Things not good.

Me still a beast, driven by feral instincts. Mana almost gone, the poison dissipating, and the mind-twisted human nowhere to be seen. Even after I got my sight back, I failed to find the female. She just gone.

The cube with the runes must take her away. Vexing, but good. She too foul with mind. Dangerous.

Unlike deranged human. He still here, cowardly, petrified, staring at the empty place, occasionally daring to glance at me. Weak, prey, mercy to kill.

'No! No, no, no, we talked about this, no killing, please. I’m not…I just can’t.'

True, he showed no mercy to me. Better if he suffers.

'N-not really what I had in mind, but... but what he deserves… I guess. Emm….try asking for the keys to the shackles.'

Asking for help irritating, a sign of weakness.

'No time to be stubborn and proud, you ...beast.'

Nothing wrong with being proud.

Nevertheless the beast - well, me - stopped chewing on the shackles strangling my left paw, eyes fixed on the deranged male. He noticed, stiffened, eyes wide.

»Release me, human!«

The sudden desire to palm my face hit me. The bark came out, too threatening and too far off the point. Not entirely wrong, per say. I wanted to be rid of the shackles, the collar, and the array. I wanted to be released. But it scared deranged human. He shrieked, looking around for place to run, like cornered rat.

Much to his horror, all the ground floor windows bricked up, the only door out behind me, guarded by Sage, my tail. A beautiful tail, now surrounded by a faint orange cloud of poison gas. The sight weirdly enchanting.

'Would people out there see it the same way?'

I not naive to believe so. To them, me no different than beast, not human anymore. Sorrow heavy - lost it all. Fault of the male, fury. Horror in his eyes was satisfying, though.

The door, not the way out.

Irritatingly, deranged human, not so stupid either, concluded the same. His eyes, like mine, fell on the cellar stairs. Unguarded, close to him. Down there the waste hole into the storm drains. The only reasonable way out I could think of, water must have run somewhere.

'What about swimming, though? I mean, I can swim, but...'

Stupid, even pups can swim.

'Oh, true. With shackles on their feet, though?'

Pathetic. I rather drown than stay here.

'What about the freaks? Wait, the freaks!'

My pack!

Dread gripped my guts, realization coming to me too late - my pounce, as well. Pain in my paws too agonizing, slowing me down. When my claws reached the spot, male already gone, down the stairs.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

»Don't you dare, human!« I roared down into the cellar, fearing the worst, making my way after him. Too slow, though, regeneration keeping my paws from getting limp, not from the pain, me ungraceful, clumsy even.

Ears twitched, heart dropped - the sound of the key rattling in the lock, coming from the cells.

"Out! Protect me!"

'That deranged assho…bastard!'

»GRRRrrrr...«

No words came from my throat, just pure rage, chilling to the bones. My pack suffered so much at his paws, and it still not enough for him, scheming to pit them against me. Weasel, coward, should kill when had the chance.

'No. No, what was I even thinking. That wasn’t me. I would never…I mean if I did, it would make me no different than…a beast.'

Humans weak, pathetic, now my pack would suffer.

‘I know…still, to kill someone…’

Need to grow fangs, get stronger, stop being prey.

‘I…I am not a beast. I am not!’

Prey nonetheless. Needed to grow stronger.

‘But h-how? That is easier said than done.’

»Getting up a good start.« A growl escaped my maw and I got back on my feet, swallowing a whimper as pain shot through my body.

"Don't let the beast get to me!" deranged human downstairs bellowed, I rushed after him. Annoyingly, my coming down not graceful, paws hurting more and more, tripped and fell down the stairs. No one laughed, though, no one made fun. Instead, fear of my pack weighed heavily in the hateful cellar.

»Release them!«

"F-fuck! I said OUT… and protect me!” shouted cowardly human, ignoring my demand. He stupid, oblivious. So vexing. My pack member huddled in the corner of his cell, having no choice but to obey. Forced by the iron collar around his neck, he walked out of the cell, joining the others. A dozen and a half of them stood there, eyes wide, full of fear and tears. All of them my pack, made into a shield for the craven. Infuriating. Human despicable. Me helpless.

»Release them!«

The growl only made the male back up further, hide deeper behind my pack, press himself against the wall. Like rat backed into a corner, dangerous, could hurt the pack more.

Me lost for what to do.

‘The drains…’

My eyes drawn to the hole in the floor, not too far from the stairs. There the way out - may be. Water, storm drains, leading who knows where. Didn't matter, better there than here.

My pack, though.

'I know….but…'

Could not leave them here; they coming too.

'H-how? The bastard just won't let them go.’

Kill cowardly human, he despicable, thinking himself more than prey. Wrong. Prey more honorable.

'Kill…I…y-you would have to go through the freaks, though...'

»ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!«

Deafening roar rang throughout the cellar, dust falling from the ceiling as my might followed. Pack members fell to their knees, out of fear, though, not out of respect for their alpha. Sad. The human's fault. Anger, fury. Swallowing the pain, I pounced.

"S-stop her!" screamed deranged male, scrambling to hide in one of iron bar boxes. Pesky gutless rat he was, managed to lock himself in before I reached him. My pack slowed me down, driven by the human's bidding commands. They grabbed my tail, my wing, my legs, wrenching a whimper of hurt from me.

Shaking them off did no good, they held firm, in spite of facing a beast sowing their hearts writhing with fear. In turn, sorrow twisted mine - none recognize me. To them me just a beast, no longer one of them, no longer a freak. Dejected growl didn't even give them pause, accursed collars held their minds. Could weigh them down with my might, tiring though, me exhausted already, pointless too.

Torn what to do, but needed to do it fast.

"G-good, very good. Hold her down," cowardly rat gloated when seeing my hesitation to hurt my pack. "No, you know w-what... kill her. Y-yes, kill that beast...I don't need her alive."

Silence fell.

My pack stunned, me horrified, heart sunk.

'No. No, no, no, take it back...cancel the order!'

»Let them go, human!«

He did not. Instead of finding a sliver of honor and mercy in his rotten heart, he squeaked like weasel at my growl and yelled: "F-fuck! Kill the beast already."

'B-bastard...'

No longer able to resist the mind hold of their collars, my pack pounced.