Last One Standing
Prologue
It had been six months since I was brought to this place.
I had woken up to find I was no longer in the woods, running away from whatever had been chasing after my pack. I was one of the unlucky wolves.
Seven others like myself could be heard in the cages beside me. I didn’t get to see them unless they walked by my door.
From the looks of it, I had been the only pup who was captured. Everyone else was fully grown.
My mother had told me that if I were ever caught, that I should never transform in front of the enemy. Our second form was supposed to be a disguise so we wouldn’t be caught, but if we hadn’t transformed in front of them we would seem as just a regular wild wolf.
I didn’t see the harm in interacting with these humans. There would be times where I stood patiently waiting for the human who guarded the hallway.
It was at the same time every week. The other wolves would begin snarling, attacking the fenced door as he walked by.
“Number 8.”
I stood up from my spot and quickly ran towards the door, I couldn’t help but shake as I was filled with excitement. Small whimpers escaped my muzzle as I leaned against the door.
As soon as the door opened, I was immediately scooped into a pair of arms and carried down the hallway.
“Trader! You interact with them as if they are your friends! If they don’t kill you, I will!”
I buried my face into the guard’s chest, trying to shut out all the threats that were thrown my way.
As soon as the door behind us was closed, a comforting hand petted my fur as I was walked into the main building.
I had only ever been in here a few times, every visit the person who looked over me called “Dr. Philips” examined my growth rate.
My fur color would be examined, teeth looked at, paw size and my weight. I never understood why this was done on a weekly basis. I didn’t feel any different.
Weeks had turned into months, I found out the guard’s name was Rafe. Now every time he came to bring me in for my examination, it took a little more effort in lifting me as I was between the growing stage from pup to young adult. I was still smaller than the rest of the wolves, there were only five of us left.
This time when I had been carried out from the hallway, Rafe had placed me on the ground and looked at me with a serious look on his face.
“Listen here, little one. I don’t know if you’re really one of those wolf-bloods they talk about. I haven’t seen you transform, nor have I seen you as a threat. But if you are one of them, I hope that you will listen to every word they tell you.
Some of your kind have not made it through, the formula that was given to them was not a success. It will either drive you crazy or kill you, and I hope that you will not meet the same fate they have.”
Rafe put a round object over my head, it rested around my neck and shoulders. I looked up at him, a whine escaping.
“You’ve been very kind for what you are, I don’t think you should be thought of as a number. So, I’m giving you this collar and tag , and I’m giving you the name Nichole.”
My tail wagged at the new name, I nuzzled my head against his hand.
I was picked up once more and brought to the doctors office.
This visit immediately felt different, as soon as I was placed on the examination table Dr. Philips grabbed the collar around my neck and pulled hard.
A yelp escaped me, the sudden action surprising me. The doctor yanked the collar off of me and tossed it on the floor, he glared at Rafe.
“When you signed the paperwork saying you would work for us, part of the agreement was not to get close or name the subjects. The only name this wolf-blood will have is 8. If this is an issue for you, I will assign you to a different section. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes Dr. Philips.”
---
It had been two weeks since my last examination, I hadn’t seen a sign of Rafe.
My hopes grew as I heard the hallway door open and footsteps come near, I ran towards the door with my tail wagging.
I regretted this as a metal object hit against my door, scaring me enough to cower back and whimper in fear.
I looked up to see a different guard standing outside my door, he opened it and I quickly stepped back as I saw a metal circle come towards me, a pole attached to it.
There was no escaping whatever this object was as it closed around my neck and pulled me forward. This new guard walked quickly, not caring that my paws weren’t fast enough to keep up with him, which resulted in me being dragged to the examination room.
The doctor was not pleased to see me, the usual process I was used to did not happen this time as I felt something small poke through my fur.
I looked at the doctor, he had a smirk on his face as he pulled the object away and placed it on the counter top beside him.
My heart began to race faster than what I was used to, I lowered my head and closed my eyes.
I wasn’t given the chance to adjust to whatever formula was injected into me, I was picked up and placed on the ground once more. As soon as my paws touched the tiled floor, I was being drug again.
My eyesight became blurry, I couldn’t see where I was going but I forced my paws to walk forward.
----
Another month and a half had passed, three other injections were made. After each one I noticed I was losing the abilities I had.
It took about a week or two for it to become permanent, but I noticed I couldn’t hear as far as I used to.
First it had been my hearing, the second to go was my sense of smell. When I was given the third injection, a week had passed before I realized what they had taken from me.
The voices from the surrounding wolves had grown quiet, I could hear growls, whines, barks, but none of it made sense to me. I couldn’t understand what was being said.
The only voices I could understand now were the humans.
I looked up towards the door as I saw the same guard standing there, a growl built up in my throat as I looked back down.
“I hope you’re prepared for the fight of your life number 8” the guard chuckled as he put what I now know of as the snare pole around my head and pulled me forward.
I wasn’t brought into the examination room like I was used to, instead I was brought into a big room that had a cage. The doctor stood beside the entrance door, it was there I received another injection.
I growled, snapping my jaws at his hand as he pulled away. The guard holding the pole immediately hit my side with a wooden object.
I yelped, but wasn’t given another chance to attack as the snare was released and I was shoved into the caged ring, door locked behind me.
A deep growl was heard in front of me, I lifted my head and was immediately met with paws shoving me down on to the ground, fangs aiming at my throat.
I used the strength I had in my paws to shove the wolf, giving me only seconds to stand back up.
I realized by looking directly at my competition that it was the male wolf that had threatened to kill me when I had only been a pup.
He was missing chunks of fur, scars covered his body. The tip of his left ear was completely gone.
I stepped back slowly, looking at the monster they had created.
“W-What have they done to you?” I whimpered.
The male growled, taking slow steps towards me. His grey fur had blood stains, eye color black as night.
I realized at that moment that I was about to be in for the fight of my life, this wolf would not stop until I was dead.
----
I was awakened by the sound of my door being opened, a tired whine came from my muzzle as I waited for the snare to wrap around my neck.
Instead, I felt a pair of arms wrap underneath my body and lift up slowly.
I must have passed out for a few minutes, when my eyes reopened I was placed gently into a shower, the warm water washing down my fur.
I couldn’t help but lower myself slowly back down on to my stomach, the pain in my legs hurting too much.
A hand gently patted the top of me head, “Come on little one, I can see you’ve been through the biggest fight of your life. But you’ve gotta stand up.”
I whined, but lifted myself back up on to all four paws, standing shakily as I watched the water rinse the blood off my fur.
Rafe kneeled closer, pulling me towards him. I leaned against him for support as he grabbed one leg at a time, rubbing soft circles to soothe the pain.
“I don’t know if you realize it yet or not, Nichole. But you did just kill Number 5.” Rafe examined the wounds I had received from the fight.
“You are the only wolf-blood to survive the caged ring fight with the Alpha male they had created. He was the only other subject that lived through the formula that Dr. Philips has been giving to you.”
I sighed, sitting down slowly. Yes I had won the fight, but it wasn’t worth celebrating. When the fight was over and I was placed back into my cage, I had laid there for hours wishing I had been the fallen wolf.
Living with the pain hurt more than I could ever imagine. I was used to feeling the energy of being healed take over whenever I had gotten hurt.
My ability to self-heal quicker than the average human was no longer present. The pain lingered.
Rafe lifted my chin up and looked into my eyes, “At least you don’t have black eyes like that Alpha did. You’re still you as long as you have some sort of eye color. Once they turn black, you’ve lost the ability to control the wolf.”
He shut the water off and grabbed the towel, drying my fur gently.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do now, little one. I think you may have surprised them by defeating their perfect weapon. Whatever comes next, I need you to stand tall. Try not to look defeated, they will take advantage of that.”
I was picked back up and walked quietly back towards my cage, each one that we had passed, I noticed that they were empty. I was the only one left.
Rafe placed me carefully down on to the ground before grabbing the jacket around his shoulders and placing it on the floor, he patted it.
“May not be the greatest thing to sleep on, but it’s better than sleeping on tiled floor.”
I stepped on to the jacket before walking in a few circles and laying myself down.
“Rest for tonight, Nichole. I’m going to try my best to get you out of this hell-hole tomorrow.”
I closed my eyes as I felt a familiar yet comforting object slip over my head and rest lightly around my neck and shoulders.
-----
I woke up to loud banging on my door, I opened my eyes to see it was the same guard who hated me. The snare pole was used again as I was pulled out of my cage.
I growled at the guard, giving him only one warning.
I stood tall as we walked towards the examination room, I stopped at the door as I saw Dr. Philips pull blue liquid out of a bottle.
My instincts told me to turn back and run, this formula was different then the others.
As soon as I took the step back, the snare was tightened and the doctor walked towards me. I snarled, barring my fangs.
It all happened in just seconds, the needle pressed into my skin. The moment it did, I turned my head and grabbed on to the hand that held the needle and bit as hard as I could.
Half of the tube was empty as the doctor screamed in pain, I then turned to the guard and bit his leg. I ran as quick as my four paws could take me down the hallway.
An alarm sounded throughout the building, I slid to a stop as a door blocked me from my escape. Footsteps were heard behind me, I looked to see more guards heading in my direction, weapons in hand.
I tilted my head back and howled.
The door in front of me suddenly opened, confused I took a step back.
Rafe stepped out from behind the door, he quickly guided me on to the other side before slamming the door shut and locking it.
The snare was taken off from around my neck and thrown to the floor, we ran down the second hallway and stopped halfway.
I stared up at Rafe, wondering why he had suddenly stopped.
“Do you trust me, little one?”
I nuzzled my head into his hand, giving a slight bow of my head. He grabbed the nearest object and threw it at the glass window.
I stepped back as it shattered, “I need you to jump, Nichole. It is only a six foot drop. It may hurt a little, but it is the quickest way out of here.”
I stepped towards the broken window, careful as to not get glass in my paws. A whimper escaped me as I looked down at the jump I had to make.
“Look at me, little one.”
I looked back at Rafe, surprise shown on my face as I saw his eyes were no longer blue, but instead a golden color like my own. “When you jump, run as far North as you can. Follow your wolf’s instincts, don’t stop running until you’ve found my pack. Look for a black wolf by the name of Cooper, he can help you”
The hallway doors slammed opened, I didn’t waste a second more as I jumped out the window.
I had woken up to find I was no longer in the woods, running away from whatever had been chasing after my pack. I was one of the unlucky wolves.
Seven others like myself could be heard in the cages beside me. I didn’t get to see them unless they walked by my door.
From the looks of it, I had been the only pup who was captured. Everyone else was fully grown.
My mother had told me that if I were ever caught, that I should never transform in front of the enemy. Our second form was supposed to be a disguise so we wouldn’t be caught, but if we hadn’t transformed in front of them we would seem as just a regular wild wolf.
I didn’t see the harm in interacting with these humans. There would be times where I stood patiently waiting for the human who guarded the hallway.
It was at the same time every week. The other wolves would begin snarling, attacking the fenced door as he walked by.
“Number 8.”
I stood up from my spot and quickly ran towards the door, I couldn’t help but shake as I was filled with excitement. Small whimpers escaped my muzzle as I leaned against the door.
As soon as the door opened, I was immediately scooped into a pair of arms and carried down the hallway.
“Trader! You interact with them as if they are your friends! If they don’t kill you, I will!”
I buried my face into the guard’s chest, trying to shut out all the threats that were thrown my way.
As soon as the door behind us was closed, a comforting hand petted my fur as I was walked into the main building.
I had only ever been in here a few times, every visit the person who looked over me called “Dr. Philips” examined my growth rate.
My fur color would be examined, teeth looked at, paw size and my weight. I never understood why this was done on a weekly basis. I didn’t feel any different.
Weeks had turned into months, I found out the guard’s name was Rafe. Now every time he came to bring me in for my examination, it took a little more effort in lifting me as I was between the growing stage from pup to young adult. I was still smaller than the rest of the wolves, there were only five of us left.
This time when I had been carried out from the hallway, Rafe had placed me on the ground and looked at me with a serious look on his face.
“Listen here, little one. I don’t know if you’re really one of those wolf-bloods they talk about. I haven’t seen you transform, nor have I seen you as a threat. But if you are one of them, I hope that you will listen to every word they tell you.
Some of your kind have not made it through, the formula that was given to them was not a success. It will either drive you crazy or kill you, and I hope that you will not meet the same fate they have.”
Rafe put a round object over my head, it rested around my neck and shoulders. I looked up at him, a whine escaping.
“You’ve been very kind for what you are, I don’t think you should be thought of as a number. So, I’m giving you this collar and tag , and I’m giving you the name Nichole.”
My tail wagged at the new name, I nuzzled my head against his hand.
I was picked up once more and brought to the doctors office.
This visit immediately felt different, as soon as I was placed on the examination table Dr. Philips grabbed the collar around my neck and pulled hard.
A yelp escaped me, the sudden action surprising me. The doctor yanked the collar off of me and tossed it on the floor, he glared at Rafe.
“When you signed the paperwork saying you would work for us, part of the agreement was not to get close or name the subjects. The only name this wolf-blood will have is 8. If this is an issue for you, I will assign you to a different section. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes Dr. Philips.”
---
It had been two weeks since my last examination, I hadn’t seen a sign of Rafe.
My hopes grew as I heard the hallway door open and footsteps come near, I ran towards the door with my tail wagging.
I regretted this as a metal object hit against my door, scaring me enough to cower back and whimper in fear.
I looked up to see a different guard standing outside my door, he opened it and I quickly stepped back as I saw a metal circle come towards me, a pole attached to it.
There was no escaping whatever this object was as it closed around my neck and pulled me forward. This new guard walked quickly, not caring that my paws weren’t fast enough to keep up with him, which resulted in me being dragged to the examination room.
The doctor was not pleased to see me, the usual process I was used to did not happen this time as I felt something small poke through my fur.
I looked at the doctor, he had a smirk on his face as he pulled the object away and placed it on the counter top beside him.
My heart began to race faster than what I was used to, I lowered my head and closed my eyes.
I wasn’t given the chance to adjust to whatever formula was injected into me, I was picked up and placed on the ground once more. As soon as my paws touched the tiled floor, I was being drug again.
My eyesight became blurry, I couldn’t see where I was going but I forced my paws to walk forward.
----
Another month and a half had passed, three other injections were made. After each one I noticed I was losing the abilities I had.
It took about a week or two for it to become permanent, but I noticed I couldn’t hear as far as I used to.
First it had been my hearing, the second to go was my sense of smell. When I was given the third injection, a week had passed before I realized what they had taken from me.
The voices from the surrounding wolves had grown quiet, I could hear growls, whines, barks, but none of it made sense to me. I couldn’t understand what was being said.
The only voices I could understand now were the humans.
I looked up towards the door as I saw the same guard standing there, a growl built up in my throat as I looked back down.
“I hope you’re prepared for the fight of your life number 8” the guard chuckled as he put what I now know of as the snare pole around my head and pulled me forward.
I wasn’t brought into the examination room like I was used to, instead I was brought into a big room that had a cage. The doctor stood beside the entrance door, it was there I received another injection.
I growled, snapping my jaws at his hand as he pulled away. The guard holding the pole immediately hit my side with a wooden object.
I yelped, but wasn’t given another chance to attack as the snare was released and I was shoved into the caged ring, door locked behind me.
A deep growl was heard in front of me, I lifted my head and was immediately met with paws shoving me down on to the ground, fangs aiming at my throat.
I used the strength I had in my paws to shove the wolf, giving me only seconds to stand back up.
I realized by looking directly at my competition that it was the male wolf that had threatened to kill me when I had only been a pup.
He was missing chunks of fur, scars covered his body. The tip of his left ear was completely gone.
I stepped back slowly, looking at the monster they had created.
“W-What have they done to you?” I whimpered.
The male growled, taking slow steps towards me. His grey fur had blood stains, eye color black as night.
I realized at that moment that I was about to be in for the fight of my life, this wolf would not stop until I was dead.
----
I was awakened by the sound of my door being opened, a tired whine came from my muzzle as I waited for the snare to wrap around my neck.
Instead, I felt a pair of arms wrap underneath my body and lift up slowly.
I must have passed out for a few minutes, when my eyes reopened I was placed gently into a shower, the warm water washing down my fur.
I couldn’t help but lower myself slowly back down on to my stomach, the pain in my legs hurting too much.
A hand gently patted the top of me head, “Come on little one, I can see you’ve been through the biggest fight of your life. But you’ve gotta stand up.”
I whined, but lifted myself back up on to all four paws, standing shakily as I watched the water rinse the blood off my fur.
Rafe kneeled closer, pulling me towards him. I leaned against him for support as he grabbed one leg at a time, rubbing soft circles to soothe the pain.
“I don’t know if you realize it yet or not, Nichole. But you did just kill Number 5.” Rafe examined the wounds I had received from the fight.
“You are the only wolf-blood to survive the caged ring fight with the Alpha male they had created. He was the only other subject that lived through the formula that Dr. Philips has been giving to you.”
I sighed, sitting down slowly. Yes I had won the fight, but it wasn’t worth celebrating. When the fight was over and I was placed back into my cage, I had laid there for hours wishing I had been the fallen wolf.
Living with the pain hurt more than I could ever imagine. I was used to feeling the energy of being healed take over whenever I had gotten hurt.
My ability to self-heal quicker than the average human was no longer present. The pain lingered.
Rafe lifted my chin up and looked into my eyes, “At least you don’t have black eyes like that Alpha did. You’re still you as long as you have some sort of eye color. Once they turn black, you’ve lost the ability to control the wolf.”
He shut the water off and grabbed the towel, drying my fur gently.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do now, little one. I think you may have surprised them by defeating their perfect weapon. Whatever comes next, I need you to stand tall. Try not to look defeated, they will take advantage of that.”
I was picked back up and walked quietly back towards my cage, each one that we had passed, I noticed that they were empty. I was the only one left.
Rafe placed me carefully down on to the ground before grabbing the jacket around his shoulders and placing it on the floor, he patted it.
“May not be the greatest thing to sleep on, but it’s better than sleeping on tiled floor.”
I stepped on to the jacket before walking in a few circles and laying myself down.
“Rest for tonight, Nichole. I’m going to try my best to get you out of this hell-hole tomorrow.”
I closed my eyes as I felt a familiar yet comforting object slip over my head and rest lightly around my neck and shoulders.
-----
I woke up to loud banging on my door, I opened my eyes to see it was the same guard who hated me. The snare pole was used again as I was pulled out of my cage.
I growled at the guard, giving him only one warning.
I stood tall as we walked towards the examination room, I stopped at the door as I saw Dr. Philips pull blue liquid out of a bottle.
My instincts told me to turn back and run, this formula was different then the others.
As soon as I took the step back, the snare was tightened and the doctor walked towards me. I snarled, barring my fangs.
It all happened in just seconds, the needle pressed into my skin. The moment it did, I turned my head and grabbed on to the hand that held the needle and bit as hard as I could.
Half of the tube was empty as the doctor screamed in pain, I then turned to the guard and bit his leg. I ran as quick as my four paws could take me down the hallway.
An alarm sounded throughout the building, I slid to a stop as a door blocked me from my escape. Footsteps were heard behind me, I looked to see more guards heading in my direction, weapons in hand.
I tilted my head back and howled.
The door in front of me suddenly opened, confused I took a step back.
Rafe stepped out from behind the door, he quickly guided me on to the other side before slamming the door shut and locking it.
The snare was taken off from around my neck and thrown to the floor, we ran down the second hallway and stopped halfway.
I stared up at Rafe, wondering why he had suddenly stopped.
“Do you trust me, little one?”
I nuzzled my head into his hand, giving a slight bow of my head. He grabbed the nearest object and threw it at the glass window.
I stepped back as it shattered, “I need you to jump, Nichole. It is only a six foot drop. It may hurt a little, but it is the quickest way out of here.”
I stepped towards the broken window, careful as to not get glass in my paws. A whimper escaped me as I looked down at the jump I had to make.
“Look at me, little one.”
I looked back at Rafe, surprise shown on my face as I saw his eyes were no longer blue, but instead a golden color like my own. “When you jump, run as far North as you can. Follow your wolf’s instincts, don’t stop running until you’ve found my pack. Look for a black wolf by the name of Cooper, he can help you”
The hallway doors slammed opened, I didn’t waste a second more as I jumped out the window.