Scars of the Past, Hope for the Future

[clouds just clouds]

Jeremiah watched with wide eyes as both Damos and Mimi seemed succumbed to an invisible force. He ran to them and let out a small noise to voice his worry. He turned his head to where she pointed, and then pushed his face against her cheek, hoping that his calmness could ease her pain. Stepping away, he turned towards the direction and ran. Easily, he slipped past branches and leaped over logs.

He only hoped that he wouldn't run into trouble that he couldn't handle. It seemed in a matter of moments he came across a beaten dirt road. Skidding to a stop, dirt flew up around him. It only took him a few moments to decide which way to go, and he was off again.

His muscles burned, but he didn't notice much of the pain. The growl of a van hit his ears and grew. He was close. With his heart pounding in his chest, he rocketed down the dirt road and caught site of the black van rolling slowly across the dangerous road.

Dirt kicked up behind the van and filled Zachariah's lungs. He skidded to the side of it and ran along side it. Through the thick dirt and exhaust from the van, he could smell the little girl, among other things. He leaped up and smashed his elbow into the side of the van, making it yank to the side.

He heard a scream.

Surprisingly, the van slowed down and came to a stop. Zachariah stopped and panted, but he knew better than to stay in plain sight. He dove behind the van and crouched, waiting for the sound of boots to hit the dirt. His shoulder throbbed painfully, but he did his best to ignore it.

[Moon]

Zachariah's calm was like a rush of cool air and Mimi eagerly absorbed the feeling. She returned his affection by brushing his cheek with his. Though he turned away she felt herself panic. Whatever was waiting for them at the end of the scent trail was dangerous and neither one of them could face the threat alone. However, before she could protest he was gone. Filled with worry she immediately mounted Damos and sped after him.

The smell of exhaust soon burned her lungs as they followed Zachariah's tracks blindly. The closer they got the more worried Mimi became. She briefly wondered if the little girl was kidnapped for a reason. When she couldn't come up with a solid reason she gave up on the idea. Kidnappers never really needed much a reason to do anything.

The pair slowed to a stop as they neared the now parked van with Zachariah hidden behind it. Not wanting to blow either of their covers Mimi lowered herself to the ground but made sure that she could still see Zach. Her muscles were tense as she waited for any sort of sound. Then the crunch of gravel hit her ears and she suppressed a growl. If he was going to need help Mimi and Damos were at the ready.

[clouds just clouds]

Zachariah's claws dug into the ground when he heard the impact of someone's feet hitting the dirt. The fur along his spine rose while his heart hammered away in his chest. "Here kitty kitty," the man's smug voice caused irritation to rush through Zachariah. The door on the other side of the van opened and another pair of feet hit the ground. "Kitty, kitty..." The first male chuckled.

Zachariah crouched, waiting. He saw a flash of movement on his side and sprung, a growl erupting in his throat. His claws caught flesh and clothes, ripping. A bright blue light flashed and it seemed as if all of Zachariah's molecules were being torn apart. While the man before him screamed, a painful cry left Zachariah that twisted into the scream of a man.

When he tumbled into the earth, his anigma form fell away and he crawled, shaking, as man. Eyes wide, he turned to see what happened. The man had a stick with a powerful electric zap at the end of it. He held his arm, and even if his face twisted with pain, a smirk curled his lips. "What do we have here, an anigma, hmm? I guess this is the first time you've been zapped. It's a killer, isn't it?"

Shock filled Zachariah. He couldn't move. All his muscles were frozen from the pain, contracting and twitching. He tried to force his body to cooperate, but all he could do was fall back into the dirt. The man smirked. "You'll go for a hefty price. Trying to be hero, are we?"

Zachariah focused on twitching his fingers, remaining silent as he glared at the man. He tried to think of a plan. The man stepped closer, lifting a leg to kick him, and then Zachariah's hand snapped up. He grabbed the strange torture device and turned it on the man. Another cry left him and he stumbled away, crumpling to the ground.

Holding the stick tightly, he glanced around for the other pair of boots, only to feel the electric pain again. He let go of the stick and found himself harmless. A thick pair of boots jammed into his side, and then caught his chin. Blood filled his mouth, and his head jerked back. He must have bit his tongue. For good measure, the second man zapped Zachariah once again. "There." His eyes narrowed. "Chaz, get up. We need to crate him."

[Moon]

Something between a snarl and a scream from Mimi's throat. Normally she would have froze at the mere sight of Zachariah being practically manhandled, but all she felt was red hot anger coursing through her and giving her false courage. With Damos at her heels she burst through the underbrush and tackled the first man away from Zach. She bared her teeth as a particularly vicious growl rumbled in her throat. Damos and Mimi surrounded Zachariah, using their own bodies to shield him from the two threatening men. She pulled out her knife, to show them she meant business. If she was going to be captured too, she wasn't going to do it without giving one of the men a few scars. Or at least that was what she planned to do if her courage did not falter.

However, before her feral side took complete control she forced herself to remain logical long enough to get some answers. She bent lower to the ground, settling her weight in a three-point stance so that she could move quickly if she needed to. "Why are you doing this? Why are you kidnapping innocent children who've done nothing wrong? You too scared to hunt the bigger prey?" Her face twisted into a snarl. "Your type of people make me sick. I wouldn't even spit in your general direction."

[clouds just clouds]

The world shifted, spun and danced. It followed its own rhythm, swinging back and forth and then twisting around. Zachariah tasted something metallic in his mouth, but he couldn't register what it was. He was a on the wrong part of reality, watching it through a fun glass mirror. He couldn't make connections as to what was happening, but he did internally scream, No! Mimi, no!

Emotions shifted and bubbled around him, but on the most part, he felt nauseous. Why did he feel so nauseous? He wasn't even aware that he was groaning. His fingers twitched uncontrollably, and he watched with mild, unattached interest. He heard vicious laughter, and it made little angry bubbles with horns pop around his vision. "You're so naive! But beautiful. I bet men would pay a lot for you." The little red bubbles all smirked, mocking the voice he heard.

The second man held the his tazer in front of him while the first man groaned and tried to get up. "We capture slaves. It's a good business, really, but I don't have time to explain this to you. So either you put your knife down, or you end up in woohoo land with your mate over there. If you're nice, I'll make sure you two are sold together."

The first finally stood, and when he did, the second threw him his own tazer. Quickly, the first man caught it and the two began to circle Mimi and Damos. "Think she's a liluye?"

"Yeah," the second man frowned. "I wonder if we beat it to death if she'll die too." A smirk lifted his lips. "Too bad. That last one was fun. Didn't last too long, though."

[Moon]

Mimi gripped her knife even tighter as she glared at the pair. Her eyes went from one to the other, then to the weapons in their hands. She knew being zapped by one of those would no doubt incapacitate her like it did to Zachariah. She had to think of a way to get all three of them out alive and preferably without more injury than necessary. She didn't bother giving the man satisfaction in a vocal response. All she did was growl menacingly at the both of them.

"You're nothing but a monster. I'd gladly rip your throat out and make your partner watch." Mimi wasn't a particularly violent person when it came to people. Of course she wouldn't hesitate to attack them, should they make a move, but she wasn't too sure that she would be able to kill a man let alone two of them. The last time she did, it didn't exactly end well. But Zach is in danger, and I can't just let them go. Not after all they've done and will continue to do if they get away. Mimi felt her face heat up at the truth in the man's words.

Mimi, we need to do something, quickly! They're both armed with those things and if one of them hits either of us, it might be game over. Damos backed towards Zachariah, lowering his head and baring his fangs even more so. He didn't like the idea of being cornered, but it was far too late to do much about their situation anyways.

With a growl Mimi kicked off the ground hoping to catch the man unprepared. If he was then she made an effort to sink her teeth into his shoulder. At this point Mimi's anger had boiled over and her more feral side had kicked in. Damos too lunged at his opponent, aiming to catch the man's hand that held the tazer.

[clouds just clouds]

Let's call the first man Fred and the other man Rick. Assuming Mimi threw herself at Rick, he shifted to the side, but not enough to escape her teeth. A yelp left the man and fangs prolonged from his teeth. "I'll kill you, you bitch!" He screamed and tried to hit her with the ends of the tazer. His eyes burned with rage.

The man that Damos lunged at barely scrambled away and managed to narrowly miss his jaws. Clumsily, he used his own tazer-stick-thingy mabobber as a bat and swung it angrily at the wolf. Zachariah lifted his head, gasping as he managed to say, "Run!" It came out less of a command, and more of a weak plea. "Go," he shook. "Please..."

Rick only laughed, albeit through his teeth and still a bit pissed, at Zachariah's feeble cries.

[Moon]

The sour taste of Rick's blood trickled into her mouth and Mimi felt her stomach lurch violently. But she held fast, wanting to cause as much pain as possible. She felt fear creep over her when she saw the fangs. That momentary lapse in her concentration allowed the tazer rod to find its destination. She opened her mouth to scream but only a strangled cry came from her mouth. Her body crumpled beneath its own weight and she fell to the ground. Her stomach lurched again from the stimulation and her body convulsed as her meager meal was expelled. Tears slid down her face as her muscles locked together of their own accord. No doubt Mimi's flesh was an angry shade of red where the rod touched her skin.

Unlike his partner, Damos was able to dodge the man's attack. However, he was not prepared for the searing pain that followed. He yelped as electricity coursed through him, albeit it considerably lessened compared to the dose Mimi received. With wild eyes he searched for his partner, only to find her, convulsing, on the ground. A feral snarl ripped through him and he bounded over to her, snapping at Rick. Mimi! Mimi are you alright!?

Mimi could barely look at her partner with her body currently disobeying her mind. She could not find her voice and the mental connection they shared was barely being kept alive by Damos himself. Run, Damos Her body finally came to rest but still would not obey her. Just go. You need to find help.

Mimi no! I will not leave you here to-

I wasn't asking you to I'm commanding you! So go! With the last of her conscious strength she pushed her energy towards him and it hit Damos like a wall. She watched him turn and make a dash for the underbrush. If he was successful in getting away he hid away behind the trees and watched the two men from afar. He wanted to get a good look at them before he ran to find help.

[clouds just clouds]

Rick felt his lips curl. "We don't need the wolf. What can he do? Nothing. He's a dumb shit animal. But these two..." He walked over to Zachariah who groaned in pain. "Alright, Fred, load them up in the truck. Throw out that dog, would you?" He threw open the back of the van and jerked his head for Fred to do as he asked.

"Why don't you?" Fred swore irritably.

Rick shot a glare up at Fred, and then he let out a long, audible sigh. "Fine, I'll take care of the dog." Limping into the van, he came towards the cage with the dog and dragged its stiff body out. A smirk continued to curl his lips, even as he threw it onto the ground, next to Mimi and Zachariah.

Zachariah watched in angry pain when Fred picked Mimi up. Anger swelled in his, but there was nothing he could do. He hated it, but most of all, he hated himself. Why wasn't he strong enough? Why couldn't he save her?

[Moon]

Mimi saw the body land a few feet away and she closed her eyes. She couldn't bare the sight of the battered and emaciated body of the dog. A soft whimper of fear and sadness escaped her and she felt more tears squeeze out of her eyes. Then she felt the ground fall away from her. Fear made her eyes snap back open. She groaned defiantly and tried to squirm away but she knew there was nowhere to go. It was hopeless, yet her body continued to try and fight. Images of that dreaded night flashed through her mind, making her struggled a bit more urgent but still not enough to break free.

Damos watched helplessly from where he had hidden. He suppressed a growl, forcing himself to keep quiet. Even if they weren't interested in him, he couldn't give away his position and get killed. Then there would be no way for them to get help. Damos backed away slowly, keeping an agonizingly close eye on the two men. He focused on their foul smell, an inky blue-black color. He noted it and turned away. If there was anyone to get for help, he could think of only one person. Or rather, two people. Chance and Annabelle. Chance isn't going to be happy when he finds out. With that in mind Damos headed back to the camp to try and find a scent he could use to track down Chance.