Shadow Town (Katherin & Donut)

Ezra startled to his feet and scowled at the perpetual dust and putrid stench clinging to the humid air. He shoved his hands to his pockets and leaned against the rusting bars. As agile and flexible as he was, the spaces between the bars were far too narrow, and he lacked the strength even as a panther to wrench open the old but sturdy metal.

"If he ever touches me, that geezer, I swear..."

He massaged his neck firmly with a cold and sweaty hand. The weight of the man's claws left both scent and feel on his skin. With all his disgust and the little fear he was willing to admit to himself, Ezra itched to know how this group of shifters lived so luxuriously - as having a house was more than he had ever experienced since a decade ago - yet barely even concealed their scent. The city imposed their suspicions of Ezra and his other friends by terrorizing the dirty back alleys for any loitering teenagers, but they scattered throughout the cold maze and met up for joint hunts when tempers cooled and humans stuffed their noses into their own business.

He paced around the large space in agitation under the thick moisture of the air. What the hell was up with this basement? "I wonder why he even need to lock me up. He looks strong enough to take me down with one claw tied behind his back and his whole beastboy posse is there to back him up..." Ezra trails off as he sits himself down rigidly in the corner of the cage, savoring most of the winter chill, whatever of it was left. His deep growling rumbled throughout his throat. It would be another sleepless night.
 
Griffin sighed as he made his way back up the stairs. He worried about the door. But there was only so much pushing him too much. If he pushed the boy too hard he would never trust him much less open up to him. He was greeted by all his boys when he reached the top of the stairs. "It's alright everyone. Just another lost boy. He isn't ready to admit that he needs us." This reassured some of them. The younger ones ran off to find their room. He knew that Travis would need more. He pulled the oldest against him. "Youre mine now. No one else going to hurt you. You know you can trust me. We've been together almost three years now. Ive never hurt you. Im not going to start now." The boy nodded but Griffin could see the old doubts. "You can sleep with me tonight."
 
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Footsteps shook the wall above him. The cobwebs bounced in the corners and dust settled on the dark of the metal. His nose twitched. "How rowdy... I don't even wanna know what they get up to," Ezra grumbled and rubbed his temple with with grimy hands. Young, rounded faces flashed in his mind, too young, far too young to be living with that sick bastard.

"They weren't scared, though," he rubbed the back of his neck as a dull pain throbbed there, closing his eyes for a mere second as they had started to water. The collection of dust stung his vision but his paranoia wouldn't let up. He felt a little shaken, that's for sure, but his heart beat in a frantic state that caused him not worry but elevation. His muscles tensed and the knots within loosened and Ezra felt his heart soar. He had never felt like this since he first realized his true nature: the pounding thirst for flesh, for the thrill of the hunt and chase, the clarity of his mind in the hour of focus under a full moon.

Ezra sighed. "I am way too excited about this."

He sucked in a deep breath and kept his eyes shut. His brows furrowed in concentration at the crickets and rats in and out of the mansion and he let their sounds fill the space in his chest. He would feel the rays of dawn in his meditation, soon enough.
 
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Griffin tucked his boys into bed. The younger ones were easy. They were tired from traveling all day. Once the little ones were asleep he focused on the older ones. Eventually he got everyone but Travis. Travis took long but eventually even the oldest of his lost boys fell asleep. Only then did he allow himself to fall asleep.

Travis woke up early. Like always he checked on everyone. He relaxed when he saw his family was safe Travis silently made his way down to the basement. He knew he should be down here. Part of him hated to break the rule. But he needed to check on the newcomer and determine if he was a threat to his family or not. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he asked. "Who are you and what do you want?"
 
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He had heard the subtle creak in the wood as footsteps descended from a rumbling above his roof. Ezra noted the rather shaky pressure of feet, light steps but heavy muscle, the taste of damp fur on my dry tongue, and the faint trace of fruit. The sound of marching ceased but Ezra remained still, slouched against the metal with his clothed arms pillowing the back of his dark head, and eyes closed and suffering from dark bags. His head pounded but he did not feel weary enough.

The boy, as he collected from the meek yet challenging nature of his voice, barked at him with a tension that made his ears perk up. "Who are you and what do you want?"

He waited a moment to will his instinct of leaping to the metal bars and flashing his teeth. He snorted. "Ask your dad, kid," he retorted calmly though knew the excited growl in his tone. "I just wanna get out, is all. I thought I was a freak, but Mr Eagle there forced me into this dungeon. To violate me, perhaps."

He opened his eyes then, pure and wide, dilating in the dimness of the basement. Fixated on the boy's face that hid in the shadows, Ezra made a show of licking his front teeth. "Or have you come to do the job for him?"
 
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Travis studied the boy in the cage. This one was different from the others that Griffin had brought home. This one was angry and wild. "You are a freak. Your just not the only freak. Griffin isn't my father. He's a much better man than my father will ever be. Eagle?? You think..?" He laughed. He understood why the boy thought that Griffin was an eagle. "Griffin is right. You need us. You apparently dont know shit about identifying shifters. But I guess if you've never met any your kind you wouldn't." He growled low in his throat when the boy in the cage suggested that Griffin planned to touch him. "Griffin would never touch you that way. He has never been anything be king to me. You better not let him hear you suggest that."
 
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"I kinda already have. Called him a pedophile, and all," he responded with a twisted twinkle in his eye and quick humor that fell with bitterness on his tongue. However, the boy spat out too much than he could handle. This was worse than the tribe thing.

Griffin? A griffin, or his name? Kinds of shifters? What?

If Ezra had a pack of cigarettes and a lighter he would be stuffing himself dry and amused with nicotine flowing in his lungs. He would also probably try to burn the boy. "Need you? You fucked in the head or somethin'?" Ezra had meant to laugh but his voice swayed as a familiar sensation of red and bubbling acid compelled him. Ticked off might be the phrase.

He considered negotiation, since this lot seemed persistent to keep him in and possibly brainwash him with all this ridiculous animal mumbo, and took in a deep, steady breath. "Jeez. Listen, kid, I just want to get the fuck outta here, and if you're worried about me rattling you to the whole town, I won't. I'll leave you alone. I'll also quit calling your daddy a creepy sex offender. I just want to leave." He clasped his hands in front of him and placed them softly on his jeans as he sat up, still slouching, but with soft eyes and knees against the hard cement.
 
"Sorry." Travis told him. He was sort of sorry he thought looking at the boy in the cage. He knew what boy was like to want to run and not be able to do so. "Griffin has the only key. Lock picking isn't one of my skills. Nickolas might be able to do it but I dont know if you can convince him to do it."
 
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He sucked in a breath to hold his laughter. "S-seriously?" Ezra's jaw dropped and his eyes twinkled with unrestrained glee. He coughed and leaped on to his feet, dusting his pants hastily before folding his arms. He quirked an eyebrow and flashed his fangs in a smirk. "Won't you get in trouble? You're a brat, huh?"

His intent had not been to challenge, but his pride and dawning excitement crippled his ability to sound the least bit grateful. Though, he would never admit it to himself, he was. "I can't promise I'll come back with goods. Your house is creepy, after all."
 
Travis laughed. "I am not letting you out cat. I respect Griffin too much. Speaking of which I had better go start breakfast. The little ones will want their breakfast as soon as they get up. Welcome to the Zoo." He told the other boy before he headed back up the stairs. He didn't doubt that his father, which is what he called Griffin in his thoughts, would be able to reach the boy in the cage. His alpha had been able to reach every lost boy that had crossed his path. Sometimes he wondered how Griffin knew just what to say or do. But he didn't ask. His father would tell him when he was ready.
 
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Oh, no, he did not just play tricks with him.

If Ezra was gaping in pleasant surprise, his jaw widened as big as his eyes did, and only a strangled, defeated noise escaped him as Travis ascended the stairs again, leaving him in stone cold dimness. His pupils thinned into slits and he fell onto his knees. "M...mongrel..." Ezra murmured, planting his face softly on the dusty cement in silent humiliation. "He fooled me... How embarrassing..." His arms drooped to the floor and the young boy looked as pathetic as he felt. "I looked so into it too..."

Moments ticked by until he got to his feet and dusted himself off again, glaring in concentration at the huge space of the cage and the bars locking him in. A weight of shame settled on his shoulders and painted his face with a grim scowl and murky eyes. This would be a story to tell his rat friends, he considered as he took sluggish steps around the cage, grumbling jumbled nonsense. "Of course...quality metal, filthy rich bastards..." He grazed the rusted metal with the tips of his thin fingers. There were no weak spots, no holes in the wall, no softness in the old, filthy floor that he might be able to dig. He groaned.

A million questions sped past his mind idly - how did the kid know what he was, like the old man? He could have told them, though he mentioned something pretentiously wise too. When was he going to be let out? Is he going to end up doing their bidding to pay for trespassing? Is he going to get fed, at least? They wouldn't keep him hear to die, would they? No, they'd do worse to him: keep him hear to teach him a lesson like some sort of child, then welcome him to their family of freaks and expect him to play nice and rich with them. He wouldn't mind rich, though...

"Just play along, then," Ezra sat himself down and rubbed his temples. "I still feel awfully embarrassed, gosh..."
 
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Griffin woke to the sounds of laugher. It was his favorite sound in the whole world. He didn't open his eyes right away. He would let the boys have their play. They were become more comfortable with each other. They were becoming family. Eventually he got up and got dressed.

He was greeted with a mixed of welcome and uncertainty. He loved the welcome but he understood the uncertainty.Thomas, Henry, Walter, and Kevin welcomed him. Nicholas, Mark, and Devon watched him with cautious eyes. "We will be having our lessons in the basement for awhile. Our new guest need time to get use to us. Can anyone tell me why the cell is necessary?"

"Its for rogues and runaways." Nicholas answered. The thief had spent time in the cage.

"That's right. Its for those who break tribe laws or runaway from their tribe for whatever reason. I don't know which our new friend is. Until I can convince him to stay he stay in the cage." Griffin told them. After breakfast he lead them down the stairs.
 
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Footsteps rumbled above his ceiling which he just noticed had various cracks. The dust fell and settled on top of the cage with specks fluttering down on top of his head. Ezra sneezed and groaned with a rub to his temples as his sleepless senses were greeted by the fresh morning smell of beast brats.

"Oh, hey! You brought the whole family!" Ezra clasped his hands before leaping to the front of the cage, rattling the metal just a bit, uncaring if he startled some of the kids. His bitter smile hid his fatigue only a little as he jeered. "Come to show your kids how nice you are by lettin' me outta here, papa bear?"
 
"Nope. Im not letting you out until you tell me who your tribe leader is. In the mean time we are going to have our lessons down here." Griffin answered easily. "Make yourself comfortable kids." The others sat on the floor. With the exception of Nick who leaned against the wall. "Who can tell our new arrival who we all know what type of shifter he is."

"Smell." Kevin answered easily. "We use our sense of smell to identify friends, family, and enemies. With one smell we can tell what type of animal a shifter is."

"What to try to guess what each of us is?" Griffin asked the boy in the cage.
 
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Ezra did not hide the contempt from his eyes or the frustration lining their corners - he glared at every single face with a twitching brow and a sharp bitter tongue. "You're a monkey, you're a baboon, you're a car, a garbage trunk--" He growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. His temples throbbed, as did the hands that burned to shift into a furry paw. It remained smooth and relatively harmless as he breathed deeply, stammering through his response. "You- you can't just expect me to take this seriously. I'm in a cage. A goddamn cage, and you're all surrounding me like this is morning yoga for you, have not been listened to, and you haven't even given me a chance to apologise," he breathed out, his voice scratchy with fatigue and exasperation.

He spoke just barely above a whisper, cocking his head to the side. "If you won't listen, then I could...humor you all, if I was in a better state," he frowned as he turned his head to the side to hide the creeping blush of shame and truth. "Like, not hungry. Or tired."
 
"Nicholas." Griffin narrowed his eyes at the lizard shifter. Nicholas was tall for his age and skinny. He had green eyes with flecks of yellow. He shifted nervously. "I told you to bring our guest breakfast. I guess we will spend the day cleaning rather than learning. Mark get extra pillows and bring them down. Travis you know where the blankets are bring a couple down. The rest of you start unpacking." The boys hurried out of the basement. "I apologize about breakfast. Nick should have brought it down. Ill bring you something."
 
The swift shift from mockingly nonchalant to concerned and polite got on the ends of his nerves, but Ezra turned his growing surprise, or perhaps interest, into a tired kind of anger. His tongue was as dry as his comments when he slunk back against the wall to stare dumbly at Griffin. "You freaks are terribly moody, but, hey, you haven't eaten me yet," he bit back a laugh. He managed, listening to the rustling feet and harsh whispers from above, "both kinds of eating, even."
 
"Relax boy. I dit eat children." Griffin assured him before heading up the stairs. He got a tray. He piled bacon and eggs. He filled a glass with milk before he headed back down the stairs. He reached the cage just as Travis and Mark headed down the stairs. "Thank you boys. Go finish unpacking." He waited until the two boys were racing back up the stairs before turning his attention to the boy in the cage. "I already have my hands full." He tucked the pillow and blanket under on arm and picked up the tray with the other. "Be good." He warned the young man as he worked to awkwardly unlow the door to the cage with the hand that held the blanket and pillow.
 
The smell of a delicious heat wafted to him and Ezra was just about ready to pounce, but held himself still against the wall as Griffin unloaded his commodities inside. Ezra attempted to gulp away the thick guilt in his mouth, tears prickling his eyes with its stinging heat as his mind wandered back to when he was a feeble, tiny boy with fur on his arms and wide eyes. He had knocked on a door in nothing but his cotton blue jumpsuit and greeted the appalled, but warm, smiling faces of two elders...

Ezra exhaled sharply. He got to his feet in a flinch before straightening his back and looking at Griffin straight in the eye. He had not been taught much, nor had he practiced the manners he knew of, but his heart swelled with an overwhelming kind of warmth. Good or bad - it did not matter to him as he gave Griffin a curt nod and breathed out with a heavy chest, "T...th-thanks, old man."
 
Griffin carefully set the pillow and blanket o the cot along the wall. The cot was like those found in most prisons and jails. Its was made of metal and only wide enough for Ezra to lay down on but nothing more. "Well what do you know. There might be hope for you after all." Griffin set the tray dow n on the cot. "I get the feeling that you know less about what you are tha most of my boys. I don't know how you got to be as old as you are without knowing the basics. But we will soon solve that little problem."
 
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