A Biography of a Human

Chapter Two:

"Taken"

I awoke, my small body aching and weak, mind confused and dazed. I had no idea where I was or what had happened. I tried to get up but found myself forced down by something around my neck. It was a collar which was chained up behind me. Looking around frantically, though it was dark, I saw I was not the only one in this predicament. All around me were people who, like me, were chained. Then at that moment, the world lurched to the side with the sound of rushing water. We were on a ship! And it all came back to me.

“Anthros, Wolves! Oh god, grandpa, mommy, daddy where are you!?" I cried aloud as the memories of what had transpired came rushing back to me and I began piecing together what had happened in my mind.

“Grandpa and I were stargazing, yes right then… then… the howls! Oh god, the howls.                                

Grandpa's face gravely paled when he heard those howls, I knew from that the situation was truly grave.

“What's going on, Grandpa! I'm scared!" I uttered panicky as I wrapped my arms around Grandpas leg in vain hope that it would protect me.

Grandpa grabbed me, prying me from my imagined safety of his leg

“Alexander! Alexander! Run!

“What! No! I want to stay with you!"

“Alexander, God damn it! Listen to me and Run! Run as fast and far as you can and hide!" I stood there silent and unable to move or even think. Then the howling stopped and was followed by an even worse sound, Screaming and looking towards the my village, I saw flames erupting from the roofs of the homes like the mouths of volcanoes. The full horror of the situation befell me in whole that moment. This was like my nightmares

“Alexander, I said go! Forget about and go! Now!" Grandpa said while frantically shaking me, jogging me from the trance I was in.

“But where will I hide, grandpa!?"

“The forest! Go there, you will be safe and don't leave until the dawn. NOW GO! GO! RUN!"

I took a deep gulp and nodded my head, barely able to comprehend anything with those howls and screams ringing in my head and with that he pushed me on running down the hill as I heard his last words to me.

“DON'T LOOK BACK! AND WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T STOP RUNNING!"

I ran and despite my sides aching and my lungs burning hot I ran and ran as fast as I could, my fear of what the Anthros would do to me if caught powering me, filling me with energy I never thought I possessed.

“Why is this happening?" I thought to myself while climbing down some rocks illuminated by the orange of the flames that were now laying waste to the village.

Upon coming to the place where Grandpa dropped his lantern I stopped to take a breath and collect my thoughts before continuing on towards the forest but then I remembered something.

“Oh God, my parents! I snuck out! They don't know I'm gone! Oh God, I have to find them!"

And against my better judgment and Grandpa's order I turned around and began running towards our home, not caring about the danger I was putting myself into, my only thought being for my parent's safety.

After a bit I finally saw my home and to my horror it was aflame, the burning roof having caved in on itself, the whole interior ablaze like a lantern. Desperate and scared for what I might find, I sprinted towards the burning shell praying to find my parents alive and safe

I ran as close as possible but the heat of the fire prevented me from going any closer.

“Mommy! Daddy!"

“Where are you!"

“I need you, I'm scared!"

“Mommy! Daddy!"

I screamed this mantra over and over again till I was hoarse and sore in the throat and my tears were clouding my vision in such a way the flames of the fire came all together like a haze of red and orange.

And upon hearing no response, hopelessly, I collapsed on the warm ground and buried my face in the dirt soaked with my tears and with only my thoughts with me.

“What will happen to me? Can I live without my mommy and daddy? Why couldn't I die with them?"

But then I heard something, at first I thought it was one them, the Anthros, and I secretly hoped they would kill me so that I could be with my parents again in the next life, but hearing the sound again, I realized it was a moaned voice repeating itself, it was hard to make out at first but then it hit me.

“Xan...der..."

“Xan….der"

“Xander is that you?"

Jumping up, I looked in the direction of the voice, my eyes were still blurry from my tears, but I could just make out what looked like slumped up figure against the shed of our house, moving closer to see who it was, my vision finally cleared up enough to see. It was my father, laying slumped against the side of the woodshed. He was injured, a deep sword gash crossed his stomach and there were bleeding claw wounds all over his arms and face.

“Daddy?"

“Daddy you're alive! I was so scared!" I was so overcome with happiness seeing him alive that I threw myself upon him, wrapping my arms around him as tight as I could and burying my face into his chest while sobbing. I felt him place his hand on the back of my head, patting it gently while he spoke again, his voice so weak it sounded more like a moan.

“Xander, where were you? Your mother went up to tuck you in, she found you gone."

“I went stargazing with grandpa, I shouldn't have gone! I didn't tell you because I thought you and Mommy would say no, I'm sorry. Where's Mommy! Is she okay!?"

“When we found that you were missing, your mother went out to go look for you, she said she would start at the woods and I stayed behind in case you came back and... then... then.. those howls and then they came, the roof on fire, it happened so quickly! I ran out to the shed and got my ax. I-I I tried to fight them but..." He stopped for my sake.

“I'm sorry, daddy, I'm sorry"

“There, there Xander, don't cry, I'm here, I forgive you" As he spoke his voice got weaker and weaker, his breathing heavier and drawn out. It was obvious what was happening, but my young mind refused to believe it.

“Xander, Xander you have to go, you have to hide, if they find you.... you have to go, hide please."

“No! No! I want to stay with you daddy!"

“Please leave, hide, go! I love you too much to see you taken. Please go, now!" I ignored him and clutching his shirt, I buried my face deeper into his chest blocking out all his pleas for me to go, hoping that through sheer thought and will I could make this all go away: the Anthros, the raid, the anarchy.

I don't know how long I stayed there like that but when I finally look up it was all the same.

“Daddy?"

“Daddy?"

Silence. Just silence, Looking at him, his eyes were closed and his body not moving.

“He's sleeping. Yes, yes he's sleeping, Daddy's has always been a sleepyhead!"

“Daddy wake up! Wake up Daddy" Pushing his body, I got no answer from him and I became more frantic as that impossible thought began to seep through.

“Wake up, Now! Daddy please wake up!"

“You must wake up daddy, you must!"

It finally hit me and the world stopped All was silent and the stars staggered in the heavens.

“He's not going to wake up."

I didn't cry or scream, I just sat there for what seemed like thousand years looking at him, burning his face into my memory and remembering him. All feeling in my body just drained and everything around me ceased to exist.

I broke down crying, screaming and pulling at his body as though through some miracle I could bring him back to life.

“Why!? Why!? Why is this happening to me!? Why!?"

I heard a slight shuffling noise behind me and I had the feeling as though I was being watched but being too shackled with grief, did not take any notice of this and continued sobbing.

And then, at that moment I felt something wrap around my waist from behind and looking down I saw it was an arm. But to my abject horror, it was an arm that was covered in coarse fur, its fingers crowned by obsidian claws.

“It's one of them!"

Time slowed down and when I looked up I just saw those eyes. Those piercing eyes, yellow in color, bearing down on me like that of predators and those fangs glistening in the light of the flames. This was more terrifying than any of my nightmares combined. Sweat was pouring down my face and my whole body shook like a leaf in the wind and tingled as I felt myself being pulled away from my father's corpse by this monster.

He growled in annoyance and began to pull harder his strength was too much for me and I lost my grip. Time then seemed to return to normal and everything went so fast. Kicking and screaming my vision tunneled as I was lifted into the air and slugged over this wolf's shoulder and he began moving.

I felt myself growing dizzy as I saw my burning home and my father disappearing in the distance.

Then everything went dark.                                                                                                                            

When I finally came to, I thought that everything that happened was just a horrible nightmare and that I would find myself in my comfy bed awoken by my Mother telling me that breakfast is ready.

But this wasn't what greeted me. Instead, I found myself in large pen like the kind that you would put cattle in. It was made of wood, like that of a stockade and it was clearly designed to be set and taken down easily. All around me were others like me, the youngest being my age, and the oldest being in their late teens, all huddled around in groups. Crying. Moaning. Praying.

Then the memory of my father came back. I cannot even begin to describe the emotions I was feeling and I'm unable to find words even now to describe the hopeless despair and sadness I was going through at this moment. I was all alone. I curled up into a ball not knowing what to do. I was so scared.

My thoughts were shattered by voice a deep guttural voice. Looking up I saw it was one of the Anthros wolves. He was speaking our language, albeit very strangely.

“Attention! Attention! Stand up! Stand up! Lineup! Lineup!" The gate of the pen opened up and in came this hulking Wolf Anthro wearing leather armor. He had brown fur and he looked like he had been through a lot as it's left ear was cut off and the right eye was missing.

We all lined up as he ordered, terrified of what he would do to us if we dared to disobey. He wasn't alone either, by his side there was another wolf who was carrying an open box.

These two wolves walked down the lines stopping at each human. The larger wolf would then grab something from the box that the other wolf was carrying and placed it on the human he was in front of. It was some kind of badge. One was green and the other was red. I then remembered what those two churchgoers said about the raid on Hopehaven.

“They're dividing us up! They're sorting us out"

Then, finally, they came to me. I couldn't bear to look at them, I was too terrified. The wolf crouched down since I was so small, retrieved from the box a green badge and stuck it to my chest. I didn't know what this meant, were they going to leave me behind or were they going to take me?

Finally, the wolf came to the last human in the line and placed the final badge on him. Taking a step back, he barked some kind of order to the other wolves outside the pen and they came rushing in and grabbing the humans with the green badges. Screaming and crying ensued, it was pandemonium.

I saw one young teenage couple. The woman had a red badge, her husband a green one, they were being brutally separated. The husband was fighting kicking and yelling while his wife was weeping.

Standing there, I was unable to move, the realization that I was going to be taken still sinking in. Then a large wolf came up to me, grabbed me by the wrists and proceeded to drag me out of the pen. I did not fight, still being in shock.

As we were being dragged out I saw another pen containing those too old or sick to be taken and I saw a familiar face within that pulled me out of my shock and I screamed out as loud as I could.

“Mommy! Mommy! Help me Save me please! They're taking me!" Upon seeing me her face contorted with absolute horror.

“Alexander! Alexander!" My mother cried out as she clawed at the fence that separated her from me desperately trying to get to me. I tried my hardest to escape from the grasps of this wolf but to no avail, as his grip on me only tightened so much so that I felt his dull claws press against my skin. I could do nothing but watch as my mother got farther and farther away until she disappeared from sight.

We were dragged to the beach of Safehaven where there was a great wooden ship in the water illuminated by the moonlight, its large black sail swaying in the night breeze. Along the beaches were small boats to ferry us too it. We were dragged to them and thrown in, then the wolves piled in, four of whom took command of the oars while the others restrained us. Looking around I saw other groups of humans being dragged likewise to the other boats. After this, our boat was pushed off and began rowing towards the great ship.

These wolves spoke in their own language amongst themselves. Most likely they were commending themselves on a successful raid for their mood seemed very celebratory.

The situation became more and more hopeless as we rowed out to sea it dawned upon us all that we would never see our homes or families gain and I began to weep at the thought that my life as I knew it was over.

Feeling an arm wrapped around my shoulder I looked up and saw a girl next to me. She was a teenager and spoke to me in a soothing voice.

“Don't worry little guy, I'll keep you safe."

“You will?"

“Of course I will. My name is Maria. What's yours?"

“Alexander"

“Alexander? You must be Vernier's son" At the mention of my fathers name, I burst into tears again.

“What's wrong? What's wrong?"

“Daddy's dead!" I yelled out loud and then one of the wolves got up and spoke very harshly

“Keep quite human or we'll gag you!" This made me instantly stop, not wanting to be abused any further. I got some solace from Maria holding me tightly as a mother might do.

After a few minutes of rowing, our boat reached the hull of the main ship. A crane on board the ship lowered down a large net, all us humans were forced into it. Once we were all in the net It lifted up, then once it was level with the deck, turned inwards towards the ship and we were lowered into the cargo hold where we were pulled out of the net by a group of waiting Wolves.

I and the other humans were then dragged further into the dark ship with only the occasional lantern lighting our away as we arrived at our destination, a large room with numerous low benches along the hull and center of the room to act as beds.

The wolves then began to collar us and chain us to the benches. Some of us fought this, but they were quickly subdued. I found myself being dragged to one of the benches along the side of the hull with a porthole window by it. The wolf who dragged me there then chained me to the bench as more groups of humans were coming in and being forced to do the same. Once All of us were chained up the wolves left us.

It was at this time is able to do an estimate of how many of us were taken, I think there were forty to fifty of us. Some were crying, some were moaning, others like me were just quiet, unable to fully comprehend that this was truly happening. We were all now in wretched captivity.

So I laid, chained to this cold hard bench and felt the ship slightly begin to move as I fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, all the while imagining my home Safehaven getting smaller and smaller in the distance.

“What will become of us? What will happen to me now?"