The footsteps of the Erasers pounded along the walls and all around her.
There was four of them, bulging with inhuman muscles and covered in a thin layer of brown fur. Two were on either side of her, each one holding one of the chains that were wrapped around her wrists and ankles. They were made of tight metal that chafed against her fur, and she resisted the urge to try and readjust them.
The one behind her shoved at her back, making her stumble forward. The sandy red fur over her entire body bristled, and she growled fiercely through the muzzle covering her mouth. They didn't want to take any chances with her fangs. It laughed harshly but pulled its arm back, but its grip tightened on the chain leading to a metal collar around her neck.
The white washed hallways were bright and burning against her light sensitive eyes, and she blinked them furiously. She flicked her ears irritably. They protruded from the top of her head, almost eight inches long and pointed with a long tuft of black fur on top. Her short tail curled tighter against her leg.
The hallway ended quickly, though she couldn't tell very well from the large Eraser in front of her. She hissed when they yanked on her chains, forcing her to stop. The one behind her was particularly brutal, her head jerking backwards as he pulled on it. Her claws flexed against the casings covering her hands.
When she was still being tested by real scientists that were searching for an answer within her DNA, they weren't nearly so cautious with her. She had been less tied up, sometimes even allowed to have her claws free in the hallways, though she had always had an escorting guard of Erasers. She was treated better too, given a tiny room that she could actually stand up in. But now, when she was an expendable mutant like hundreds of others, they took no chances. She was a danger now; even more so when she was being forced to fight in the Arena.
The lead Eraser stepped forward and pressed his furry paw against a small pad near a blank white wall. It beeped softly, emitting a bright green light. Only a second later and the door hissed open, splitting the wall into two perfect halves that slid into the wall next to them. The one behind her shoved her roughly, pushing her forward and almost straight into the lead Eraser. He - and she was pretty sure that it was a he - growled down at her, amber yellow eyes burning. He stepped aside, and the two Erasers holding her chains stepped into the room, pulling her along.
She tried to wrench her arms closer to her chest, but it was to no avail. The Erasers were much more prepared and stronger than her underdeveloped form. They barely twitched when she pulled.
She was in a small room with only two doors. One lead forward, while one was behind her. The room was made of the same burning white tile as the hallways outside, and her eyes smarted. She half closed their pale yellow-green iris', glaring out through her slitted pupils.
The Eraser on her left hesitantly reached forward, putting a paw on both sides of her head. A small click and then the muzzle holding her jaw closed slipped off. She took an instant deep breath before running her sandpaper tongue over her lips. Air not tainted by the rough cloth that had covered her mouth flowed into her, and she greedily sucked more in.
She stared as the Eraser retreated slowly, its paws moving slowly as to not provoke her. Erasers were smart around mutants, no matter how they acted in battle. They had lived their whole lives doing this; they had picked up some tricks. They would be dead if they didn't.
Her lips twisted up to one side, exposing her right canine. It was large, much bigger than the Erasers' when they were in this form. But they didn't even move, instead going down to check on her shackles they had on her also extended down to cover her entire paws, so she couldn't release her claws and hurt anyone. When they released her, she would be completely free to do that again. As both Erasers bent down to unlock the restraints on her feet, the collar around her neck tightened harshly, and she froze.
A single beautiful click later and her feet were free. She lifted them up obediently, letting them slide the thin covers off of her paws.
The second she could feel the pads on her feet touch the cool ground, she sighed in relief. She hated having her feet covered. Her feet were very animalistic, and had both thick, gripping pads and stiff fur. They were excellent for balance and gripping things. Her paws were the same, and she had found it was almost impossible for anything to be taken out of her grasp.
The Eraser were already working on her hands, and they were slipped off and taken out of her sight the next second. She rubbed her pads together, feeling the roughness she was so used to.
The door behind her hissed open, and she jumped, powerful legs pushing her a foot off the ground. Her claws shot out of her hands, five black and sharp from each paw and foot. She hissed, fangs out and exposed.
The metal collar slammed against her windpipe, crushing it and cutting off her air. She wheezed but froze, her claws slowly sliding back into her fur covered hands.
"Is this CC01?" A woman's voice asked. She could feel her giant ears press against her skull. She hated this scientist.
"Yes, Miss Kyler." The Eraser holding her collar said respectfully. She could imagine his head bowed to the woman and her eyes darkened.
She held silent as the woman walked around her to meet her eyes. Kyler's dull blue ones met her own, unforgiving and powerful. She towered over her, white coat snug against her body.
"Shift," she hissed out. She held up the clipboard always in her hands and took a step backwards.
She growled, feeling her haunches rise and claws poke teasingly out. But Kyler just stared at her with those dead eyes, and delicately fingered the papers in the clipboard.
The Eraser kept a tight hold on the chain as she marched angrily over to the closest wall, taking some tiny bit of satisfaction when the woman had to step closer to observe her. The other two Erasers stepped back on either side of her, ready to stop if she got dangerous.
She turned around sharply and pressed her back against the wall. She pushed back harder and harder, feeling her bones begin to creak and move. Her back began to burn, but she gritted her teeth and continued. After only a few minutes, her spine snapped into position and she fell onto all fours.
That was her special ability, and she was proud of it. With a little work and pain, she could force her spine into a different position, allowing her to walk on all fours easily like a real animal. It was exhausting and she'd be tired later, but she was faster, stronger. It was special only to her, and while it took a little time, she was so much better after shifting. But she wasn't very good at using this form, having lived most of her life on her feet only. She stumbled often and fell more, but she was better.
She would win this fight, even though it was only her second in the Arena.
Kyler grinned mockingly down at her before making a small note in her clipboard. She marched back out the door behind her, flicking her fingers at the Eraser holding the chain. The door closed behind her, leaving her in a closed off room.
The two Erasers stepped over to the other door, standing on either side. One pressed his paw to another pad, and the door began to slide open.
She shifted on her haunches, the Erasers towering much higher above her. The one holding the chain fiddled with her collar until it finally snapped off, freeing her from the last constraint. The Eraser's tensed up, eyes fixed on her fangs and claws. She cracked her neck, no more metal keeping her from moving it. Her tail whipped through the air.
The door open fully, bringing within the sharp scent of trees and water. The Eraser landed a firm kick to her furry back, and she yowled in frustration. She tore through the door, emerging into the Arena.
It was a genetically created forest inside of a building.
The room was amazingly tall with a glass roof, the top domed and curvy. It allowed flying mutants to attack from above, and let the trees grow with the sunlight. The walls were painted a soft green, covered by a thick and slippery coating that stopped most mutants from trying to climb up it. The ground was covered in thick dirt with random patches of sand, all of it swirled up and shifted from mutants.
The main feature was a small group of trees in the centre. They were big and tall, covered in fluffy green leaves that were much more vibrant than the walls. Some had different leaves and barks, barely any two alike. She couldn't see them, but she knew there were several ponds and streams spotted around the middle.
It was the Arena.
A loud buzzing filled the room, and she winced and shook her head violently. Her tail thrashed against her legs, not long enough to do anything else.
The buzz cut off, and a man's voice cut into the room. It was still too loud for her advanced hearing, and her giant black tipped ears twitched.
"We have CC01 and FPD10 in the Arena today. The match continues until one is not able to fight."
She had long since figured out what the name meant. It talked about what animal she was. Caracal - Common. She was the first subject to be injected with Common Caracal DNA, which made her unique, she guessed.
But that was not her name. That was something chosen by a person who only looked at what they had created her to be.
She didn't know who FPD10 was. She guessed she would find out.
She took a careful paw forward, swivelling her ears back and forward. They were her greatest asset; being almost a foot tall, they could sense almost anything around her. The black tufts of fur on the top were like extra limbs; she could feel disturbances in the air above her with them.
A soft sound, like someone stepping on dirt, came from her left. She spun towards there, coming around to see a girl.
She was short, probably shorter than she was standing up. Her hair was short, curly and blonde, and her eyes were a dark black. Completely black. She was half standing in the shadow of a tall tree, arms tucked to her chest.
She leant backwards and settled on her back legs, shifting until she was sitting comfortably. "FPD10?" She guessed.
The girl winced, and she suddenly became aware of bright blue and yellow splotches all over her throat, seemingly on her skin like it was her own self. Her animal instincts screamed at her.
Poisonous! Do not eat!
"Neon." She said quickly, rubbing her fingers together. Her black eyes stared almost curiously at her ears. "Are you part cat?"
She nodded, tail idly flicking. Her claws slowly slid out, carving ruts in the soft dirt. "I go by Reflex," she answered back. "I'm 11% Caracal."
Neon blinked once. "That's a lot," she said softly. "I'm only 4% Poison Dart Frog."
Reflex stiffened, pale eyes fixing on the colours over Neon's skin. They weren't very bright, but they were big, and they covered most everywhere that she could see. There were tiny black lines that ran from her shoulders and disappeared beneath her clothing, much fainter than the splotches over her throat.
Poison?
Neon looked down to one side, shoulders falling slightly and her arms hugged her chest. "Don't touch me," she offered up.
Reflex hissed softly. Her claws ached as she dug deeper into the ground, scraping against stone. "I understand."
Her ears flicked again, catching the slight sound of the dirt moving around Neon's feet. Her legs tensed.
She took one last look at the mutant forced inside of this place and changed forever, before whipping around and darting into the trees.
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of my OC Submit!
Shout out to LittlePineCone for giving me Neon!
In case you didn't understand, here's how the naming system works -
CC01 ( Caracal - Common - Test Subject 1) or (Species - Subspecies - Test Subject Number)
Please leave more OCs! I really need more than what I have to make this a true story!
Frost OUT!