Slyth had quieted himself as best he could when he suddenly heard talking coming from the next room. Even attempted to shift himself to possibly get a bit closer to the wall, but that was useless, so he just calmed himself to listen as best he could. He didnt' much know what they were talking about, except he was sure it must have had something to do with Dannyl. And, dispite his wanting to think that Dannyl wouldn't come for him, he knew the man would. So, he would just have to escape before Dannyl came, so these people could not do whatever it was they were planning.
So, Slyth had his little cows come out and try to get through the ropes for him. Through his absolute fear of what was going to happen to him and Dannyl if he didn't get out of here, he hadn't thought to keep the cows small lest they get seen. He just needed to get out of here, and now.


{Kinda.. lame O:}

It was at that Narick decided to check up on their little prisoner and, seeing the cows, the ones who had caused him so much trouble before, surrounding him, he scowled, striding quickly over to Slyth. Reaching through the bars and lifting his bound form by the front of his shirt, he snapped, "Enough of that!" before bring him sharply forward to crack his head against the bars, hard enough that when Narick dropped him again a small trickle of blood made its way down Slyth's patchwork skin. "Behave yourself and I might feel nice enough to loosen, maybe even remove your bonds. At least until the moon returns to full, of course," he added with a grin, showing off his sharpened teeth.

He pulled a wooden chair over and turned it backwards so he straddled it, arms resting on the back of it, to look at Slyth. "What exactly are you anyway? Why on earth would my brother feel the need to protect something like you when he can barely protect himself?" He knew that wasn't true, of course. Dannyl was one of the best and strongest lycan in the clan, probably why he had lived and stayed away as long as he had. And why the scouts they sent out to find him rarely returned. But he was curious to know how this thing would react to his words. Curiosity was one thing that the brother's shared in common.

~~**~~

Dannyl stared up at the mansion on the hill there. They would know he was coming if he approached directly. And if he did that he knew he would be quickly captured as well and his time away would be as though nothing had ever happened. When he had first turned, when he and his brother would at least tollerate each other, they had explored the mansion, finding all its secret ways in and out and he knew Narick would have those watched so that wasn't an option.

But he had to get Slyth out! Nothing else mattered apart from getting him away. So... what if he offered a simple trade? Himself for Slyth? It might work, but then it might not either. Lycans had a strong sense of honour, he knew that, so he knew any bargain he made with them would be upheld, but just because he put a bargain to them, it didn't mean they had to agree to it. They would likely find it more benificial to just take both of them. He knawed his lip in worry. He didn't know how he was supposed to do this but knew that the longer he stood there the more risk some harm could fall to Slyth.

Then again, they had said they wanted him to eat. He didn't know how true this was, but if it was, they would likely wait until the next full moon, a bit over a week away. Maybe that meant he had a bit of time. Afterall, bruised meat tasted different, not worse as such but to most lycans, not as good, kind of like how a bruised apple tastes. It seemed unlikely they would risk anything too drastic and Slyth was stronger than he thought he was, or how he acted sometimes. Infact his childish nature could perhaps help him to survive there. It was more the psychological damage Dannyl feared, being trapped in the den of the creature he feared most. He may have lived with Dannyl for some time now but he always knew he was free to leave whenever he wished. It was not so in this case. But whatever the case he thought he could probably afford to wait a day or two, hope that nothing too drastic happened, and come up with some kind of plan to get him out.

Slyth cried out in pain, well as best as he could while gagged, when his head was cracked against the bars then dropped back down to the ground. His cows vanished, not from being caught with them out, but because his head was now swirling in pain and he couldn't concentrate on keeping them out to help. And, throught he ringing in his ears, slyth could barely even make out that the man was talking to him, let alone what he was asking him. Though, it slowly cleared, just as Narick was finnishing saying something about Dannyl not being able to protect himself.
Slyth shook his head as best he could, causing dropplets of blood to be flung off. Dannyl wasn't weak, far from it. But slyth couldn't say anything even if he wanted to, the gag was so tight around his mouth that he could hardly do anything other than make garbled noises. So, seeing as he couldn't talk, and he was so fearfull of the man he likely couldn't talk straight even if he could, Slyth just busied himself with trying to wiggle away from the bars and the lycan. In his still half disorentied mind, he thought if he could get away from the bars he would be safer.

"Oh yeah," Narick muttered, as though thinking himself foolish for forgetting. Standing he walked over to the cage, reached through the bars and easily catching the hastily retreating Slyth. He quickly undid the gag, allowing the cow-thing to talk. At least he seemed more co-operative now. He made a mental note to strike the head if he needed to make him more agreeable; afterall even in wolf form, the head was hardly tastey. That way the taste wouldn't be ruined by any marks.

"So. Now tell me. What the hell are you? And exactly what is it that you and my brother share? That makes him try to protect you? He cant even look after himself let alone someone else, it's pathetic!" he said.

Slyth gave out a terrified little moo'ing noice as he was grabbed again. He thought his head was going to be smashed aginst the bars again, but the lycan had simply removed the gag before letting him fall again to the floor. He gave out a few gasping sort of coughs as he could now breath more normally now that he could use his mouth. And, now with his mouth able to be used, Slyth shifted somewhat so he was facing Narick as best he could before he spit at him, afterall, he knew enough about humans and such to know that spitting at someone pretty well meant 'fuck you' without having to acctually say such a horrid word. Though, the spit hardly even made it to the bars before it hit the ground.
Slyth, again, tried to wiggle away now, though he thought enough about it to try and roll. It would be much faster afterall.

Narick started laughing rather heartily when the creature spat at him, even more so when it didn't even reach his feet, or even leave the cage. He approached it again and stood over him, hands on hips. "You keep that up and I'm really going to have to start hurting you," he threatened and, though there was a half smile on his face, his eyes showed that he was entirely serious.

"It's up to you really. You behave, and answer my questions like a good freak, I'll be nice in turn. You'll be here for a while even if Dannyl comes. Well, at least for the week till the moon changes and we get to eat. I can make that week comfortable, even get you a proper bed and some grass. Or," He leant in and fixed Slyth with a threatening glare with eyes identical to Dannyl's. "I can make it the longest, most horrid and painful week and a bit of your entire miserable life.:

Only now, with the threats and the absolute seriousness in which they were spoken did Slyth acctually start to cry. He kept his sobbs at bay as best he could, though tears fell from his eyes and streaked down his cheeks as he still tried to move away. He had to stop soon though, at what he thought was at least far enough away that if Narick wanted to grab him again he'd have to acctually come inside. It was so hard moving while bound like this, he hadn't realized it would take so much energy just to move a couple feet. But, now he felt at least a tad bit safer.
He still didn't want to answer the questions, but the fear of being beaten outweighed that. So, without looking to Narick, and keeping his face hidden so his tears could not be seen by the man, he spoke in a quiet, barely audible voice. "He's my friend... Friends protect.. eachother..." That was all he said. Afterall, he didn't know how to answer the first question asked, as he didn't know the answer. In his voice though, it was quite obvious that the young cow demon was crying, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Narick frowned. He hadn't meant to make the creature cry, least not yet and in that way. He was a little disappointed that he had at least partially answered, the sadist in him had half been looking forward to tormenting him. Afterall what he had in mind wasn't as brutal and uncouth as just a beating. But that would have to wait. He was sure that Slyth would act up again once the initial existing pain faded. "Good boy," he said softly, going back to his seat and straddling it once again.

Still, he couldn't help but smirk at the words he said. "Such naievity. You really think that Dannyl is your friend?" He leant forward on the back of the chair. "Let me tell you something about Dannyl. He was once one of the most respected members of our clans. Taught the freshly turned ones even. You wanna know why? Because he was sly. A master of deception. He would chose his prey from the tastiest of people, lure them in with false pretenses weeks before the full moon. 'Befriend' them if you will. Then, when they were no longer afraid of him, he would change and turn on them, devouring them. He delighted in it and was the best at it!" He shook his head. "You poor naieve child, he's not your friend. You were just his next meal. Well. Now he needs to learn to share, doesn't he?"

Slyth shook his head as best he could the entire time Narick spoke about Dannyl simply 'befriending' him to eat him at the next moon turn. Slyth knew Dannyl could have done that already the last time he turned. Afterall, slyth had been unable to even try running away if the lycan got to him. But.. there was still the part of him that was so afraid of Lycan's that he almost felt compelled to believe what Narick said about Dannyl. "No." He said aloud, to himself as if to enforce the fact that Dannyl was his friend and did not wish to eat him. "He is.. my friend." Slyth said. This time he had managed to hide the fact that he was crying slightly better, but it was to late for that anyways.

Narick sighed. "You don't get it, do you? It's all part of the game to him. But, I guess it doesn't matter anyway. He'll come here, like a fly to a carcass to get his share of the meat. He'll just be cranky that he has to share that's all. But," he shrugged. "It's your delusion."

He stood and left the room briefly, leaving the door open though, and came back with a small bag of something. "You're amusing," he said as he came back towards the cage and tossed the bag in. A few blades of grass fell out revealing what the bag contained. "Since you wont tell me what you are, I'll asume you're more cow than anything else and cows eat grass. Just don't fart it like cows do," he said with a smirk and returning to his chair with the intention of enjoying the show of him trying to eat with his arms bound behind his feet. He found he was enjoying this game and the humiliation it would bring Slyth. Maybe he should find a way to bring back those tears, he was enjoying the game far too much.

Slyth just tried to ignor the man, but that was quite difficult in his present state of being. So he had to just continue to tell himself that Narick was lying. That if Dannyl was going to do that, he would have done it last time, not wait till now. 'But you never know with a lycan.' His mind told him and he just shook the thought away before he heard movement. He looked to Narick and he appeared to be leaving, which gave Slyth momentarily relief. But, the man came back, and he was holding a bag. Slyth watched, fear in his eyes, as surely there was something horrible in the bag, something that the man would pull out and use to beat him with.
When the bag was thrown into the cage, slyth cringed, as if thinking the bag was aimed to strike him. But, it landed just a little ways away and it sounded rather light. So, he opened his eyes slowly and peered at it. Grass. Only at the exact moment he saw the grass did he realize how hungry he acctually was. Afterall, it was likely some time since he's eaten anything.
So, without caring about how he would possible look, and not knowing how much it would likely ammuse Narick, Slyth wiggled over to the bag. It took a couple minutes to make it those couple feet, but he did make it. Once there, he nudged the bag around slowly, trying to find the opening on it. Eventually he found it, all he had to do was open it somehow. A small whine escaped him at that, though it was hardly audible. So, to open it. He had to think about that, but he figured his best bet was to just use his mouth.
He took at least five minutes trying to get a good grip on the opening and twisting it around to be able to acctually pull the thing open. But, he did get it eventually. And with the bag finally open, Slyth pushed his face to the grass and started to chow down.

Narick watched with amusement shining in his eyes as Slyth wriggled over and he grinned widely when the quiet whine escaped him. He outwardly laughed when Slyth got it open only to push his face into the grass to eat. How animalistic.

"You see?" he said. "We can get along just fine. I keep my word. You be a good boy and do as you're told, you get fed. Keep on being a good boy and things will get easier for you. You might even enjoy the last few days of your life."

He leant forward on the chair. He was a bit of a mystery to Narick. True, he had feasted on Slyth's family's flesh and knew the tastiness of this half-human half-cow creature and for a while when he had discovered he missed one, he had thought about pursuing him but dismissed it as not being worth it. It had got him thinking though. If Slyth was the only one of his kind left, and they ate him at the next moon turn, there would be no more delicious morsels to feast on. So. He would have to learn how he was created.

"How were you made? What are you?" he asked him. "And this time I expect an answer," he added.

Slyth continued eating, dispite the laughter coming from the man. He could laugh all he wants, Slyth didn't care so long as he didn't get beaten or starved. So he ate till he had enough, afterall he did wish to save some. So long as the bag wasn't taken away that is.
He put his head down on the floor as he listened to the man. He would have much rather ignore him though, but that would likely cause a beating. He sighed out lightly and sadly, he didn't want to answer this question as he had no real answer. A few weeks ago he would have simply said he was a cow and he would have taken no care to the man saying he wasn't. But now.. he had no idea.
"I don't know.." He said as he stared at the grass bag infront of him. He would much rather stare at grass than look to the lycan he feared so much.

Narick frowned at Slyth's answer. "What do you mean you don't know?" he snapped. "Everyone knows what they are. Even if they don't have a tongue and cant put words to what they are, they still know it and can describe it."

He stared at Slyth a long time, trying to figure him out. He needed an answer for this, so that he could attempt to make more of what he was, maybe farm them so they would always have such tastey morsels to eat. Then they would also stop being hunted by humans since they wouldn't have to eat them whenever the moon changed.

He stood and moved over to the cage and took the bag of grass away, the first sign that he wasn't happy. He tossed it into a corner, spilling some of the grass as he did so and turned from there to face. "You better not be lying. If you don't know then who or what would know? Who or what was it that made you and how did they do it?" he demanded. He was begining to suspect that he may be lying. It didn't make sense that he wouldn't know what he was.

"I don't know!" Slyth practically yelled as he shook his head. He didn't know and he didn't want to think about it. Esspecially not here. He wanted to think of ways to stay alive and escape this awfull place. Then, Slyth started to cringe as the lycan came over to the cage and reached in. He thought for sure it would grab him again and beat him. But, he had taken the grass away. That was much better than a beating, but still bad. He couldn't eat with it gone. Hopefully he would get it back... He doubted it.
Then he was asked abuot who or what made him. A look of confusion came to his face. "My parents made me. I don't know how they did.." That was an honest answer, as he didn't understand that Narick hadn't meant it in that respect. But, that was what he thought and thats to what he answered.

Narick's fists were clenched and his teeth gritted as Slyth seemed to be merely avoiding answering his question. All he was doing was messing him around and he had had enough! Snatching the bag of grass up, he took it to the same cupboard he had got it from, put it in and also pulled out some rope and a book. He would give the freak time to think about his answers.

Going back into the room, he left the book on his chair and went over to the cage. Unlocking it and opening the door, he stepped inside and grasped Slyth's bound wrists tightly. He tied one end of the rope around them and then threaded it through the top bars of the cage. He pulled until Slyth was standing, forced onto his tiptoes by his arms being pulled backwards and upwards and he fastened the other to hold him there before leaving the cage and locking it again. "I'll give you some time to think about your answers." he said curtly before getting his book and dragging the chair over to a corner and going to the door. He made to leave but then paused, saying, "Oh and if you even think of sending those cows out, then the guard will tighten the rope till you're hanging like that and your arms are torn out," he threatened before leaving the room. A huge man stepped in and sat in the chair in the corner silently, burly arms crossed over his chest as he watched Slyth, not making a move or uttering a word, but not taking his gaze from him.

At first, when Narick had gone, Slyth thought that he may finally have decided to leave, but he returned. With a rope this time. Another new burst of fear shot through slyth and he started to fruitlessly try to get away from the man. He had only made it a few inches by the time Narick entered the cage and grabbed him by the wrists. He tried to get himself away, and he even tried to hitting Narick with his head, but it was all pointless.
He was then let go as the lycan went to do something else. He thought that maybe that was all he was going to do for a few moments before he started getting pulled upwards. Pain shot up his arms as they were forced backwards in a very unnatural way. He almost cried out, but he bit his lip and held it in. He was sure that was what the man wanted and he didn't want to give him the pleasure.
He had assumed he would be pulled all the way up, but the tips of his hoovs still touched the ground as he hung there painfully. Tears fell from his eyes, but he couldn't stop that no matter how hard he tried. He hadn't even noticed that Narick had left and a guard game in, he was trying to hard at not crying. But, eventually, as the pain slowly dulled, he chanced looking around.
He only momentarily glanced at the guard before he looked about the room. It was alot different from what he saw on the floor. His cage looked alot smaller from higher up. At by that point, the cut he had sustained was completely gone.

The guard's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Slyth. By now he should have been gasping in pain, begging them to let him down, or at least loosen the bonds a little. He was suspicious of him. Maybe he should tighten the rope holding him there. But if he did that without Narick telling him to he would likely get into trouble. Better to just leave him and wait for Narick's temper to cool, it was safer that way. Though likely that would be several hours yet.

*

Dannyl paced back and forth trying to come up with some sure way he could get Slyth out. He was growing more and more frustrated as time went by. At least a couple of hours had past and he still hadn't had any more enlightening realisations on how to do it.

He sighed and started limping up towards the mansion on the top of the hill, one arm across his stomach. He would think of something, or maybe they would offer something he could turn to his advantage. But either way nothing was being accomplished by standing around.

After quite some time of being held like he was by the rope, the rope simply seemed to snap which caused Slyth to fall hard down to the floor. He groaned as pain shot through his arms from them suddenly being able to relax and have blood properly run through them. But, it was also quite the relief dispite the pain that would worsen soon enough.
After a quick few seconds of letting his arms rest, Slyth pulled them loose of the equally ruined ropes that held his wrists together. He rolled himself to his stomach and pulled himself away from the door, so that if the guard planned on grabbing him, he would have to open the door. He stopped himself when he was far enough away, and he rolled to his back. There was the chance that the guard would go get someone else, but if they wanted to do anything they would have to open the cage which was what he really did hope for.

The guard shot to his feet when the rope suddenly snapped. What on earth? The boy wasn't that heavily, he was only a child, and despite which if he had yanked at it it would only have ended up hurting him. He went to the door and called, "Narick!" through it. Within moments the man came in at a leisurely pace. He knew it couldn't have been serious, a bound child in a cage was nothing the guard couldn't handle.

Seeing the cow-freak on the ground of the cage though, ruined rope around him and his hands unbound, he frowned. Then he shrugged. The boy had been up there for at least an hour, by now his arms should be feeling like fire after being returned to their natural position after so long. He walked up to the cage but instead of opening it like he was sure Slyth was hoping for, he just reached through the bars and took the scraps of rope out. He looked to Slyth, grinned his pointy-tooth grin, and said, "Starve then," before standing and leaving again, the guard took his seat once more.

*

Dannyl could feel eyes on him as he made his way to the front door. He paused infront of them, then pushed it open. "Narick! Where are you?" he demanded loudly.

Slyth had done his best to ignore the burning pain in his arms when the guard called Narick into the room. And when the man neared the cage, he almost got his hopes up that he would open it, but no. Narick had simply grabbed the ropes before telling him he couldn't eat. Slyth had expected more than that to happen, but still that was quite bad in itself. Though, he could always just have his cows go round up the food for him, but with the guard there it would be rather difficult.
Once Narick left the room again, slyth just laid there, dispite this not having gone according to what he planned, he was still incredibly releived to be on the cool cement... Dispite the burning in his arms, it was much better than hanging there like he had been.
He figured the next thing he would do, when his arms didn't hurt that was, was untie his feet. They hadn't been high priority when he had the cell sized cows chew through the other ropes. So he laid there, resting as best he could under these circumstances.

"The prodigal son returns," Narick said with a hint of scorn in his voice as he entered the entrance room. There were others with him, more than he could fight but Dannyl, for now, was only interested in Narick.

He ignored the comment and demanded, "Where is Slyth? Let him go!"

"Safe. At least until the full moon. Then he'll be a delicious treat." Resounding chuckles.

"What can I offer you to let him go?" Dannyl asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

Narick pretended to think about it. "Well, nothing really. Especially since you can hardly leave here in one piece. I have both things I want, my lost brother returned to me and a tastey desert." He touched his heart in rather bad acting.

"Let him go... and I won't fight, will stay here willingly. You know it all works better when I'm not fighting against it," he said. It was the only thing he had managed to think of.

Narick at least seemed to consider this seriously. "I can't trust you. Not after you turned your back on your clan. How about this: you be shot up and if you keep your word through all that then I'll let him go." Afterall, he could always just recapture him, Narick thought.

"Deal," Dannyl agreed and, just like that, he had sealed his own fate. He was lead away to a room that was fairly close to where Slyth was being kept, though neither knew it.

Slyth simply laid where he had stopped for quite some time, allowing the burning sensation in his arms to dispiate and eventually turn to a dull soreness. He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position before silently untying the ropes around his feet. With that finally out of the way, Slyth crawled over to the back corner of the cage and sat there with his knee's up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them.
He wanted to leave this place so bad, but it was starting to sink in that no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to. Though, he still had a couple idea's on how to try and get out. IT would be better than simply giving it. But, for right now, he gave himself some company. He had a cow grow to about a foot or so high and he sat there silently while he patted it.

The guard watched suspiciously when he saw a cow just grow inside the cage and Slyth start patting it. But then, he couldn't see it causing any harm and it wasn't about to get him out so he allowed it for now, still not having said a word to the boy but again not letting him out of his gaze.

*

Dannyl was lead along the passage and into his old room. He paused in the doorway, old fear creeping up on him once more.

"Dannyl," Narick warned.

Gritting his teeth he stepped foward, pulling off his torn shirt as he went and dumping it on the ground. The bed there was bare, only a stained pillow at one end. Oh and four shackles attatched to it. Well if it was the only way to get Slyth out then he would go through with it.

Laying down on the bed on his back he allowed the shackles to be fastened to his wrists and ankles and a cord to be fastened tightly around his arm just above his elbow. He only had to wait a moment before his brother came up next to him with a syringe with an alarming amount of silvery liquid inside, more than they had injected him with yet. "Just like old times, right?" Narick said, with his pointed tooth grin. Dannyl just glared at him.

Narick jabbed the needle into his vein. Dannyl barely felt that, but as soon as his brother started compressing the liquid into him, agony spread out through his body, first from his arm, then down to his hands, up to his shoulder and across his chest, spread throughout his body. The most horrendous scream erupted from him as his whole body jerked and fought, snapping the shackles tight, the noise loud enough that Slyth would clearly have heard him from the next room.

Slyth had just picked up the little cow and put it in his lap when he suddenly heard the awful screaming of a very familiar voice. He shot up to his feet, dropping the cow in the process. Why did he have to follow!? Slyth thought as he ran to the bars as if doing that would help him get a better look. "What are you doing to him!?" He practically yelled at the guard, his mind didn't seem to comprehend the fact that the guard probably didn't know. "Stop hurting him!" He cried out, tears started to form in his eyes. The screaming was beyond horrible. How could they do that to him? Cause him so much pain that he screamed like that? For the moment, Slyth seemed to have completely forgotten that he was locked away in a small cell within a building housing many lycans.
With how Slyth was reacting, the cow he had earlier dropped to the ground, was now the size of a normal cow and still growing. It was reacting to the way Slyth currently felt. He wanted to go help Dannyl, so the cow would try and break open the cage.