《Into the Silver Cage》


 Stolen

    As the clouds parted from the beauty of the full moon, the world turned funny. Gabe was unsure of things when a woman approached him as walked past the local graveyard. She was pretty, warm looking, and maternal. Rather tall and well built with curled gray hair, deep amber eyes, and skin that was sort of peachy. She seemed melancholic though, like there were bittersweet memories overflowing her heart.


    ¡°Dear, can you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He asked, confused. Who wouldn¡¯t be with that sort of introduction? ¡° For what?¡±


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    She answered with her body, her hand striking out to jab something into his neck, something sharp. Heat penetrated his skin from its painful touch, sinking into his muscles, into his blood. He felt it spreading, halting his movements as it almost melted him from within.


    ¡°This.¡± She whispered, sorrow in her eyes. ¡°Perhaps you can save my son, if not¡­ well, I am afraid at least your life will serve a greater purpose in satiating his hunger..¡±


    He couldn¡¯t ask her what she wanted, only sleep was possible as darkness bled into his eyes and he fell into her arms.


    The last thing he remembered, as he passed out, was the sound of her sobs breaking free and the cold touch of manacles clamping on his wrists.

 Awakened

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Gabe garbled out, the drugs in his system finally lifting from his blood, allowing him to wake up. Slowly, far too slowly, he felt himself moving once more. His eyes opened and he saw a hollowed out¡­ basement, with pipes covered in rust, the sound of rushing water and- ¡°Are those scratches?¡± He managed to slur out, his tongue still rudely pliant.


    Thick deep scratches, gouges really, lay on the walls, the concrete floor, and even the ceiling. If he looked close enough, he saw something else, a familiar rusty color.


    ¡°Blood¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± He almost jumped, but the manacles on his wrists kept him in place. Turning as much as he could, sitting up, he saw a silver cage, beautifully crafted, with a leaf pattern on the edges and along the tightly woven coils. Inside was a man, stunning in his beauty, with soft gray eyes, shoulder length graying hair, and a familiar face covered in deep scars. ¡°The lady that kidnapped me, you¡¯re family?¡±


    He sighed, deeply defeated. ¡°Lydia, my mother. She cannot accept that I am a monster, cursed to bestial form. She insists on ensuring my survival, no matter the cost to others. I will not ask you to forgive her, nor myself. You deserve better, they all do.¡±


    ¡°They?¡± Gabe squeaked out, unable to stop his fear.


    The caged man looked at him with genuine apology, power and fury bristling along his skin as his canines lengthened into inhuman size. ¡°Those she has forced me to devour since I was thirteen, when my curse first manifested.¡± He shivered, shaking with self loathing. ¡°I did not know what was going on, I only knew she led me to a shack every full moon and made me drink something foul that left me exhausted, I thought I was just sleeping at first. I swear to you, I did not know. I only knew that I woke up full, naked and sore.


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    I was naive, but not dull. I bought a camera and hid it, I was sixteen you see and rebellious. She was furious when I confronted her, revealing that I knew what I was and that she had been forcing me to kill others to survive. I wanted to die, rather than continue as I was. She drugged me, locked me away in this house lined with silver. I cannot leave it, silver burns me, repels me. I am stuck here, as is my prey. That is you¡­¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± Gabe cried. ¡°I am no one, alone and-¡± He stopped. ¡°That is why I am here¡­ no one would miss me. Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°I truly am sorry. Lydia leaves no chances, not even a way to end my own life. No rope, no knives, nothing. Not that it would matter, part of my curse as a wolf is to be bound to survive, the curse forces me to endure. I try to stay here, in this cage, but the curse lures me out to feed¡­ to satiate the curse¡¯s malice.¡±


    Shifting Gabe stood, walking over to the other man. ¡°I should hate you, but I cannot. You¡­ if what you say is true, then you are as much of a victim as I am. As those you have eaten. I cannot fault you for trying to survive, if the curse is forcing your hand.¡±


    Something shifted in the other man¡¯s face, a rare hope and pain filling his expression. ¡°My name is Loren.¡±


    ¡°Gabe. Maybe, if we must end up as prey and predator, we can at least be kind to each other. I would rather you be my friend than a total stranger.¡±


    Actual tears crossed down Loren¡¯s face, a beautiful smile coming right after. ¡°I would like that as well. Most people attack me or just panic, not that I blame them at all.¡±


    They shared a smile, shocking Gabe with how oddly comfortable he felt at present.


    ¡®What is wrong with me, why am I feeling so¡­ at ease?¡¯

 Compassion Calls

    ¡®He¡¯s cute.¡¯


    Loren thought, looking at the man in front of him. A youthful glowing expression, rosy rounded cheeks, and a thick brown beard. His hair was short and colored a metallic red on top. He was of a thicker build, more large than stocky, but that only added to his joyful presence. Like a modern, gay Santa.


    Gabe just seemed to be one of those people that set others at ease, and it worked well for Loren. He felt himself flush at the boy¡¯s pained but eagerly warm smile, it was the oddest thing really, he was meant to kill the boy, to tear him asunder and devour him as per his mother¡¯s insane wishes and yet all he wanted to do was get to know the boy.


    He should have tried to cut himself off, but he found it impossible almost immediately. He was attached, maybe it was due to the lack of human interaction. Maybe it was due to the loneliness and emptiness that he so readily felt¡­ who knew?


    ¡®If I can give you a few moments of peace before you die, then so be it.¡¯


    He tried to hide it, but the other man¡¯s simple choice to be kind to him, meant more to him than he could ever admit. It filled his soul, no matter how empty he felt, with more hope than he knew what to do with. However, with that hope came something far more important, the desire to protect the boy. To ensure that he had a future to spread that hope to others more deserving than he.


    Reaching out, he pulled out a key from his pocket, tossing it to Gabe. ¡°That should unlock your chains. Lydia believes that the hunt is good for me, chasing my prey, she makes sure I always have a choice. If you want to look for a way out, please do, I cannot in good conscience ignore your need to survive this.¡±


    Gabe was out of his chains in mere moments, but instead of walking out he strode to Loren.


    ¡°What point is there, you said this place is a fortress, created by your mother to feed your beast, right?¡± he reached through the bars, gently, sweetly, and grabbed Loren¡¯s hand. Warmth, genuine and sweet, filled the space between them. ¡°We are both prisoners, you in your silver cage, and I in my life. Maybe we can find peace in that connection, my parting gift as it were.¡±


    Loren¡¯s chest burned in shame, he tried to pull away but Gabe would not budge. ¡° How can you even look at me in anything but fear?¡±


    He laughed, an honest expression of joy, one Loren had not so much as smelled in over a decade. ¡°Why fear you? Why hate you? Why judge you? You are a victim, you are sick and you need care. If this gives you a moment of peace, then I did something good with my life and that¡­ honestly is everything to me.¡±


    Falling to his knees, Loren shuddered, waves of pain both physical and emotional crashing into him with a fervent energy that he could not bear forgetting. Shame, doubt, fear, self loathing, respect, hope¡­ it all swirled and burned in him.


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    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Then it came, the horrible buzzing and his cage opened. Eyes burning rust red, he looked up. ¡°Gabe¡­ it is getting close¡­ please, find a way to escape¡­ please. You are the first to treat me well, ever, to act like I am more than a beast. Find your peace!¡±


    Gabe walked into the cage, kneeling down, he pulled Loren into his arms, breathing with him one final breath. ¡°I am going to die either way, let my death matter¡­ and you are a man, you are more than a beast, and maybe if you saw that, you¡¯d see that you deserve better.¡±


    Loren squeezed the other man, burying his face into his colorful locks. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±And he let out a long sigh, one of final acceptance¡­¡±I do deserve better¡­we all do.¡± And that simple expression of value, those simple words shifted something in Loren¡­ a series of shifts in fact, slowly stemming the burning surge of energy that held him captive, buzzing around his joints and bones and muscles. It leveled out, turning into a hyped up adrenaline rush.


    Before he could even question it, Gabe groaned, shivering and convulsing. Loren pulled away, looking into the boy¡¯s eyes¡­ rust red eyes.


    ¡°Loren¡­ why do I feel so hot¡­ I hurt¡­?¡±


    ¡°Gabe?¡± The boy¡¯s canines had lengthened into fangs, his skin covered in black veins, his scent musky and warm. ¡°You look like me¡­ how¡­ wait, I feel better, less feverish, less¡­ like I am going to tear apart into oblivion¡­ and you look like me. Did you take my burden?¡±


    Gabe frowned, looking at his hands, now clawed and grizzled. ¡°I¡­ I am not sure, but I think you may be right. Where does your curse come from?¡±


    Loren smiled. ¡°I am apparently a legacy of the King Lycaon, surely you¡¯ve heard the story of the First Werewolf?


    ¡°Is it real?¡±


    ¡°Very, apparently I am, for all intents and purposes, a werewolf.¡±


    Frowning, Gabe stood. ¡°Then it seems to be the best answer would be to flee this place, to go back and get help from someone that understands this, if what you are saying is true.¡±


    ¡°I have tried to tell my mother that for¡­ well forever, but she wouldn¡¯t have it. I think she likes having control over me, over my curse. Feeling powerful, in control¡­¡±


    ¡°What I do, I do out of love!¡± They both jumped, turning to see the manic eyes of Lydia, looking at them with her own rust colored eyes. A shotgun in her hand, she growled at them. ¡°I AM YOUR MOTHER, YOU ARE MINE, I WON¡¯T SHARE YOU!¡±


    And then she fired a blast of silver buckshot at them both, so Loren waited for the painful death to come. Only no pain came as Gabe had thrown himself into the shot, saving Loren¡¯s unworthy life one more time.


    ¡°Gabe!¡± He called out, screamed as soul deep agony burned out. Holding the boy close, he fell back to his knees, cradling the boy close, tears trailing down both of their faces. ¡°Please, don¡¯t die, I can fix this, I have to fix this.¡±


    Gabe just laughed, blood splattering Loren¡¯s face as he choked on the sound. ¡°I saved someone, for once I did something with my life¡­ I am okay, Loren.¡±


    And then the boy died, in his arms¡­


    And Loren finally, completely snapped¡­ only it was not as the beast, the one he shared with Gabe. He snapped as a man. Throwing himself at his mother, he tore out the gun and smashed it against her head, again and again until she lay there unmoving in a pool of her own blood. Her once beautiful face nothing but mush.


    He didn¡¯t care, he couldn¡¯t.


    Slumping over to his friend, his first and only friend in the misery of his curse, he lay next to him, grabbed his hand and curled around his body. ¡°Thank you¡­ Gabe, for giving me my peace back, no matter how briefly.¡± Reaching up, he placed one kiss on the boy¡¯s lips, one final farewell and everlasting thank you. Standing tall, Gabe walked out of the place with Gabe in his arms, the Silver no longer entirely blocking his way now that he had shared his curse. ¡°I will remember you, you will never be forgotten¡­ I promise that.¡±


    And with that, Loren walked out of the prison he had spent so long in and looked up, relishing in the beauty of the moon for the first time since he was a teenager.


    He would bury Gabe by a willow tree he had grown up near, knowing it would make it far easier to honor the savior of his soul for as long as he was able before finally living life as he wished it would be...carrying the memory of Gabe with him, forever.