Duskrise ch. 7: The Underground

Stumbling down the road, I was exhausted.  My one good leg felt stiff as jelly.  I don't know how many hours I'd been trekking in the mud, but I was just about ready to keel over.  And I did.  Stepping badly in a tract of mud, I yelped in sharp pain as my ankle twisted.  With nothing to support me, I fell flat on my face.  Tasting dirty water, I made a face but didn't make a move to get up.  This felt good, the coolness of wet earth to chill me.  Over time, I could feel my eyes slowly close and I drifted off into an uneasy sleep.  

My dreams were chaotic.  I saw only flashes, but what I did see disturbed me.  A gold-skinned human laying in bed, his eyes fluttering beneath their lids.  He was stricken by fever.   A vicious bite oozing pus marked his shoulder.  Then I saw a lupine dead on the floor, blood dripping from a bullet hole between his eyes.  Impossibly, his dull eyes moved, fixated on my presence.  From his lips came a death rattle.  

“Inuran'ael.”  

The vision of a black winged creature filled my mind.
 
I woke with a start.  Someone prodded my back.  Rosy red rays of morning sunlight glinted on the horizon.  Someone, a human, sighed in relief.
 
“Oh dear... we thought you were dead.”  

I groaned.  My ankle ached and I couldn’t say my broken knee was faring much better.  Lupines could regenerate lesions and cuts within minutes, but broken bones?  They took days if not weeks to mend.  

Turning my neck, I saw an elderly couple standing over me.  

“Are you hurt dear?”  Asked the old woman.  

“My knee's broke and I think my ankle is too.”  I mumbled.  Her kind face wrinkled in concern.  

“George, help me get this pour soul into the car.”  George and the kind old woman picked me up to the best of their ability.  Which was to say about an inch off the ground.  I was over three hundred pounds, there was no way they could have lifted me on their own.  I helped to the best of my ability, gasping when too much pressure was applied to my broken bones.  Together, the three of us managed to hobble the short distance to a vintage station wagon.  

Crawling onto the back seats of the car, I curled up small and fit on the cushions, staining them with the mud caked to my fur and clothes.  I needed to get back to the base, but I hadn't the faintest idea where it was.  Nor for that matter, where I was.  The old couple slid onto their seats in the front.  The old woman looked back, a small smile on her face.  

“Our house isn't far from here.  When we get there we'll see what can be done about those bones... and get you cleaned up dear.”

My stomach growled.  

“We'll see about feeding you as well.”  For the first time that day , a smile edged its way onto my face.  

“I... You would really show this kindness to a stranger?”  She chuckled.  
“Dearie, this is the least we can do.  George and I help your people escape the committee.  We're part of an underground railroad of sorts.  In fact, we know a place where you can be safe.  Euphoria.”

I shook my head.  

“No.  I need to get back to the base.  My squad must be worried.”  The old woman narrowed her eyes in confusion.
 
“Squad?”  I nodded.  

“I'm a military wolf.  On my first mission since losing my memory, things went sour.  I was captured by terrorists who escaped with me.  They broke my knee and dumped me out here.  I should be glad they didn't kill me.  I've been walking since yesterday.  Last night, I stepped wrong and broke my ankle.”  The old woman shook her head.

“How awful.  You lost your memory you said?”  And she sighed.  “Dear, you don't know how many times we've heard that.”  This time it was my turn to narrow my eyes.  

“What do you mean?”  

“It means your superiors lied to you boy.”  George spoke up for the first time.  
“No...”  I disagreed, struggling with this new information.  George shook his head.  

“They played you for a fool young one.  You didn't lose your memory.  The committee stole it from you.”  I took my head in my paws.

“No, no, no.  I have a girlfriend, people who care about me.  That can't all be fake, can it?”  I wrestled with the info.  Did my squad, Charlie... Lily, lie to me?  To my face!  My muzzle crinkled up in a snarl and I growled.  I didn't think these elderly humans were lying.  Their words sounded sincere, and that made me pissed.  And why would they lie?  They have nothing to gain or lose from this.  Taking control of myself, I sighed.  If... If what they say is true, then I have no idea who I am.  Was Dusk even my real name?  And what of this word, Inuran'ael, that keeps popping into my head?  I groaned.  “So many questions...”

“It's all right dear.  Everything will be fine.”  The old woman reached back and stroked my head soothingly.  And you know what?  I believed her.

The ride to their abode was uneventful.  When we arrived, I was surprised to see that their 'house' was actually closer akin to a mansion.  My jaw dropped.
 
“That's a house?”  I wondered aloud.  I saw George crack a smile in the rear view mirror.  

“That's nothing.  You should see the underground complex.”  Wow.  Some people lived like kings!  I had to share a barracks with seven other wolves.

The car came to a gradual stop on the driveway.  George looked back at me.
 
“I'll go see if we can dig up a stretcher to carry you in.”  And he got up out of the car and into the mansion.  Moments later he was back, accompanied by two burly wolves who bore a stretcher between them.  Bringing the stretcher up to the car, the wolves helped me sidle over onto it.  Laying down on the white fabric, I let them hoist me up and transport my lame body to the mansion.

My jaw was agape pretty much the whole trip through the opulent abode.  Symbols of wealth were absolutely flowing everywhere.  Priceless art, gold chandeliers... The mansion was sharp and dignified as well as being comfortable and cozy.  It was really wonderful.  Entering a long hallway, we trekked down its length only to be stopped by its end.  An unremarkable candlestick just like the thousands of others I'd seen in the mansion jutted out from the wall.  George grabbed hold of it and pushed with all his strength.  Slowly, it budged.  Moving inward until it could go no longer.  Then the old man turned it left like a key.  Immediately there was a response.  The wall moved sideways a little before swinging forward.  I widened my eyes as I saw its thickness.  Like a vault door.  The door led down a flight of stairs lit by the warm glow of yellow lights.  The wolves carrying me made the arduous task of climbing down the stairs while George stayed behind, waving goodbye.  I stared at him, my gaze filling with appreciation as the vault door swung to a close.  

After descending the long and winding staircase, we arrived at a veritable hub of activity.  A large stone room lit by the warm glow of several lamps.  It was divided into two areas by loose organization.  One half of the room was devoted to medical care.  Tables lay across the floor at even intervals, privacy available by means of a curtain that could be dragged around in a rectangle.  Blood scent hung thick on the air... probably from a few surgeries that had just taken place.  The other half of the room was devoted to storage and a checkpoint of sorts.  Plenty of disheveled wolves sat in rows, most likely new arrivals, as aides went around documenting before sending them off down the hall.  

Laying me on a table in the makeshift emergency room, the wolves dipped their heads to me and left.  I jumped as an agonized howl erupted from the curtained table next to me.  

“Hold him down!”  A human voice commanded.  “I need to get this bullet out before the silver poisoning spreads.”  Listening to the pained yowls of the wolf being operated on, I fretted.  Closing my eyes I snarled at the ceiling.  Realization had gripped me in its dreadful claws.  I had nowhere to go.  What was I going to do?  I had little knowledge of the world, of its inner workings and subtleties.  My past life had been stripped from me.  The life I thought I had was maybe a lie, but still, that experience is real.  Maybe... Maybe I can put my military training to use somehow?  I knew how to fight.  Apparently that was all I was good for.  Suddenly the pained yowling ceased.  Replaced by heavy panting.  

Quite abruptly the curtain was drawn back.  Revealing a human-like doctor, A white wolf with bloody bandages wrapped around his chest and a big brown lupine assistant.  The reason I say human-like is because this doctor... she didn't smell human.  Her scent was of the earth.  The aroma of flowers, but also cold, sort of like starlight.  I don't know how I drew that conclusion.  It's not like I've ever smelled starlight before.  Her unkempt mop of hair was a bright, fiery red, as were her eyes.  She also had very sharp, pretty features.  Although she appeared to be near my age, I could tell by the look of experience in her eyes that she was MUCH older.  Just what in the world was this creature?  

The fiery woman wiped some of the sweat from her brow.  

“Okay.  Cate, please get our patient to his room.  He'll need time and rest to recover fully.”  The woman smiled at her companion, who nodded.

“Thank you Sa're.”  The white bandaged wolf coughed.  “Without your help today I would have died.”  The woman shrugged.  

“I'm here to lend my aid to those who need it.”  Awe filled the white wolf's eyes.  

“Truly you are a saint.”  The woman let out a trill of laughter.  

“No.  I'm not.”  And her lupine assistant Cate transferred the white wolf to a wheelchair and wheeled him away.  Disposing of her bloody gloves, the woman turned and looked at me.  She smiled kindly even though I was a mess, covered in dry mud as I was.

“Now then, what can I do for you today?”  

“Well... My knee's broke.  Somebody kicked it in, and I stepped wrong.  My ankle might be broken too.”  

“Let me take a look at them.”  The woman gently rolled up my pants' legs revealing the pelt below.  I grimaced.  Both my knee and ankle were swollen pretty badly.  “This may hurt a little.”  The woman said, gingerly feeling my broken bones.  I cringed as small spikes of pain struck me.  “Let's get the obvious out of the way.  Your ankle is broken, as well as the knee.”  

“Is the knee permanently damaged?”  I asked, dreading the answer.  She smiled.

“Of course not.  If the wound had been caused by silver it may have been permanent, but I can sense none of the corruption.  Perhaps a week in a cast and it'll be good as new.”  I sighed in relief.  

“Now, let's get that break into a cast...”

A pretty and most unusual female lupine pushed my wheelchair.  Her pelt was a very dark blue in color.  Almost black.  

“And here we are.”  She opened a door on the left hand side of a busy hall.  It led to a small room with a toilet in one corner and a bed in another.  A bare light bulb flickered from its cord on the ceiling.  The walls were of the same gray stone that comprised all of the underground.  I grimaced.  Swiveling my head back, I made a remark to the she-wolf.  

“I prefer the barracks.”  We both smiled and she wheeled me in.  The she-wolf helped me to my bed, where I unceremoniously flopped.  Righting myself, I watched as she made to leave.  

“Wait...”  I asked.  She turned and looked at me with a question in her eyes.  I smiled weakly.  “Please don't leave me all alone in this cell.  Can you stay awhile?”  
The she-wolf shrugged.  

“Why not?  Jayze doesn't have anything else that needs doing.  At least for a while anyway.”  She sat down at the edge of my bed.  “So.  You said you preferred the barracks?  I can only guess that means you were a military wolf before all this.”  I nodded.  

“Yeah.  I was.  Can you tell me something?”  She shrugged.  
“What do you want to know?”  

“Is... Is it true that this 'committee' conscripts wolves and erases their memory?”  The she-wolf's eyes went soft as she looked me over.  

“I'm guessing that's what happened to you?  Anyway... yes, it is true.”  I sighed and closed my eyes.  Putting my face into my paws, I shook my head.  
“Then I have nobody.”  Did my parents even die in a car crash?  What kind of life did I have before the committee tore me away from everything I ever knew?  The she-wolf leaned over and put her paw on my shoulder.

“You have your brothers and sisters.  We will never abandon you.”  I smiled a little.  

“That's good to know.  So, who are these Committee people anyhow?”  The she-wolf snarled, her eyes flashing as I suspected a memory played before them.  In another moment she was calm.  

“The Lycanthropic Registration Committee or just Committee for short, is an organization of humans.  They want nothing more than the total domination and subservience of our kind.”  I couldn't believe my ears.  “They operate out of the United States, but are placing officials inside other countries as well.  Worse yet, traitors of our kind have joined up with them.  Probably in a bid for their own freedom.  I don't care why.”  I snarled.  

“And people just allow this?”  The she-wolf rolled her eyes.  

“Humans just don't care.  Most of them hate us.  They're afraid of us.  They already have laws about lupine registration and segregation.”  I tilted my head in confusion.  The she-wolf sighed.  

“It means that every wolf has to be monitored and carefully documented.  Also, our peoples are separated.  There are human only restaurants, bathrooms, water fountains...”  

“That's just terrible.”  I fretted.  Although I had to admit, I was a little curious to see all this myself.  And then I realized something.  I slapped a palm to my forehead.  “Oh!  I didn't even ask for your name.  You can call me... Dusk I suppose.  Until I find something better.”  The she-wolf smiled.  

“You can call me Blue.”  I smiled.  

“It's nice to meet you Blue.”  There was a moment of silence between us.

“Do you really not remember anything of your past?”  Blue asked me.  I suppose her curiosity got the best of her.  I shook my head and smiled ruefully.

“No... but there is this one thing.  A name or a word.”

“Oh?”  She was intrigued.  

“Inuran'ael.  Have you ever heard of it before?”  Blue paled the moment the word rolled off my tongue.  

“What did you say?”  She gasped.  I was alarmed.  

“Is there something wrong with that?”  Blue regained her composure.  She stared at me with narrowed eyes, putting me under a great deal of scrutiny.  It was as if she was looking at me for the first time.  

“No.  There's nothing wrong.  I just...  Are you SURE you don't remember where you heard that name?”  I shook my head sadly.  

“I have not a clue.”

        Blue looked thoughtful.  

“I have to go talk with Jayze.  If you would excuse me.”  And she got up to leave.  

“Wait!”  I barked as she neared the door.  “You will come and visit, won't you?”  Blue smiled.  

“Of course.”  And she left, leaving me alone to ponder her perplexing reaction.

“Inuran'ael.”  I whispered the word.  Hmph.  It sounded just like any other word to me.  Lying down on the bed, I closed my eyes.  When my belly rumbled.  I groaned.  Great!  Just great!  Just how was I supposed to get some food when I couldn't even walk?  As if on cue, a sandy furred female wolf appeared in the doorway.  Carried in her paws was a tray of hot food.  Giving the she-wolf a toothy grin, I chuckled when she laughed.
 
Giving a satisfying belch, I put the tray of food down beside me.  Licking my chops, I remarked on the tastiness of the meat and bread.  It had been a simple meal.  Just a hunk of meat, some bread and a flagon of water, but to a hungry wolf, it was delicious.  Yawning, I rolled over onto my side.  My nose was inches from a gray stone wall.  Closing my eyes, I lay still and tried to let sleep claim me.  It had a tough time.  The thought of what would happen to me kept nudging my brain, fraying my nerves.  I hadn't the slightest idea of what I was to do.  All the memories I had were of preparations for battle.  Is that what my purpose was to be?  A tool for war?  Giving a slight growl, I banished the nagging thoughts from my mind.  Then I thought of Blue.  She was so kind and pretty, a good person.  Calmed by her visage, I could feel myself slipping away.  I didn't fight it, and soon enough I was peacefully at rest.