_____*The Everfree Forest, 7:21 PM*_____
Shade hid in the brush, watching as a manticore approached his location, Shade went completely silent as it eventually snorted and walked away.
He waited until the beast was out of earshot before slinking away.
It was a few minutes when Shade entered a familiar clearing, it was surrounded by trees and had only a single carved stone in the center, he never bothered to look, but he felt an immense power about it, which was more than enough to convince him to stay away.
He quickly moved away from the clearing, once again avoiding the stone.
_____*five minutes later, Shade's cave.*_____
When Shade got back, he took a moment to admire his work, it took a very long time, but the cave now looked like a hill from the outside, he walked to his cave and entered it.
The inside was nothing special, for one, it had nothing unnecessary like a wardrobe or such, it had a small pit for a fire, and that was it aside from a small pile of wood, he had already given Lyaroa her box back, saying that he didn't need it, besides, he didn't want to become complacent.
She hadn't refused, in fact, she seemed pleased, especially since he didn't do anything extravagant. "Don't need any of that anyway." He walked over to the pile and carried two logs to the fire pit, he set them in the pit and ignited them with some spark rocks.
He sat there quietly in front of the fire for a long time, simply enjoying the heat, his mind trailed back to the place he once called home. 'I'll never go back.' He told himself once again.
_____*many years ago, The world of Oglan, Sanitation factory, Ashlock city, 1:21 PM, the year 2349.*_____
Blurred vision.....that was all I could see, from inside my birthing tank, I was groggy and couldn't move, I felt a sharp prick in my back but could not respond, eventually, I felt a soothing sensation on my back, I then heard a voice speak muffled sentences, I felt the waters In the tank drain and I landed on the floor of it, I felt things fall off or disconnect from me, I was now able to fully open my eyes and get a better grasp of my surroundings, I seemed to be in a lab of some kind, but before I could move, the front of the tank opened and I was picked up by a strange looking creature with six eyes and four pincer like legs in its back.
I was carried into a different room and carefully placed on a table of some kind and a weird looking device with a small metal disk was placed over my chest, after a few moments, i growled and threw the device away and backed off cautiously.
Another strange creature with a wide head and an eye on each end spoke. "Feisty, no heartbeat, abnormal vitals, immediate curiosity and paranoia, exactly as the Dragoon said." It said in a gruff voice.
The six eyed one nodded and knelt down to see eye to eye with me, revealing a long and scaled tail with a barb at the tip in the process. "Can you understand us?" It asked in a polite manner but with an energetic voice.
I nod, and then I glanced at my own hand, it was furry and clawed, the fur was brown and was thick, I checked my feet and saw that were were very similar to my hands, although the actual movements of my arms and legs were different, they were undeniably similar.
"If I may?" The wide headed one asked as it produced a small metal cylinder.
I did not move, but I allowed it to continue with another nod.
I was soon blinded, the wide headed one flashed a light in my eyes and then shined one in my mouth.....it was disturbing.
The wide headed one then backed off and wrote some things down. "Eyes are in good order, nothing wrong with his vocals." It said.
The six eyed one was up next. "Can you talk?" It asked.
I nodded. "Some, what are you?" I asked.
The six eyed one beamed for some reason. "I'm a hybrid of sorts, or halfbreed, half spider half scorpion, you can call me Sonya." It answered happily.
I blinked as 'Sonya' headed back to the wide headed one, I noticed something fluffy behind me and a looked, I saw that it was a fluffy brown tail, I didn't know how to react to this but I soon heard more talking. "He's highly intelligent, more than the others anyway." Sonya said.
The wide headed one jotted down some more on his notes and looked at me. "I need to test your motor functions, are you alright with this?" It asked.
I nod once again, the wide headed one approached and looked me over. "Alright, move your right leg." It instructed.
I do so and move the leg around. "Alright, now the other leg." It continued.
I did so again, but with my left leg. "What are you?" I ask bluntly.
The wide headed one blinked as I move my other leg. "Ok, now the left arm." He instructed. ".....Don't worry, I didn't ignore your question." He then told me to move the right arm. "I am an aquatic lifeform commonly known as a hammerhead shark, just call me Erik." He said as he jotted down some more on his notes.
I watched as Erik pulled out a tiny hammer and moved it closer to my leg, I quickly backed off. "It's alright, I just need to test your reflexes." He explained.
I looked at him skeptically for a few moments before relenting, Erik then lightly hit certain parts of my arms and legs with the hammer, it didn't hurt, and I didn't twitch, I wasn't sure if it was bad.
Erik then stood up and walked away as he wrote down something in his notes. "Wait here." He instructed as he left the room.
I was reluctant to obey at first, but seeing as I had no knowledge of the outside world or anything for that matter, I decided to look around without moving.
The room was moderately sized, it had a small hallway and a door was on the left hand side, the walls were a relaxing gray, the ceiling was a slightly brighter shade of gray, the floors were a white tile, there was little else in the room aside from the bed and a couple tables, there were no windows and the entrance door was open, the only decorations on the walls were paintings of landscapes, the bedsheets were gray and the pillow was white.
I looked at Sonya as it was looking over some notes, it had two long arms with slim hands, it had two long legs with strange claw like feet, it had a dark gray body and the four legs in its back were the same color, its tail was the same, the eyes were all black pits, it had little hair on its head, and what little it did have seemed to be extremely short and was black in color.
"Are you a male?" I asked suddenly.
Sonya looked at me and shook its head. "I'm female." She clarified.
Just then, Erik walked up to the door from somewhere else. "Sonya, I need to speak with you." He said, he seemed to be off but Sonya walked over and followed him out.
I was alone now, and they didn't tell me not to leave, but for some reason I didn't want to leave the room, I had nothing to entertain me and I had nothing to do.
Thankfully, Erik and Sonya weren't gone for long, they soon returned and they both looked thoughtful and disturbed, I blinked. "What happens now?" I asked.
Erik put his hand to his chin and rubbed it for a moment. "Well, we aren't sure, you see, normally your kind are sent off somewhere, but you are a special case, the Dragoon seems to have taken a personal interest in you, but other circumstances would have me follow protocol." He answered.
I blinked again, not because I didn't understand what they said, but because it only offered more questions. ".....Explain?" I asked.
Sonya spoke this time. "The Dragoon is our leader, he rules our entire nation, which spans the world, he said that he had a vision, and that you were part of it, he told us all about it, but we didn't expect it to become true, but normally your kind are sent off to various places, industrial plants, military, research, but when we examined the final results...." She trailed off.
Erik seemed to reluctantly answer. "Your natural reflexes are dead or missing, and you have an innate curiosity, which is not good for your kind these days, you also seem to be far more aware of everything going on, not to mention your completely blank slate." He explained.
I thought on those words for a time, but the last part caught my attention more than anything. "Blank slate?" I asked.
"You have no purpose, no direction, your kind are created with an inborn purpose, but you.....there's nothing, when we examined you shorty before you awoke, we discovered that your mind was almost empty, but sadly, while this would be good, it means elimination according to protocol." Erik explained.
My eyes widened at elimination, I may have been mostly ignorant, but I knew that words meaning. "So, now I die?" I wondered.
Sonya sighed. "There are two other ways however, firstly, we don't know what the Dragoon plans to do with you, so that wild card is in the air, but there is another possibility." She pointed out.
Erik looked at Sonya. "I already told you, it won't work." He countered.
And now I was completely lost. "What is it?" I asked.
Erik looked directly at me. "Sonya doesn't want you to die for reasons unknown to me, but she claims that she can convince our boss to hand responsibility of you to her, I already told her, he doesn't break protocol no matter what." He explained.
I looked at Sonya who was pacing back and forth, and then at Erik. "So what now?" I asked.
Erik sighed and looked at me. "As I said to Sonya, all I can do for her plan is give my recommendation, other than that, it would be wait for whatever the Dragoon is planning, or.....well, you know." He replied.
After that, the two left the room, leaving me alone once again, I was terrified, but also curious, it was a few moments until I decided to get some rest, I rested my head on the pillow and closed my eyes.
_____*some time later.*_____
I opened my eyes and yawned quietly, I sat up and looked around, there didn't seem to be anyone in the room.
I then got off the bed, I landed on the floor and stretched my arms, I walked to the hallway and opened the side door......it was a bathroom, I walked in and immediately noticed a mirror, I blinked and managed to get a better view by climbing up on the toilet seat, I saw that my irises were orange and I found that interesting, I walked back out to the other room.
My ears twitched and I heard footsteps approaching the room, i turned around and watched as the entrance door opened to reveal Sonya. "Oh good, your awake." She said happily as she entered the room with a tray in hand. "You know, when me and Erik came back and saw you sleeping, we were actually shocked." She mentioned casually.
I blinked and looked at the door for a while as Sonya set something up on the tray, I took a short breath and walked around the bed and climbed up.
The first thing I noticed was the contents of the tray, it had a plate on it with some golden stuff on it along with two slices of something with crust, there was also a cup filled with water. "What is it?" I asked.
Sonya chuckled. "It's eggs and toast, you know, for breakfast.....figured it would be better than nothing." She replied.
I saw a small metal object with four prongs on it, I picked it up and blinked, I then used it to grab some of the eggs and eat, it was surprisingly good.
Sonya sat down in a nearby chair......that wasn't there before. "I think you'll enjoy some good news, they've decided to let you live, the Dragoon actually made it clear that you are to live, but that was it, as for the other thing.....I'm waiting on a reply" She explained as I ate.
I was relieved to be honest, it was selfish thinking, but i was glad that they weren't going to kill me, I then looked at the toast and picked it up, I took a bite and continued to eat it afterwards.
Sonya looked at the entrance door and then at me. "I'm sorry for not asking, but how would you feel about that, being my responsibility?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Not sure, I don't know much, so I can't help with that." I answered after finishing the toast.
Soon enough, a strange creature with horns on both sides of its head showed up at the door. "Sonya, the boss wants to talk to you." It said.
Sonya stood up and walked out of the room. "I'll be back." She said.
I nodded, I thought on my current predicament for a while as I sipped on the water, but I could only come up with one course of action, wait and see.
It was about a half hour until Sonya returned. "Alright, the boss says that you can be released into my custody, but we need a name for you." She explained hastily.
I blinked, still completely confused at the situation, but I quickly thought of something. "Ok, any ideas?" I asked.
Sonya tried to calm down but seemed overwhelmed by something. "Oh boy this is happening quickly." She muttered.
"Maybe you should sit, and calm down to think." I suggested.
Sonya nodded and sat down, she then started to take deep breaths and was calmed down in no time at all. "Ok....I can think of a few names." She mentioned.
Sonya then went silent and contemplated some names, eventually, she looked at me. "Nocturne." She said. [1]
I turned the name over in my mind and I eventually settled on it. "It'll work." I answered.
____*Two days later, 2:21 PM*____
I rode in the vehicle as Sonya drove, things had went rather smoothly, the only problem we had was when I found out I was technically a baby, apparently my race grew up quicker, but seeing as newly born Night Wolves who just left their tanks became fully grown adults in a day, I felt like something was wrong with me, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
The vehicle was a simple car, two seats up front, two in the back, a trunk, and a hood, and that isn't including everything needed to run the car, but I decided that I didn't need to know right now. "Nocturne." Sonya said.
I looked at Sonya with a curious gaze. "Yea?" I asked.
Sonya did not look away from the road as she talked. "I know this is happening very quickly for you, but trust me, this is slow compared to normal procedure, normally, Night Wolves are given a basic check up, and then sent off the next day, besides, I've seen what your kind are forced to do, at least this way, you have a chance at a normal life." She said as she slowed the car for a stop sign.
I looked out the window, not because I didn't care, but because I didn't have anything to say, but I did think on this for a good duration of the ride.
It was a few minutes before Sonya spoke again. "Are you hungry?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No, I'm fine." He answered.
Sonya turned the car, she drove up to a small brown building and looked at me. "I'll be right back, the car is locked and it's hard to see the inside from outside." She said,
I nodded and looked out the window. 'I wonder, what is she getting?' I wondered.
A few minutes later, I saw Sonya walking to the car with a small bag, she unlocked the door and opened it, she then entered and locked it up again, she opened the bag and pulled outa smaller bag filled with some golden brown things, she put two in her mouth and started up the car. "Sorry, forgot to eat today." She said after swallowing the food.
I blinked and rolled my eyes. "Ok." I said. 'It isn't my business.' I thought.
It was at least ten minutes of driving later that Sonya had to slow down due to traffic and stop signs. "Why don't people just walk?" I asked.
"Because with the size of the empire. and the distance between places, it would be forever to get from place to place, if anything, we have strict traffic laws here, which keeps the casualty rate down." She explained.
Soon enough, Sonya turned the car and drove up to an enormous white building called Caravan Heights. "What is this place?" I asked curiously.
Sonya took her seatbelt off and took the keys out. "It's a hotel, i live in one of the apartments here." She explained.
I took my seatbelt off, or at least....I attempted too, Sonya had to take it off and open my door, I tried to get out but Sonya picked me up and carried me away from the car after locking it. "I can walk." I complained.
Sonya shook her head and chuckled. "You can barely walk as it is, your lucky you could move as much as you could back at the hospital." She countered.
I grumbled but said nothing as Sonya carried me, in truth, I had no idea what was going on, but I had no other option but to let it play out.
_____*end of flashback.*______
Shade sighed, he looked at his hand and looked at the black ring that rested on one of his fingers, he clenched his fist and growled before walking away from the fire. 'Never.' He told himself.
_____*a week later.*_____
Shade prowled through the forest, he had just found his prey and was getting ready to pounce, his prey was something that Lyaroa called the cockatrice, its main defense was its eyes, which could turn people to stone, so as long as he didn't look it in the eyes, he would be fine.
He waited to strike until the cockatrice turned away from him, it took a while as it was eating.....something, when it was finally done, it turned around and Shade lunged, the beast didn't even have time to screech when it's heart was removed.
Shade then started to pull the beast back to his cave. "Damn birds...better than nothing." He muttered to himself, he did that a lot.
It was a long time until Shade neared his cave, but he heard voices that made him stop. "This'll be a good spot." Said a southern voice.
"Are you positive darling?" Wondered a more refined voice.
Shade set the dead beast on the ground and moved quietly towards the source of the voices.
When Shade arrived at the source, he discovered six equine creatures of different origin and color, two had wings, two had horns, and two had neither, he also found out that they were taking residence in his cave, which had no camouflage for some reason, his growled. 'Oh you have got to be FUCKING kidding me!' He screamed in his mind.
Shade simply vanished into the bushes, he would wait and see, as he always did, they would probably leave the next day.
_____*later that night, 8:21 PM*_____
Shade lurked around the entrance of his cave, while he was infuriated that the camouflage he made was missing, he was woken by a feeling of fear from inside the cave, it was understandable in the forest, but it was strange nonetheless.
Soon enough, he watched as the small orange and purple one left the cave and ran off on its.....scooter?
Shade decided to follow it as it was suicide to go into the forest at night.
He followed the speeding creature all the way to a cliff, at this point, he acted, he sped as fast as he could towards the creature and stopped its rapid movement.
Soon enough, Shade discovered that the creature was undeniably female, due to the screams, he quickly released her and covered his ears. "My ears!" He shouted before running off.
When the girl stopped screaming, Shade was able to take his hands off his ears, he was still close enough to see her, and soon enough, another one of her kind flew down, but this one had both a horn and wings, it was dark blue with hair that resembled the night sky.
Shade quickly backed off and disappeared into the forest, not willing to anger a hybrid at all. 'I had to be nice, I couldn't have just let things play out could i?' He continued to berate himself all the way back to his nearby hiding spot for the night.