She had no idea how many days had passed. Her body ached and shook with hunger and cold, the chills shooting through her like shocks of electricity, ripping sobs from her throat. Her clothes were damp from the puddles in her cell. The only reason she hadn't died of thirst was the water oozing in from the walls and ceiling. The wound in her thigh had been dealt with ages ago – though her captors methods of 'taming' her involved ripping the arrowhead from her leg. Ruby sat in the corner of her cell, praying to whatever gods that would listen to a werewolf to get her out of here, the chains that bound her clanking and chinking as she shivered. She had transformed a few times, a couple due to the full moon, and the others out of fear, stress and anger. The smells of this place reminded her of the Enchanted Forest. When the hunters came to feed her, they jeered and taunted her – their language and clothing indicated that she was indeed back in the Enchanted Forest. Her hopes of getting home to Belle were dashed even more upon this realisation, collapsing away from the wall and falling to the hard ground, ignoring the pain as horrific cries tore from her mouth, tears flowing from her eyes. Eventually, she was knocked out by a hunter due to the amount of noise she was making, howling and barking as a wolf, crying and shouting and swearing as a human. But, as time passed, her strength of body and mind had been sapped by loneliness, despair and intense hunger. She was fed at irregular intervals. A noise made her jump – a distance noise her wolf hearing picked up well before a human would. She heard that sound she loathed, feared more and more each day.
"No," she said aloud, curling into a tight ball. "Not again," she muttered as the lightly thudding footsteps drew closer and closer. The tell-tale tinkling of the keys met her ears. "Please," she implored. The first time she had begged, she felt ashamed. Now she was desperate. When the key entered the lock, Ruby threw her hands over her head, smelling her own blood from her clothes.
"Look at the mighty beast," said the hunter – this one was a woman with long, black hair and a pale, narrow face. The men's 'training' with her was nothing compared to what this woman did to her. Where the men used beatings that generally lasted a few minutes, mostly to shut her up, this woman would spend hours prying high, keening shrieks and screams from Ruby, using psychological and physical torture. She used the physical torture to obtain information to use against Ruby, confusing her brain and making her doubt things even about herself. Ruby could smell food and looked up, despite herself. "You're pathetic," the woman growled, tossing the bowl to the floor carelessly. The contents spilled out and Ruby, unable to help herself, scrabbled forwards, only to be jolted back by her chains, the spilled food just out of her reach. A small whine escaped her lips. "What was that, my dear?" asked the woman.
"Please," she begged. The woman knelt down opposite Ruby, a large scar on her right cheek. They were now at eye-level, the woman's cold finger brushing against Ruby's cheek, running down to her chin, where she raised Ruby's tired head to look her in the eye. Not all of Ruby's spirit was completely gone, however, as her eyes travelled over the woman's scar. A rare smirk formed on her face. She had been the one to put that there. She didn't know how long ago. Her sense of time was completely shot. But she wasn't quite done yet. "Please let me make a matching scar on the other side," she rasped, her voice hoarse from all the screaming.
"You're funny," smiled the woman, before her fist snapped out and she backhanded Ruby across the mouth. The wolf girl felt her already bruised face explode in pain as she hit the damp floor, a derisive chuckle escaping her lips. "You will address your masters properly."
"You're not my master," growled Ruby. Sometimes she begged. Other times, she resisted. Either way, she got beaten.
"Oh, are we in a rebellious mood today? Look at you," sneered the woman, leaning down over Ruby's body. Ruby considered just killing her now, but she knew she'd be killed just as easily if she did. She had to get out. Besides, the woman was a formidable opponent when Ruby was first put in here, fit as a fiddle and full of fire. Now, her spark was dwindling, her body out of tune and tired. She was always tired. She narrowed her eyes, managing to haul herself off of the floor and lay against the back of the cell, her aching head lolling against the cold rock, the water seeping through her hair and onto her skull. "What would your precious Belle think of you?" she whispered, her lips brushing Ruby's ear, her warm breath caressing her cold skin. Ruby felt a ripple of fury run through her at the mention of her name – obtained under torture – but she bit down her retort, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. She could get out of here. And she needed to eat. She really needed to eat. "Haven't I plucked a nerve?" asked the woman, stranding and straightening up. "Are we actually learning?"
Ruby refused to answer. She had to get her temper under control. The only way out would be to play their game.
"Good. Now, speak," ordered the woman with a malicious grin. Ruby remained quiet. "Speak!" she snapped, driving a kick into Ruby's stomach. Ruby convulsed, rolling onto her side and coughing, hands clenched so tight her nails tearing her skin.
"Yes," spat Ruby.
"Good girl," said the woman in a soothing tone of voice, kneeling down next to Ruby and stroking her hair. She produced a wooden spoon and scooped some of the gruel that remained in the bowl up and offered it to Ruby. Ruby allowed herself to be fed, her jaw aching as she chewed, her throat scratching as she swallowed. The woman continued stroking her hair in a way that reminded Ruby too much of Belle and continued to feed her for another few minutes before she offered Ruby a drink of fresh water. It felt like heaven, having fresh, cool water splash over her lips rather than having to suck it from tiny puddles on the cell floor, mixed with blood and dirt more often than not. She drank about half before the flask was torn away from her and she received the slash of a knife, the sting making her cry out and her arm shot to the shallow wound on her arm.
"To remind you to behave," said the woman. "I'll be back." As soon as the door closed, Ruby darted towards the food, shifting into the much larger wolf. Ignoring the pain, she stretched forwards and licked at the floor, gathering up as much food as possible. The manacles around her wrists, now her front legs were uncomfortably tight, but she didn't care. A little more satisfied, she curled up in her favourite corner as the wolf and whined a little, settling down and trying not to move her aching, exhausted body. She spent most days in a daze, somewhere between sleeping and waking. One constant was Belle. Her thoughts strayed to Belle all the time. If she hadn't been so stupid. Of course Belle wasn't cheating. She knew that at the time. But it was the fact that Ruby knew if she did, that Ruby would understand. Belle deserved better than a beast. Better than Rumplestiltskin. Better than Ruby. She deserved someone who was human and whole. The human Ruby was crying inside of the wolf, who whined again, high-pitched and longing.