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It was as clear as moonlight, this thing was merely toying with them.

Not even all the rage that the young hell-hound could summon and exert with polished boots could send the thing flying. it merely sat there in complacency as he snarled and bared his fangs while stomping a mudhole in its body. Damien was livid as he spared no energy in grunting with each and every hit, and his effort came to naught without the sound of crunching bones and squelching organs rupturing. It was like there was nothing inside its furry, unassuming body.

Nothing but fur, eyes and dark intentions.

It had to be dealt with, before if went after someone else, or sided with the hunters if that wasn't the case already. "Just shove it ya little fluff ball." the enraged demon dog snarled out with sheer malice, like someone flipped the switch and let Melas out from the depths and went to do the last thing necessary. "Tha only shame yer gonna git, s' when I bite yer head off!" he roared all of a sudden before lunging at the flickering thing with fangs and canines bared and glistening in the dim light. And then the light got brighter and brighter.

Enough to for him to howl in pain at the sudden shift in sight as he howled in dismay on the smooth floor, legs and arms flailing wildly in its blindness to find the deceptive beast But the silhouette in front was far too tall for the tiny troublemaker and not the right shape to be the other members, it was troubling to see as it flickered and dimmed but the ever present jingle of jewelery was enough to bring up warm memories of a time long ago. when his family was complete and perfect.

"Its.. its you right?" the hound replied back instantly without thinking as he legs strode up to her, and yet was still to far away from the figure and its outstretched hand. It was right there. just right there for him to take a hold of and yet, try after try he never got a hold of it, as the figure moved farther and farther away. "No wait, come back! Don't leave us all again!" he cried out desperately as his legs got more sluggish and sluggish until they stopped moving prematurely without warning, and she in turn faded out of sight. "No get back here! MOTHER!"

"hmufrrh!" he muttered out quietly in shock but it wasn't the word he meant to say. More tugging only resulted with the sound of rattling chains assaulting the senses. the faintest of chimes that rung out on both sides, with neither limb able to move more than half a foot. The spot was starting to ebb away, dancing too far off into the distance to hinder precious eyesight anymore and revealed a horrifying sight.

Cages, cages lined the range of sight as far as the eye could see, some were filled and some lay in its quiet solidarity, waiting. a heart wrenching sight to see allies and team members alike being confined and jeered at by villains in white. it wasn't even possible to move near the steel bars right in front with the way the shackles kept him confined, in an even more hopeless situation.

You know you can't save them

On top of the capture, the gift of speaking was taken away by the wired mask resting precariously on his jaw. "GHNGFHH!" He tried so hard to move, to speak to do anything to help the others. it wasn't enough, the shackles tore into skin with ease as it rubbed him raw and sore with every tug, enough to bring tears to his eyes and get him to settle down, until the hunters mobbed yet another cage and nothing but horrible screams filled the air and the process repeated itself again till the limb ached and burned with its torture. it wasn't even possible to sob and keen as silent tears flowed with every captive's begging and pleading that refused to be heard and the cries that followed after.


you cant even find your own parent.
so horrible.


nothing but a pathetic little pup...

"Brh, cfyh, frlllh, bfukl....."


a foolish little runt.

One second, Cady was flailing at their strange assailant, the next - the room flashed white again.

As she came to, she found herself sorely missing the previous vision - anything was better than this. That sentiment only lasted a moment, however, and then she was firmly anchored in the illusion. Drowning in it.

Cady lifted her head groggily. The first thing she became aware of were the dull, throbbing lines of fire along her shoulder blades. The next - chains. Surging forward in a state of panic, a sharp tug confirmed what she'd most feared. Her tail was bound. Something was wrong. Wetness trickled down her spine. Arcadia tried to spread her wings, and the slick popping of bared muscle and sinew nearly made her vomit.

She shook her head, trying to clear her vision - and realized she was not alone. But before she could plead for assistance, the figure spoke.

"There are things you're not supposed to eat!"

What? Eat? Memories bubbled up then - memories of a battle, confusion, and-

No.

Her teammates... Her friends... People she hadn't even known. What on Halloween had come over her? She was as bad as the robed men. The hunters. But it cut deeper than that, she realized, sagging in her restraints.

Gladys's research.

She could see the disappointment in her guardian's eyes. Years and years of hard work, gone in only moments. It was the end of the line for the ghoul, and, given her crime, probably her whole clan. Who would trust a manticore now? The witch must have been the only one brave enough - no, she realized in sudden horror, the only one who cared enough - to stay by her side. This, above all else, broke the happy-go-lucky manticore's heart.

She didn't deserve it. Her eyes burned from tears her form couldn't shed. She tried to say something, anything, but could only produce a keening wail. No amount of stupid questions or quirky comments would ever make this better.

Selfishly she reflected on the good times- the times she would miss. No more hanging out at the maul with Aislin. No more questionable dances with Deacon. No more classes. No more stalking Christof. No more riddles with Cat. They'd have to destroy her. She was like a rabid dog. Destroy her, and dissipate her FEAR...

Back in the room, where her real body lay, tears streamed down her cheeks as she waited fearfully for the end.

The new figures that had entered the scene went quite unnoticed. At least, they were not appreciated like they would have been if Bul had been er... sober? What he needed right now was a glimmer of hope, and that hope was right in front of him. Yet in his state of terror- in his vision the two appeared as the other two cloaks that were mentioned from before; one in particular having an enormous blade as Lizzy had described it.

"Please... just please let her go!! Take me instead PLEASE!!" he sobbed when the cloaked figure now wielding the mindflayer shut the door.

The half beast's body clenched involuntarily in the real world. The ends of his joints grew white even with skin as dark as his. Tension in his dream state was proving to be even worse but the only thing he could think of that may have distracted the hunters or even woken him up was to throw his body into the electrical wiring and bars along his cage. Electricity jolted through him until every spine of his stood perfectly on end in both realms. He'd managed to break through the bars before in his vision prior, could he do it again?

Invictus looked to Bul when he spoke, seeming impassive about having been thanked for doing what the Horseman considered to be nothing. Had he been posed with the questions of the incubator, he would have established a walking paradox with it. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), he hadn't been.

"It seems our presence offended the creature." Invictus answered, the only real answer that could be given to the situation. Why else would it have said that they had failed their turn. What turn? They had simply broken up the lovely party it seemed the creature was having. Had been having. What was it like to eat oneself, he wondered idly for a moment, before dismissing it. He'd never actually offended something into eating itself before.

Clearly it was something to be worked on.

Invictus looked to the two doors that presented themselves in the room, listening as they proposed a series of questions. They were not questions meant for them, though they did have an answer with him. He would not present it to the pair, however.

Perhaps there would be time for them to continue on in their search for the hunters in this time.

I'd rather be the one performing.

Foolish little runt

Go hide behind others while there is work to be done, go on now.

It was a horrible guttural whisper in Damien's mind, being unable to do much more than to writhe helplessly in the shackles that preferred to keep the body still and complacent. Only to listen and have the words seep into his very core.

You want to do the one thing your elder refuses to do, eh pup?

It continued, unfazed by the demon dog's eyes widened in fear as the individuals in white coats began their leisurely pace toward the next cage, the cage that held the green eared monster in it. He let out a muffled growl in defense that was rendered useless by the muzzle as his muscles began to seize and turn into stone at their approach. Not even the hollow clang of the cage bolt stopped the voice from continuing, even as he flailed for dear life to get away.


You want to send a search team for her, in case she's still alive and not just forget that the hound was a part of the clan.

the scraping of paws against metal was ever present, just slightly overpowered the muted cries of disapproval when a raven haired hunter got bold enough to drag the beast from its cell by the tail, its shackles now connected to each other and not the floor as he pawed desperately at the floor for some kind of leverage, anything to slow or halt the hunters travel down.

But you're too weak. Far too weak.

a weak. little. pup.

Even the floor could not aid the canine as he was viciously kicked in a new container, sleek from the inside and it smelled like brimstone. and felt his face pushed into the unyielding metal of the container as the muzzle was ripped away brutally, leaving a fine welt upon his cheek, all before the container was sealed shut and any chance of retaliation or escaping gone with it.

You need to get stronger little Damien, its the only way.

Tears were streaming down the once smug and proud face, falling in tiny rivulets over now dimmed green markings as he howled to let him go.

"Let me out!, I've done nothing wrong, WE'VE done nothing wrong!" he gasped out, throat raw and broken from its lack of use. it burned with every breath and every syllable but it was better than the constant chanting from outside, faces twisted with malice in the tiny window.

"Kill the beast. kill the beast. KILL THE BEAST." like a kind of angry mod, it demanded bloodshed and a show to go along with it.

It was heartbreaking. "No no! why are you doing this? Tell me why!?" he screamed out again, twisting and shifting his shackles as it dug even further in, the subtle sound of bones creaking and cracking lost to the swarm of death calls from outside.

It's because they can, and because you're too weak

It wasn't long when the chants quieted down to a lull before cutting of instantly when another figure came up to the porthole and looked inside behind its hooded visage, like some kind of hollow being, judging without seeing and Damien could feel its cold smile under that hood. it was enough to put a chill down his back and made knees quiver in terror. even more so when the container began to vibrate with urgency. he didn't know that right out of view, the figure flipped the switch.

There was no time to look at the others, nor any space behind the mob to even look at the cages.

You can't save anyone, including yourself.

the pain that shot through the canines body was so immense, his teeth clenched to the point where it began to chip, break away and even embed into gums. it was everywhere, all encompassing and horrible. Colors flashing wildly behind shut eyes as nerves began to practically ignite from the sensation. it was too much, far too much as he began to scream and beg for it to stop. just stop.... stop!


and then it did.

He opened his eyes to a room that seemed long forgotten, the mirrors were still present and there was space to breath and move. Legs were able to have its free range of motion after a few careful and slow twitches. he let out a few shuddering breaths before soaking it all in. that the creature that caused the visions was now gone. and then the breathing got harder as he shuddered violently into a ball. "It was horrible..... so horrible." he said quietly, between hiccups and tearful inhalations of forgotten air.

It was a dream and nothing but a dream. But jack, did it feel real.

Damien's sob were slowly calming down as he went about trying to form words. "They threw me in some type of container and..... Jack, it was just cruel." he began to whimper out before crawling back up into a little ball of safety. It took a little bit of cohersing, but he didn't bother resisting when the half beast helped him up onto shaky feet. even so, he didn't want to break away just yet,

And showed his age by clinging onto the hem of the boil's shirt.