Hiding in the darkness of the holding center, as the humans that walked past the cages called it, were numerous cages, some sat stacked upon each other like great towers of metal and the loss of freedom. It was the cargo that the cages held that made them special; animals, not just any animals, mind you, but exotic ones. Ranging from the biggest such as bears and big cats to the smallest being a few aquatic tanks filled with brightly colored fish that were locked within the cages for safety reasons. It was the wolves however, that took the prize as being one of the most sought after animals on the black market. There was just something of their howls and cries that made the humans desire them to the point that there were very few left in the wild, or what remained of it. The animals no longer knew the warmth of the sun nor did they know freedom, save for a few of the older animals that had been captured as adults, as many of the ones confined within the cages were still young, still able to be trained and taught to be the perfect pet.
Within three of the cages lay three wolves; two sharing the same sleek black fur and one with gray fur speckled with black and shared of red and brown around the scruff of his neck and face; the three ranged in various ages from puppyhood to adulthood. It was clear to see that the two black wolves shared blood - they looked quite similar and even the men that fed the animals and gave them water from a distance could see it. Rolling her head to the left, the pup looked between the two adults that were on either side of her. The gray wolf she had mistakenly called her father seemed to be asleep and the black wolf to her left was wide awake. This she wolf was in fact quite dear to the pup, as any mother should be to their young. Her mother had always made sure that she was safe and soon the pup fell asleep knowing that the she wolf was keeping an eye out for danger, the action made the pup feel safe.
Cages were no place for animals such as wolves, they needed the open air to roam in. The she wolf had been born in the wild and only a year ago she had been captured along with one of her precious pups. The pup beside her was the only surviving one of her litter; the pup was special. The large male on the other side of the pup's cage glanced around as she did. It would be feeding time soon and one man had been assigned to them for he was the only one to handle the adult, wild-born wolves. His name was hard for her mind to pronounce or make sense of because she had only heard it a few times but he was one of the nicer traders that they had come into contact with. The large male wolf looked at her, Is it almost time?
Yes. She said. The humans couldn't hear or understand the few words that would float between them. They never talked much but they had common ground - both wanted to go to Paradise. It is said that when the end of the world comes, Paradise will be opened but only wolves know where it is. That was their goal. The sleeping pup between them stirred lightly.
She will not be sold so long as you and I are watching over her. The male spoke, if she remembered right he had said his name was Isamu.
Remaining quiet the she wolf turned her attention to a figure that had come to rest before their cages. This one was different, they'd never seen him before and he smelled different. The man was of fairly average height with a slim build and sand colored hair and green eyes. He may have looked human upon first glance but he smelled...like them, like a wolf. "Hey there!" He said softly, stooping in front of the cages. He kept his distance. What a wise move. The two adults growled lowly at the new comer. Placing his hands up in a submissive gesture the young man fll onto his behind, "H-hey no need to get so aggressive! I'm here to help you." He said with a wide smile.
Help us? By selling us into captivity?! Isamu snarled You have given up your true self for the shell of a monster!
Isamu was angered at the man, being a wolf was something to take pride in!
"Ehehe....you guys don't understand...I blend in like this. I won't get killed or end up here." The man said as he glanced around. "Now...I'm here to help you get out but you'll have to listen to me, alright?"
Mizuki growled as he made a move to the cage of her pup. Mizuki... It was Isamu, We can be free...if he lets us go. Then we can go to Paradise.
"Paradise? You guys really believe in that place?" The man asked.
Yes, we heard stories of paradise...I want my pup safe. The man turned his attention to Mizuki. I want her to be able to live without the fear...or the need to take a false identity.
The man laughed. "It's not so much that I want this skin. It's a matter of survival you see - Like I said, I can blend in like this and I won't be killed or captured." He said, "It's not like I want to become human, I'm still proud of where I came from. Oh I'm Etsuko by the way...Listen I'll help you all look for this Paradise, if that's what you're all looking for."
Mizuki looked at her pup that was now wide awake and shivering in fear. Who is that? she asked, Mitsuko was better adjusted to humans but to see another wolf - since only wolves and dogs can see through the illusions - that was a shock. Isamu requested to be let out first; he was the protector after all. Etsuko agreed, hoping that he wouldn't be attacked by the large gray wolf. After fiddling around with the locks the characteristic snap, snap, snap was heard and the cage door opened. Etsuko moved to the side to allow Isamu to move from his prison.
He moved onto the pup's cage next. Opening the lock was easy after he got the hang of it. Mitsuko hadn't been out of her cage often and the feeling was one that she had never felt before. They were getting out and wouldn't be paraded around with a price tag pinned to the scruff of their necks. Those little tags were uncomfortable and Mitsuko hated them. Isamu stayed close to the pup as her mother was released from her cage.
"It's not so hard...taking on this illusion. Go ahead and try it." Etsuko said softly.
Isamu was the first to try taking on the illusion. It felt odd to say the least, that he was standing much taller than he was used to. Looking down at his hands and then down at Mitsuko, who was still a pup, he shook his head. "This is going to take some getting used to." He mumbled. Isamu's human disguise was that of a fairly tall, pale, handsome man with light blonde hair and light blue eyes and a slender jaw. His hair was long and it hung over the right side of his face. In one of his ears was a little black earring. Isamu wore a long gray coat, well it was more like a vest that was trimmed with black fur around the collar, a long sleeved white shirt underneath and a pair of black slacks with matching shoes. His facial scars, which had been noticeable through his fur, were nothing but pale lines now.
Next to go was Mizuki, she was much shorter than Isamu and even her hair was shorter than his! She kept the sleek black color of her fur but her hair was styled into a mid-length cut with bangs that reached her eyes. Mizuki's amber eyes had turned green with this new look of hers. Her clothes were primarily black; a black coat over a black shirt and black pants. The only color to her clothing was the silver buttons that held her coat closed. "Mitsuko..." she said softly, "Come on, it'll be alright." The pup was sacred but she listened to her mother. Quietly the pup took the form of a child with thick black hair that reached her hips, two sections were tied up into pigtails on either side of her head and her bangs were kept to a manageable length. Mitsuko's eyes retained a bit of their mixed-blue color but they had darkened a few shades and looked black in the dim lighting of the holding center.
"We need to move fast," Etsuko said, "Before they find us…"He closed the cage doors and peered into the darkness. His nose caught the scent of another wolf a few cages back. You guys go on ahead, take the main hall all the way to the doors, then find a place to hide." He instructed them.
Mizuki nodded and she took her daughter's hand before glancing at Isamu. The man nodded before leading the way.
Etsuko searched around in the dim lighting before he finally found the right cage. Inside was a light colored wolf. "Hey..." He said softly, not knowing if this wolf had heard what he had told the others. Any minute now there would be a few men making their rounds in feeding the animals, there wasn't time to waste on Etsuko's part. "I've freed a few more and we're going to leave this wretched place..." he said, "But right now we need to hurry before the men get here and find out what's going on, alright? I'm Etsuko by the way.
The trio felt exposed as they walked down the long, wide hall. They carefully avoided touching anyone as they walked quietly. The lights hurt their eyes since they were so accustomed to the darkness of the holding center. The large building that the black market operated in was massive. Having several floors, the animal trade center was located on the first floor but it wasn't so easy getting out, or in for that matter.
When they finally reached the end of the hall, where a set of glass double door separated them from the armed guards that checked the people that filtered in and out of the building. "Come on, let's turn here." Isamu said quietly as he placed his hand on the small of Mizuki's back to steer her in the right direction. They found a small, unused room to occupy for the time being. Isamu would look out of it every so often to see if he could catch sight of Etsuko.
"Should we trust him?" The man questioned.
"He took us out of those cages, Isamu...and he's like us or you didn't see it?" Mizuki said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We haven't found many like us and those that we have found either died or were sold." Beside her, Mitsuko slumped to the floor. She was so tired and hungry. They had left before their feeding time after all and even if it wasn't much the small pieces of meat and dried food were better than nothing.
Etsuko found the lock on the fourth cage to be trickier than the others. Already he could hear the men approaching. They'd need to fill their buckets with food and water so that gave them a little bit more time and Etsuko was thankful for that.
Within three of the cages lay three wolves; two sharing the same sleek black fur and one with gray fur speckled with black and shared of red and brown around the scruff of his neck and face; the three ranged in various ages from puppyhood to adulthood. It was clear to see that the two black wolves shared blood - they looked quite similar and even the men that fed the animals and gave them water from a distance could see it. Rolling her head to the left, the pup looked between the two adults that were on either side of her. The gray wolf she had mistakenly called her father seemed to be asleep and the black wolf to her left was wide awake. This she wolf was in fact quite dear to the pup, as any mother should be to their young. Her mother had always made sure that she was safe and soon the pup fell asleep knowing that the she wolf was keeping an eye out for danger, the action made the pup feel safe.
Cages were no place for animals such as wolves, they needed the open air to roam in. The she wolf had been born in the wild and only a year ago she had been captured along with one of her precious pups. The pup beside her was the only surviving one of her litter; the pup was special. The large male on the other side of the pup's cage glanced around as she did. It would be feeding time soon and one man had been assigned to them for he was the only one to handle the adult, wild-born wolves. His name was hard for her mind to pronounce or make sense of because she had only heard it a few times but he was one of the nicer traders that they had come into contact with. The large male wolf looked at her, Is it almost time?
Yes. She said. The humans couldn't hear or understand the few words that would float between them. They never talked much but they had common ground - both wanted to go to Paradise. It is said that when the end of the world comes, Paradise will be opened but only wolves know where it is. That was their goal. The sleeping pup between them stirred lightly.
She will not be sold so long as you and I are watching over her. The male spoke, if she remembered right he had said his name was Isamu.
Remaining quiet the she wolf turned her attention to a figure that had come to rest before their cages. This one was different, they'd never seen him before and he smelled different. The man was of fairly average height with a slim build and sand colored hair and green eyes. He may have looked human upon first glance but he smelled...like them, like a wolf. "Hey there!" He said softly, stooping in front of the cages. He kept his distance. What a wise move. The two adults growled lowly at the new comer. Placing his hands up in a submissive gesture the young man fll onto his behind, "H-hey no need to get so aggressive! I'm here to help you." He said with a wide smile.
Help us? By selling us into captivity?! Isamu snarled You have given up your true self for the shell of a monster!
Isamu was angered at the man, being a wolf was something to take pride in!
"Ehehe....you guys don't understand...I blend in like this. I won't get killed or end up here." The man said as he glanced around. "Now...I'm here to help you get out but you'll have to listen to me, alright?"
Mizuki growled as he made a move to the cage of her pup. Mizuki... It was Isamu, We can be free...if he lets us go. Then we can go to Paradise.
"Paradise? You guys really believe in that place?" The man asked.
Yes, we heard stories of paradise...I want my pup safe. The man turned his attention to Mizuki. I want her to be able to live without the fear...or the need to take a false identity.
The man laughed. "It's not so much that I want this skin. It's a matter of survival you see - Like I said, I can blend in like this and I won't be killed or captured." He said, "It's not like I want to become human, I'm still proud of where I came from. Oh I'm Etsuko by the way...Listen I'll help you all look for this Paradise, if that's what you're all looking for."
Mizuki looked at her pup that was now wide awake and shivering in fear. Who is that? she asked, Mitsuko was better adjusted to humans but to see another wolf - since only wolves and dogs can see through the illusions - that was a shock. Isamu requested to be let out first; he was the protector after all. Etsuko agreed, hoping that he wouldn't be attacked by the large gray wolf. After fiddling around with the locks the characteristic snap, snap, snap was heard and the cage door opened. Etsuko moved to the side to allow Isamu to move from his prison.
He moved onto the pup's cage next. Opening the lock was easy after he got the hang of it. Mitsuko hadn't been out of her cage often and the feeling was one that she had never felt before. They were getting out and wouldn't be paraded around with a price tag pinned to the scruff of their necks. Those little tags were uncomfortable and Mitsuko hated them. Isamu stayed close to the pup as her mother was released from her cage.
"It's not so hard...taking on this illusion. Go ahead and try it." Etsuko said softly.
Isamu was the first to try taking on the illusion. It felt odd to say the least, that he was standing much taller than he was used to. Looking down at his hands and then down at Mitsuko, who was still a pup, he shook his head. "This is going to take some getting used to." He mumbled. Isamu's human disguise was that of a fairly tall, pale, handsome man with light blonde hair and light blue eyes and a slender jaw. His hair was long and it hung over the right side of his face. In one of his ears was a little black earring. Isamu wore a long gray coat, well it was more like a vest that was trimmed with black fur around the collar, a long sleeved white shirt underneath and a pair of black slacks with matching shoes. His facial scars, which had been noticeable through his fur, were nothing but pale lines now.
Next to go was Mizuki, she was much shorter than Isamu and even her hair was shorter than his! She kept the sleek black color of her fur but her hair was styled into a mid-length cut with bangs that reached her eyes. Mizuki's amber eyes had turned green with this new look of hers. Her clothes were primarily black; a black coat over a black shirt and black pants. The only color to her clothing was the silver buttons that held her coat closed. "Mitsuko..." she said softly, "Come on, it'll be alright." The pup was sacred but she listened to her mother. Quietly the pup took the form of a child with thick black hair that reached her hips, two sections were tied up into pigtails on either side of her head and her bangs were kept to a manageable length. Mitsuko's eyes retained a bit of their mixed-blue color but they had darkened a few shades and looked black in the dim lighting of the holding center.
"We need to move fast," Etsuko said, "Before they find us…"He closed the cage doors and peered into the darkness. His nose caught the scent of another wolf a few cages back. You guys go on ahead, take the main hall all the way to the doors, then find a place to hide." He instructed them.
Mizuki nodded and she took her daughter's hand before glancing at Isamu. The man nodded before leading the way.
Etsuko searched around in the dim lighting before he finally found the right cage. Inside was a light colored wolf. "Hey..." He said softly, not knowing if this wolf had heard what he had told the others. Any minute now there would be a few men making their rounds in feeding the animals, there wasn't time to waste on Etsuko's part. "I've freed a few more and we're going to leave this wretched place..." he said, "But right now we need to hurry before the men get here and find out what's going on, alright? I'm Etsuko by the way.
The trio felt exposed as they walked down the long, wide hall. They carefully avoided touching anyone as they walked quietly. The lights hurt their eyes since they were so accustomed to the darkness of the holding center. The large building that the black market operated in was massive. Having several floors, the animal trade center was located on the first floor but it wasn't so easy getting out, or in for that matter.
When they finally reached the end of the hall, where a set of glass double door separated them from the armed guards that checked the people that filtered in and out of the building. "Come on, let's turn here." Isamu said quietly as he placed his hand on the small of Mizuki's back to steer her in the right direction. They found a small, unused room to occupy for the time being. Isamu would look out of it every so often to see if he could catch sight of Etsuko.
"Should we trust him?" The man questioned.
"He took us out of those cages, Isamu...and he's like us or you didn't see it?" Mizuki said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We haven't found many like us and those that we have found either died or were sold." Beside her, Mitsuko slumped to the floor. She was so tired and hungry. They had left before their feeding time after all and even if it wasn't much the small pieces of meat and dried food were better than nothing.
Etsuko found the lock on the fourth cage to be trickier than the others. Already he could hear the men approaching. They'd need to fill their buckets with food and water so that gave them a little bit more time and Etsuko was thankful for that.
