Mistaken Identity
Chapter 3
By: EckoStalker

Disclaimer: You guys should know this stuff by heart now, but I must write it. I don't own Harry Potter or those famous characters associated with him, they come from the mind of J. K. Rowling. My story slaves consist of Alexis Whyte and all mentioned Muggles in this story, whose plot is also mine. My co-author owns Artimis Callabella.
Author's Notes: Now, the third chapter! (Annoying, I am... Mwahahaha!)


Bad dream bad dream bad dream bad dream...

Alexis forced her eyes open, her vision blurred and fuzzy at the edges. She blinked several times, and looked around once again. She was encountered by rods of thin metal right in front of her nose, or muzzle in this case. She closed her eyes again and moaned inwardly.

Damn it...

She was really beginning to hate wolves at this point. Her mouth was constricted, and she felt the soft cloth of a muzzle holding her jaws together. She expertly hooked a claw from her working paw under the strap that wrapped around her head, and smoothly slipped it off. As a second precaution, she bit through the thick strap with razor sharp teeth, to avoid its use later on.

She gingerly stretched out; muscles sore and stiff, but her hind feet encountered a solid wall behind her. She raised her head in confusion. Her 'cell' was actually just a cubicle that allowed her enough room to sit upright in. She gazed out with her keen vision past the bars of her cage. She was inside a building, and smelled numerous other creatures around her. Her cage was situated at ground level, and she saw two other humans, females, bustling around in the room. Alexis also picked up the smell of the sick and weak, and her mouth watered hungrily. She shook her head roughly, pushing back such thoughts.

Those two bozos must've dropped me off at the Humane Society place they were talking about... stupid humans...

She made as if to sit up, but was unable to bend her left leg that far. She looked down, finding it encased in a cast of white plaster. Her chest was also bound tightly, making it hard for her to breath, but lessening the pain of her broken ribs.

Well, at least I got one thing accomplished...

Her stomach growled and her throat was parched, reminding her of her other needs, but she couldn't locate any relief around her.

Oh god, they'll probably feed me dog food...

She bristled involuntarily and snarled as one of the nurses kneeled in front of her cell, gazing in at her tenderly.

"Oh, so you're awake? That's good... I'll have to call up Mr. Ross now... he'd like to know of your progress and probably transport you out of the hospital wing..." She spoke in a sickeningly childish manner, using the annoying baby voice that all humans used when talking to someone inferior to them. She stood once again and walked out of sight, and Alexis relaxed.

She could've been kind enough to bring some water, but noooo...

She rested her head between her paws, feeling the twinge of loneliness and hopelessness. Why hadn't Artimis tried to contact her by now? Did she honestly believe that Alexis would stay out of touch for this long? Alexis mused upon these thoughts, growing even more bored by the minute. She started to cramp at the tight quarters of her temporary hospital cell.

Once I'm out of here, I'm buying these people a bigger place... this is ridiculous.

Alexis heard a parade of footsteps approaching, and tensed in preparation. She saw four pairs of feet enter her vision, along with the bottom ends of those wooden staffs that Alexis had encountered with her last two assailants. One of them, a blonde haired fellow, knelt next to the cage and peered in at Alexis. She growled and scooted farther back in her tiny cell with some difficulty. He smiled and stood, another man coming forward. Alexis heard a jingle of keys as the man prepared to open her holding pen. Alexis tensed; drawing up her injured leg, and also readied herself.

There was a hesitation, then the man pulled open the grate, and Alexis lunged forward as best as possible, ready to bolt for her life. She felt something slip around her neck, and her air supply was cut off as the metal coil from one of those staffs tightened its vice grip like a lasso. She was forced to the ground, where she struggled in futility against it. She managed to twist herself around and sink her teeth into the wood of the staff, then yanking it out of the man's grip. She slid backwards over the slippery linoleum, as she stood wobbly, growling menacingly as the other two officers latched their wooden leashes around her neck as well in her unsteadiness. She was pinned against the ground and held there until she calmed down.

She lay limp, trying to breath from the tight binds of both her bandages and the coils,trembling in anger tinged panic. The two men who had hold of her slowly prodded Alexis to her feet, where she stood tensely and rigidly, refusing to move. Even as they tightened the coils, Alexis would not budge. Fed up, they started pulling, dragging Alexis after them. She lifted her casted foreleg to prevent further harm to it and savagely shook her head as she slid across the smooth tile, growling and barking the entire time.

They dragged her out a back door to a long hall of side-to-side caged holding pens. She smelled other dogs here, hearing them as well; it sounding like they were encouraging her to fight harder. She started struggling once again, the edges of her vision tinting red at the loss of oxygen. Finally, another of the officers came up from behind her with a long, forked, metal rod. Alexis felt a jolt of electricity assault her nerves, and she yelped in surprise, nerves tingling unpleasantly. She jerked forward involuntarily, actually helping her captors as they dragged her towards a waiting pen. Panicking as she neared it, Alexis tried another approach and lunged at one of her captors, who fell back in surprise. She was shocked once again by the taser, and fell forward into her new, slightly roomier cell, the assistants hurriedly pulling the staffs' coils from around her neck. One slammed the cage door shut, and all three of the officers leaned back against the opposite pens in exhaustion. Alexis sat back on her haunches, trembling and gasping for breath, glaring harshly at them.

They gazed at her uneasily, never meeting such a reluctant occupant as her. Quickly, all tiredly exited the hall, leaving Alexis alone in her misery.

She breathed deeply, ribs throbbing painfully. She stood shakily, seeing a bowl of water waiting invitingly at the other end of the pen. She hobbled quickly over and lapped up about three quarters of it before taking a breath. Another bowl filled with a brownish slop waited next to her, and Alexis tried her hardest not to scarf it down. She wasn't that far lost in wolfdom to eat that stuff.

She scanned the hall that her pen was located in. It was a brightly lit area, everything concrete except the cold metal of the crisscrossing fence that separated the pens into individual cells. The four or five dogs that were incarcerated around her lay disconsolately in the center of their cages, looking ahead sadly or sleeping off their boredom. The only door was at the opposite end of the hall from Alexis and had a single Plexiglas window set high on it, where a few blessed rays of sunshine shone through from a window on the other side of the door. Two or three vents blew in cooled musty air for circulation on the ceiling, and that was pretty much all that characterized the place.

Alexis whimpered, situating herself at the far corner of her cell, curling around herself and laying her injured leg ahead of her. She watched the door hopefully and calmly dozed off.

--------------------------------------------------

"Whoa, look at that one!"

"No way, it looks wild."

"No it doesn't! Why would they keep it in here then!"

"It's a wolf, honey. We are not getting it."

"But it looks like it will listen! It don't look mean..."

Alexis groaned inwardly as she listened to the pleading of a young boy. She gazed at him in bored disregard. She yawned widely, and sat up, cocking her head at his actions as he ran up to her pen, latching chubby fingers through the grating. The mother rushed up worriedly, watching Alexis distrusting.

She'd be an idiot to listen to this kid...

"Well, let's see what daddy says about it dear..."

You have GOT to be kidding...

An employee of the place sidled up with a clipboard, peering into each pen at the animals there and jotting something down every time. He stopped beside the woman as Alexis stumbled to her feet; head low, a calculating gleam in her eyes. Alexis began to growl lowly, and the kid looked at her in confusion. She barked savagely, jumping at the kid warningly. The mother squeaked, and yanked the child away from the pen, holding him protectively. Alexis continued growling, snickering to herself mentally. The mother asked the man lowly.

"Why do they keep such a beast where children visit?"

"Well, ma'am, we're just keeping the animal here until we get a say so from the head officer."

"Say so for what?"

"The wolf is suppose to be scheduled to be transported to an animal sanctuary out of the vicinity, we are holding her until it is confirmed."

"A zoo?" The boy asked excitedly.

"You could say that."

"Why don't you all just release her back in the wild?" The mother asked questioningly.

"We would, but she has been exposed to human civilization and food. She might travel back here once we release her. She would cause more trouble with the citizens and might get hurt again. It would be best to relocate her, plus the sanctuary had been looking for a wolf for their new exhibit..."

NOOOOOO!

Alexis backed to the back wall of her pen, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched the three humans exit the room.

A bloody ZOO? ARTIMIS!

Alexis yelled mentally in great distress and hopelessness. She paced her cell in growing panic, only stopping when her leg sent stabs of pain into her body. She felt a sudden openness blossom in her mind and she cocked her head in confusion.

ALEXIS!

Alexis yelped in surprise, looking around warily. She finally registered the voice coming from her own mind.

(Artimis! Is that you? Why didn't you contact me earlier! You won't believe what trouble I'm in... )

Slow down, girl! What the hell happened to you? You were supposed to catch up with us a day ago! Finally came back to the woods to see if I could find you... Where are you? Artimis rambled worriedly through her and Alexis's mind link.

Alexis replied haltingly. (Uh... that's a good question... very good indeed... well, it's... it's a long s, story...)

You're stammering. What did you get into?

(Something bad... but that don't matter right now, I just n, need you to come get me. Y, you'll find out when you s... see me...)

Spill it or you're in deeper than you say you is.

(... Well... remember that hermit lady who attacked me? well, that spell had a longer effect than what I had hoped... )

What do you mean? Where are you?

(... I'm... I'm at the pound. )

... The pound as in...

(Yeah...)

Any particular reason you would like to give as to why?

(... Damn it... don't say a bloody word... I'm, I'm stuck as a wolf and... got picked up by them. ) Alexis said quietly, waiting for the barrage of laughter. She didn't have to wait long.

Oh... my... GOD! STUCK? WHOA!... A stream of giggles that Artimis tried hard to suppress, but not succeeding followed it. Alexis waited a moment, hanging her head in embarrassment, then cutting in.

(Okay, it's not that funny...)

Yes it is... wait till the Family hears...

(NO! Don't tell ANYONE! I just need you to bail me out)

This is rich... I'm going to buy you...

(Uh, it's not that simple anymore... I'm being transported to a zoo...)

A ZOO! HA! Artimis laughed again. Alexis was getting angry.

(Alright! I get the point! But unless you come get me now, you're not gonna see me for a long while...)

Why not?

(Do you really think the Ministry is gonna let you use magic to rescue me in the middle of a Muggle city? Come on Artimis, use your brain...)

Oh... didn't think about that... this is gonna be a bit difficult...

(Naw, you think? They're coming soon; you need to hurry and think of a plan...)

Alright. But I'm gonna need help...

(Fine, bring Ron... or Hailey...)

Uh... sure...

(Whatever you do, don't bring Severus!)

(Artimis? Do you here me? Artimis! )

But, Artimis had already apparated back to the manor, gathering her team.

Alexis sat dejectedly, already seeing everyone's reactions once Artimis got there. She wasn't stupid; Alexis knew Artimis wouldn't pass up a chance for a story like this.


Finis Chapter 3
Expect the next chapter on next tuesday.. It happenes to be my favorite one...
Deep Shadows