im, Geoffrey.” Davey’s jawline visibly tightened as he fought back his emotions. A supportive hand landed on Davey’s shoulder. Geoffrey was actually Davey’s uncle on his mother’s side, but had been best friends with his Da. Suddenly, this reminded Davey of something as he abruptly perked up. “Did ye bring anythin’ back from yer travels?” Despite having to grow up quicker than he should have, Davey was still a kid at heart.

“Matter o’ fact,” Geoffrey plunged his right hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a rather large stone before placing it in Davey’s outstretched hand. “Got this meteorite fer ye, lad.”

It was rather hefty Davey noted as he examined it. Davey-Boy had dozens of these that Geoffrey had brought him, but nothing ever this big. Geoffrey was an astro-scientist of some sort. He had told Davey many, many times, but he could never remember what the old man actually did. All he knew is each and every time they met, his uncle had some sort of piece of space rock for him. The cold, metal rock felt smooth save for some imperfections.

“Ain’t ye got some metal o’ yer own t’ win, Davey-Boy,” the astro-scientist reminded him.

For whatever reason, it wasn’t until this reminder did Davey feel any butterflies in his stomach. His match was only a few days away. In fact, his flight back to the United States was tomorrow. Would he be able to win the Tag Team Titles in his first-ever title opportunity? A troubled look crossed his face.

“Look, son,” said Geoffrey with his hand still over Davey’s shoulder, “no matter what ye do out there, we’ll be proud o’ ye. Yer Da will be proud o’ ye. Hell, lad, ye make us proud every week ye stand up in front o’ that crowd an’ give it a square go. Don’t worry ‘bout yer undefeated streak, those are meant to end anyway. Jus’ go out there an’ just like any other night an’ fight.”

For a moment, Davey thought he had heard his Da telling him this very thing. Geoffrey, after all, was very much like his father. He was right. A loss here wouldn’t kill him, but a win… Davey felt stronger already as he gripped the space rock in his hand.

“How ‘bout some ale, Davey-Boy,” Geoffrey asked as they turned away from the steep cliff upon which Davey had been standing. "I know the drink in America is laughable at baist."

“Do ye really have to ask, ye ole codger,” Davey snapped back as they left, laughing as they did. Davey-Boy knew despite win or loss everything would be just fine, but it would be nice to have something to show for his first title opportunity...