The Shadow Games

Will you risk your life to save the one you love?

I looked around the place that was now known as my home. It wasn't too great. Dark and musty, cobwebs everywhere. The cage links just reminded me what I had gotten myself into. I never should have broken in... oh well, too late now.

I could see, out of the corner of my eye, a few of the Shadows cowering in fright of me in the other kennels. I wondered why. Sure, I was healthier than them, being new, and of course I worked out a bit, but I knew Shadows were powerful when they wanted to be. Then again, I am one now, giving me a big advantage.

Paws were gonna take some time to get used to. Along with my tail, which seemed to have a mind of its own and wanted to knock everything down. My fangs clanged together every time I shut my mouth. Ears on top of my head was unusual for me, and I wasn't quite sure how to move them like the others. Spiky blonde fur covered my body. I was in Wolf-form, all right. And would be for six more hours, due to the transformation.

That morning, I had been wandering near the Shadow kennels, trying to spot my brother... or, what used to be my brother. A small blonde puppy was what he was now. I could tell it was him, though. He would sit in his kennel, which seemed more poorly taken care of than the others in my opinion. His bright sapphire blue eyes would always stare at me, as if asking why I didn't join him, why I didn't help him. Well, I was here now, wasn't I?

I had ended up near one of the Game-Makers Pods, and, for some reason, had broken in to see what it was like inside. I don't know what I'd been thinking, going in. They had caught me, of course. The punishment for trespassing, more like anything, was either immediate death, or Shadow-Transformation. I was 'lucky' enough to have a Shadow-Transformation.

They had brought me to a white room with lots of knobs and whistles, as they say. Transporting pods were everywhere, leading to anywhere in Zarc. A couple Game-Makers were sitting at the computers, a few were watching me carefully, and others were discussing what seemed to be the next Shadow Games. The two guards that were my wonderful 'tour guides' took me down an extremely long hallway lined with Sleeping Pods. Finally, at the end, was a large, white, metal door. They took me in and inside was totally white, like every other room in this place. Smack in the middle of the room was the Transformation Pod. It was huge compared to the others. It was opened up by splitting into sheets of a sort, breaking like an egg in the front. The back stayed put. Inside was empty, save some steam. I guessed they had just cleaned up from the last one. I heard the Transformations are pretty messy. They pushed me into it and closed it. Though transparent from the outside, I couldn't see anything inside. I started floating, and then the stages began.

The first stage had messed with my DNA, changing my human attributes to wolf-like ones. I had felt indescribable pain as my entire composition was changed. Sharp pain, like knives piercing through me, came from everywhere the organs had been replaced, changed, or added. I had screamed, writhed in agony, pleaded for it to stop. They might as well have been deaf. Then came the interchanging stage, which allowed Shadows to change from Human-form, to Wolf-form, and to Dusk-form. It felt like electricity running through every single one of my nerves. I coughed up blood, punched the walls and floor, puked a couple times; my pain never stopping, the nightmare never ending.

After the first two stages, the Pod opened and I literally fell out. I couldn't support my body weight anymore. I was too exhausted from the pain. They did something to my ear as they held me still. Clipped it, maybe. It still stung. Just as I was getting some of my strength back and was standing on my own in Wolf-form, the guy in charge, the top Game-Maker, DiZ, came up to me. I knew who he was from the past Shadow Games I had watched. He wore a white collared shirt, a dark gray vest, a violet ascot, and black pants and shoes, all underneath a periwinkle lab coat. A red sweater or coat of some sort was draped over his shoulders. His hair was blond and worn long and slicked back. He also sported a short mustache and goatee. His eyes were bright orange, like amber. He smiled, which made me want to strangle him even more than I was in my head already. "So, you've come to join your brother," he said.

I growled, which surprised me. The look of shock on my face made him laugh cruelly. He kicked my side, and, because I was still weak from the transformation, I fell to the ground. "Lock him with the others," he told two men, then he left.

They had put a collar and leash on me, which caused them a bit of trouble. I had bit, scratched, done everything I could to not have that on my neck. They eventually got it on though, and they dragged me to the kennels I had stood in front of just hours ago. Literally dragged. I was almost choked to death. Not that they would care.

Every Shadow had a separate kennel, but they were allowed to wander between them. The kennels themselves weren't locked, only the door, since the kennels were inside a huge house. Kennels lined the walls on both sides. The only off-limits place was the puppy area. That was located outside. Due to Shadows previously, out of complete hunger and desperation, eating the puppies and younger Shadows, they had sealed it off.

The men had pushed me in and locked the door to the house quickly from the inside, just in case any other Shadows tried to escape. They didn't; they were too scared to. I don't blame them. But that didn't stop me from jumping at one of the men as soon as the collar was off.

I could still taste blood in my mouth. Blood from the man's neck. His life-blood. And it tasted... good. No! No, I wouldn't think like that. Blood is not a human food or drink. Blood is something I will not crave. That didn't mean it didn't taste good- No! Stop that!

I could see them watching me, unsure of what to do. One approached cautiously, but I growled at him, so he quickly retreated. My head hurt, my stomach ached, I felt sick. I'm sure I was bleeding in several places, but what did they care? What did anybody care? I'm just a Shadow now, anyway.

Lying down, I sighed in my prison. No escape. I was as trapped as Ven, maybe even more.


(A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Just so you know, the Shadows in this story are different from the ones in LDS, okieday? So you're not confused. ;) R+R!)