Caged

The night was alive, teeming with life. Chirping and nightly creatures scurrying about while the moon shown high above the forest. Ari never noticed how beautiful the area around them was and she was almost lost in the sights. Taking a step forward, she left the facility, leaving the door open wide behind her. Taking his cue, he stepped forward towards freedom.

Inhaling the night, he finally felt a surge of energy coursing through his body.

"You can go hunt but come back."

He was silent for a moment, taking in her comment and this sudden feel of freedom. All of this felt so much different from what was his new residence for all that time in confinement. Taking it all in now, a thought came to his mind now.

"What if I don't?" he turned, awaiting a response for his question.

Ari was silent. She anticipated that he would want to leave but of course, the facility had thought of such measures.

"There is a tracking device put inside you. It can track you to one tenth of exact preciseness. You can run away if you wish they will find you and drag you back here."

"What of you? What will happen to you?" He questioned.

She stayed silent on the matter but he knew that nothing good would come of him running away. Without another word, he whisked pass her and off into the night.

Ari waited the whole time, remaining steadfast in her spot, hoping that she had not made the biggest blunder of her life. Pacing back and forth as eyes darted in different direction when she heard the faint sound to her left. Feeling uneasy, she figured that she would have to find him. Turning on her device, she waited for it to load. Her heart beating fast with every second that passed. Finally warmed up, she watched as the screen bleeped, his location already set. Without thinking about her safety, she headed out into the darkness.

This was reckless. She could not see anything in front of her. The only light she was allotted was the moon which provided little to no relief. Stumbling through the trees, she on occasion looked down to determine his location. The closer she got to him, the higher the signal. As she continued on, she was not paying attention to where she was walking and tripped.

The device flew out of her hand, tumbling into the blackness, leaving her utterly lost and defenseless.

Gathering herself up, she stood there, alone, afraid and worried now that she was alone with him in the middle of nowhere. Her only option now was to try to head back and hope that she could get to the facility before he got to her. Stumbling through the blackness with hands outreached, she fumbled into the thicket, trying to keep calm; all the while her heart pounding in her chest.

Feeling her way through she found that everything around her was unfamiliar. She must have taken a wrong turn somewhere she thought but she had to continue on. Stumbling through it was only then that she heard the sound of something closing in behind her. She quickened her pace, now moving in a sort of a jaunt only to find that whatever was behind was matching her pace.

Throwing caution to the wind, she was now running, dodging anything in her path as she made her way in the blackness of the night. It followed close behind before taking hold of her and knocking her to the ground. Turning over, she realized that it was him. He teeth bare and snarling loudly.

"Never run away from me. That is a death sentence do you understand?"

"Ye....yes."

Getting off of her, she scurried to a nearby tree. Putting distance between the two. Standing up once more, he then turned his back towards her and began sniffing the air.

"Stay here, your presence is scaring away my prey."

She could only nod before watching him sprint off. She just sat there, too afraid to do much of anything and just waited for his return. In a few moments, she heard the rustling of leaves before he returned, dragging something behind him.

Remaining seated, she watched as he placed the item to her feet.

Much to her chagrin, it was a deer carcass; bowels removed and entrails scattered about. Ari was on the verge of expelling her lunch but she remained steadfast.

"What is that?"

"My dinner."

Ari swallowed hard, looking at the body before looking up at him. She could not fully see him but those eyes. She could still see his eyes. They glimmered so brightly now as the moon light cascaded down upon them. Turning away, she had to hide her intrigue, knowing full well that they had to go back.

"We have to go back. You can bring it with you.... At least then you can have something to eat."

Getting up, she dusted herself off and waited for him to follow. As he gathered up his kill, he stopped; taking hold of the animal before performing a clean jerk, ripping off most the leg. Ari could only watch, seeing the body become nothing more than a dismembered mess on the forest floor. He figured that this would be enough now and he would leave the rest of the carcass for the carnivores to finish off.

Nausea was start to crept up, her mouth filling with saliva as her stomach performed a somersault. Looking down at the piece of meat, he then turned his attention to her.

'Would you cook this for me?"

She was shocked by the question, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted.

"What do you mean?"

"Could you cook this for me? I have never had cooked meat before. I would like to try it, cooked meat..that is."

Ari did not know what to say. She was flattered by the question, a bit excited that he would even ask. Though she was by no means a butcher, she would do her best to do as he asked.

"If you lead us back, I will cook it for you. Though...."

"Huhm?"

"You will have to remove the fur."

Silently, he agreed before beginning to walk off. She said nothing just followed behind her though she could barely see him in the dark.

He kept a slow pace, turning every now and again to see if she was still behind. She was of course stumbling behind, flailing in the dark. He did not know why she was not asking for help but he was not going to offer if she did not ask.

Ari continued to walk on, making sure to stay close but it was rather difficult. Having to wait for her was starting to become annoying. Stopping abruptly, she bummed smack dab into him.

"Why did you stop?"

"You are moving too slow. "

Without waiting for her response, he lifted her up having her anchored in his arms while holding the meat in the other. Ari was nestled quite close, the feel of his hair on her skin was soothing, comforting and above all soft. She could not help herself, her hands became enveloped in his fur. His heat was radiating out. This was a concern. She had never felt something so hot.

"I think you should put me down. I do not want to be a burden."

"You would be a burden if I did put you down."

Not saying anymore, he continued on until they had reached the facility. He set her down, then set down the meat. Ari thanked him before opening the door wide to allow them entry. Taking hold of his meal, he went ahead now, listening as she closed up.

With everything settled, it was time now to get to work. Walking side by side, they made their way back to the containment center but something was bothering her about this.

"Wait, you cannot stay here.... I can move you someplace a bit more comfortable."

"You would do that?"

Without another word, she took hold of his hand, leading them back to the other rooms on the higher level. He was silent all this while, her hand clasping onto his, stirring feelings in him. Such kindness after all the carnage he had caused. Something about her demeanor was making him feel at ease now. He did not have to worry about her hurting him and he in turn could trust her.

Leading him away from his previous prison, she took him to an area similar to the bathing area. The area only had one area. Closed off and pushed in the far corner. Punching in the code, the room opened and inside was a room, devoid of anything. It was just like his cell though it was warmer and cleaner.

"Here, you can stay here. I think we have some spare blankets for later. Now, let us get started with the meal. Ummmm first though, we have to clean this and fix you something to eat. Could you hand me the leg please?"

He eyed her, then the meat before passing it over. Surprisingly, it was heavier than she thought, thick and still dripping. Taking hold of it quickly, she realized that she had to get this ready and quickly. Heading out the door so she could go to the common kitchen area. Just as she was about to leave, he came behind her, place a hand on her shoulder. She turned, eyes staring up at him. He did not see any fear or worry, just genuine concern for him. something he was not use to. Pulling back, he turned his head to her, mumbling a quick thank you.

Ari only smiled in response before leaving him to rest or to just get accustom to his new surrounds. As she walked off with meat in hand she felt a twinge of delight inside her. It had been a long time since she had done anything nice for anyone. More importantly, it had been a long time since she was doing something for a man. Beast or not, a man was still a man and this sort of intimacy felt surprisingly pleasant.