Awareness was slowly creeping back into her body. Whatever had been pumped into her, acted like a cocoon. Wrapping around her entire being and preventing anything from getting in or out. From experience, she knew that as the drug wore off it would be like peeling back layers of an onion.

She could feel the ground beneath her now. Digging into her body painful due to the awkward angle she had lost consciousness in. She willed her body to move, pleading internally for it to cooperate with her wishes. Her eyelids felt like they each weighed a hundred pounds. She tried to listen to forest around her, anything that would give her information, but it was like she was in a very long tunnel. The noises around her echoed and rang in her ears.

Her head throbbed from the concentration it took to tilt her body enough to roll on her back. The muscles in her shoulder spasmed as the weight they had been bearing lifted. Vaguely, she recognized that she could still feel the pinch of the needle in her arm.

She had never been an overly violent person. Sure, she had her moments of rage and fights. But she had never taken a life. It was a feat, that not many of her kind could lay claim to. The anger was always there, close to the surface. It took a strong person to control the animal. She used to be proud of it. That she had the restraint needed to control it. But now, things were different. She was different.

Her hand flexed.

A sense of victory washed through her.

Her eyes slowly opened. The drugs finally relinquishing their iron tight hold over her body. A wave of nausea washed over her, a nasty side effect that she hadn't been looking forward to.

The sun was faint in the sky, signaling a slow transition back into the night. She had been unconscious a long time. Longer than normal. Wrapping a hand around her chains, she used the leverage from the tree to pull herself into a sitting position. Tugging the dart from her arm quickly, she dropped it in the dirt. The movement sent the world around her spinning. She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying stop the dizziness from overwhelming her. It did little to help and she barely managed to turn to the side before she emptied her stomach onto the ground. It didn't take long before she was merely dry heaving. Her stomach now painfully empty. It quivered as the wave of nausea started to pass. She took a moment to recuperate, breathing slowly to regain her composure. Wrinkling her nose in distaste at the mess, she pushed herself back to once again rest her body against the tree.

She looked down thoughtfully, and slowly picked up the previously discarded dart. Turning it over in her hand, the sharp needle glinting in the evenings light. She momentarily allowed a smile to touch her lips.

She was aware of movement inside the shack becoming more pronounced. It was normal, after being drugged, for him to come out and force her to drink a large amount of water to keep her from becoming dehydrated. He always stood next to her during these interactions. The side effects of the injections gave him a false sense of security.

Her hand tightened around her newfound prize. He was getting sloppy.

She didn't have to wait long for the man to come sauntering out of the hut. A set of keys hung mockingly from his belt, jingling merrily with each step closer he took. He held a jug of water loosely in his hand. As he approached her, that smug grin he always wore got bigger. He took pleasure in seeing her in such a state. She couldn't wait to tear his smirk off his face.

As expected, he didn't stop outside the reach of her chains. He walked up to her side and squatted own, setting the jug of water down next to him.

"Well, well little missy. Looks like you had a rough day" his smile got wider and he jerked the chain around her neck mockingly before picking up the jug and shoving it at her

She locked eyes with him. Staring. Ignoring the jug that had been shoved into her chest, making no move to take proffered item.

"You kno' the fucking drill bitch. Drink it before I shove it down your throat myself"

A moment passed and a look of annoyance crossed over his face as he realized she wasn't going to take the jug. He reached out, grabbed her jaw with his grimy hand. On instinct, one of her hands came up to wrap around his wrist trying to alleviate the pressure on her face. His fingers dug into her cheeks trying to force her to open her mouth. She could feel his ragged dirty fingernails cutting into the sensitive skin.

She grinned, she couldn't stop it from emerging. Her eyes glinting at the victory that was so close. Her strange actions caused him to stop trying to pry her mouth open, his grip loosened. The realization that something was off, finally hitting him. That he had missed something very important. He tried to shove himself backward, away from her. But it was too little, too late.

She lunged forward, using her hold on his wrist to gain momentum. She lodged the dart in the side of his face. Burying as much of the needle as she could manage and pulled it downwards, tearing a gash several inches long in his cheek before she ripped it back out. His surprised yelp pleased her. She slammed the weapon back down in a different location, giving it the same treatment as the first. He threw himself back, effectively breaking her hold on the needle. He tried to scramble out of the reach of her chains, holding a hand to the new holes in his face. Blood oozing out between his fingers. She followed his body, sinking her teeth into his shoulder shaking her head viciously back and forth as she attempted to rip a chunk out of his skin. His blood tasted like copper on her tongue. Her hands pulled at the keys on his belt, the snap holding them in place easily gave way. She ripped her face away from his skin, her prize had been acquired.

He took advantage of her distraction to crawl away, desperately scrambling to stand up.

But it didn't matter. She slid the key home in the lock of her collar. The pop of the metal releasing rang through the small clearing. Standing up, she let both collar and keys fall to her feet. She took a moment to relish her new freedom.

The man had run off sluggishly into the woods. Excitement coursed through her body. The thought of a hunt only served to rile up her animal more. She was practically vibrating from the need to shift into her alternate form. She gave in easily, seeing no reason to deny herself this pleasure any longer.

The popping of bones sounded through the clearing.