Chapter Sixty-One, Trapped

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Tom's Perspective

I awoke in a cramped cage, still dizzy from the tranquilizers. At least they had been removed from my back. I looked around the new environment, seeing that I was on the floor of a laboratory of sorts. The floor was black tile, and the walls were a dark hue of orange. What a strange color scheme. I tried to move around to get comfortable, my sore muscles aching as I found a good position to settle down in. I spotted many objects in the room as time passed by, such as posters of animal anatomy and books of various scientific specialties. I noticed a few other creatures much smaller than me, such as mutated bird or rodents. They were confined in cages as well, though more appropriate for their size. I suppose if mine was any bigger, it wouldn't fit in the corner I had been placed in. I attempted to claw at the metal, but it was very sturdy and resistant to my attempts at freedom. I eventually gave up and lowered my head, panting for water. I was incredibly dehydrated, and my throat hurt so much. I whined and pressed against the cage, desperate to get hydrated.

I tensed at the sound of the door opening. I stared at the person entering, trying to remain neutral despite my loud panting. The woman was a dirty blonde with curls, and bright blue eyes that seemed kind and understanding. She was adorned with a moon necklace and a lab coat, with black tights. She approached my cage once she noticed I was awake, smiling softly. The lady didn't seem like a bad person, but looks can be deceiving. Why else would she have me trapped here? For a good reason??? She probably wanted to use me for testing, and inhumane testing at that. Just because I was a beast didn't mean I was less than any human. She kneeled down and looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "Oh, poor thing, you must be so thirty. Here, I'll get you a drink." She spoke softly and got up, retrieving something from the counter that was out of sight for me. She then filled it up in a sink, coming back to me. She unlocked my cage just enough to set in a water dish, which I immediately lapped at with my purple tongue.

Thank Jehova, I was so thirsty. I was caught off guard as she slowly ran a hand through my half-developed form fur, stopping at my partially developed horns. She then continued to pet me as I drank, and I was too occupied to care. "Such a sweet little beast. Don't worry, you'll be in a much bigger area soon." She cooed in a baby voice, like I was a dog. I didn't really care, I was used to it. When I was a kid, people did it all the time. And Tord sometimes does too, but I like it when he does it. She retreated from the cage and locked it, leaving me to finish my water. I watched her movements from the corner of my eye, not trusting her fully. She sat down in her black office swivel chair, typing away on her computer for a while as I finished the water. I pressed against the cage and whined, scratching at it. Because I was in the middle of transforming when I was stopped, my vocal cords had been messed up. They weren't human, but not fully monster. I couldn't growl, as it came out as a whimper instead.

She noticed my desperate attempts and reached over, slowly petting the top of my head. I let out a whine of disapproval and swiped at her hand, narrowly missing. Once she was finished with whatever on her computer, she got up and I listened to her heels hit the dark tile as she walked to a counter. The blonde opened up a drawer and pulled out a large collar, causing me to recoil as a desperate attempt to keep that far away from me. I may like it when Tord puts a collar on me, but you best believe I'll bite her hand off if she tries that. Who does this woman think she is? I snarled as best as my voice would allow, shoving myself in the furthest corner of the cramped cage. She approached me and bent down to the door of my cage, looking at me with rounded eyes. "Do you understand English?" She asked and I slowly nodded, still on edge. She held out the collar so that I could see it better. "If you let me put this on you, you can go out into a large habitat of your own. You don't need to stay in this cage forever." She promised me and I let out a whimper-growl.

The scientist sighed and set down the collar on top of my cage, getting up for something else. She walked off to a mini-fridge on the other side of the room, taking out a dish of something I couldn't quite see from where I stayed. She came back with it and slightly opened my cage, replacing the empty bowl with it. It was a large cut of cooked beef for me to eat. "If you don't want to leave, at least eat something." She urged me and I stared at the food hungrily. I was hungry for sure, especially after smelling that. I bent down and smelled the food, thoroughly inspecting it before tearing a piece off with my jaws. I ravenously devoured the meat within seconds, destroying it in my fanged jaws. I licked my lips clean and curled up on the bottom of the cage, satisfied with the meal. If I can't leave, I can at least get used to this lifestyle. After a few minutes, I began to feel drowsy. Had she drugged the food, or had I simply gotten tired because of how much I ate? I couldn't tell, as either had the same affect on me.

Once I was barely conscious, I felt a pair of hands clip on an unfamiliar object around my neck. She had put the collar on me. So she had drugged the food, and I was stupid enough to eat it. God damn it, my instincts had taken me over. I wasn't careful enough. The cage door opened fully, and I was coaxed out. I sleepily treaded out of the cage, slow as ever. She lead me out of the lab directly outside, where my new habitat was. She led my half-awake body to a comfortable overpass, a conveniently placed nest just for me.

(Something like this but cleared out and w/ a large nest.)

(I thought a visual aid was needed-

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(I thought a visual aid was needed-.)

I curled up in the nest and got settled, purring as she covered me up with a woolen blanket. Maybe this place wasn't so bad, or maybe I was too tired to think straight.

I awoke later to the soothing sounds of nature. Birds chirping, nearby water rushing by, the wind sweeping through, animals chittering. I slowly got up and stretched, climbing out from under the overpass into a clearing. I changed fully into my beast form, more comfortable in this state. However, the collar adjusted to my new size and kept on me. I growled before looking around, wanting to explore. I walked around slowly, shaking off my sleepy demeanor. I sniffed the air curiously, breathing in the many scents of life. I eventually settled down in a comfortable field, gazing around the beautiful nature. I relaxed fully and rested my head on the ground, slowing my breathing. I could be at peace here, and never worry about anything again. But I have a family to get back to. My boyfriend, Matt, Edd, and even Pat and Paul has become parents to me somewhat. I want to go back to them, and see them again. I want to feel my boyfriend's soothing touch. I thought that this was over, that we would never separate again.

I whimpered and covered my face, upset at the thought. I want him back. I can't live without Tord, not after everything that's happened. I want him back so badly. I don't even know if he's alive. I was rudely interrupted by a gentle tap on my arm. I looked over at the person to see the same scientist as before, with a blood drawing tool. I growled and stood up, quick to move away from her. She yanked out a contraption that I couldn't make out, and suddenly an aggressive jolt stunned me. I let out a cry of pain, but continued to run away from the crazy lady. I looked for anything to hide in, but nothing was big enough. If only I could change back, but I can't. My body was still in shock from what I had done before. I eventually ran out of breath and stopped, panting heavily. I looked around for a water source, spotting a large pond or a small lake. I bent down to the fairly clean water and lapped at it, replenishing my water supply. That scientist surely couldn't catch up to me easily. Maybe if I find an area with a thick enough forest, I'll lose her.

I began sprinting in a random direction, scanning the area for any sign of a thick forest. After a long while of searching this vast nature preserve, I found a decently forested area and hid myself as much as possible. The trees were tall, and fairly thick together. She wouldn't be able to find me in here, and certainly not test on me. I settled in to my new home, trying to relax knowing that I was safe. I then went on to aggressively dig at that blasted collar, desperately wanting to rip it off. After hours of tearing and trying not to choke myself, i ripped it off and threw it as far away as my body could. I settled down and closed my eyes, tired and upset. I fell asleep with tears on my face.

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