Captivated (A Werewolf Tale) [1st Draft]

Raymond

I glanced at the road sign, noting there was an ‘s’ curve coming up. I was currently on the state highway, making my way to my next stop. Like many members of my pack, I held down a regular job. Mine, however, was related to pack business. As an investigator with animal control, it was my job to check out reports of animal abuse, neglect, and large breeding operations. I actually specialized in mills and the illegal animal trade. If the police ran into something like that, I was the guy who they called. I could readily over 600 varieties of wild animals on sight and by scent. I knew their habitats, common health issues, and what precautions needed to be taken in dealing with them. As soon as I saw my turn, I slowed down to take it smoothly.

Right now, I was on my way to a suspected mill that was also potentially storing illegal animals for the black market trade. The report said they saw what looked like an emaciated wolf in a cage, which was definitely illegal. The problem was, not all of these wolves were actually canines. Some were Homo Melior Lupus – otherwise known as Lycanthropes or Werewolves, as humans referred to us as in their stories and legends. Unfortunately, these traders loved the various Homo Melior species that existed around the world. Werewolves were a particular favorite, so hearing a wolf locked in a cage had me concerned that it may not be an actual wolf. While wolves and werewolves didn’t actually look the same, they were similar enough that people who didn’t know much about them wouldn’t actually notice the differences. Most of the time, anyway. I had answered a report on a deformed wolf that led me to a small collection of various werewolves in cages too small for their human form. I could only pray this wasn’t one of us.

I turned on the driveway, pulling up in front of a house that had seen better days. It wasn’t horrible, but it could use a new roof, some paint, and the steps to the porch needed replaced. No doubt, the porch could use some repairs itself. I saw a couple cars, but I could immediately tell one hadn’t moved anytime recently. The other was a beat-up cargo van, no doubt used to transport animals from one place to another. After knocking a few times and waiting several minutes, I decided I’d poke around to see what I could find. If it was bad enough, I wouldn’t need a warrant to file an emergency report to the court before confiscating the animals.

Returning to the truck, I grabbed my camera and my clipboard to document my discoveries. I walked around to the back and through an unlocked wooden gate. I no sooner opened the gate, when I was hit with an unfortunately familiar odor of urine, feces, infection, and death. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment to brace myself for what I was about to find. This might be a job, but seeing animals suffering was never easy. Some nights, I just couldn’t take it, but I never thought about quitting. It was an important job and I was lucky to be allowed to make such a massive difference each and every day.

It didn’t take long to reach the area, though it was hidden behind trees. As soon as I entered the area, I knew this was going to be a huge job. On my left, there were a stack of cages with puppies and small dogs 8’ high, and on my right were stacks of cages about 6’ high with cats and other small animals. The rows were 20’ long and separated with rows and row of more animals, at least 8 of them, like grocery isles.

He began to take pictures and make notes of what he was finding at a glance. Some of the animals were unable to move from illness or starvation. Many had worms. Some were far too young to have been separated from their mothers. Almost none had ready access to water, and the sun was beating down on them as he walked around. Pulling his radio off his belt, he pressed the button to call dispatch.

“This is Raymond Bishop, Animal Control. Unit 326. I’m going to need backup at check three. I have a positive on the mill and we have an urgent situation. I see at least three hundred animals here, including dead ones,” he said, resignation in his tone. He pushed the button down again, holding it as he added. “It’s pretty bad. We’re going to need all hands on deck, plus volunteers. Get as many as possible. “Nobody was home when I came, but I could hear animals in distress,” he finished, so they could write down the cause of the emergency action.

“Roger, Ray. Confirm number three, please?”

“Yes, ma’am. I read 14768 Hollyhock Road.”

“Confirmed. I’ll start making the calls. You should get the first support team in about thirty minutes.”

“Thanks, Rita.”

“Sure thing, Ray,” she replied with a sympathetic tone. “One of these days these places won’t exist anymore.”

I snorted, but she wouldn’t know that. I clipped the radio back onto my belt as I continued on, following my nose to the metal barn not too far away. My heart sank. These buildings could build up so much heat… in this weather, it could kill. Once entering the open barn, I immediately knew I’d have to call in the big guns. What he found were various bears, large cats from Africa, about six Pangolins, and several canine species.

“Anyone here,” I asked clearly, looking from cage to cage. “I’m here to help. My pack takes care of captives until they can be returned home or wherever they want to go. If you’re here, let me know now. The humans are coming and I need to get you out of here before they do. It’s easier to explain an empty cage here than an ‘animal’ that disappears.”

One of the bears eyed me, then beat on the door of its cage once. I paused before stepping back to squat down and look at the ‘animal’s’ face.

“Are you a lycanthrope,” I asked, watching the creature’s eyes.

The bear nodded slowly. I immediately went into action, pulling out my cellphone and dialing our pack leader, then broke open the lock on the cage. After the bear walked out, he suddenly shifted to his human form and groaned.

“Boss, I’ve got at least one lycanthrope here at the puppy mill I mentioned. Haven’t finished up, but you’ve only got twenty minutes.” I ended the call as I scanned the other cages.

“Oh, thank Goddess for you,” the now human bear stated with deep gratitude as he turned his attention to me. “I don’t think there is anyone else in this building, but there’s another here and it’s bad. I hear her heartbeat but she almost never makes a sound. I can’t even smell her, but I know she’s out here. Another told me she’d been here a long time.”

“A female?” My heart stopped. Females were cherished within our culture. Luna, Goddess of the Moon was our deity, and women were held in high regard as the bringers of life. This was not the kind of news I wanted. “Show me.”

The man turned around and began leading the way to a back door to the barn. I noticed no significant scent, but he seemed to have a destination outside. We exited the barn, and around the back. There, settled my eyes on a horrifying sight. In a barred cage with no enclosure, a small werewolf lay on a pile of what used to be hay that was now heavily soiled with her own waste. It was chained up in the very back of the cage with a collar that was almost completely embedded into her skin. It only took a moment to tell it was a female and she was so thin, with fur so matted and dirty, I couldn’t tell what color she was supposed to be.

“Hey, can you shift? I’ve got help coming,” I said as I walked toward her.

The smell of her hit me the closer I got, but she barely opened her eyes to even look at me. There was no spark in them at all, no hope, no vitality. This was a wolf who had long since given up. I couldn’t even be certain she understood I was here to help. I checked her over quickly, as she had no reaction to me approaching other than her eyes rolling to follow my movements. I pulled out my cellphone after I detached the chain from the cage.

As soon as he answered, I hurriedly explained my second call. I’ve got two. I male and one female in critical condition. Tell them to hurry.”

“They are already on the way and lead footing it,” my superior told me. “You should see them sometime in the next few minutes.”

“Thanks. Andrew… there’s a collar embedded in her neck,” I said, almost choking on the words and the pain from what I was seeing.

“Fuck,” he hissed. “I’ll let the doctors know, so they can be ready when she gets here.”

I looked over at the werebear. “Can you stay with her? I’m going to go watch for the transport that will get you two out of here before the humans get here.”

The other man nodded, looking back at the wolf. “I’ll watch her.”

“Thanks! I’ll be back as quickly as possible,” I said as I stepped away from the starving wolf and out of the cage.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be here,” the man said as he walked over and sat down at her head, gently stroking the fur atop her skull.

Leader Daniels

“We’ve got one female, critical, and one other lycan, black market captive,” I said as I entered the clinic foyer.

It immediately sent several people scurrying around to get ready. It didn’t take long before the head doctor came over to me.

“I just got the call,” I told him. “He said the female has a collar embedded in her neck.”

The doctor’s face gained a sour expression, and he shook his head a couple of times.

“These damn traders need to be put out of business – all of them.”

“I agree with you, Sharp. If it were possible, I would kill each and every one of them with my bare hands,” I said with more vehemence than I intended.

I didn’t need to see Edwin Sharp’s expression to know there was empathy there. Everyone knew what drove my efforts to find and end the black market trade of animals, especially when those animals included those were were of lycan lines. My sister had been taken by such people when she was just a 15-year-old girl. There was no real hope of ever finding her – these people didn’t exactly keep records or leave paper trails. But, I could help those we found, and keep our eyes out for others.

It wasn’t too long until the radio crackled to life a few feet away.

“We’ve got one male bear lycan, in reasonable health. We’ve got one female wolf lycan,” he paused, causing the hair on the back of the neck to rise, “severe, prolonged malnourished, severely dehydrated, and I can’t find a vein. She has a leather collar severely embedded in her neck, there is significant infection on site. She is conscious, but she is unresponsive. I can’t tell how long it’s been since she has shifted, but I don’t think it’s been anytime soon.”

Doctor Sharp pressed the button to send his own message. “Confirming two incoming lychans – one male bear, one female wolf. Male stable, female in severe condition. We’re ready and ready. Approximate arrival time?”

“Confirmed, base. Arrival estimate is ten minutes. You’ll need a vein finder for the female,” the EMT stated.

“We’ll be ready and waiting,” Dr. Sharp said.

I glanced around, noticing we had collected a small crowd of the hospital and veterinarian staff, all intent on every word. Sharp hadn’t even signed up before they went into scramble mode to get a gurney ready for the female and a wheelchair for the male as a precaution. It sounded more like the guy needed some fluid and food, but the woman… that was a whole other matter. Prolonged starvation could cause long term damage to the organs and the brain. Mental instability or retardation was possible, as was heart, liver, or kidney issues that one might never recover from. The long-term health issues could cripple someone for the entirety of their lives, just like humans. We might heal faster, but it still required energy and calories to happen.

The minutes ticked by far too slowly as we all waited anxiously. Eventually, though, the vehicle arrived, speeding into the driveway in front of the hospital before coming to an abrupt stop. The two EMT’s jumped out of the vehicle, one from the driver’s seat and one out of the back. The one in front helped the man in the passenger seat out and guided him to the wheelchair as the gurney and Dr. Sharp went to help the EMT in the back collect the woman so they could immediately take her inside. I met the bear lycan at the door and gave him a smile.

“You stay as long as you need. As soon as they finish checking you out, you can call anyone you need to.”

The man nodded and gave me a weary smile. “Thank you so much. I am grateful for the kindness of your people.”

I gave him a smile. “You’re welcome.”

The nurse then wheeled the man to the door leading to the emergency exam rooms where they could do a full work-up on him. My attention was then diverted to the female being brought in and rushed by me to be taken for immediate surgery. My heart sank at the sight of her. Huge sections of her had little to no hair, and the skin had thickened there, which meant it may never grow back. The stench of the infection around the embedded collar was horrendous, and you could barely see the collar in most places. Her breathing was hard and shallow, and you could see every rib and her hip bones from being so emaciated. Just at a glance, I could tell the prognosis was quite poor. I wondered if she would even survive, she looked so far gone.

“I don’t know what’s kept her alive for so long,” Chris, one of the EMTs stated, adding, “but whatever it is, I hope she clings to it. The next several months are going to be hard on her.”

“What do you think her chances of survival are,” I asked him bluntly.

Chris shook his head. “If she’d been left, she might have only had days. At least now she’ll get the care she needs. I’d say, while it looks dire, she’s got a good chance at recovery. As long as there’s not any severe organ damage, that is. The male, though, is in reasonably good shape. I’ll wager you can get some info out of him.”

I nodded. “Once he’s been looked over and had a chance to make some calls, I’ll debrief him to find out everything he knows.”

Chris’ radio beeped, then a voice came over it from dispatch. “Unit 332, we have a report of a child with a severe bone break. Please respond to 224 W Ash. Repeat, 224 W Ash. Please respond.”

He sighed and gave me an apologetic smile. “Duty calls.”

I waved him off before he began to hurry out of the building back to their modified SUV, while I made my way to the surgical theater observation room. The female’s eyes were closed and she had a muzzle mask on that provided the anesthesia. Her breathing was slow and steady, while her pulse and blood pressure were quite low, worrying me. At the present, the surgeons were working carefully to cut away the skin surrounding the collar. You could see the puss flowing from the skin with each cut. A nurse wiped it away to keep the area clear enough so the surgeons could see what they were doing. I could already tell the IV had at least one antibiotic on it. No doubt, she would be on IV antibiotics for two weeks or more. I only looked away when I saw Nurse Decker enter the observation room with me.

“So, we’re waiting on her blood work, but I can tell you from experience that she’s anemic, probably has parasites, and that collar has been on her for years.”

“What’s going to happen after surgery?”

“Well, she can’t be kept under sedation long; it’s too dangerous in her condition. We’ll have her on IV. We’ll be putting vitamins and minerals in it. She won’t get much but ice chips for at least a day, then introduce soft food, a little at a time. I’d guess it’ll be a week before she’s going to be strong enough to move around much. My gut says she’s been in that form form for at least four or five years.”

“So she may not even remember how to shift,” I surmised. “How old do you think she is?”

“Not terribly,” she told me with sadness lacing her tone. “It’s hard to tell, though. Without knowing how long she’s been captive and how long she’s been starved, it’s impossible to tack it down. Starvation can stunt development. I mean, she barely weighs fifty pounds.”

I snapped my eyes to her. “Are you kidding? Fifty?”

Nurse Decker nodded, looking back at the pitiful creature on the operating table. “It’s unbelievable. She shouldn’t even be alive.”

“Goddess must have been watching over her.”

“May she continue to protect her child,” Nurse Decker responded, placing a hand over her heart. “I pray that her mental state will be such that death wouldn’t have been a mercy.”

I nodded slowly, realizing the female must have been through significant trauma and how that might affect one’s mind, along with the starvation.

“The Lycanthrope Ursa wishes to speak to you as quickly as possible. He says he has important information to relay to you,” Nurse Decker added. “We’re just giving him fluid and a hearty meal, but he’s otherwise fine. From what I understood, he’d only been in captivity for a few months.”

“Good. All his information will be recent,” I said, glancing back out to see the female, now turned over, getting the rest of the collar out of her neck. “I’ll head there now. This is still going to take a while.”

She nodded before I passed by her on my way to the door. I stepped out and made my way to the nurse station, where he was listed on the board. Once I found his location, I walked around the nurse’s desk to the room. Inside, I saw the man again, now looking a little more relaxed and had a more lively energy. I watched him sit up straight as I entered the room, flashing me a smile.

“Leader Daniels, what a pleasure to see you again,” he told me.

I walked over to shake his hand. “The pleasure is mine. What do I call you?”

“Henry Wiles. Pardon my lack of introduction. I was a little overwhelmed by what was happening at that moment.”

I pulled up a chair and sat down, giving him a nod. “I was told you wanted to talk to me and, as I wanted to talk to you, I decided to do it now.”

The man’s face grew more serious. “I’ve got names, locations, and species. They aren’t all in your area, though. Do you have people in other regions that can help?”

“Yes, I do, in nearly every country in the world. So what do you know?”

“You’re going to want paper and pen or a recorder to take notes with,” he said seriously. “Also, can you tell me how the female is? No one seems to know that comes in here.”

I had my cell out to call my assistant when he asked that question. I paused and looked at him, debating on how much to tell him.

“She is in surgery and they were getting close to finished removing the collar, but there’s a lot of infected tissue around it, so I know they are a ways from being done. She is still alive, though, and in the hands of my best medical team, so I think she’ll pull through, as long as her body holds up.”

The man nodded, looking rather relieved as I again started to make the call. Then I paused as a thought hit me.

“Do you have any idea how long she’s been captive?”

Henry sighed and clenched his fists. “Another told me that another told him, who had also been told from another who’d been told from one before him that he’d heard she had been there for years. From the time span noted in the tale, I’m guessing ten years, maybe more. It seems as if people were trying to keep track of how long she’d been there, probably because she was a female and no one likes being unable to help a female in need, regardless of what species they are.”

I nodded in agreement and gave him a half smile. “It just goes to show how connected we all are. We all want to protect our females, even if we can’t protect ourselves.”

He smiled and nodded as I made the call to my assistant.n, noting there was an ‘s’ curve coming up. I was currently on the state highway, making my way to my next stop. Like many members of my pack, I held down a regular job. Mine, however, was related to pack business. As an investigator with animal control, it was my job to check out reports of animal abuse, neglect, and large breeding operations. I actually specialized in mills and the illegal animal trade. If the police ran into something like that, I was the guy who they called. I could readily over 600 varieties of wild animals on sight and by scent. I knew their habitats, common health issues, and what precautions needed to be taken in dealing with them. As soon as I saw my turn, I slowed down to take it smoothly.

Right now, I was on my way to a suspected mill that was also potentially storing illegal animals for the black market trade. The report said they saw what looked like an emaciated wolf in a cage, which was definitely illegal. The problem was, not all of these wolves were actually canines. Some were Homo Melior Lupus – otherwise known as Lycanthropes or Werewolves, as humans referred to us as in their stories and legends. Unfortunately, these traders loved the various Homo Melior species that existed around the world. Werewolves were a particular favorite, so hearing a wolf locked in a cage had me concerned that it may not be an actual wolf. While wolves and werewolves didn’t actually look the same, they were similar enough that people who didn’t know much about them wouldn’t actually notice the differences. Most of the time, anyway. I had answered a report on a deformed wolf that led me to a small collection of various werewolves in cages too small for their human form. I could only pray this wasn’t one of us.

I turned on the driveway, pulling up in front of a house that had seen better days. It wasn’t horrible, but it could use a new roof, some paint, and the steps to the porch needed replaced. No doubt, the porch could use some repairs itself. I saw a couple cars, but I could immediately tell one hadn’t moved anytime recently. The other was a beat-up cargo van, no doubt used to transport animals from one place to another. After knocking a few times and waiting several minutes, I decided I’d poke around to see what I could find. If it was bad enough, I wouldn’t need a warrant to file an emergency report to the court before confiscating the animals.

Returning to the truck, I grabbed my camera and my clipboard to document my discoveries. I walked around to the back and through an unlocked wooden gate. I no sooner opened the gate, when I was hit with an unfortunately familiar odor of urine, feces, infection, and death. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment to brace myself for what I was about to find. This might be a job, but seeing animals suffering was never easy. Some nights, I just couldn’t take it, but I never thought about quitting. It was an important job and I was lucky to be allowed to make such a massive difference each and every day.

It didn’t take long to reach the area, though it was hidden behind trees. As soon as I entered the area, I knew this was going to be a huge job. On my left, there were a stack of cages with puppies and small dogs 8’ high, and on my right were stacks of cages about 6’ high with cats and other small animals. The rows were 20’ long and separated with rows and row of more animals, at least 8 of them, like grocery isles.

He began to take pictures and make notes of what he was finding at a glance. Some of the animals were unable to move from illness or starvation. Many had worms. Some were far too young to have been separated from their mothers. Almost none had ready access to water, and the sun was beating down on them as he walked around. Pulling his radio off his belt, he pressed the button to call dispatch.

“This is Raymond Bishop, Animal Control. Unit 326. I’m going to need backup at check three. I have a positive on the mill and we have an urgent situation. I see at least three hundred animals here, including dead ones,” he said, resignation in his tone. He pushed the button down again, holding it as he added. “It’s pretty bad. We’re going to need all hands on deck, plus volunteers. Get as many as possible. “Nobody was home when I came, but I could hear animals in distress,” he finished, so they could write down the cause of the emergency action.

“Roger, Ray. Confirm number three, please?”

“Yes, ma’am. I read 14768 Hollyhock Road.”

“Confirmed. I’ll start making the calls. You should get the first support team in about thirty minutes.”

“Thanks, Rita.”

“Sure thing, Ray,” she replied with a sympathetic tone. “One of these days these places won’t exist anymore.”

I snorted, but she wouldn’t know that. I clipped the radio back onto my belt as I continued on, following my nose to the metal barn not too far away. My heart sank. These buildings could build up so much heat… in this weather, it could kill. Once entering the open barn, I immediately knew I’d have to call in the big guns. What he found were various bears, large cats from Africa, about six Pangolins, and several canine species.

“Anyone here,” I asked clearly, looking from cage to cage. “I’m here to help. My pack takes care of captives until they can be returned home or wherever they want to go. If you’re here, let me know now. The humans are coming and I need to get you out of here before they do. It’s easier to explain an empty cage here than an ‘animal’ that disappears.”

One of the bears eyed me, then beat on the door of its cage once. I paused before stepping back to squat down and look at the ‘animal’s’ face.

“Are you a lycanthrope,” I asked, watching the creature’s eyes.

The bear nodded slowly. I immediately went into action, pulling out my cellphone and dialing our pack leader, then broke open the lock on the cage. After the bear walked out, he suddenly shifted to his human form and groaned.

“Boss, I’ve got at least one lycanthrope here at the puppy mill I mentioned. Haven’t finished up, but you’ve only got twenty minutes.” I ended the call as I scanned the other cages.

“Oh, thank Goddess for you,” the now human bear stated with deep gratitude as he turned his attention to me. “I don’t think there is anyone else in this building, but there’s another here and it’s bad. I hear her heartbeat but she almost never makes a sound. I can’t even smell her, but I know she’s out here. Another told me she’d been here a long time.”

“A female?” My heart stopped. Females were cherished within our culture. Luna, Goddess of the Moon was our deity, and women were held in high regard as the bringers of life. This was not the kind of news I wanted. “Show me.”

The man turned around and began leading the way to a back door to the barn. I noticed no significant scent, but he seemed to have a destination outside. We exited the barn, and around the back. There, settled my eyes on a horrifying sight. In a barred cage with no enclosure, a small werewolf lay on a pile of what used to be hay that was now heavily soiled with her own waste. It was chained up in the very back of the cage with a collar that was almost completely embedded into her skin. It only took a moment to tell it was a female and she was so thin, with fur so matted and dirty, I couldn’t tell what color she was supposed to be.

“Hey, can you shift? I’ve got help coming,” I said as I walked toward her.

The smell of her hit me the closer I got, but she barely opened her eyes to even look at me. There was no spark in them at all, no hope, no vitality. This was a wolf who had long since given up. I couldn’t even be certain she understood I was here to help. I checked her over quickly, as she had no reaction to me approaching other than her eyes rolling to follow my movements. I pulled out my cellphone after I detached the chain from the cage.

As soon as he answered, I hurriedly explained my second call. I’ve got two. I male and one female in critical condition. Tell them to hurry.”

“They are already on the way and lead footing it,” my superior told me. “You should see them sometime in the next few minutes.”

“Thanks. Andrew… there’s a collar embedded in her neck,” I said, almost choking on the words and the pain from what I was seeing.

“Fuck,” he hissed. “I’ll let the doctors know, so they can be ready when she gets here.”

I looked over at the werebear. “Can you stay with her? I’m going to go watch for the transport that will get you two out of here before the humans get here.”

The other man nodded, looking back at the wolf. “I’ll watch her.”

“Thanks! I’ll be back as quickly as possible,” I said as I stepped away from the starving wolf and out of the cage.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be here,” the man said as he walked over and sat down at her head, gently stroking the fur atop her skull.

Leader Daniels

“We’ve got one female, critical, and one other lycan, black market captive,” I said as I entered the clinic foyer.

It immediately sent several people scurrying around to get ready. It didn’t take long before the head doctor came over to me.

“I just got the call,” I told him. “He said the female has a collar embedded in her neck.”

The doctor’s face gained a sour expression, and he shook his head a couple of times.

“These damn traders need to be put out of business – all of them.”

“I agree with you, Sharp. If it were possible, I would kill each and every one of them with my bare hands,” I said with more vehemence than I intended.

I didn’t need to see Edwin Sharp’s expression to know there was empathy there. Everyone knew what drove my efforts to find and end the black market trade of animals, especially when those animals included those were were of lycan lines. My sister had been taken by such people when she was just a 15-year-old girl. There was no real hope of ever finding her – these people didn’t exactly keep records or leave paper trails. But, I could help those we found, and keep our eyes out for others.

It wasn’t too long until the radio crackled to life a few feet away.

“We’ve got one male bear lycan, in reasonable health. We’ve got one female wolf lycan,” he paused, causing the hair on the back of the neck to rise, “severe, prolonged malnourished, severely dehydrated, and I can’t find a vein. She has a leather collar severely embedded in her neck, there is significant infection on site. She is conscious, but she is unresponsive. I can’t tell how long it’s been since she has shifted, but I don’t think it’s been anytime soon.”

Doctor Sharp pressed the button to send his own message. “Confirming two incoming lychans – one male bear, one female wolf. Male stable, female in severe condition. We’re ready and ready. Approximate arrival time?”

“Confirmed, base. Arrival estimate is ten minutes. You’ll need a vein finder for the female,” the EMT stated.

“We’ll be ready and waiting,” Dr. Sharp said.

I glanced around, noticing we had collected a small crowd of the hospital and veterinarian staff, all intent on every word. Sharp hadn’t even signed up before they went into scramble mode to get a gurney ready for the female and a wheelchair for the male as a precaution. It sounded more like the guy needed some fluid and food, but the woman… that was a whole other matter. Prolonged starvation could cause long term damage to the organs and the brain. Mental instability or retardation was possible, as was heart, liver, or kidney issues that one might never recover from. The long-term health issues could cripple someone for the entirety of their lives, just like humans. We might heal faster, but it still required energy and calories to happen.

The minutes ticked by far too slowly as we all waited anxiously. Eventually, though, the vehicle arrived, speeding into the driveway in front of the hospital before coming to an abrupt stop. The two EMT’s jumped out of the vehicle, one from the driver’s seat and one out of the back. The one in front helped the man in the passenger seat out and guided him to the wheelchair as the gurney and Dr. Sharp went to help the EMT in the back collect the woman so they could immediately take her inside. I met the bear lycan at the door and gave him a smile.

“You stay as long as you need. As soon as they finish checking you out, you can call anyone you need to.”

The man nodded and gave me a weary smile. “Thank you so much. I am grateful for the kindness of your people.”

I gave him a smile. “You’re welcome.”

The nurse then wheeled the man to the door leading to the emergency exam rooms where they could do a full work-up on him. My attention was then diverted to the female being brought in and rushed by me to be taken for immediate surgery. My heart sank at the sight of her. Huge sections of her had little to no hair, and the skin had thickened there, which meant it may never grow back. The stench of the infection around the embedded collar was horrendous, and you could barely see the collar in most places. Her breathing was hard and shallow, and you could see every rib and her hip bones from being so emaciated. Just at a glance, I could tell the prognosis was quite poor. I wondered if she would even survive, she looked so far gone.

“I don’t know what’s kept her alive for so long,” Chris, one of the EMTs stated, adding, “but whatever it is, I hope she clings to it. The next several months are going to be hard on her.”

“What do you think her chances of survival are,” I asked him bluntly.

Chris shook his head. “If she’d been left, she might have only had days. At least now she’ll get the care she needs. I’d say, while it looks dire, she’s got a good chance at recovery. As long as there’s not any severe organ damage, that is. The male, though, is in reasonably good shape. I’ll wager you can get some info out of him.”

I nodded. “Once he’s been looked over and had a chance to make some calls, I’ll debrief him to find out everything he knows.”

Chris’ radio beeped, then a voice came over it from dispatch. “Unit 332, we have a report of a child with a severe bone break. Please respond to 224 W Ash. Repeat, 224 W Ash. Please respond.”

He sighed and gave me an apologetic smile. “Duty calls.”

I waved him off before he began to hurry out of the building back to their modified SUV, while I made my way to the surgical theater observation room. The female’s eyes were closed and she had a muzzle mask on that provided the anesthesia. Her breathing was slow and steady, while her pulse and blood pressure were quite low, worrying me. At the present, the surgeons were working carefully to cut away the skin surrounding the collar. You could see the puss flowing from the skin with each cut. A nurse wiped it away to keep the area clear enough so the surgeons could see what they were doing. I could already tell the IV had at least one antibiotic on it. No doubt, she would be on IV antibiotics for two weeks or more. I only looked away when I saw Nurse Decker enter the observation room with me.

“So, we’re waiting on her blood work, but I can tell you from experience that she’s anemic, probably has parasites, and that collar has been on her for years.”

“What’s going to happen after surgery?”

“Well, she can’t be kept under sedation long; it’s too dangerous in her condition. We’ll have her on IV. We’ll be putting vitamins and minerals in it. She won’t get much but ice chips for at least a day, then introduce soft food, a little at a time. I’d guess it’ll be a week before she’s going to be strong enough to move around much. My gut says she’s been in that form form for at least four or five years.”

“So she may not even remember how to shift,” I surmised. “How old do you think she is?”

“Not terribly,” she told me with sadness lacing her tone. “It’s hard to tell, though. Without knowing how long she’s been captive and how long she’s been starved, it’s impossible to tack it down. Starvation can stunt development. I mean, she barely weighs fifty pounds.”

I snapped my eyes to her. “Are you kidding? Fifty?”

Nurse Decker nodded, looking back at the pitiful creature on the operating table. “It’s unbelievable. She shouldn’t even be alive.”

“Goddess must have been watching over her.”

“May she continue to protect her child,” Nurse Decker responded, placing a hand over her heart. “I pray that her mental state will be such that death wouldn’t have been a mercy.”

I nodded slowly, realizing the female must have been through significant trauma and how that might affect one’s mind, along with the starvation.

“The Lycanthrope Ursa wishes to speak to you as quickly as possible. He says he has important information to relay to you,” Nurse Decker added. “We’re just giving him fluid and a hearty meal, but he’s otherwise fine. From what I understood, he’d only been in captivity for a few months.”

“Good. All his information will be recent,” I said, glancing back out to see the female, now turned over, getting the rest of the collar out of her neck. “I’ll head there now. This is still going to take a while.”

She nodded before I passed by her on my way to the door. I stepped out and made my way to the nurse station, where he was listed on the board. Once I found his location, I walked around the nurse’s desk to the room. Inside, I saw the man again, now looking a little more relaxed and had a more lively energy. I watched him sit up straight as I entered the room, flashing me a smile.

“Leader Daniels, what a pleasure to see you again,” he told me.

I walked over to shake his hand. “The pleasure is mine. What do I call you?”

“Henry Wiles. Pardon my lack of introduction. I was a little overwhelmed by what was happening at that moment.”

I pulled up a chair and sat down, giving him a nod. “I was told you wanted to talk to me and, as I wanted to talk to you, I decided to do it now.”

The man’s face grew more serious. “I’ve got names, locations, and species. They aren’t all in your area, though. Do you have people in other regions that can help?”

“Yes, I do, in nearly every country in the world. So what do you know?”

“You’re going to want paper and pen or a recorder to take notes with,” he said seriously. “Also, can you tell me how the female is? No one seems to know that comes in here.”

I had my cell out to call my assistant when he asked that question. I paused and looked at him, debating on how much to tell him.

“She is in surgery and they were getting close to finished removing the collar, but there’s a lot of infected tissue around it, so I know they are a ways from being done. She is still alive, though, and in the hands of my best medical team, so I think she’ll pull through, as long as her body holds up.”

The man nodded, looking rather relieved as I again started to make the call. Then I paused as a thought hit me.

“Do you have any idea how long she’s been captive?”

Henry sighed and clenched his fists. “Another told me that another told him, who had also been told from another who’d been told from one before him that he’d heard she had been there for years. From the time span noted in the tale, I’m guessing ten years, maybe more. It seems as if people were trying to keep track of how long she’d been there, probably because she was a female and no one likes being unable to help a female in need, regardless of what species they are.”

I nodded in agreement and gave him a half smile. “It just goes to show how connected we all are. We all want to protect our females, even if we can’t protect ourselves.”

He smiled and nodded as I made the call to my assistant.

I glanced at the road sign, noting there was an ‘s’ curve coming up. I was currently on the state highway, making my way to my next stop. Like many members of my pack, I held down a regular job. Mine, however, was related to pack business. As an investigator with animal control, it was my job to check out reports of animal abuse, neglect, and large breeding operations. I actually specialized in mills and the illegal animal trade. If the police ran into something like that, I was the guy who they called. I could readily over 600 varieties of wild animals on sight and by scent. I knew their habitats, common health issues, and what precautions needed to be taken in dealing with them. As soon as I saw my turn, I slowed down to take it smoothly.

Right now, I was on my way to a suspected mill that was also potentially storing illegal animals for the black market trade. The report said they saw what looked like an emaciated wolf in a cage, which was definitely illegal. The problem was, not all of these wolves were actually canines. Some were Homo Melior Lupus – otherwise known as Lycanthropes or Werewolves, as humans referred to us as in their stories and legends. Unfortunately, these traders loved the various Homo Melior species that existed around the world. Werewolves were a particular favorite, so hearing a wolf locked in a cage had me concerned that it may not be an actual wolf. While wolves and werewolves didn’t actually look the same, they were similar enough that people who didn’t know much about them wouldn’t actually notice the differences. Most of the time, anyway. I had answered a report on a deformed wolf that led me to a small collection of various werewolves in cages too small for their human form. I could only pray this wasn’t one of us.

I turned on the driveway, pulling up in front of a house that had seen better days. It wasn’t horrible, but it could use a new roof, some paint, and the steps to the porch needed replaced. No doubt, the porch could use some repairs itself. I saw a couple cars, but I could immediately tell one hadn’t moved anytime recently. The other was a beat-up cargo van, no doubt used to transport animals from one place to another. After knocking a few times and waiting several minutes, I decided I’d poke around to see what I could find. If it was bad enough, I wouldn’t need a warrant to file an emergency report to the court before confiscating the animals.

Returning to the truck, I grabbed my camera and my clipboard to document my discoveries. I walked around to the back and through an unlocked wooden gate. I no sooner opened the gate, when I was hit with an unfortunately familiar odor of urine, feces, infection, and death. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment to brace myself for what I was about to find. This might be a job, but seeing animals suffering was never easy. Some nights, I just couldn’t take it, but I never thought about quitting. It was an important job and I was lucky to be allowed to make such a massive difference each and every day.

It didn’t take long to reach the area, though it was hidden behind trees. As soon as I entered the area, I knew this was going to be a huge job. On my left, there were a stack of cages with puppies and small dogs 8’ high, and on my right were stacks of cages about 6’ high with cats and other small animals. The rows were 20’ long and separated with rows and row of more animals, at least 8 of them, like grocery isles.

He began to take pictures and make notes of what he was finding at a glance. Some of the animals were unable to move from illness or starvation. Many had worms. Some were far too young to have been separated from their mothers. Almost none had ready access to water, and the sun was beating down on them as he walked around. Pulling his radio off his belt, he pressed the button to call dispatch.

“This is Raymond Bishop, Animal Control. Unit 326. I’m going to need backup at check three. I have a positive on the mill and we have an urgent situation. I see at least three hundred animals here, including dead ones,” he said, resignation in his tone. He pushed the button down again, holding it as he added. “It’s pretty bad. We’re going to need all hands on deck, plus volunteers. Get as many as possible. “Nobody was home when I came, but I could hear animals in distress,” he finished, so they could write down the cause of the emergency action.

“Roger, Ray. Confirm number three, please?”

“Yes, ma’am. I read 14768 Hollyhock Road.”

“Confirmed. I’ll start making the calls. You should get the first support team in about thirty minutes.”

“Thanks, Rita.”

“Sure thing, Ray,” she replied with a sympathetic tone. “One of these days these places won’t exist anymore.”

I snorted, but she wouldn’t know that. I clipped the radio back onto my belt as I continued on, following my nose to the metal barn not too far away. My heart sank. These buildings could build up so much heat… in this weather, it could kill. Once entering the open barn, I immediately knew I’d have to call in the big guns. What he found were various bears, large cats from Africa, about six Pangolins, and several canine species.

“Anyone here,” I asked clearly, looking from cage to cage. “I’m here to help. My pack takes care of captives until they can be returned home or wherever they want to go. If you’re here, let me know now. The humans are coming and I need to get you out of here before they do. It’s easier to explain an empty cage here than an ‘animal’ that disappears.”

One of the bears eyed me, then beat on the door of its cage once. I paused before stepping back to squat down and look at the ‘animal’s’ face.

“Are you a lycanthrope,” I asked, watching the creature’s eyes.

The bear nodded slowly. I immediately went into action, pulling out my cellphone and dialing our pack leader, then broke open the lock on the cage. After the bear walked out, he suddenly shifted to his human form and groaned.

“Boss, I’ve got at least one lycanthrope here at the puppy mill I mentioned. Haven’t finished up, but you’ve only got twenty minutes.” I ended the call as I scanned the other cages.

“Oh, thank Goddess for you,” the now human bear stated with deep gratitude as he turned his attention to me. “I don’t think there is anyone else in this building, but there’s another here and it’s bad. I hear her heartbeat but she almost never makes a sound. I can’t even smell her, but I know she’s out here. Another told me she’d been here a long time.”

“A female?” My heart stopped. Females were cherished within our culture. Luna, Goddess of the Moon was our deity, and women were held in high regard as the bringers of life. This was not the kind of news I wanted. “Show me.”

The man turned around and began leading the way to a back door to the barn. I noticed no significant scent, but he seemed to have a destination outside. We exited the barn, and around the back. There, settled my eyes on a horrifying sight. In a barred cage with no enclosure, a small werewolf lay on a pile of what used to be hay that was now heavily soiled with her own waste. It was chained up in the very back of the cage with a collar that was almost completely embedded into her skin. It only took a moment to tell it was a female and she was so thin, with fur so matted and dirty, I couldn’t tell what color she was supposed to be.

“Hey, can you shift? I’ve got help coming,” I said as I walked toward her.

The smell of her hit me the closer I got, but she barely opened her eyes to even look at me. There was no spark in them at all, no hope, no vitality. This was a wolf who had long since given up. I couldn’t even be certain she understood I was here to help. I checked her over quickly, as she had no reaction to me approaching other than her eyes rolling to follow my movements. I pulled out my cellphone after I detached the chain from the cage.

As soon as he answered, I hurriedly explained my second call. I’ve got two. I male and one female in critical condition. Tell them to hurry.”

“They are already on the way and lead footing it,” my superior told me. “You should see them sometime in the next few minutes.”

“Thanks. Andrew… there’s a collar embedded in her neck,” I said, almost choking on the words and the pain from what I was seeing.

“Fuck,” he hissed. “I’ll let the doctors know, so they can be ready when she gets here.”

I looked over at the werebear. “Can you stay with her? I’m going to go watch for the transport that will get you two out of here before the humans get here.”

The other man nodded, looking back at the wolf. “I’ll watch her.”

“Thanks! I’ll be back as quickly as possible,” I said as I stepped away from the starving wolf and out of the cage.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be here,” the man said as he walked over and sat down at her head, gently stroking the fur atop her skull.

Leader Daniels

“We’ve got one female, critical, and one other lycan, black market captive,” I said as I entered the clinic foyer.

It immediately sent several people scurrying around to get ready. It didn’t take long before the head doctor came over to me.

“I just got the call,” I told him. “He said the female has a collar embedded in her neck.”

The doctor’s face gained a sour expression, and he shook his head a couple of times.

“These damn traders need to be put out of business – all of them.”

“I agree with you, Sharp. If it were possible, I would kill each and every one of them with my bare hands,” I said with more vehemence than I intended.

I didn’t need to see Edwin Sharp’s expression to know there was empathy there. Everyone knew what drove my efforts to find and end the black market trade of animals, especially when those animals included those were were of lycan lines. My sister had been taken by such people when she was just a 15-year-old girl. There was no real hope of ever finding her – these people didn’t exactly keep records or leave paper trails. But, I could help those we found, and keep our eyes out for others.

It wasn’t too long until the radio crackled to life a few feet away.

“We’ve got one male bear lycan, in reasonable health. We’ve got one female wolf lycan,” he paused, causing the hair on the back of the neck to rise, “severe, prolonged malnourished, severely dehydrated, and I can’t find a vein. She has a leather collar severely embedded in her neck, there is significant infection on site. She is conscious, but she is unresponsive. I can’t tell how long it’s been since she has shifted, but I don’t think it’s been anytime soon.”

Doctor Sharp pressed the button to send his own message. “Confirming two incoming lychans – one male bear, one female wolf. Male stable, female in severe condition. We’re ready and ready. Approximate arrival time?”

“Confirmed, base. Arrival estimate is ten minutes. You’ll need a vein finder for the female,” the EMT stated.

“We’ll be ready and waiting,” Dr. Sharp said.

I glanced around, noticing we had collected a small crowd of the hospital and veterinarian staff, all intent on every word. Sharp hadn’t even signed up before they went into scramble mode to get a gurney ready for the female and a wheelchair for the male as a precaution. It sounded more like the guy needed some fluid and food, but the woman… that was a whole other matter. Prolonged starvation could cause long term damage to the organs and the brain. Mental instability or retardation was possible, as was heart, liver, or kidney issues that one might never recover from. The long-term health issues could cripple someone for the entirety of their lives, just like humans. We might heal faster, but it still required energy and calories to happen.

The minutes ticked by far too slowly as we all waited anxiously. Eventually, though, the vehicle arrived, speeding into the driveway in front of the hospital before coming to an abrupt stop. The two EMT’s jumped out of the vehicle, one from the driver’s seat and one out of the back. The one in front helped the man in the passenger seat out and guided him to the wheelchair as the gurney and Dr. Sharp went to help the EMT in the back collect the woman so they could immediately take her inside. I met the bear lycan at the door and gave him a smile.

“You stay as long as you need. As soon as they finish checking you out, you can call anyone you need to.”

The man nodded and gave me a weary smile. “Thank you so much. I am grateful for the kindness of your people.”

I gave him a smile. “You’re welcome.”

The nurse then wheeled the man to the door leading to the emergency exam rooms where they could do a full work-up on him. My attention was then diverted to the female being brought in and rushed by me to be taken for immediate surgery. My heart sank at the sight of her. Huge sections of her had little to no hair, and the skin had thickened there, which meant it may never grow back. The stench of the infection around the embedded collar was horrendous, and you could barely see the collar in most places. Her breathing was hard and shallow, and you could see every rib and her hip bones from being so emaciated. Just at a glance, I could tell the prognosis was quite poor. I wondered if she would even survive, she looked so far gone.

“I don’t know what’s kept her alive for so long,” Chris, one of the EMTs stated, adding, “but whatever it is, I hope she clings to it. The next several months are going to be hard on her.”

“What do you think her chances of survival are,” I asked him bluntly.

Chris shook his head. “If she’d been left, she might have only had days. At least now she’ll get the care she needs. I’d say, while it looks dire, she’s got a good chance at recovery. As long as there’s not any severe organ damage, that is. The male, though, is in reasonably good shape. I’ll wager you can get some info out of him.”

I nodded. “Once he’s been looked over and had a chance to make some calls, I’ll debrief him to find out everything he knows.”

Chris’ radio beeped, then a voice came over it from dispatch. “Unit 332, we have a report of a child with a severe bone break. Please respond to 224 W Ash. Repeat, 224 W Ash. Please respond.”

He sighed and gave me an apologetic smile. “Duty calls.”

I waved him off before he began to hurry out of the building back to their modified SUV, while I made my way to the surgical theater observation room. The female’s eyes were closed and she had a muzzle mask on that provided the anesthesia. Her breathing was slow and steady, while her pulse and blood pressure were quite low, worrying me. At the present, the surgeons were working carefully to cut away the skin surrounding the collar. You could see the puss flowing from the skin with each cut. A nurse wiped it away to keep the area clear enough so the surgeons could see what they were doing. I could already tell the IV had at least one antibiotic on it. No doubt, she would be on IV antibiotics for two weeks or more. I only looked away when I saw Nurse Decker enter the observation room with me.

“So, we’re waiting on her blood work, but I can tell you from experience that she’s anemic, probably has parasites, and that collar has been on her for years.”

“What’s going to happen after surgery?”

“Well, she can’t be kept under sedation long; it’s too dangerous in her condition. We’ll have her on IV. We’ll be putting vitamins and minerals in it. She won’t get much but ice chips for at least a day, then introduce soft food, a little at a time. I’d guess it’ll be a week before she’s going to be strong enough to move around much. My gut says she’s been in that form form for at least four or five years.”

“So she may not even remember how to shift,” I surmised. “How old do you think she is?”

“Not terribly,” she told me with sadness lacing her tone. “It’s hard to tell, though. Without knowing how long she’s been captive and how long she’s been starved, it’s impossible to tack it down. Starvation can stunt development. I mean, she barely weighs fifty pounds.”

I snapped my eyes to her. “Are you kidding? Fifty?”

Nurse Decker nodded, looking back at the pitiful creature on the operating table. “It’s unbelievable. She shouldn’t even be alive.”

“Goddess must have been watching over her.”

“May she continue to protect her child,” Nurse Decker responded, placing a hand over her heart. “I pray that her mental state will be such that death wouldn’t have been a mercy.”

I nodded slowly, realizing the female must have been through significant trauma and how that might affect one’s mind, along with the starvation.

“The Lycanthrope Ursa wishes to speak to you as quickly as possible. He says he has important information to relay to you,” Nurse Decker added. “We’re just giving him fluid and a hearty meal, but he’s otherwise fine. From what I understood, he’d only been in captivity for a few months.”

“Good. All his information will be recent,” I said, glancing back out to see the female, now turned over, getting the rest of the collar out of her neck. “I’ll head there now. This is still going to take a while.”

She nodded before I passed by her on my way to the door. I stepped out and made my way to the nurse station, where he was listed on the board. Once I found his location, I walked around the nurse’s desk to the room. Inside, I saw the man again, now looking a little more relaxed and had a more lively energy. I watched him sit up straight as I entered the room, flashing me a smile.

“Leader Daniels, what a pleasure to see you again,” he told me.

I walked over to shake his hand. “The pleasure is mine. What do I call you?”

“Henry Wiles. Pardon my lack of introduction. I was a little overwhelmed by what was happening at that moment.”

I pulled up a chair and sat down, giving him a nod. “I was told you wanted to talk to me and, as I wanted to talk to you, I decided to do it now.”

The man’s face grew more serious. “I’ve got names, locations, and species. They aren’t all in your area, though. Do you have people in other regions that can help?”

“Yes, I do, in nearly every country in the world. So what do you know?”

“You’re going to want paper and pen or a recorder to take notes with,” he said seriously. “Also, can you tell me how the female is? No one seems to know that comes in here.”

I had my cell out to call my assistant when he asked that question. I paused and looked at him, debating on how much to tell him.

“She is in surgery and they were getting close to finished removing the collar, but there’s a lot of infected tissue around it, so I know they are a ways from being done. She is still alive, though, and in the hands of my best medical team, so I think she’ll pull through, as long as her body holds up.”

The man nodded, looking rather relieved as I again started to make the call. Then I paused as a thought hit me.

“Do you have any idea how long she’s been captive?”

Henry sighed and clenched his fists. “Another told me that another told him, who had also been told from another who’d been told from one before him that he’d heard she had been there for years. From the time span noted in the tale, I’m guessing ten years, maybe more. It seems as if people were trying to keep track of how long she’d been there, probably because she was a female and no one likes being unable to help a female in need, regardless of what species they are.”

I nodded in agreement and gave him a half smile. “It just goes to show how connected we all are. We all want to protect our females, even if we can’t protect ourselves.”

He smiled and nodded as I made the call to my assistant.n, noting there was an ‘s’ curve coming up. I was currently on the state highway, making my way to my next stop. Like many members of my pack, I held down a regular job. Mine, however, was related to pack business. As an investigator with animal control, it was my job to check out reports of animal abuse, neglect, and large breeding operations. I actually specialized in mills and the illegal animal trade. If the police ran into something like that, I was the guy who they called. I could readily over 600 varieties of wild animals on sight and by scent. I knew their habitats, common health issues, and what precautions needed to be taken in dealing with them. As soon as I saw my turn, I slowed down to take it smoothly.

Right now, I was on my way to a suspected mill that was also potentially storing illegal animals for the black market trade. The report said they saw what looked like an emaciated wolf in a cage, which was definitely illegal. The problem was, not all of these wolves were actually canines. Some were Homo Melior Lupus – otherwise known as Lycanthropes or Werewolves, as humans referred to us as in their stories and legends. Unfortunately, these traders loved the various Homo Melior species that existed around the world. Werewolves were a particular favorite, so hearing a wolf locked in a cage had me concerned that it may not be an actual wolf. While wolves and werewolves didn’t actually look the same, they were similar enough that people who didn’t know much about them wouldn’t actually notice the differences. Most of the time, anyway. I had answered a report on a deformed wolf that led me to a small collection of various werewolves in cages too small for their human form. I could only pray this wasn’t one of us.

I turned on the driveway, pulling up in front of a house that had seen better days. It wasn’t horrible, but it could use a new roof, some paint, and the steps to the porch needed replaced. No doubt, the porch could use some repairs itself. I saw a couple cars, but I could immediately tell one hadn’t moved anytime recently. The other was a beat-up cargo van, no doubt used to transport animals from one place to another. After knocking a few times and waiting several minutes, I decided I’d poke around to see what I could find. If it was bad enough, I wouldn’t need a warrant to file an emergency report to the court before confiscating the animals.

Returning to the truck, I grabbed my camera and my clipboard to document my discoveries. I walked around to the back and through an unlocked wooden gate. I no sooner opened the gate, when I was hit with an unfortunately familiar odor of urine, feces, infection, and death. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment to brace myself for what I was about to find. This might be a job, but seeing animals suffering was never easy. Some nights, I just couldn’t take it, but I never thought about quitting. It was an important job and I was lucky to be allowed to make such a massive difference each and every day.

It didn’t take long to reach the area, though it was hidden behind trees. As soon as I entered the area, I knew this was going to be a huge job. On my left, there were a stack of cages with puppies and small dogs 8’ high, and on my right were stacks of cages about 6’ high with cats and other small animals. The rows were 20’ long and separated with rows and row of more animals, at least 8 of them, like grocery isles.

He began to take pictures and make notes of what he was finding at a glance. Some of the animals were unable to move from illness or starvation. Many had worms. Some were far too young to have been separated from their mothers. Almost none had ready access to water, and the sun was beating down on them as he walked around. Pulling his radio off his belt, he pressed the button to call dispatch.

“This is Raymond Bishop, Animal Control. Unit 326. I’m going to need backup at check three. I have a positive on the mill and we have an urgent situation. I see at least three hundred animals here, including dead ones,” he said, resignation in his tone. He pushed the button down again, holding it as he added. “It’s pretty bad. We’re going to need all hands on deck, plus volunteers. Get as many as possible. “Nobody was home when I came, but I could hear animals in distress,” he finished, so they could write down the cause of the emergency action.

“Roger, Ray. Confirm number three, please?”

“Yes, ma’am. I read 14768 Hollyhock Road.”

“Confirmed. I’ll start making the calls. You should get the first support team in about thirty minutes.”

“Thanks, Rita.”

“Sure thing, Ray,” she replied with a sympathetic tone. “One of these days these places won’t exist anymore.”

I snorted, but she wouldn’t know that. I clipped the radio back onto my belt as I continued on, following my nose to the metal barn not too far away. My heart sank. These buildings could build up so much heat… in this weather, it could kill. Once entering the open barn, I immediately knew I’d have to call in the big guns. What he found were various bears, large cats from Africa, about six Pangolins, and several canine species.

“Anyone here,” I asked clearly, looking from cage to cage. “I’m here to help. My pack takes care of captives until they can be returned home or wherever they want to go. If you’re here, let me know now. The humans are coming and I need to get you out of here before they do. It’s easier to explain an empty cage here than an ‘animal’ that disappears.”

One of the bears eyed me, then beat on the door of its cage once. I paused before stepping back to squat down and look at the ‘animal’s’ face.

“Are you a lycanthrope,” I asked, watching the creature’s eyes.

The bear nodded slowly. I immediately went into action, pulling out my cellphone and dialing our pack leader, then broke open the lock on the cage. After the bear walked out, he suddenly shifted to his human form and groaned.

“Boss, I’ve got at least one lycanthrope here at the puppy mill I mentioned. Haven’t finished up, but you’ve only got twenty minutes.” I ended the call as I scanned the other cages.

“Oh, thank Goddess for you,” the now human bear stated with deep gratitude as he turned his attention to me. “I don’t think there is anyone else in this building, but there’s another here and it’s bad. I hear her heartbeat but she almost never makes a sound. I can’t even smell her, but I know she’s out here. Another told me she’d been here a long time.”

“A female?” My heart stopped. Females were cherished within our culture. Luna, Goddess of the Moon was our deity, and women were held in high regard as the bringers of life. This was not the kind of news I wanted. “Show me.”

The man turned around and began leading the way to a back door to the barn. I noticed no significant scent, but he seemed to have a destination outside. We exited the barn, and around the back. There, settled my eyes on a horrifying sight. In a barred cage with no enclosure, a small werewolf lay on a pile of what used to be hay that was now heavily soiled with her own waste. It was chained up in the very back of the cage with a collar that was almost completely embedded into her skin. It only took a moment to tell it was a female and she was so thin, with fur so matted and dirty, I couldn’t tell what color she was supposed to be.

“Hey, can you shift? I’ve got help coming,” I said as I walked toward her.

The smell of her hit me the closer I got, but she barely opened her eyes to even look at me. There was no spark in them at all, no hope, no vitality. This was a wolf who had long since given up. I couldn’t even be certain she understood I was here to help. I checked her over quickly, as she had no reaction to me approaching other than her eyes rolling to follow my movements. I pulled out my cellphone after I detached the chain from the cage.

As soon as he answered, I hurriedly explained my second call. I’ve got two. I male and one female in critical condition. Tell them to hurry.”

“They are already on the way and lead footing it,” my superior told me. “You should see them sometime in the next few minutes.”

“Thanks. Andrew… there’s a collar embedded in her neck,” I said, almost choking on the words and the pain from what I was seeing.

“Fuck,” he hissed. “I’ll let the doctors know, so they can be ready when she gets here.”

I looked over at the werebear. “Can you stay with her? I’m going to go watch for the transport that will get you two out of here before the humans get here.”

The other man nodded, looking back at the wolf. “I’ll watch her.”

“Thanks! I’ll be back as quickly as possible,” I said as I stepped away from the starving wolf and out of the cage.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be here,” the man said as he walked over and sat down at her head, gently stroking the fur atop her skull.

Leader Daniels

“We’ve got one female, critical, and one other lycan, black market captive,” I said as I entered the clinic foyer.

It immediately sent several people scurrying around to get ready. It didn’t take long before the head doctor came over to me.

“I just got the call,” I told him. “He said the female has a collar embedded in her neck.”

The doctor’s face gained a sour expression, and he shook his head a couple of times.

“These damn traders need to be put out of business – all of them.”

“I agree with you, Sharp. If it were possible, I would kill each and every one of them with my bare hands,” I said with more vehemence than I intended.

I didn’t need to see Edwin Sharp’s expression to know there was empathy there. Everyone knew what drove my efforts to find and end the black market trade of animals, especially when those animals included those were were of lycan lines. My sister had been taken by such people when she was just a 15-year-old girl. There was no real hope of ever finding her – these people didn’t exactly keep records or leave paper trails. But, I could help those we found, and keep our eyes out for others.

It wasn’t too long until the radio crackled to life a few feet away.

“We’ve got one male bear lycan, in reasonable health. We’ve got one female wolf lycan,” he paused, causing the hair on the back of the neck to rise, “severe, prolonged malnourished, severely dehydrated, and I can’t find a vein. She has a leather collar severely embedded in her neck, there is significant infection on site. She is conscious, but she is unresponsive. I can’t tell how long it’s been since she has shifted, but I don’t think it’s been anytime soon.”

Doctor Sharp pressed the button to send his own message. “Confirming two incoming lychans – one male bear, one female wolf. Male stable, female in severe condition. We’re ready and ready. Approximate arrival time?”

“Confirmed, base. Arrival estimate is ten minutes. You’ll need a vein finder for the female,” the EMT stated.

“We’ll be ready and waiting,” Dr. Sharp said.

I glanced around, noticing we had collected a small crowd of the hospital and veterinarian staff, all intent on every word. Sharp hadn’t even signed up before they went into scramble mode to get a gurney ready for the female and a wheelchair for the male as a precaution. It sounded more like the guy needed some fluid and food, but the woman… that was a whole other matter. Prolonged starvation could cause long term damage to the organs and the brain. Mental instability or retardation was possible, as was heart, liver, or kidney issues that one might never recover from. The long-term health issues could cripple someone for the entirety of their lives, just like humans. We might heal faster, but it still required energy and calories to happen.

The minutes ticked by far too slowly as we all waited anxiously. Eventually, though, the vehicle arrived, speeding into the driveway in front of the hospital before coming to an abrupt stop. The two EMT’s jumped out of the vehicle, one from the driver’s seat and one out of the back. The one in front helped the man in the passenger seat out and guided him to the wheelchair as the gurney and Dr. Sharp went to help the EMT in the back collect the woman so they could immediately take her inside. I met the bear lycan at the door and gave him a smile.

“You stay as long as you need. As soon as they finish checking you out, you can call anyone you need to.”

The man nodded and gave me a weary smile. “Thank you so much. I am grateful for the kindness of your people.”

I gave him a smile. “You’re welcome.”

The nurse then wheeled the man to the door leading to the emergency exam rooms where they could do a full work-up on him. My attention was then diverted to the female being brought in and rushed by me to be taken for immediate surgery. My heart sank at the sight of her. Huge sections of her had little to no hair, and the skin had thickened there, which meant it may never grow back. The stench of the infection around the embedded collar was horrendous, and you could barely see the collar in most places. Her breathing was hard and shallow, and you could see every rib and her hip bones from being so emaciated. Just at a glance, I could tell the prognosis was quite poor. I wondered if she would even survive, she looked so far gone.

“I don’t know what’s kept her alive for so long,” Chris, one of the EMTs stated, adding, “but whatever it is, I hope she clings to it. The next several months are going to be hard on her.”

“What do you think her chances of survival are,” I asked him bluntly.

Chris shook his head. “If she’d been left, she might have only had days. At least now she’ll get the care she needs. I’d say, while it looks dire, she’s got a good chance at recovery. As long as there’s not any severe organ damage, that is. The male, though, is in reasonably good shape. I’ll wager you can get some info out of him.”

I nodded. “Once he’s been looked over and had a chance to make some calls, I’ll debrief him to find out everything he knows.”

Chris’ radio beeped, then a voice came over it from dispatch. “Unit 332, we have a report of a child with a severe bone break. Please respond to 224 W Ash. Repeat, 224 W Ash. Please respond.”

He sighed and gave me an apologetic smile. “Duty calls.”

I waved him off before he began to hurry out of the building back to their modified SUV, while I made my way to the surgical theater observation room. The female’s eyes were closed and she had a muzzle mask on that provided the anesthesia. Her breathing was slow and steady, while her pulse and blood pressure were quite low, worrying me. At the present, the surgeons were working carefully to cut away the skin surrounding the collar. You could see the puss flowing from the skin with each cut. A nurse wiped it away to keep the area clear enough so the surgeons could see what they were doing. I could already tell the IV had at least one antibiotic on it. No doubt, she would be on IV antibiotics for two weeks or more. I only looked away when I saw Nurse Decker enter the observation room with me.

“So, we’re waiting on her blood work, but I can tell you from experience that she’s anemic, probably has parasites, and that collar has been on her for years.”

“What’s going to happen after surgery?”

“Well, she can’t be kept under sedation long; it’s too dangerous in her condition. We’ll have her on IV. We’ll be putting vitamins and minerals in it. She won’t get much but ice chips for at least a day, then introduce soft food, a little at a time. I’d guess it’ll be a week before she’s going to be strong enough to move around much. My gut says she’s been in that form form for at least four or five years.”

“So she may not even remember how to shift,” I surmised. “How old do you think she is?”

“Not terribly,” she told me with sadness lacing her tone. “It’s hard to tell, though. Without knowing how long she’s been captive and how long she’s been starved, it’s impossible to tack it down. Starvation can stunt development. I mean, she barely weighs fifty pounds.”

I snapped my eyes to her. “Are you kidding? Fifty?”

Nurse Decker nodded, looking back at the pitiful creature on the operating table. “It’s unbelievable. She shouldn’t even be alive.”

“Goddess must have been watching over her.”

“May she continue to protect her child,” Nurse Decker responded, placing a hand over her heart. “I pray that her mental state will be such that death wouldn’t have been a mercy.”

I nodded slowly, realizing the female must have been through significant trauma and how that might affect one’s mind, along with the starvation.

“The Lycanthrope Ursa wishes to speak to you as quickly as possible. He says he has important information to relay to you,” Nurse Decker added. “We’re just giving him fluid and a hearty meal, but he’s otherwise fine. From what I understood, he’d only been in captivity for a few months.”

“Good. All his information will be recent,” I said, glancing back out to see the female, now turned over, getting the rest of the collar out of her neck. “I’ll head there now. This is still going to take a while.”

She nodded before I passed by her on my way to the door. I stepped out and made my way to the nurse station, where he was listed on the board. Once I found his location, I walked around the nurse’s desk to the room. Inside, I saw the man again, now looking a little more relaxed and had a more lively energy. I watched him sit up straight as I entered the room, flashing me a smile.

“Leader Daniels, what a pleasure to see you again,” he told me.

I walked over to shake his hand. “The pleasure is mine. What do I call you?”

“Henry Wiles. Pardon my lack of introduction. I was a little overwhelmed by what was happening at that moment.”

I pulled up a chair and sat down, giving him a nod. “I was told you wanted to talk to me and, as I wanted to talk to you, I decided to do it now.”

The man’s face grew more serious. “I’ve got names, locations, and species. They aren’t all in your area, though. Do you have people in other regions that can help?”

“Yes, I do, in nearly every country in the world. So what do you know?”

“You’re going to want paper and pen or a recorder to take notes with,” he said seriously. “Also, can you tell me how the female is? No one seems to know that comes in here.”

I had my cell out to call my assistant when he asked that question. I paused and looked at him, debating on how much to tell him.

“She is in surgery and they were getting close to finished removing the collar, but there’s a lot of infected tissue around it, so I know they are a ways from being done. She is still alive, though, and in the hands of my best medical team, so I think she’ll pull through, as long as her body holds up.”

The man nodded, looking rather relieved as I again started to make the call. Then I paused as a thought hit me.

“Do you have any idea how long she’s been captive?”

Henry sighed and clenched his fists. “Another told me that another told him, who had also been told from another who’d been told from one before him that he’d heard she had been there for years. From the time span noted in the tale, I’m guessing ten years, maybe more. It seems as if people were trying to keep track of how long she’d been there, probably because she was a female and no one likes being unable to help a female in need, regardless of what species they are.”

I nodded in agreement and gave him a half smile. “It just goes to show how connected we all are. We all want to protect our females, even if we can’t protect ourselves.”

He smiled and nodded as I made the call to my assistant.