Chapter 3

It wasn't too long before we stopped wherever our destination was.

Or… maybe it had been.

Honestly I spaced out most of the ride because of how weak I was.

I was gently pulled out of the van and carried by one of the other humans past large gates.

They soundlessly closed behind us and I was a bit surprised.

They had to be well maintained to be so quiet.

I wondered how many humans were actually here.

We passed several humans going down a street and into a building.

I was placed on a bed inside a cell and my hands tied to a chain, keeping me from going too far from the bed.

But enough to walk about if I wanted.

I found it odd they were giving me the option to.

I didn't have the energy to rouse myself up so I waited.

It was easy to wait for me, my thoughts were all over the place all the time so I didn't really get bored.

I was too busy trying to sort out thoughts and remember whatever I wanted to think about.

It was an endless loop but at least not a boring one.

I was just wondering about a single crack in the ceiling above me for an uncountable amount of times when the door to my cell creaked open.

My eyes shifted to the side and watched as a female in white walked to my bed, looking down at me.

Her eyes traced me and for a moment she looked confused but shook her head.

She turned to the door and sighed at the blonde from before.

“He's very weak, on the verge of starving, tell them to get the food prepared and to get the rest of your team to strap him down.”

The blonde nodded and left.

The woman had longer blonde hair and blue eyes.

She looked down at me and then shook her head, appearing confused again but turned and walked away.

I stared back up at the ceiling.

Well….. I was fine with them feeding me.

Whether I would bite them instead or not would be the fun part on both ends.

Well maybe less fun for them.

Ok maybe me too once they decided to kill me for it.

I supposed biting would be bad, whether or not my instincts would listen was another issue.

The humans from before came and strapped me down fully before taking off my muzzle.

My teeth clinked together as I stared up at the humans looking down.

They studied me until the woman came back.

I could smell the raw meat and my body strained weakly against my bindings.

I let out a desperate growl as the woman came over and sat down on a stool next to my bed.

She had a long utensil that she jabbed into a chunk of meat, allowing me to eat off it.

It was probably a weird sight and if I had proper emotions I may have felt embarrassed or what have you.

But I was too hungry to care.

And suddenly extremely grateful they had found me.

The woman fed me until she deemed I was full.

Honestly I could probably eat more but by now I was beyond knowing my limits either.

They placed the muzzle back on me and unbound me so I could get up if I wished.

I stayed laying down however, looking up at the ceiling crack again.

My mind falling down the endless rabbit hole of how it got there.

I stared nearly unblinking as the humans left.

I really didn't sleep ever, I had always kept moving with the herd for however long, never sleeping.

But in this moment of rest and food I hazed out, my eyes closing.

I wasn't fully asleep but I was at least resting.

I supposed that was good.

I could still smell humans inside the building, could hear machines making noises, and was semi conscious enough to know where I was.

My stomach had stopped aching after a bit, having nearly no pain in it as I drifted.

I realized as my body stopped being so tense that it had been truly tired.

Starvation and walking with no end takes a toll apparently.

I could feel my muscles completely untense as I laid in the bed, my body going slack.

It was good I think.

The tenseness from before had nearly cost me my life so I was fine if it disappeared.

I could hear a faint beeping from somewhere and I was ok with the repetitiveness of it.

Easy to understand sound that wasn't too loud.

My instincts wanted me to get up and follow it.

Sound meant food.

But I wasn't really hungry, making it easier to not follow said instinct.

It was several hours later when the hunger began to return however, making the beeping sound I had been listening to seem louder.

I wanted to get up and investigate it, find food.

The scent of humans in the building only made it worse and after a bit longer I let out a groan, turning to my side and trying to sit up.

My body was still very weak so in the end I couldn't do it.

It was about an hour later that the humans returned.

They eyes me warily as I growled towards them, smelling them and wanting to eat.

The woman in white raised an eyebrow and turned to the blonde man.

“Time for a feeding I guess.”

I still didn't really understand words, only picking up one or two on occasion but I definitely knew feed and was entirely thankful it came out of her mouth.

I was once again strapped down and fed a meal.

My body relaxed after my stomach didn't ache and I didnt struggle at all as I was unbound, laying docily on the bed.

“Mhm…” The woman hummed and the rest of the humans stared down at me in curiosity,

“I always thought they would still attack even if full?” One of the brown haired men said.

Attack?

I recognized that word.

“It's more likely that he probably would if he wasn't muzzled, but coupled with the fact he's been fed and he's muzzled he probably will be calm for the time being. He's also pretty weak.”

Fed, calm.

I knew those words too.

Yes I was calm now that I had fed.

Time passed and the feedings continued, I stopped struggling at all, knowing that I would be cared for when they came.

Struggling meant longer to be fed.

I had no clue how much time had passed but I could smell that they were changing the food slightly.

Cooking it more.

I found it hard to think of it as food with each passing feeding after a while.

Rejecting it entirely one meal until they gave up and got me something more raw,

“Well at least we know how far we can cook it before they don't consider it food?” One human remarked.

Food, cook, before.

I didn't like the food that had been cooked before.

More time passed, I tried to tell by the sun rises from a window but I had no concept of counting anymore, nor memory to remember it even.

I could tell that my body was in slightly better condition though.

If I wanted I could get up and walk about, pacing from the chains length if I wished.

But I really did not care, I was content with food and not dealing with gnawing hunger or wonder of falling.

One day after feeding the woman in white stared down at me for longer than normal.

She turned to one of the human males.

“He needs a shower.”

The humans around me shifted, appearing uncomfortable and confused.

She rolled her eyes.

“I have another nurse willing to help but I want you to stand outside the shower in case things get bad ok? He will still be bound and muzzled but the nurse will need help moving him or if he starts to struggle.”

The men hesitantly nodded.

Struggle.

I knew that word.

I was unchained from the bed and something crinkly was placed over my mittened hands.

I was gently pulled and I stood up slowly from the bed.

The humans slowly pulled on a rope that was around my mittened hands and I followed them into a room inside the cell.

A light flipped on and the sound of water started in the room after a few minutes.

A different human male came into the room, wearing piercing blue.

He came over and studied me, before pulling off my tattered clothing.

I tilted my head to the floor, looking down at the rags that had been my clothing.

I was pulled into a small room that had water coming from the ceiling.

I let out a low groan as the new human grabbed something and suddenly water was spraying on my body.

I was not a fan of rain but this rain didn't make my body ache at least.

The nurse paused at my groan but continued after a moment.

I was scrubbed carefully with something fluffy and I watched as dirt, grime, and blood fell off my skin.

It seemed to take the nurse quite a while to finish cleaning me but he gave me a lopsided smile after a bit.

“Mind turning for me buddy?” He said, twirling his finger in the air and while I had no clue what he had said I could understand the sign.

I slowly turned around in the small room.

It was a long time before I could feel the man touch me again, cleaning my back.

Eventually he moved to my hair, tilting my head back and I stared at the ceiling while he scrubbed something into my scalp.

It smelled like mint.

I turned my head down once he finished and watched swirling dark colors going down into a hole.

All the dirt and blood being washed off of me…..

Eventually the water stopped and I was wrapped in something blue.

I was gently pulled from the small room and stood in front of a mirror as I waited for whatever was to come next.

The blue thing around me slipped after a bit and I looked at my frail body.

My milky eyes were a bit sunken, my skin so ghastly white it was almost grey.

I could see bone under my skin and my joints looked almost too big.

I knew I was in rough shape but hadn't known just how bad.

No wonder the humans had not feared me and rather pitied me instead.

And this was after many feedings too.

The blue thing slipped more and I saw some sort of writing etched over my heart.

I could not read it, especially since it was backwards in the mirror but even then it would have been impossible otherwise.

One of the humans leaned over and looked at the mark.

“Henry?”

He looked at me for a minute and raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe it's his name?” Another human offered.

The other human snorted.

“Who would tattoo their own name over their heart?”

The other human shrugged.

I was getting a bit dizzy as they talked back and forth seeing as I really didn't understand any of it.

But the word Henry stuck oddly.

I knew it but didn't.