Unknown Last Days

Part 2

Adrian shot up from sleeping, breathing heavily. 

They quickly looked around, and saw that they were in a metal cage of some sort. Like the ones they sometimes spotted carrying criminals to the castle. Only the worse of them got to ride in those. 

Adrian sucked in a tight breath. Where they that bad? 

"No," They muttered to themselves in the dark, "No, I'm okay." 

There was a noise, like a cough, outside the cage, which Adrian realized was covered in some sort of drape. 

"Psst-" Came a soft voice outside of the cage, "Are you awake now?" 

Adrian frowned, and tried to go up to the bars and remove the cloths, but found a short thick chain attached to the ground and keeping their hands near the ground. 

"Stay where you are," The voice said gently, "I'm not a guard." 

"Who are you?" Adrian snapped, "Am I on my way to the castle?" 

"Maybe eventually," The voice said, "But the kingdom wasn't the one who kidnapped you." 

"Who was it?" Adrian asked, "Can you move this tarp?" 

"I can't," He said sadly, and then a sound of rattling chains was heard, "I'm chained too. They don't take any chances." 

"Who are they?" Adrian pushed. 

"I don't know," He answered, "Nobody does. All I know is that they capture criminals, or people against the law, and then turn them in after a time of getting whatever information they can out of you." 

Adrian cursed loudly. 

"Shhh," The person whispered, "I don't want the drivers to know we are awake yet." 

"Why?" 

"Let's just say they won't give us tea and bread as a snack," He grumbled, "Anyways. What did you do against the law? Steal? Maybe kill someone?" 

"Oh, gods, no," Adrian grimaced, "I would never." 

"Then what did you do?" 

Adrian paused for a moment, and then said, "Me and my family travel across kingdoms and help orphaned, homeless, and abused kids and youths get away from whatever hellhole they live in. We also-" 

"Wait," The voice interrupted with something in his voice that Adrian couldn't quite place, "So you're part of the Werewolf family?" 

"Is that what they call us here?" Adrian mused to themself with a small smile, "Haven't found that out yet." 

"So it's true?" 

Adrian nodded, even though he couldn't see them, and said, "Yes." 

"Which member of the family are you? If I'm being honest you and your family are the reason I'm here." 

Adrian grimaced, and with hesitance, answered, "I'm Adrian. The, sort of, calm in the middle of the storm. Most of the time," Adrian added quickly, and then asked, "How did you end up here, though? What's that got to do with the family?" 

"Oh, you just, er," He paused, "I've looked up to people like ya'll ever since I was a kid, and when I heard of ya'll I wanted to be apart of something like that. So, I, uh, stole some stuff from the kingdom's guards and hoped that some people would find me and join me." 

"It didn't work out?" Adrian guessed with a pang of guilt, and admiration. 

"Nope," He said, but his voice then lifted up, "But it's definitely amazing to be meeting you, Adrian!" 

Adrian smiled some, "You too. What's your name again?" 

"Oh, Jacob, sorry I forgot about mentioning that," He nervously laughed. 

"No prob," Adrian said dismissively, they were about to keep talking when there was a loud clattering noise outside of their cages and a shout. 

"Keep your grubby hands off em'!" Shouted a thick ugly voice that Adrian immediately knew was a Ogre. 

"It's ma turn ta bang em' though!" Argued another. 

There was a loud clattering noise again, like a giant club was hitting one of the cages, and Adrian heard a grunt from somewhere near them. 

"Let me go!" Adrian shouted angrily, pulling their hands against the chains, trying to break them. 

There was the sound of grunting, which Adrian took as laughter from the Ogres, and then the cloth around their cage was lifted. 

Adrian blinked with annoyance at the sudden light that their eyes weren't ready for, and quickly surveyed their surroundings. 

There were a bunch of floating cages, like bird cages, with metal bottoms, each with a tarp or cloth around them. The only guards close to them seemed to be those two. They were walking, or floating, on a dirt road in the middle of dense forest. Most likely the forest Oliver and Color were supposed to meet in front of. 

Adrian let out a small gasp of realization. Oliver. Was he alright? Was he here too? Did he get hurt? Or did he and Color make it? And were safely with the rest of the family? 

One of the Ogres speaking shook them back into the present. 

"Oi! Shut up!" He said. He was even uglier than the last Ogre Adrian remembered running into. 

"Isn't that that Adrian bloke?" The other asked, scratching the top of his ugly head, where only a couple of ugly hairs sat. 

"Yes, it is," Adrain snapped, "And if you don't let me go there is going to a lot of trouble you are going to wish you didn't get into!"

"Psst!" Whispered one of the crates, "Adrian you might not want to-" 

"Oi!" The second Ogre ripped off the cloth of another cage revealing a skinny, messy haired boy squinted at them. 

"Leave him out of it!" Adrian growled, "And let me out of here before I kill the both of you! And then whoever your'e taking us to!" 

The Ogres looked at each other, and smirked, "Why don't you try?" 

Adrain sneered and squeezed their eyes shut trying to focus. 

But nothing happened. 

Adrain opened their eyes in confusion and shock and looked at their hands and legs. There were small silver scales that had appeared on their legs and face, and their shoulder blades felt ichy, but that was it.

"What kind of sick magic is this?!" Adrian shouted, hope fading fast in their voice, "Let me out of here or my family will kill you themselves!" 

"How do ya know they even alive?" Sneered one of the Ogres with a nasty grin. 

Adrian tried not to show any emotion to that, but couldn't help but to have a sinking feeling in their stomach that showed on the way their shoulders slumped. 

The Ogres laughed, and the boy in the other cage gave Adrain a sympathetic look. 

"You're lying!" Adrian then shouted over their laughter, "Nothing can stop us! Especially not some half born, ignorant, idiot, slug eating, slop for brains, pig monsters like the two of you!" They sucked in a tight breath and then struggled against the chains again, "I'm going to kill you all! I will! I'm going to leave here, and I'm going to take every single one of your prisoners with me! Remember that!" Adrain spat in the Ogres faces, and continued to yell, "I PROMISE YOU I'M LEAVING HERE WITH EVERY PRISONER-" 

The Ogres grumbled and put the cloths back on the two cages and Adrian continued to yell, including some creative curses towards them, feeling torn but refusing to give up their hope. 

I keep my promises.