After what feels like a half a lifetime of constant observation, poking and prodding, I am free from the infirmary.

They transport me from the infirmary to a room where the other shifters are kept, my pack. WC 5 is the leader of our makeshift pack, because he is the smartest and strongest. He has remained an Indian grey wolf and has not mutated due to all the torment of living here for 13 years. The next person who I looked up to and has been like a mother to us is WC3. She was captured 20 years ago with her husband and daughter who have all passed, causing her to mutate from a northern bald ibis to a Reunion Ibis. She is also the reason we speak with sign language as her husband was deaf. WC5 was quick to pick up on it. One of the children he was forced to father in phase two of the lab’s research is C0599. He is like my older brother and his father pride. The first 3 of WC5 are all considered feral and a part of phase one of the lab.

The feral children from the “Wild Caught” and genetically modified were born during the time where the scientist completely isolated them until they were 10 years old by raising them with robots. Most of them died when they first transformed. So they started P2 where they raised with contact form the various WC.

C0599 is the oldest shifter from P2 after him are two more C’s and 3 gene mods, then me at 18 years old. After me there about 10 more C’s, 3 more gene mods, and one WC. There are less gene mod shifters, because the biological parents are the scientist and most probably don’t want their offspring involved in there study. Also seeing that I am number 13 and in P1 there are only 2 living ferals. I think there is a low success rate for gene mods. I don’t even know about Phase 3 shifters, except A13S’s baby is one of them.

What are you thinking about with that gloomy face? A way out? Signaled C0599. No, but now I am. I signaled back I tried to signal about the microchips, but my hand motions looked like I was trying to say they want us with needles inside all the time, total control. Which got me a smirk from C0599. Have you noticed the new guard? Has plenty of openings. I stared at the new guard. I can see the openings, but the sharpness in their eyes tells me this purple haired guard has laid a trapped. Stupid. Look at their eyes, they would have you pinned and off to solitary experiments in a heartbeat. C0599 looked and shuddered at the thought of solitary experiments. Those that try to escape via death or a mad dash get sent there and come back broken so broken that they barely shift out of their mutated form which is so ancient that no human has seen that species alive before.

Breaking us from our thoughts is D17I, he comes over giggling. He touches my arm and runs away with an expecting face. F14U, C0910, C0911, and WC11 are also starring with large smiles on their face. I guess I am it. I signed as I got up ready to chase the little buggers. Instead of chasing them I casted C0599 a smirked and hit him to join the younger kids looking at him with glee. Moments like these help us forget our collars and our suffering.

We played for a good few moments then they released the pheromone to make us shift. Everyone immediately stops doing what they were doing most of the WC and younger kids immediately start shifting. Eventually everyone but me has shifted. Being trapped in that room when the pheromones that the scientist release and the natural ones we let out when we shift is hell. I am fighting the wolf and the wings to remain in. “Another failure, what number is this attempt? 4th?” “No, third.” Oh? Little scientist you are getting sloppy with “don’t speak in front of the subjects.” rule. Grabbing me and locking my hands together they drag me to my next session of torture.

As they locked me in a chair, they were talking again. “Do you think the serum and the hypnotist will have her forget about the child?” “We have about 3% chance that it will. Seeing as she wasn’t put into the isolation room and turned half feral, chance of success might be higher.” They have done this to some of those thrown into solitary!? The 3% that were the success must be the ones that are still off and isolated in their own world trapped in their minds 80% of the time. That is no success and I will make sure that this fails. ‘

A man enters the room smelling vile and then room goes dark. His voice would be somewhat soothing if it didn’t have a level of pride to it. “Give it the serum.” It!? Excuse me, sir. My pronouns are everything but it. If anything your pronoun should be shIT for being one.

During my inner rant I am forced to drink the serum which was so bitter and the man continues with his charade. Half way through he thinks that it has work. God he is such a moron, it hasn’t but it doesn’t stop from him saying, “When I slap you, you will find enjoyment in.” And slapping me! Fuck! He slapped me again, yet I still didn’t give him the reaction he wanted.

“Take it away. It is too stupid for this to work. Bring me, my lily, C0708.” Excuse me! Are you actually a hypnotherapist or just a rapist? He would had done a lot more than a few slaps if I was under his spell. I want to unleash my wolf and kill the psycho, before he touched C0708. But before I can try I feel a prick in my neck.

I am dragged out of that things room weak as pup and brought back to my room, where I just lay there discovering a busted lip, from that fucker. Eventually my anger turns to tears for C0708, A13S, and myself for being trapped here.

My tears and blood have dried, but I am still lying where they dumped. As I get up I smell two new shifters. I look into the hall to see a tall beautiful ice queen with long beach waves, next to an equal tall tattooed man with devilish charm. On their collars I can make out WC12 and WC13. They locked WC12 next to me and I catch a whiff of family, she must be a wolf. They take WC13 father down and as he walks by I smell my forest and a hint of something else. That night I go to bed thinking of my runs through the forest and numbing swims from the lake. The last thing I remember before I am deep asleep is a curious kea with his eyes.