Seven

"Just be quiet, okay? I’m hungry!" I yelled angrily, my voice shaking with frustration and exhaustion.

The wolves growled, low and menacing, as I stepped closer to the carcass. Their glowing eyes followed my every move, and the largest of them, who I assumed was the alpha, stepped forward, baring his teeth. I froze, my stomach rumbling in defiance of the danger in front of me.

The alpha's snarl deepened, his warning clear. I was invading their feast, and I had no right to their kill. Fear spiked through me, but my hunger was overwhelming. 

"Please," I muttered, my voice shaky but pleading. "I’m starving. Just let me have a bit... I won’t take it all."

The alpha held my gaze for a moment longer before stepping back, his growl lowering in volume. The others, still wary, followed suit, reluctantly giving me space but keeping their distance. 

Finally seeing an opening, I took the chance. I grabbed the antelope’s leg and pulled it towards me, my hands trembling as I tore into the bloody flesh. The taste of iron filled my mouth as I bit down, chewing through blood-soaked meat and sinew. It wasn’t pleasant, but it eased the gnawing hunger in my belly.

The wolves watched with quiet rage, their eyes burning with the injustice of it, but they let me eat. I chewed hurriedly, barely swallowing before tearing off another piece. When I had stripped the carcass clean, only bones and scraps remained.

Suddenly, the clouds overhead rumbled with thunder, and the wolves scattered into the shadows of the trees, vanishing into the night. A storm was coming. I needed shelter. It seemed as if it was about to rain heavily, tat I knew; so I followed the wolf close by, hoping to find shelter.

I followed the wolves, my body weak but determined. After what felt like hours, we arrived at a small, hollow cave hidden between two massive oak trees. The entrance was narrow, with slabs of stone stacked precariously, weeds curling around the rocks. One by one, the wolves slipped inside, while I followed suit.

I didn’t venture far in, choosing instead to sit by the entrance, leaning my back against the cold, unforgiving stone. The rain poured down heavily, drumming against the earth for hours until the first light of dawn began to filter through the treetops.

As soon as the rain stopped, the wolves left without a second glance, leaving me alone in the cave. I heard the forest lives beginning to wake up once again, hovering around in search of food. Exhaustion weighed heavily on my eyelids, and before I knew it, sleep overtook me.

---

“Hey!!!, Over here Patrick. Look what we got here, such a pretty damsel. I told you they have to be one of them roaming around here”, the voice spoke, and I heard it while in a deep sleep

Footsteps slowly and silently approached me, soft at first, but growing louder and closer. My body was too weak to react, my limbs heavy with fatigue. The hair covering my neck and arm, gradually been lifted up. I wasn’t sure how long I have been asleep, but I was too weak. 

"We’ve definitely hit the jackpot," the voice continued. "She’s going to fetch a high price, no doubt about it."

My eyes snapped open at that I stood up immediately, and positioned myself for a fight against the strange faces in front of me. But then, I noticed that they had a barrel of a long black gun with them.

 Two men stood before me, their faces twisted into cruel smiles. The taller one reached down and yanked me to my feet by my hair, dragging me out of the cave. My body protested with every step, the pain in my arm shooting through me like wildfire.

The sun was high, its bright light making my head spin. Both men were dressed in long brown coats and heavy boots. They reeked of malice. They both looked down at me, their lips twisted with a crooked smile, and the eyes very creepy.

My arm was yet to heal, and my wolf yet to move a muscle. I was so tired, and knew I had to escape, but the mere sight of the gun pinned me down.

“Try anything stupid, and I will blow your pretty little brain off your skull”, warned the shorter one of the two men in front of m

“Leave me alone, and let me go”, I demanded.

“Not at all. In fact, I think our boss Is really going to like you. You look just like his favorite toy”, one of the men behind me said.

 He released my hair, causing me to fall to the ground with no support. I cupped my hand closer to my body, as the barrel was still pointed at me. 

I looked up slowly, and with all the strength I still had left in me, I grabbed the gun off the man’s hand, swung it around and hit the man behind me. I then jumped over to his order side, and pointed the barrel at the shorter one.

“Stay back!!”, I growled loudly at the two men.

“You bitch!”, The one on the ground said, rubbing his hand on the side of his face I had hit with the gun.

 The shorter one bent down and started pulling his partner away from me., While I kept the barrel pointed at them, as I was taking some steps backwards away from them..

I was all ready to take off with full speed, when I was tackled to the floor. My body made contact with the ground forcefully; landing on my already broken arm. 

The pains immediately worsened like a wave of electrical shock. A wolf was above me. It’s teeth bared and it’s voice growling in my ears.

“Nice one Sly. I actually thought we were going to loose this one”, the shorter one applauded the wolf, while walking towards me. 

He grabbed the gun from me, hammering the butt of it against my temple. It hurt like hell, and my vision suddenly became blurred. 

“Go get the monkshood!”, The taller one yelled at the shorter one.

 The world around me began to double, and move slowly. One of the men grabbed me, brought me to my feet, and placed me on his shoulder. 

I was still weak from the hit, and as such unable to fight back. From my own eyes, I could see blood dropping to the ground from my temple. 

One of the men held a syringe, its needle glinting in the sunlight. 

"Let’s make this quick," he muttered before jabbing it into my arm.

 A jiggle went through me, and I felt a long syringe piecing into my skin. It made almost all my sense go completely, for I could hear everything going on around me, but I couldn’t react or move a muscle. The liquid inside burned as it spread through my veins, and within seconds, my body went limp. I couldn’t even speak. 

 I bled in pain, as my bone, flesh and organs felt like they were been crumbled upon. A sickening numbness took over, paralyzing me. I could hear everything—the rustling leaves, the grunts of the men as they manhandled me—but I couldn’t move. My limbs were useless, dead weight, as they threw me into the back of a large truck.

Pain surged through my body as I landed hard on the metal floor, but I couldn’t even scream. My head spun violently, the lingering effects of the syringe making me feel like I was floating in and out of consciousness. 

The truck roared to life, bouncing over rough terrain. My body jerked with every bump, my broken arm grinding painfully against the floor. The smell of gasoline was thick, suffocating. I wanted to gag, to cry, but I was utterly helpless.

My lungs felt like there were contracting each other, as my body kept on smashing from one angle to another. My arms and legs were fluttering aimlessly, searching for somewhere to hold onto, and stop the forward movement. The pain unbearable as I was thrown around like a ragdoll in the truck’s cargo. I was trapped, powerless to stop whatever was coming next.

I was just left to lay on the cold truck, unable to move. Fearing for the worst and waiting to see where I was being taken to.