Tales of the Travellers

4

I huddled in the corner of my new room.

I didn't know what ended up happening to the arena, the people or even my Master. I was taken away to this odd facility, along with the other creatures. I never saw any of them again, after that day we all walked into this odd prison. I was trapped in a four walled concrete room. Even here I didn't have the luxury of a window, fresh air and even a proper place to sleep.

People came in, tried to talk to me, and tried to explain how I could go out into the world if I just... changed.

Changed into my werewolf form, changed into my beast self so they could study a living werewolf. I seemed to be the only shapeshifter of the creatures they all took.

But I didn't want to.

I didn't want to be among people like my Master, like these people who won't even let me go outside. I refused to be like them when they tried to show me manners, I refused to be nice to them when they talked to me, I refused to be calm in their presence or to show any response because I just didn't care anymore. I just wanted it all to be over, I just wanted to die in this room so I won't be tormented.

I gritted my teeth whenever someone opened the door, and growled when they attempted to approach and talk to me.

Eventually they seem to give up in trying to reform me back into society.

When days were slow I found myself scratching my arms. I winced whenever I accidently pierced the skin, but I watched my blood get caught in the maze of cracks on the ground before weaving their way to get to the drain in the middle of the room.

It was so dark most of the time.

There was a lone light bulb hanging like a criminal in the centre of the room, but had no light to show me. People were apparently meant to come into the room to change the light bulb, but I wouldn't let them. I wanted my world to be as dark as I saw the outside world.

I closed my eyes, my fingers etching into the cracking concrete, attempting to dig it out blindly.

"Well isn't this lovely," someone said.

My awareness jolted my away as I forced myself to stand up. "You've really fallen quite a bit, haven't you?" they asked.

I leaned against the wall and let off a growl for them to leave me alone.

They seem to find my hostility amusing and softly chuckled. "I'm not one of the facility members," he informed folding his arms. "I'm merely a humble Ringleader." He snapped his fingers, summoning a light that sent discomfort through my eyes as it illuminated the whole room. "And like you, people tend to find me somewhat freakish too."

I stared at him as I blared me teeth to him.

"Nice teeth, I have my own set too," he informed plainly. "My name is Jason. Jason Traveller. I am a Ringleader for an organisation called the Travellers. We find and recruit certain types of people, people just like you. The ones who feel they don't belong, the ones who drew the short straw in life." He looked around my room, "I don't think you can get any further down in life then what you've landed yourself in. You may as well be in a coffin." He looked to the metal reinforced door, there was hardly even a crack under the door to let in new air or light.

My face was still stuck in a scowl at him.

"Do you even know how old you are, Jesse?" he asked. My face cringed at my name. "Yes. I know your name, I've known for a while now. Would you like to know how old you are?"

My interest spiked, my ears twitching.

He seemed to smile as he took off his top hat. "You, my K-9 friend, are about eleven years old. You were created as an experiment to see if werewolf shape-shifters could truly be made, you were one of the successful pups made, but was stolen by a rouge scientist named Dr Mitchel Bell, who used you as a means of gambling." The man tilted his head and smiled, "How am I going?"