Mighty Red awoke with the first light and gathered his thoughts. Time to get on with the business of the day. He left the building and surveyed his surroundings. Every thing seemed to be in order. It was quiet. Perhaps a bit too quiet. Mighty Red decided it was time to make some noise.
Strutting down the path he eyeballed every little detail of his turf. He'd better not find anything amiss, he reckoned. There would be trouble. In spades. Mighty Red didn't take shit from nobody, and there wasn't nobody who didn't know it, no sir. Continuing his rounds he paid close attention to the boundries of his turf. All quiet. Just the way he expected it to be. His girls would be out later, and he didn't want things to go awry.
Satisfied that everything was in order, and with the day off to a good start he allowed that it was time for some breakfast. He headed for his favorite place and had his usual. Mighty Red was a creature of habit, and his routine had served him in good stead for a long time. He knew surprises were bad. You had to stay on top of your game, and on top of your world. You had to be Cock 'O The Walk if you wanted to remain master of your domain, and it was simply a fact that Mighty Red was the master.
Not that it had always been so. No, indeed. In the beginning he'd had to go mano a mano with several badasses who thought they had what it took to be the ruler around here. It had been rough for awhile. He took some beatings, and his harem was sparse, but he grew stronger and meaner and he learned the game. He schemed and he dreamed and he waited for the day that he knew would come. The day of his dominion. The day when if you messed with Mighty Red you'd end up mighty dead.
The simple truth was you had to want it. Want it so bad you could tasted it. You had to be willing to go to any lengths. Mighty Red had to admit he hadn't been up to it back in those early days. He'd had to cower, or look the other way while that punk who wasn't even from Rhode Island had his way with his girls He tried not to think about that much. Mighty Red was an in the moment kinda guy. His time was now, and he walked the walk of the self-assured.
Back out and about, Mighty Red saw that his girls had come out to do their thing. It was a fine day, and they were looking their best, just as he expected them too. He greeted a few that were gathered together and jostled them a bit, just giving them a gentle reminder of who he was. They moved apart at his bidding and set to doing what they did best.
Mighty Red continued to make his rounds, seeing to it that everything was maintained and all was right with his kingdom. He continued along, taking in the hustle and bustle and feeling pretty chuffed with himself when he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. There. Across the road. Had he imagined it? He moved on pretending that nothing was amiss. He would double back around and make sure.
When he did was enraged to see an interloper chatting up a couple of his girls. Who the hell did he think he was, coming onto Mighty Red's hallowed turf? He called out in his anger and the intruder turned to face him. He ran towards him, but his opponent stood his ground with a defiant air. So it was war then. Well war was what Mighty Red was all about.
They began circling each other warily, sizing each other up, preparing for the inevitable. His nemesis had a bit of weight on Red, but Red had righteous indignation and fierce determination on his side. They flew at each other and began pummeling each other for all they were worth. The battle quickly turning brutal and ugly.
Mighty Red took a sharp hit to the face and felt the skin tear open, but ignored it and redoubled his efforts. His opponent was putting up a fierce fight, but Red was fast, faster than the other had anticipated, and he delivered three strong blows in a row, sending his enemy into a spin. He pressed the attack, quickly getting on top and giving it all he had. His opponent wriggled out from under him, seemed on the verge of flying at him again, then turned and ran for all he was worth. Mighty Red put on a show of chasing him, but he was hurt and he knew it. He made sure everyone saw he was the victor, then gathered up his harem and gave them hell for fraternizing with the enemy. They scattered, chastised.
Mighty Red moved off out of sight to tend to his wounds. It wouldn't do to let anyone see him vulnerable. The fight had been worth it. That upstart wouldn't be crossing the boundry again anytime soon.
Betty went out to get some corn for the afternoon meal and surveyed the scene. She walked around making sure things were alright and shook her head when she saw Red. She went back in the house and found Harvey sititng at the table reading the paper. "Pa, I think that Mighty Red's been at it again. I swear I don't know what to do about him."
Harvey chuckled and put the paper down. "Now Ma, you know how they are. Still, I reckon you're right. That one is the cockiest little rooster we've ever had."
