Evolution Of Dawn

Seven: A Joyous Night

It's been a week since they've me locked up in this goddess-forsaken dungeon, I was only visited twice in a day by a young male who only dropped in a finger size rat which I assumed wasn't meant to satisfy my hunger but rather to keep me alive which I'm more than grateful for nevertheless.

And it's a plus I'm on four legs rather than two as my wolf can easily devour the rat without much problem because right now her main goal is to keep us alive by all means possible, call it survival instinct.

My body has turned numb from sitting in a spot for far too long, I stood up from the corner I'd be laying all day and walk through the cell, trying to work out my stiff bones.

I look at the tiny holes that serve as toilets and the palm-length pool opposite it that serves as a stream for quenching thirst, and I gaged, definitely not thirsty. I know I have no choice about the toilet but have been able to hold it in so far.

I look at the door expectantly, my food should have been thrown in by now, what's the delay, I heard my stomach grumble in reply. Yup, definitely hungry.

I walked to the heavily welded door and scratched it with my paws, trying to inform whoever is on the opposite end and in charge of feeding me that I'm starving.

After scratching at the door for minutes without not so much as an irritated quit down, as feedback. I walked back to my now favorite corner and sat down on my hind legs.

I must have laid down sometime later because I woke up to the sound of approaching footsteps, my ears perked up with excitement as I waited for whoever it is to emerge with my food in hand or better still take me out of here.

I heard the familiar click of the door as the bolt was lifted and the cracked as the door opened wide enough to reveal a male, looking at him closely I recognize him from the night I was captured.

He's the beta.

He walked in and stood a few feet away from me.

"Are you ready to talk to me now?" he said.

Nope, not ready to shift, I tried once again in vain to link him. I sigh remembering my wild families we have never had any problem with communication and understanding ourselves even without the gift to link.

"Have you been feed today?" he asked with a rise brow.

I whimpered hoping he understand and take that as a no.

He didn't respond he just stood there looking at me.

"Listen I know you're not from around here and have never seen a level-headed rogue without the usual crazy signs, you might be a rogue but you do not act like one, so it will be better if you can shift and talk to me, because even If I didn't see you as a threat you still trespass on pack land, and that alone is a punishable offense". He said hands folded behind him.

I tried surging forward to see how my wolf felt about handing over the control, but as usual, it's not happening, I guess I'm too weak and sedated far too long in the back seat to have the willpower to take over control willingly from her. I believe when the need for me to shift arrives, which is usually once in a blue moon, she will hand it over.

We might as well die in here, guess we're stuck here for now. Yup, I'm sure we are going to be stuck here for long if not forever because seriously the mutt doesn't give in to ride in the passenger seat.

"I will ask the guard to bring you food, and whenever you're ready to talk let the guard know, but until then you're stuck here." He said before exiting the door.

I lay there long after the beta has left, staring into nothing and hoping that he at least keep to his promise and have the guard bring me food.

I was starting to drift off when the door cracked open enough for a rat to be thrown toward me, I stood up from my now favorite spot and walked towards it, it look skinny and you know, like a rat, but I was thankful for been fed again.

_____________________________________

It's been two months since the beta had last visited me, have been kept in the dungeon with the now normal routine of eating sleeping, and sleeping again, at some point, I was forced by nature to use the s**t hole and even drank water plenty of times from the water hole in here.

All my muscles are weak from being confined in a small place for this long, my wolf is strong-headed when it came down to shifting in forms but she's equally tired of staying put for this long, and I think her resistance to hand over the control is slowly crumbling.

After lots of words and coaxing from me, she finally agreed to hand the rein over to me which I'm more than grateful for, we just have to wait till our food is delivered tonight then we can tell the guard to inform the beta that we are ready to talk and get out of this goddess forsaken dungeon.

I sat down at my favorite corner for goddess knows how long without anything as a shadow of the guard, I fell asleep and woke up to faint thumps of a traditional drum, the sound is similar to what I once heard when I went with my father to the edge of a human village. it must be coming from the pack though, but why the music, it's mostly quiet by this time every day I thought before closing my eyes once again.

I must have been too tired doing nothing and wasn't able to hear the footsteps, because I was only jolted awake by the familiar crack of the door opening, my nostrils were immediately violated by a sweet aroma of spicy cooked meat, and vegetables.

I run my tongue over my snout as the guard walked in with the plate and dropped it in front of me, I looked from him to the food and back again.

"It's a joyous night, eat up", the guard said pointing to the food in front of me.

Instead of eating as my stomach and the guard demanded, I decided to stand on my now too thin paws to shift and communicate with him.

I move away a little from the plate of food before I go into the shift, I heard the guards gasp as the first bone in my body rearranged follow by the next till I finally shifted, I curled up in pain on the hard floor tired.

"You shifted " that was the only thing I heard from the guard.

I looked up from the floor with cloudy eyes, "Yes, please tell the Beta I'm ready to talk" I said with a whimper.

"You will have to wait until daybreak", the beta is busy tonight, the guard replies slowly.

"Why he's been pestering me about shifting, so tell me why he's busy now when I'm finally ready to have a word with him?, I ask annoyed.

"You will watch your tongue female, as I said earlier it's a joyous night in the pack which is why you have a late dinner and a good one at that, and everyone is busy including the beta so be mindful of how you speak and eat your food until the beta is ready to see you, probably tomorrow. The guard said to my annoyance, and I feel like clawing at his cow feet face.

"Why, What's the occasion, another trapped wolf worth celebrating? I can hear the drums." I said just to rile him up.

"Actually no, no rogue is dumb enough to wander into the territory except for you of course which is why you are here now, the joyous occasion being that the Alpha is claiming a female tonight, which is why the whole pack is busy. He said irritated before walking out of the dungeon.

I listened to the sound of the locked door and the guard's fading footsteps before uncurling and sitting straight on the ground, I look at the tantalizing food before me and for some unknown reason I lost my appetite, I guess it was the exhaustion of the shift.

I moved to my favorite corner and curled up against the wall, I already know it was going to be a cold and long night without my fur to keep me warm but I refuse to shift back. I sigh before closing my eyes waiting for darkness to claim me.