Sorry for the long delay, NaNoWriMo is the worst thing on the planet. It's like a vampire that just sucks the will to write and all my inspiration out of me and leaves me on the side of the brain-dead highway. And, unfortunately, I can't just quit because it's an assignment for my Writing class. So, basically, I quit, I get a McShit grade or I fail the course. That's not an option, obviously. So, you'll have to forgive me.
Lauren
"Ok, let's try something easy." I said to Simba as he sat looking at me, head cocked. "Try saying 'dog'" I told him gently. His vocal cords, as it turned out, were just in the development stage, not damaged or stunted like the others, giving him the best potential to learn to speak. It was inappropriate to treat Simba like a human infant, but I had no other means by which I could teach him to speak. He understood words, I could ask him to do something and he could do it, but forming those words seemed to be difficult.
I sat crossed legged on the floor as the snow fell steadily outside, Simba digging anxiously at the dirt with his long claws.
His lips twitched and a low grumble started in his throat. "Dough" He muttered awkwardly in a voice that very much resembled that of a toddler's, ears falling when he understood he hadn't said the word correctly. I reached my hand out to him and he dragged his feet as he moved towards me.
"Hey," I said gently, rubbing his head "it's alright. You're just learning. It takes practice, but we'll get there." He shook his head sadly. "Why don't we just try it one sound at a time and then we'll put it all together, alright?" He grunted, which I took as passive confirmation. "Duh"
"Duh"
"Aw"
"Aw"
"Guh"
"Guh."
"Dog." I held my breath and waited as a sudden look of concentration passed through his brilliant blue eyes. Come on, Simba I thought, willing him to be able you can do it! He inhaled and said with as much effort as I'd ever heard one being put into a single word
"Dog." Shock hit him in the face like a sucker punch. I jumped to my feet, a yowl of victory escaping my lips. The manticore tilted their heads to the ceiling and roared, most seeming far more amused than surprised. I scooped Simba up in my arms and held him in the air above me.
We'd worked on speaking for well over two weeks now. Trying little words like 'to' and 'if' but those didn't seem to be as easy as I had assumed they would be.
"DOG!" He yowled, running around the warehouse, repeating the word over and over again. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Whoa!" Kenzi yelped, just barely dodging the bullet-like cub before he leapt onto her shoulder. "hey buddy." Simba and Kenzi had formed an odd kind of bond over the past month or so. He had 'adopted' her in a way, I suppose. Bo strode in after her, dropping her purse next to the shelf on the far end of the room. She wrapped her arms around my neck and smiled at me.
"Hello." I said softly
"Hi." She purred and Kenzi mimed vomiting
"Come on buddy." She said, walking towards the other end of the room "we don't wanna see them eat each other's faces now do we?" He made a retching noise and I rolled my eyes. Bo chuckled.
"How's teaching Simba to speak been going?"
"Decently." I murmured "We just learned the word—"
"Dog!" the high pitched voice chirped and Bo looked both impressed and baffled at the same time. I chuckled, feeling suddenly a little less preoccupied with the clutter of worried thoughts bouncing around in my head as I pecked her lips.
"That's impressive." She breathed and I pulled her closer to me. She giggled and I smiled.
"So, what can I do for you?" I asked, releasing her and turning back to the testing machine which was scanning my DNA, comparing it to anything it had encountered before. There was a lot of data, so it wasn't surprising it hadn't shown any results in days.
Five days, to be exact.
Son of a bitch.
"Well, actually…" she said, walking up behind me and winding her arms around my midsection. "It's what I can do for you that I'm more interested in." Perplexed, I turned to look at her. "I want you to move in with Kensi and I."
"Oh, Bo—" she covered my mouth with her hand, cutting my sentence short.
"Hear me out." She pleaded, only releasing me after I nodded in agreement. "You've been in this ware house for nearly a month now. I don't even know how you've survive this long out here, with them." Disgruntled and slightly offended grunts echoed from around the room. "I'm inviting you to come over to our place, have a decent home cooked meal and sleep in an actual bed, if only for the night."
"Oh!" Kenzie said, appearing again with Simba clinging to her head. "You can only come if your strange, yet completely adorable, cub buddy can come too." Bo rolled her eyes and shot her a look over her shoulder. "What! Have you not seen this little king? He's like puppies, kittens and chocolate all rolled into one little, fuzzy package of cuteness!"
"Who will one day grow up and begin devouring human flesh."
"Don't hate the player, hate the game." Kenzi said nonchalantly, nuzzling her nose against Simba's.
Bo sighed and looked back at me.
"I'll think about it." I said and Bo rolled her eyes again before giving me a cocky smirk.
"I'll be back to get you at six." She pulled my hand to her lips and then out as she left, prolonging the contacts as long as possible. She dragged her human away from the cub as she made her way to the door. It slammed closed after her.
"Oh!" I said, glancing back over my shoulder at her purse on the floor, "Bo!" I called out for her to no avail. "Aw hell." I shrugged, she was coming back anyways. I glanced around the room. Maybe I should pack…
+/+\+
The sound of the door opening made me smile. "Back for your purse?" I called out teasingly, knowing it had to be Bo. I'd spent the hours since she last visited doing more research. I'd discovered some more facts from the data base. Some things I'd have to question Amelia about later.
But I could talk to Bo right now.
I could trust her. I felt it in my blood.
"I've found out more about my situation. It seems the manticore—"
"The manticore?" I stopped dead in my train of thought, my heart halting for an agonizing moment. I turned around slowly and saw the man I didn't want to see.
"Ash…" I breathed as he stepped forward with his goon squad, the manticore rising from their slumbers quickly, facing off against him, growling and snapping teeth.
"I'd heard rumours of a Half running around these parts, never figured it could've been my run away doctor." I silenced the manticore with a glance, causing them all to fall back into a relaxed position. "It's fascinating…truly." I held my breath, leaning back against the metal table behind me. "I've never seen one so…" he walked towards me and touched my hair "up close and personal."I pulled out of his grasp, revolted by him, resisting the urge to tear him to pieces. I could now. I was full capable of taking him out. "The way you can command the beasts with a simple glance—"
"They are not beasts." I blurted, instantly regretting it. It had been a knee jerk reaction, something I hadn't meant to say. These creatures had become like my family, they weren't my first choice, nor was I theirs. But, for whatever reason, I felt like I belonged here more than I had anywhere else. Even when I'd been completely human.
The Ash smiled at me, making me feel sick to my stomach.
"You're rather attatched to the monsters, aren't you?" I looked away from him, now backed up against the cool metal table. "Well, we'll be sure to take extra special care of them when we put them in the Zoo, won't we?" I opened my mouth, a sharp remark armed and ready, when the cold metal of a collar snapped around my neck. I was frozen for only a second before the five chains attached to the inch thick dwarven metal collar suddenly cinched tight, forcing me to stand with my neck fully extended. I gasped as my fingers gripped the chains, the fae holding each were pulling with all their might though trying to keep the weight evenly distributed in order to keep me in one spot.
My eyes burned as they changed, teeth elongating against my will. I let out a snarl as I fought for freedom, as I fought against the unbreakable chains and struggled to get out.
The manticore leapt into action, snarling and snapping at the men, causing them to slowly begin losing focus. I was too preoccupied with controlling the primal side of myself and fighting to make an effort to control them.
Until I heard a pistol click.
Then a shot rang out.
Silence filled the air as the body of one of the younger manticore fell to the ground with a lifeless thud. My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe, there was no air. The manticore let out low whines and retreated, the same feeling of grief I had washing through them too.
"Simba…" I sobbed, my eyes blurring with tears as the Ash lowered the still smoking gun to the ground and slid it back in the holster on his waist. He looked at me, eyes as cold as absolute zero and he smiled.
He smiled.
I lost it.
My grief was burned away by an all consuming fire of hatred. "Oh," the Ash said, the most disgusting smirk on his face "was that one special?"
I grabbed the chain closest to my hand and pulled, teeth now fully extended, eyes burning like acid as the spines on my arms launched forwards into him, embedding in a clean line from his forehead to his chin, sending him to the ground with a thud. Just like Simba. Lifeless. Dead.
I turned on the next guard, feeling the spines sprouting from my back, jutting out in all directions. With the sound of his breath as he prepared to scream, they shot from me, slaughters in and the other three, making the same sound the first one did when they hit the ground. I turned on the Ash, standing in silent shock in the centre of a warehouse filled with angry animals. We stood there, staring at each other for a long moment, my eyes analyzing everything, ears hearing his heart hammer in his rib cage. He was going to suffer for this.
For everything.
I'd make sure of it.
I crouched down and he took a step back, my lips peeling away from my teeth, every muscle in my body tensing as I waited for the moment to spring.
Then it happened.
He staggered back and tripped, falling towards the ground in what felt like slow motion. I leapt through the air, my fingers curled like claws as I landed on his chest, my feet on his stomach, hands on his shoulders. He stared up at me, a kind of horrified amazement on his face. Though, that look didn't last long. I opened my jaws, preparing to rip his throat open, when the chains attached to my collar pulled taught again, wrenching me off of the Ash with a yowl of outrage.
"Oh no you don't!" Dyson grunted, chains wrapped around his forearms as he pulled against me while I fought to keep forward. Amelia must've joined in because suddenly the almost balanced tug-of-war became an over powering fight I was destined to lose. Still I fought against them, the image of the dead cub fresh in my mind.
Fresh in the minds of all of my pack. They lurched to their feet, letting out fearsome roars that seemed to shake the building as they began circling the shifters trying to restrain me. Their tails curled over their back like scorpions, ready to fire if need be.
"Lauren!" Bo's voice reached my ears, though I still didn't feel the need to turn more acceptable in physical appearance. The Ash pushed himself to his feet, brushing off his blazer and slacks, looking at the dead men around him, each skewered on multiple spines. I snarled and lunged forwards again, beginning to give in to the new animalistic nature that begged to be set free. He killed my cub. He killed my cub and way happy about it, the sick bastard.
The roars grew louder, penetrating my very soul, igniting a feeling within me.
Make him hurt a fury injected voice urged me on in my mind make him feel the pain he's inflicted on you time and time again. Now it's his turn to suffer. Now it's his turn to feel helpless. I dug my fingers into the dirt and pulled hard, hard enough that Amelia and Dyson breathed a quiet 'oh shit' and were dragged along with me.
Make.
I pulled again, feeling my heart pound hard enough I nearly thought it'd punch a hole through my chest. "Lauren!" I heard Bo cry again, shoving Laughlin towards the door. My eyes followed him, my body sensing prey and acting purely on instinct. "Kenzi, get him out of here!" The blue eyed girl wasted no time, hurrying a shocked Ash out. The rest of the manticore followed me, not touching me but urging me on as they tried to surround Kenzi and the Ash and stop them.
Him.
With a roar of outrage, I lunged forwards again, this time hard enough that I broke free of Amelia and Dyson's grasp, running on all fours after the human and the leader of the Light Fae. I smelt his fear, his disorientation. I smelt the disgusting cologne he coated himself with and the blood pulsing through his veins. I dodged around the succubus as she made a grab for me, the chains whipping the dirt at my feet. I felt the fur of the others of my pack brush my sides softly as we moved as one after the man who'd killed our youngest.
Pay.
I leapt through the air, jaw open with teeth ready to tear his limbs off and claws ready to dig into his skin. He was the enemy. He injured one of my cubs in my territory. He had to pay. He had to feel pain. He needed to bleed. I needed him to bleed. To die by my claws.
I would relish every second of it.
Or I would have, had the bite of a dart hit me in the neck only a few feet from my target.
I crashed to the ground violently, skidding on my side through the dirt like a helicopter blade. Suddenly, I couldn't move my limbs. My eye lids grew heavy. The underfae instantly circled me, sitting in a tight perimeter to keep anyone wanting to hurt me out. I let out one, pathetic whine as the succubus made a move towards me, hesitant, however, as the guards let out one, low growl but made no other move to stop her.
The short one, the one with the dart tube stepped into view. When he tried to approach me, the lash of claws stopped him short. They could smell the drugs on the dart on me and on him.
Making him my second least liked being in that room.
He couldn't be trusted. The Fae and humans looked at each other, unsure of what they should do. The tall, blonde woman took a step towards me and received the same greeting the King did. I shuttered slightly as my body tried to fight off the drugs pulsing through my system. A small head nudged my hands, lifting them to drop down his body. I looked at him and couldn't help but grin.
Simba
He looked at me, nuzzled his head against my cheek and said "dog" before shaking out his bloodied coat, the bullet hole no longer there and he was very much alive.
Still, the guards around us wouldn't move. I was still weak, viable to attack.
The succubus tried again, reaching her hand forwards hesitantly, in case they tried to attack her. They didn't so much as look at her, but they growled in their chests, eyes focused dead a head. They leaned away from her as she moved a little closer, allowing her to enter the circle, snapping at the King when he tried to follow. They did, however, allow the human to enter as well. She scooped the cub into her arms and hugged him close.
"Don't you ever, and I mean ever, get shot and die ever again!" she scolded the cub, holding him away so she could look him in the eyes "Do you hear me, Mister!" He nodded slowly, ears against his head as she pulled him into a hug yet again.
The succubus ran her hand over my hairline, brushing it from my face and neck in order to remove the dart stuck just below the collar. I was too tired to hear what anyone was saying. All I know is that two, warm, strong arms slid under me and lifted me the dirt, lips pressing to my forehead quickly as we began to move outside.
You know, I heard that, in order to save someone who's losing their mind to NaNoWriMo, if they get a lot of reviews, it might help them get through the month of November more or less unscathed.
Just a thought though….