Lost Luna

caged

noun ~ a structure of bars or wire that animals are kept in

When I came to the first thing that hit me was the smell. Wherever I was, stank of metal, mud and urine. Great combination.

Then came the hearing. Clanging of metal and moans of pain as skin shuffled through clothing. Finally came the feeling in my body. Which also meant feeling everywhere else, which lead to the pounding in my skull. I winced as I forced my eyes open. Had someone been jumping up and down on my head?

"Here, drink this. It'll help with the headache." A feminine voice disturbed me.

I shot upright and stared ahead in mild panic. A small, black-haired female sat crouched beside me. She was covered in mud, her hair matted and stuck to her head. I studied her deeper to see no sign of a trick. That, or she had an excellent poker face.

I took the tin mug from her hand and studied it. It was some kind of shimmering water but going by her state was worse than mine, I trusted it and drank it. She smiled politely once I did and sat back onto her butt. She studied me as I studied her, neither of us saying anything for a while as my headache subsided.

"I'm Primrose, but people call me Rose." She smiled softly.

I cleared my throat, the effects of the drink clearing my head. "Nova, just Nova."

"Well, just Nova. Welcome to hell." She laughed darkly, her hand gesturing to look around.

I frowned and took in my surroundings. I was in what appeared to be a silver cage, like a zoo animal. The floors were solid silver coated metal, small blankets prevented my skin from burning. There was a bucket in the corner that I assumed was for the toilet.

Surrounding me were more cages, all of them rammed into one large clearing. I lost count of how many women were there as I searched the space. Women of all ages, shapes, colours and backgrounds were all caged up in twos or threes. I couldn't spot the twins anywhere and when I went to sniff them out found my senses overwhelmed by the urine.

"They've dulled your wolf. You won't smell anyone for a while." Rose spoke.

I looked at her in worry when I realised she was right, I couldn't feel Cel anywhere. She was just gone, an emptiness left behind. The link I felt to the pack and Phoenix was severed. I was human again.

"How?" I asked.

She sighed. "The men who run this place are assholes. They've been bringing women in for years. One woman has been here for around ten years after she was forced to be marked by the leader. I think they're a revolt against packs, I've no idea. I've been here for three weeks now. What they injected you with... there's gonna be a lot more."

"D-do we stay in here the whole time? I can't even stand up." I frowned.

She shook her head sadly. "We get out for ten minutes a day, to stretch or... poop. But we sleep, eat and sometimes pee here."

So, I gotta schedule my poop if I want to use a proper toilet. Great.

"Everyone here was taken from their pack?"

She nodded. "Everyone."

"Where did you come from?"

"Me? Oh, I came from Wolfsbane."

I nodded, vaguely aware of the pack name. The pack originally was called White Moon but they ended up being the first creators of wolfsbane hence the name change. Funny how a werewolf was the one to discover something that can hurt us. They were North of Blood Moon though; I knew that much.