Where the hell am I?

Harper's fur tingled, pressure applied to certain points of her body. Her muzzle ached. Her paws hurt. Part of her vision was blacked out, blinded by a scar left by wolves when she was young.

She looked around. Everything was warm, a light breeze shifted through her fur, soft grass coated rolling hills and slopes, Lunar flowers were in settled patches around a magnificent lake. An elk herd nibbled on the soft vegetation near the shore.

She felt a hot stinging in her neck, burning, sharp, like something was stabbing her. She tilted her neck around so her shoulder touched it.

It only grew worse, digging deeper into her flesh. Her head felt a sudden rush of blood, and the view of the Rakuen became blurred and distorted.

Thrill and fear sped through Harper's veins as everything blacked. she shut her eyes tight and tensed.

No! Don't leave! What the hell is happening?

Harper growled, cringing at the cold wave that met her as blackness dulled to a screaming green tinge.

Teathers wrapped around her to restrain her movements. They looped around her paws, muzzle, and ankle bones. Everything burned, stinning as if she made a single mouvment, she would be destroid and drown in pain.

Gashes and deep flesh wounds remained in her pelt, and rotted as small micro-bugs ate away the dead muscle on the grey female.

Blood, some fresh, some old and crusty, sat in pools around her. They smelled strongly of her own, and a adolsent male. She knew the scent, but she just couldn't find it. It brought back adreneline, and energy to her when she smelled it, like in the thrill of a fight.

She was lying on a cold steel table, but it was small, and her hind paws and tail-tip hung off the edge, and her front legs far exeded the width of the platform.

A glass dome enclosed her, like it was confining her if she ever made it out of the teather. It had large claw slashes on the inside, bloody paw prints and smeers dappled the lower half, like somthing, someone, tried to excape.

Humans, two, were staring at her intently, jotting down things on a board with paper, and talked quietly umonxed themselves. Harper strained her ears to hear what they might be saying, but not a word was heard.

The blue-eyed human got up from her position, and jabbed a few buttons on a gargantuian machine, her eyes never leaving Harper, and returned to her seat.

Hissing noises came from above the wolf, and as she looked up, a light mist came from tubes at the top of the dome. She felt as if her whole world was whirrling, her vision became distorted again, and she began to hear a heart beat. Her own.

She was never afraid, never was she afraid. Then why are you freakin' out?... She growled at her self weakly.

She struggled for grip on the table with the small amount the teathers gave her for movment, and she let out a frantic, short, high-pitched yelp, before sudden warmth covered her like a blanket.

She closed her eyes, her heart slowed, and she became limp.

Am I dieing?

She managed to think before her mind went numb, and she let out a heavy sigh.

Suddenly, she felt steral, cool air shuffle through her fur. Footsteps clacked and thudded around her, and voices muttered distantly. Hands began runinning through her hackles, and around her neck.

Her mind absently assumed the humans had entered, and were doing some sort of study.

They ran up on her ears, their fingers stopping on every open sore on her ears, then a cool sort of gel was placed on them. It stung, and instinctivly Harper flicked her ears.

She heard the hollow sound of pens scribbling on wood, and the loud clack of when they set them down on the steel table she was lain on.

The humans stopped talking, and a small sharp sting flaired in her shoulder, before ending, and Harper's paws twitched, before all reality was gone, and a ever-lasting black met her. The last thing she heard was a gentle word, and the door closing.

Long blackness seemed to take over, and hours past, Harper remained un-moving, her slow, shallow breathing the only sign of life.

But it didn't last. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and everything came back to her in a giant wave; slamming her back. She flinched, then looked around; lifting her head to get a better view of everything.

The teathers had been removed from everything, she was free to move. She growled shallowly, and shifted, now laying on her stomach and legs.

Blood seaped from her chest, but nothing hurt. She examined her legs, like she hadn't seen such a thing before. Scars covered it, and at least 14 open gashes. She didn't remember receiving any of theis wounds or scars. But then again, she didn't even remember comming here, let alone how anything past about a week ago.

She got up, her once strong legs shaking benieth her, and she looked to her paws. Blood was lain everywhere, the table was hardly visable in it. She sighed.

She no longer felt strong, nor brave. She didn't remember anything, and she felt pathetic. She was nothing more than a lab expeiriment, puttered down to just a frail being; no longer capable to defend it's self. She was weak, and timid, the only power she had was the power of just breathing. Nothing more. Her blood was not pure, chemicals and death reaked, swirrling and mingling.

What was she? Harper didn't know. Wolves were once strong, why wasn't she? Was she the only one left? Were there any others? Will she die?

...Was she dead?

Harper sighed, how should she know? She was nothing. She had been delpleated. Dazzed and brought down, she let herself sway, then fall off the table. A strong sting from her rear left leg burst through her clouded mind as she fell like dust to the solid dirt floor.

She lay on the ground, her back facing the glass panel. She wasn't in a dome. She was under ground. Dirt walls surrounded her, the glass semi-dome let in the only green-tinged light. 

Harper's dull golden eyes slowly closed, though her mind was awake.

What am I? Where am I? Is there a real place, or is it all just a part of death? I can't stand it here. I'm in my grave...

Harper got up, staggering as she weakly rose. She limped slowly to one of the dark, imprisoning dirt walls, stopping blindly by it, before mindlessly lifting a paw to climb out.

She slid quickly off, collapsing to the grownd, and blood smeered the floor. She sat for a moment, holding in tears.

The grey wolf meekly stood again, but as she advanced to the wall, collapsed again. She was not discouraged, nor did she feel powerful.

She rose once more, her blood covering a paw as she reached up, and toutched one large, dark, smooth stone. Her other paw left the ground slowly, as she shut her eyes tight, and growled in dull pain.

She sat there, on her haunches, her paw on the stone, claws digging in pathedicly, but for all she was worth, blood slowly trickling down her grey fur.

Harper felt her chest tighten, and her spirit flicker. Never had she remembered feeling like she was someone, not somthing.
Her fangs still glinting in the dull light, she howled.

Mournful and heart broken. She was lost, her mind erased, like her past had never happened. She was depleated, a once brave, battle worthy, strong wolf; who knew as much as anyone, was now frail, weak, and beleived she was dead.

Her howl disrupted several rooms, three or four pairs of scientists rushed to the room, and gaped at her, eyes wide, and shocked that one could be like that.

Harper stopped, her head felt heavy. She felt like the last ounce of her energy was spent. She fell, hitting ground hard, slashing up puddles of blood, and lay still.

I'm in my grave. I've done all I'm worth. Let me die.

                           "Dig My Grave"
Commissioned by Moonsongwolf.deviantart.com

Harper grimmaced, before opening her eyes. Three humans looked at her, no notes, no white coats, no needles. The three just wore normal clothes. The same two scientests from before she managed to fall away from the table, but one more. He had a look to him that was pure evil. The way he held himself, how intensly he watched her...Harper knew him from somewhere. And she hated him.

She felt a sudden explosion inside her. Anger and fight flooded her mind, and she got up once more. This time, she felt strong. The weakness of her muscles had dissapeired, and replaiced by some sort of strength.

Harper knew it wouldn't last though. The rest of her felt run down. She was hard-minded, though, and to her, anything within the next hour seemed possable.

She lept fluently down, and the two scientists started to panic. They stayed put, a harsh word from the adolcent made them stay. He looked on to her, ready for anything she brought.

He whipped back to the lab-people, and yowled; watching them turn-tail and flee out of the room. Leaving behind flying papers from previous notes.

Harper stumbled slightly as she hit the ground, but ignored it, and stalked forward, tail lashing and fangs baired. Her golden eyes flaired as she stood at the front of the glass.

Why the hell are you here?

Harper growled, throughing her thought at him. Her memory flashed several immages of a dark black wolf with one yellow eye, and one blue eye. She flicked her ears forward, recognizing him just a little more.

He smiled, but remained unwavered. He stared hard at her, before moving ever so slightly, revialing a yellow eye. Harper felt the memorie slam into her like being hit by a semi truck.

"Why are you here? Why is anyone here?"

He tested, his deep voice challenging her, and her mind. But Harper would take nothing, though she already felt her strenght quivvering.

Don't test me!

She lowered her head, and paces slowly in frustration. She couldn't escape, and she was feeling weaker and sicker by the moment. She stopped and looked back at him again, lifting her head.

He turned, and walked fluently away, toutching a button by the door as he passed. Harper narrowed her eyes as he left. Why did he give up so easily? Harper felt warm, sticky, crimson blood beneith her paws.

Her paws began to shake, and she fell to the ground, but her hackels remained raised as she looked from her heap on the ground.

Slowly, the glass door opened, hissing as it did. It started to scoop Harper aside, pushing her across the dirt floor. Her fur cought up in the small gap beneith it, and she flinched as she was slowly shoved into the glass wall.

The door left just enough room for the grey wolf to get up, and slink out. She slowly hobbled up, and staggered lowly out the door, the fresh tint to the air outside the confinement wafted into Harper's nose.

A sharp pain struck Harper in the belly, as a small gurgle vibrated through her hallow-souled bodey. Harper jumped, eyes wide and ears back, and looked at her abdomen. It had grown incredably thin, and her ribs shown.

Her throught constricted in the back of her mouth, and her stomach growled again. She lifted a paw and looked to her other side. It too was thin and boney, but it was also covered in old blood, and her fur matted in small clusters.

A word floated into her mind, and it echoed around, again and again, with an undeniable instinct.

Hungery

Harper looked up, the white light comming from the door way reflecting off Harper's grey glazed blind eye. Small white flecks appeired on Harper's pelt, shimmering off oily, unclean fur.

She blinked, and took a tentitive step forward. Her pads ached, and seemed to burn on the light-sheened metal floor. Harper looked down, immediatly notising the differant terrain.

She flicked an ear, then looked up, back to the open doorway. It called for her, tepting her with open light. She shivvered, the chilled floor stunning her whole body.

Harper wavvered, at sent out a paw to catch her balence. Her tail flicked to the side, and she lowered her head, ears flattened.

Dammit. Gotta slow down.

Harper looked up toward the doorway, and took several more steps forward, long claws clicking on the metalic flooring. Walking was beggining to become easier, but hunger still gripped at her stomach, knawing at her, warning her, she'd better eat, or she'll regret it.

Slowly but fluently, Harper hobbled into the doorway, before stopping and leaning on the side. She could scent so many things. A few painstakingly familiar.

She panted hevily, notising a new gash in her leg. It was oozing a bubbly crimson, while a transparent yellowish liquid slipped off the fur on her leg.

She haden't felt a thing.

As Harper leaned down to lick her forepaw, a loud yelp eched down the hall. She wipped her head up, and tilted her head. Adrenilin ran through her veins.

She took her weight off the wall and began to trott quickly down the hall. She looked in all the deep rooms, the doorways all so far apart from eachother. All were on the right. Only a single window at the end of the hall let in real, hazy moonlight.

No humans were on the level. None that she could smell or see. Her claws clicked on the cold iron floor, the sound bouncing around in her head. It was so quiet.

Inside the space near the small window she saw a light grey mass. It was only bigger than her, but waisted away just like herself. She lowerd her face to the floor, and breathed in short, quick breaths. The smell was so familiar.

She couldn't shake the memory of a big strong, harsh male. Only, the image of this wolf had a positive light to it. It wasn't like the tresspaser that let her free.

Maybe it's dead...

She thought, looking at the still form. She sat to steady herself, and studied it. Her golden gaze unwavering, untill she picked up small, shallow breaths. She wasn't alone. Atleast, not yet.

She got up and limped toward the table. It wasn't as high as she remembered hers was, but maybe she was just messing with her mind.

Wait....

She thought quickly.

I remembered somthing...

I remember someone...

I'm not dead yet...

Harper felt a rush of strength and energy. It hit her with ease, that she nearly forgot she was weak. But along with the sudden energy change, pain electicuted her mind, and she cringed.

She coughed, but proceeded to the canine. Her pads embracing the cool floor. Her heart pace exeeded as she realized who this was. Her mind flooded with memories of only this one wolf.

She shook her head quickly. Not time for a journy down that lane. She needed to make sure he was going to live before she did anything else.

She lifted her paws and set them on the blood-coverd table. There was no confinement. No glass. He was free. Why hadn't he run?

She flattened an ear, before barking a sharp, lound bark. He growled, and moved his head. She narrowed her eyes, feeling verry annoyed.

She prodded him with her paw, with a strong command.

"Dude, get up."

She set her paw down.  All he did was growl, and twitch his ears. Harper rolled her eyes and prodded his head.

"Tsume, move!"

The wolf, hearing his name, roused, but his eyes did not open. Her brow furrowed, and she shuffled around to bark in his face. He could hear her, but he needed to wake up.

She prepared herself for a loud bay by his ear when suddenly his yellow eyes snapped open. He growled and in a sudden rish directed his open jaws toward Harper's throught.

Pleased that he had awaken, she dodged him nibley and set her paws back up on the steel table. He glared at her, but was still frail. Harper slowly wagged her tail, but let it be a vague movment. She didn't want him to attack again.

She set all four paws on the ground again, and walked around the table twice before sitting down. Tsume watched her every move.