Among The Wolves

Iota

Clink-kerr-CLICK.

The sound of the door unlocking had me looking up from my little corner. There was not much else I could do but sit or lie here and wait for my 'water'. I was beginning to wistfully wish that some action would happen. It was now my fifth day here and my poor unused muscles were feeling it- or rather I was feeling that they were weakening.

As the door opened I turned to look expecting Eta to come in with my water. It was a little sooner than he normally brought it but I was not going to be one to complain. The last meal I had was the plate Zeta Hem’Lar gave to me. I gave in to my stomach's pleas and gobbled it right up. It was the most delicious thing I'd eaten in three days! However, I wonder now if it would have been better to stretch the meal out… to make it last. In any case, I anticipated Zeta Hem’Lar's return and sorely hoped he would bring another plate of food with him.

A pair of prison guard shoes entered my room. Immediately, I noted it was not Eta and that there was no water. I turned to lay back down. If he had no water for me then I had no use for him.

"Hello human."

The voice sounded inhumane. By now, I learned that this was a werewolf partly shifted or getting ready to shift. Either way, I despised the equidistant state of being. They looked human but they were far from it. It was the most distressing deceptiveness I ever encountered.
Just awful.

Unsure what to do, in response to this new unsavory character, I did the silliest of all my options. I played the I-am-not-listening game and continued to lay back down. Honestly, I was so hungry and so ill-feeling that I probably just did not care for anything that was not food, water, or Zeta Hem’Lar.
I was certain that because of my standoffish behavior I would be rewarded a (very-not-so-nice) growl.

…

"GRRRRRRR"

The low rumble behind me seemed to cause a minor quake in the room. I knew it. I just knew he was going to growl. What is it with these creatures growling so much? It is almost as if they perceive EVERYTHING as a threat.

Large hands gripped my shoulders with an iron grasp. Hoisting me up with little gentleness. I felt pain but also felt too weak to give much ado about it. The pain was not that bad anyway.

"I am going to make you feel so much agony before you die."

The words spoken entered into me like a morphine injection. First just buzzing my auditory instruments as the vibrations made their way to the cochlea then shooting up my auditory nerve. When the information hit my brain a hot fire pulsed through my lethargic nerves. Awakening them suddenly.

Is he going to kill me?! That cannot be right. Zeta Hem’Lar said I have a court date. This man is lying… or worse, he means what he says in opposition to Zeta Hem’Lar. Worse yet, everyone lied. Still, I can't die!

The shock of what I heard caused me to jerk violently. The werewolf apparently did not anticipate my reaction as he lost his hold on me and I crumbled to the floor. With credit to my adrenaline's fight and flight response I bounced off the floor and fled from the man. I wasn't ready to die yet. Somehow, my legs carried me past the silver prison doors. I grabbed the metal handle with my flying arms and swung it. The wolf-man thing was right behind me though, his mostly transformed hand was reaching out. We were both too slow. He did not reach me in time and I did not close the door soon enough. His hand-paw thing got caught between the latches of the high-quality lock. I could not hold the door back as it ricocheted back from the collision.

An obviously pained grunt came from the throat of the wolf-man thing. Still, wasting no time I ran down the hallway that I had now seen many werewolves go. “Help!”

I knew that I was requesting the aid of other werewolves while at the same time being attacked by one. I wasn't sure if it would just prolong or quicken my demise.

“HELP!!”

I reached the corner that Zeta Hem’Lar had once turned and was very glad to see a set of double doors just twenty feet out.

The loud screeching of a swinging door told me that the werewolf behind me was now out of the cell. If the books were right about a werewolf's speed and if my judgment on the distance of the hallway was right… I had 3.27 seconds to reach the double doors.
And reach them I did… in 2.89 seconds.
As I opened the door I began screaming. My hopes for a rescue were on whomever was beyond the doors. If there was no one, then I was doomed.
“HELP! AGGGGHHHHHHAAAAAA!”

I pushed past the doors and could see nothing. Just darkness. I ran anyway into the black abyss. A force from I know not what slammed into my behind.

I woke up with a start, chest heaving and shivering. My grimy hair hung over my face. A deep sigh left my lips when I realized I was not actually being chased by a human-hungry werewolf. Thank goodness that was all a dream.

I twisted my head around and saw the Eta standing there, apparently he had kicked me awake. “Here's your water.”

Water.

Water sounded wonderful. I went to get up but found I could not. My muscles were all stiff and weak. Laying my head back down I waited until the Eta left. My pride would not allow him to see me struggle.

When the door closed behind him, I stretched my muscles and managed to crawl to the wicker chair. The rough cement floor chuffed my knees. After the water was gone I sat in the chair. The horrible thing about this water diet was that it was going to be another agonizing 20-some days before I would die.

The Eta spoke up, making me realize that he never left from beyond the door. “Good morning, Iota (Pack doctor).”
“Eta” was a short, curt, FEMALE, response.

I almost couldn't help widen my eyes. There's a female! I was wondering where they all were.

The door opened and a woman in a white lab tan lab coat. Medium length blond hair but with a young face. Young, stoic, face; nonetheless I made sure my guard was up. The woman ... Iota -she was called- she held in her hand a small computer. After giving me a once over she then glanced around the room. “Bring me a chair.”

What? Is my chair not enough?

A chair was promptly brought and the woman sat down and began tapping notes onto the electronic device. She sat in the chair for some time, glancing back at me every now and then. I knew that she was observing me and noting things.

Eventually, she got up and pulled a mini flashlight from her pocket. “You don't want to move for this.”

Before I could react she grabbed me between the jaw and the neck. Holding my face erect she proceeded to blind me with the light. I pushed away, “Stop!”
The woman was unfazed by my protests, she looked at my neck and poked around. Even when I turned she managed to keep me facing her. She worked as a professional, her job probably consisted of checking unconsenting humans. A chill went through my veins, if this was her job then that means that made me the guinea pig.

When she finished prodding me she grabbed her computer and began typing again. After a hot minute she stood up, “Eta.”

The door opened instantly. “I have what I need. The only thing left is to find out her recovery duration.”

“What will you have me do?”

The Iota studied me as if I was a plant or her 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. It made me feel sick. A sense of impending doom filled me, things were not going to end well. Now I wished I hadn't wished for action… or was that just my dream?

“Nothing yet, for her procedure is to wait for Alpha M’est’r to interrogate her first. My duty is done for now.”

M’est’r... M’est’r…. M’est’r, M’est’r, M’est’r, M’est’r, M’est’r, M’est’r. Where have I heard that before? Is he maybe…? GREEN GRASS FLIPPING CLIPPINGS!

I felt colder than ever before. I'd seen an Alpha before… it wasn't the great and mighty Alpha M’est’r,  who was the Alpha of the largest packs in Wos’Theon. As a little girl, the Alpha I had seen was a huge beast and acted much like godzilla but much more evil. The horrid creature that I saw all those years ago had blood dripping from his snout…

my mother's blood.