A Grimm Life

Brothers

Days, weeks and eventually months passed of this endless slave labour. The other Faunas and I were subject to all kinds of torture and there was nothing any of us could do about it. Hardly any food, barely any warmth, we've been living life teetering on the edge between being alive and dead. Thankfully, we were allowed to have some small bit of warmth at night as we lit up empty barrels with fire. 

Right now, the Faunas were crowded around one such barrel, holding their hands up to it to feel something pleasant in this icy Hell. As for me, I didn't even try to get to the barrel since the other Faunas would push each other behind. Everything was a struggle in these caves, even against each other. 

Without the heat from the barrels, I sit on the chilling ground and hug my legs up to my chest, rubbing my arms and legs up and down to generate the smallest form of heat I could possibly muster. To my surprise, I hear someone sit down next to me and wrap something over me. I open my eyes and turn to the figure, seeing a boy my age with red hair and an ugly burn mark over his face. The boy pats my shoulder, as if trying to reassure me. 

Boy: Don't worry. I got your back. Here, I managed to swipe this. 

He hands me a hot glass of something dark. I lift the glass to my nose, inhaling the scent. It doesn't smell familiar, but with this drink being as warm as it was, I couldn't resist but take a sip out of it. It tasted gross, but I felt my body beginning to warm up. My eyes widen as my mouth burns from the heat and I quickly break away from it, giving my mouth a moment to adjust. Once a few seconds passed, I took another sip, being more careful this time. 

Mutasim: T-Thank you. 

Boy: Don't mention it. We've got to stick together if we want to make it through this alive. My name's Adam Taurus. What's yours? 

Mutasim: M-Mutasim Lycan. 

Adam: Nice to meet you. 

I nod slowly and hug the cloak around me tighter. 

Mutasim: H-How long have you been here? 

Adam: A couple years now... And you? 

Mutasim: Around 7 months, I think... 

Adam: It never gets easier. What really gets underneath my skin is that there are other Faunas like us out there in the world that are somehow getting even worse treatment than us? Can you imagine anything worse than this? 

I look down at the hot glass in my hands. 

Mutasim: Sorta... Though... My experiences were mostly the same thing as this, just... different in small ways. 

Adam: I'm sorry to hear that. But don't lose hope. I've heard of a special group. A group of Faunas called the White Fang. They're supposed to be a kind of protest group, fighting against our kind's injustice. Once I get out of here, I'm joining that group right away. 

Mutasim: The... "White Fang"? 

This was the first I had ever heard of something outside of the caves ever since I've been here. But hearing that Faunas were actually out there in the world fighting against treatment like this was revolutionary news to me. I hadn't even thought it was possible. 

Adam: Yes. After everything that's been done to us, I feel like my calling is to help fight against the humans for what they've done to us, how they've enslaved us, tortured us, murdered us. 

I nod with a low hum. 

Mutasim: You know... That doesn't sound half bad. Nobody deserves any of this. 

I say as I look out to all the slaves doing their best to warm up. Adam pats my back. 

Adam: Don't worry Mutasim. We'll get out of here one day and when we do, we'll be able to make our dream come true. 

Mutasim: But... How would we get out of here? 

He wraps me into a one armed hug and whispers into my wolf ears.

Adam: We'll wait until the next full moon. The humans here always get drunk at the end of the week. We'll sneak into their barracks, steal the keys to one of their airships and fly far away from here. 

Mutasim: Will that work? It sounds risky. And what about the other Faunas here? 

Adam: I've already talked to some of them. Some of them don't want to risk being caught and punished, but most of them want to get out of here. 

Mutasim: And what if something goes wrong? What if one of the humans aren't drunk and they watch the entrance of the cavern? 

Adam: Even if it's one guy, all of us against this one person? They'll be torn apart. They won't stand a chance. 

Mutasim: I... I'm still not sure. This sounds risky. 

Adam: I know. But no matter what plan we come up with, there'll always be a risk. I get it. You're scared. And so am I. And the others. But we all understand that if we don't do anything, nothing will get better and more of us will die slowly and painfully. How many people have you seen drop dead from exhaustion in the past week? 

I nod slowly, understanding what he meant. Flashes of Faunas dropping dead hit me in my head. They weren't even given a proper burial. Either they were just left in the ice or they were tossed out of the cave into the snow and set alight. I didn't want to end up like one of them. And if there was any chance of an escape, I had to take it. 

I take another sip from my drink and look at Adam in the eyes. 

Mutasim: What's my role in this plan? 

He smiles and pats my back. 

Adam: Simple. The two of us are the youngest here and the smallest. When the full moon rises, the guards will be in their barracks getting drunk on liquor. You and I will blend into the shadows and sneak out of the cavern. I'll sneak into the building while you just stay outside and keep an eye on security, see if there's any other guards. If there are any, I want you to signal to me through the window. We'll wait until the guard is gone and once it's clear, you'll signal me to come out. Then we make our way to the airship and load in all the Faunas we can carry. A few of us can fly the airships so we won't need to worry about finding a pilot. 

Mutasim: Okay then. But what about cameras? 

Adam: I'll disable them once I sneak into the barracks, don't worry. For now, let's get some rest. We're gonna need it for this Friday. 

I nod and hand the rest of the drink back to Adam. He smiles and takes a few sips out of it. 

Adam: Goodnight Mutasim. 

Mutasim: Goodnight, Adam. 

I lie down and use the blanket to cover the ground beneath me, protecting me from the ice. 

Somehow, the days after that point seemed longer than usual. Perhaps it was the anticipation of the plan that made the suffering last longer or at least appear to be longer. The guards were as ruthless as ever, forcing us to work till we died. As the days passed, over 50 Faunas perished from the overload. I came close more than a few times, but Adam kept me going and took over my work for me when I couldn't lift my arms any longer. However, this got him into trouble when one of the guards caught on. 

They nearly beat the life out of him, but I was able to intervene. But that didn't go unpunished and I was beaten down too. Was my intervention stupid? Yes, I won't deny that. But Adam had spent that week protecting me so much I couldn't just let him suffer. 

We considered each other as friends and on that final night, when we made our escape... 

I called him Brother