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Darkness...

Screams... cries for help...

What does it all mean?

Am I just imagining it all... or is it real?

Where am I? When am I? How did I get here?

My mind was swirling with thoughts, but one kept echoing louder than all the rest...

....What happened....?

"Get up!"

My head was pounding with such force that every second I could feel the world spinning around me.

"I said get up!"

Suddenly a sharp pain was felt in my side, causing the air to leave my lungs all in one gasp of breath. I cried in agony and rolled onto my other side, clutching my ribs where the source of the pain was.

Suddenly I felt a warm sensation on me as two furred paws clutched my arms and lifted me up.

"For god's sake, c'mon, work with me here damnit!"

Who was this person yelling at me? His voice sounded gentle despite the rough tone he was using. Was he trying to help me? But... why was he trying to help me? I craned my neck slowly and tried to speak only to cough from the pressure on my lungs.

"Whoa man, take it easy. I'm going to get us to safety then I'll get the medics to check your wounds."

His voice again, it was... calming but sounded professional, as if he had done this sort of thing before. What exactly was he doing though...? I could hear many screams and roars of different sounding species around me... what was going on? The thought echoed in my mind once more.

I tried speaking once more, managing to choke half my words between gasps for air. "What... happening... hear... screams..."

"Conserve your energy man, you're going to need it soon." The voice spoke hurriedly between breaths.

After a few moments, I felt myself sling forward and collapse onto the ground and the sound of metal rails then a loud thud; a garage door I can only assume. As I perked my ears, I could hear new sounds around me; the padding of feet moving across the floor, papers shuffling around, and new voices speaking to one another, but one was louder than the others. I craned my neck to try and focus on the conversation.

"Why did you bring one of THEM back here?! Are you MAD?!" A stamp on the ground was heard along with a growl.

"He's not dressed like one of them, so he can't be one of the officers!"

The gentle voice again, was he talking about me? I continued to try and listen in, hoping to find some answers to my questions.

"I don't give a damn if he's not dressed like one of them; what if he's a spy?!"

"Sir, be realistic here. How can he be a spy since we can recognize his fur pattern even without clothes...?

The louder voice growled again and then suddenly a crash of a metal object to the ground, releasing a clanging noise that could be heard all over the room. All went silent except for the sound of footsteps, growing louder as they neared me. Once again, I felt the paws of some other grabbing a hold of me, but this time it wasn't as pleasant. They clutched around my chest, sending a searing pain throughout my body that caused me to cough and yelp.

"Quiet you or I'll throw you into the sewers with the rats and plague."

Rats? Plague? Our tunneling system is always under constant watch to clean out infestation... where ever I was, this couldn't be home. I tried to focus and clear my head, I needed to be able to see but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes, as if all my strength was gone.

"Sir, where are you taking him?"

I felt the momentum shift and turn which could only mean that whomever the one with the gentle voice was talking to originally must have a hold on me now. After a few seconds my suspicions were confirmed.

"I am going to take him to the cells we have below. I do not want one of these scums running loose in our territory."

"Sir, I doubt he wou-"

"Silence!" Another stamp on the ground followed with a growl. This guy must have quite the temper on him and an iron perspective. "If I so much hear another word of protest from you soldier, I will see to it personally that you go without food rations for a week; do I make myself clear?!"

A soft whimper could be heard, and then the gentle voice spoke, the fear in his voice overly apparent. "Y-yes sir..."

"Good, you would do well to follow the example of the others here. Unlike you, they are fearless and aren't afraid to get their paws dirty."

Another loud slam and growl but this time it wasn't from the one holding me.

"Fearless?! Half these men are scared shitless to go out there and face them like I do every day! Hell, some of them won't even get out of their beds and you have the audacity to say I'm inferior to them?!"

"Watch you tone with me soldier, lest you share the same fate as your "friend" here."

More footsteps were heard drawing closer and then suddenly I felt the body of the one holding me shift backward a bit and fumble as he if almost dropped something. I heard the gentle voice speak again with a fierce conviction in his tone this time.

"Fine then, so be it. I'd rather be sitting in those cells below than have to face the hell out there every day for the sake of a war that we're losing anyways."

War? Now I was really confused. There hadn't been any wars in decades... and one couldn't happen without anyone talking about it or the high overseers making announcements about it. Once again the same question echoed in my mind; what happened? A loud yelp and thud jarred my attention from my thoughts.

"Guards, grab him and bring him with me. If this whiney brat wants to rot in the cells, I see no reason to deny him his wishes."

Two voices responded in unison before cladding could be heard on the ground; footsteps, but these sounded different, as if they were wearing something on their feet.

"Yes sir!"

I felt my body shift as the loud one moved me higher onto his shoulder; adjusting his grip on me I assume. I felt his body move in an odd up and down movement which bewildered me. My question was answered before I had even time to process my thoughts on the matter.

"Watch the stairs here men; years of rusting make these brittle and the last thing I need is to lose two fine men to something as simple as a stairwell collapsing."

Again the two voices responded in unison. "Yes sir."

After a few moments the motion stopped and I heard a door unlock then creak open. The loud one carrying me shifted over across another room before he stopped. This room... despite me not being able to see, I could tell there was nothing but darkness down here; no light, no life, no will to live. It felt so unnerving.

"I can walk myself into my own cell thank you; now get your damn paws off of me you ingrates..."

The man with the gentle voice shuffled forward until a loud crash of metal was heard, then a locking sound. I felt movement again and then a sudden lightweight sensation before another great pain was felt throughout my body. Once more I cried out in agony and cringed.

"What the hell sir?! He hasn't done anything to deserve the treatment you're giving him; he needs a medic for the wound on his side!"

I heard the loud one growl again. "You bring one of them into MY base and expect one of OUR medics to help HIM?! What the hell is wrong with you, Christ boy!"

"You're the one who taught me that all men are equal even between enemies on the battlefield! Why is this guy any different?!"

"Because his kind caused uproar and terror in our whole city!"

The one with the gentle voice growled in frustration and I could hear him spit as if to cleanse himself of the impurity of anger. "Tch, that makes him no different than the countless acts performed by invading countries as well as our own forces when we tried to conquer and expand our territory."

"Even so, this is personal and I won't stoop myself to discuss this further." The loud one shuffled around and then another loud crash was heard; he shut the door to my cell. His footsteps could be heard drifting away as he ascended the stairwell. When the sound was no more, I heard the one with the gentle voice clear his throat as if summoning the willpower to speak.

"I'm sorry I brought you here with me, into this mess. How are you holding up over there?"

His voice... why was it so, calming... almost as if when he spoke to me, my worries seem to ease. I shifted around, trying to summon what little strength I had to turn towards the source of his voice. I tried to speak, to answer him, but all that surfaced was more gasps of air and pain, causing me to hold my side.

"Hey hey, calm down. You're wounded pretty badly from whatever got you. You need to keep pressure on it until someone can help you."

I shifted once more and I felt something inside me twinge. I fell limp onto the ground and yelped from the immense pain. The darkness around me started to grow more cold and dark, enveloping me in its embrace. Was this it? Was I going to die here in this strange world that I felt no familiarity or comfort in? Was the last place I was to be seen, be inside of this cell in the pits of an unknown building with a guy I've never met before?

The gentle one... who was he? Why did he save me or risk his life for me? What was the purpose of it all and how did I fit into this.... My mind echoed once more that very same question that continued to haunt and linger...

What happened to me?

I felt warmth on my side, it moved slowly followed by a feeling of pressure on my body.

"I won't let you die man, I don't know who you are or where you came from but you're different and I always trust my instincts on a person. I have a feeling you may be able to help us and I want to see it through to the end."

I couldn't understand his words completely but I understood the motion of the gesture. I soon felt another paw on me as it reached into my pocket. Natural instinct would cause me to turn and attack whomever I assumed to steal from me, but I had nothing left, no reserves. I must have caught his attention because he moved his hand to pat my arm, as if he were assuring me everything was alright.

"Relax, I am just checking your bio my friend; maybe I'll learn more about you and possibly figure out where you came from. Either way, it looks like you're under my care until I can get a medic to you somehow; I promise I'll keep you alive and get you better."

His voice once again calmed me as it echoed throughout the chambers of my mind. Where ever I was, or how ever I got here, I was thankful to know I had an ally to back me up. After a few seconds, I heard him grumble and a chiming noise like a tap against metal. Everything was growing dull, my senses were leaving me and it felt like I was descending from consciousness. I mustered the very last of my strength and gain a faint smile, muttering under my breath.

"...Thank...you..."

It was all I had and it was gone. I gave up trying to hold myself up and just let the darkness consume me at this point. If I was to die, I would do so without the regret of not having someone to care for me even in a strange new place. It was then I heard it... one last echo of his voice ring in my ears. I had no more strength to display it, but for some reason it made me smile a little on the inside.

"You're very welcome....Ein..."