Logan Barker's Story

Benjamin jumped at the sudden touch, jaws snapping out to clamp on Maya's shoulder, but he withdrew a millisecond before he hit flesh, withdrawing as he registered her scent as friend, not foe. He dipped his head low, realising the comforting intent of the nudge and tentatively pushed his muzzle under hers in apology, fur slowly laying flat again.
Withdrawing from the contact with his new 'friend', he guessed that was what she wanted to be, but he was just pegging her as a dominant ally.
"Sorry," he murmured, then his ears flicked back toward Sivian. The smell of the lab clung to her fur, the air filled with her unmovingness. He sighed. Time to play Omega some more, go cheer up his enclosure-mate. Packmate? No. They weren't a pack, at least not yet. He stood, wincing as he padded out of the shade into the sun to nudge Sivian.
"Hey. You all right?" His eyes watered under the mid afternoon sun, his skin already itching a little under his thick pelt.

---

Logan beamed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as his mother lead him into the zoo for the first time. He'd get to see ((for free, no less, due to his mother working on the animals)), some of the greatest, most interesting beasts he'd never even dreamed of. He wondered if the vampires actually drank blood. If they fed them guests after dark. Oh no, Logan, don't let your imagination get away from you, kid, he reminded himself, beaming as his mother halted in front of an enclosure. He blinked. Then blinked again. Then once more. His blood ran cold.
Those weren't animals. Not the giant bats he'd been expecting, not the monsters born of bloodshed and fear he'd been thinking they were. Three humans. Packed like most endangered species which scientists didn't know how to breed; one male, two females, most likely in hopes they'd reproduce and expand profit. Logan couldn't help but stare. He clenched his jaw and didn't talk to his mother. He looked at the head scientist. No use doing anything now. He'd wait. He would wait and he'd manage to get through to those people in there, he was sure. He moved on, a little stiffly, ignoring his mother asking where he was going. The werewolves were easier to cope with. Two white wolves, one much paler, his fur bordering on transparent at the tips, his eyes pink if Logan was seeing right, the other a heavy arctic-wolf type colouring, and then the third, slate grey. These didn't look like humans. He could stand these being caged if he just thought of them as large wolves. That was better. Only a little, but better than caging humans. He finally found himself walking numbly toward the elf enclosure when he saw a single girl tapping on the enclosure's glass. Everyone else had moved on to different enclosures, most likely, due to the fact the elf seemed to be hiding. He walked up to her, and almost opened his mouth, about to tell her off for frightening the elf by tapping on the glass when he realised that it didn't matter; the glass was soundproof anyway.
"Hello there, ma'am," he muttered, peering into the enclosure, trying to figure out where the elf was. He wanted to see the scope of the things he wanted to rescue before he got too hasty. He needed to learn about them first. He needed to figure out what they needed. Then he'd try to scrape together some sympathetics and he'd free these critters if it was the last thing he did. Zoo breaking would just have to be this summer's adventure.

Giving up on seeing her friend, Nadelin turned her back to the elf's exibit and began to ponder. Suddenly she perked up as a light bulb clicked on in her head. Hardly anyone was around, most of them everyone going to stare at the “F-You” writings that had been made by the furious werewolf. Nadelin dropped to her knees and pulled out her back pack. From inside she took a spiral and a pen, glancing around the prison zoo. If she could find all the cameras that watched the zoo at night and block there view then she would be able to sneak in here and free everyone. There was still no guard brave enough to remain here at night and it was considered taboo for the scientists to stay at the zoo past midnight. So there would be no one else around. But how long would that last? Not long at all, so the soon she would do the deed the better. In fact, tonight was sounding very convienient. Of course she would need her father’s keys…

Something else was nagging at her and that was how they would act once freed. She was the head-honcho’s daughter and they probably wouldn’t take too kindly to her title. And if they did decide she was better off dead, well, there really wasn’t a thing she could do about it… That was why she had wanted to talk to the elf. If she would agree to side with Nadelin then Nad would let her out first and together they could free all the others. From there Nadelin would have to get the maps to the island they all came from and return them home. Scribbling away in the notebook and sitting modestly in front of the elf exhibit, Nadelin drew a rough sketch of the area and all the cameras that watched it. On the side was a list of the items she would need and the plan for the break-in. She scarcely noticed a tall shadow as it loomed over her full view spiral.

"Hello there, ma'am,"

Nadelin jerked to face the one who had spoken; afraid that maybe her father and finished talking to the reporters. Had he walked over when she wasn’t looking so to deliver her punishment? After all, she was disobeying orders by not staying away from the elf... Instead she was greeted by the more welcome sight of a boy, perhaps a year or so older than she. His hair was light brown and behind the half-rimmed glasses he wore, his eyes were green; much like her own. “Oh, hello,” Nadelin greeted the boy with a small smile. Then she stood up, tucking the open notebook under her arm and dusting her skirt off with her free hand. He looked familiar somehow; oh yeah! His mother worked under her dad and he had shown Nadelin the profile of their family. “Um, Logan is it?” Nadelin extended her hand with a pleasant smile. “Hi. I’m Nadelin.”

Elusive yawned as she leaned onto the wall of her 'house', reaching up and picking one of the leaves hanging over her head and munching at it. She sighed, sulking. "They captivate us like freaks, force us into horribly built habitats, and think we're primates who don't know a thing." She dropped the leaf. "If they'd just treat us like civil people, use bars instead of glass so we could talk to the visitors, something! But no. It's needles and being watched by mostly soulless people." Her ears slightly twitched as a tapping could be heard.

She stood, peeking out of her little house and jumping down from it's enclosure. She smiled when she saw the girl from earlier, giving a small snicker at the reporters both at her cage and the one with the wolve-people. She looked curiously as the girl sat, drawing something she couldn't see. She began walking towards the girl, pausing when a human boy walking up to her. She watched as the two conversed a bit before walking to the glass in front of them and tapping at it as the girl had. She gave a small wave to both of the humans.

Logan smiled, immediately recognizing the name. This was the daughter of the head scientist. She definitely wasn't what he expected, though. A cute, empathetic looking kid with vibrant eyes the same colour, but not shade, as his. Her hair was dark brown and her skin pale enough to tell him she didn't spend much time outside at all. He grinned at her, his open mouth grin.
"Daughter of the big scientist in charge of this operation? You don't seem the type to like imprisoning critters like this, though," he said, jovially. His mother, always grinning, had taught him it was always best to be friendly and happy around women. They liked it more. They liked to be the ones being miserable and sappy and dramatic. They didn't want their men to be doing it.
The elf, a stunning brunette, strode up to the glass before them. With long hair and ears, she had a uniquely elegant quality he hadn't noticed in the wolves or the vampires. He smiled and waved back, trying to give out friendly vibes.

Nadelin smiled meekly and she gave a rather weak laugh. "Yeah, that's me." Her eyes turned to her elf friend in the cage and she smiled, waving in return to the elf's gesture. Her smile faultered as one of the band-aids stood out against the elf's skin. "I kind of wish I wasn't though. I hate what he and his crew are doing to these poor souls. It's wrong, all this testing and chaining and locking away. It make me sick, knowing I'm involved somehow." Accusingly she pointed to one of the bruises on the elf's arm. "See that?" she growled, "Someone jabbed her with a needle, probably to do some unessasary blood work." Nad motioned to the other injuries on the elf's body.

"Have these people ever considered talking to their subjects? It's obvious they're intelligent enough to communicate, but my dad is too consumed by his work to see that! He's too busy to see anything anymore..." Crossing her arms over her chest she let out a short huff of irritation. It was obvious that she was extremely aggitated but took a moment to regrain her composer before turning to Logan again. "...Sorry about that. I'm sort of upset about this whole mess and how my dad and his organization are abusing them. I didn't mean to get mad at you." Nad apologized, rubbing the back of her neck in an embarressed manor. "I can't wait to see these semi-humans freed. I bet they can't either."

Elusive gave an acknowledging nod to the human boy before turning to the girl, listening to her impressive speech. She nodded at times, thinking, "Wow... this girl has the spirit of a bear. Protective and will protect those she feels the need to protect." She gave a small smile, putting her hand on her arm over one of the bruises. "I'm glad to see that one human has the will to see past that idiotic human's deeds. But girl, in all honesty, you're father is an ass." She hoped that the two could hear her as she spoke. "We're just as humane as you are. The difference is that our kinds when different ways when the world was young. We elves took the path of hunting and you humans took a different one. We adapted differently, and now here we are. Well, then again, I should be back home on the island." She laughed quietly. "If only we could convince your ignorant father that we're intelligent and can communicate with people just as well as he can."

Logan watched Elusive's mouth moving, but human ears couldn't hear through the glass. He suspected that was intentional. So that the guests couldn't see how civilized these creatures really were. He nodded, though, then turned to Nad.
"Well, now, we're on the same page. And where your father only works with creatures in the lab, I presume, Mum works with training and understanding animals. I'm her intern for animal training, which means I technically have the right to go into the cages at any time that feeding isn't going on, as long as I have my trusty tranq on me." He patted the gun on his hip. "So, Nadelin, why don't we visit our elf friend here? Bit of an adventure, eh?"

---

Benji relaxed as he felt the accepted apology. When Sivian didn't respond, he let her be. If she was unconscious there was nothing he could do for her until she woke up, and she was definitely still alive, so he didn't worry too much. He padded back over to Maya, ears pricked as he scented the air in the direction she was looking. Two humans. One male, one female.
"Male and female. Think they're mates? I mean. I've heard it's totally okay for human males to mate with human males and human females to mate with human females so the male/female thing means nothing but," Benjamin kind of just decided to shut up, not wanting to incriminate himself or blabber needlessly.

Watching her elf friend, Nadelin deeply regretted how thick the glass was. Impermiable and soundproof, making the people of the opposite side unable to hear what the opposing side may have said. She could clearly see the elf's mouth moving and she even seemed to laugh slightly. "Well, now, we're on the same page." Logan spoke again Nadelin turned to face him again. "And where your father only works with creatures in the lab, I presume," Nad nodded, "Mum works with training and understanding animals. I'm her intern for animal training, which means I technically have the right to go into the cages at any time that feeding isn't going on, as long as I have my trusty tranq on me." then he patten the gun by his side.

Nadelin's heart jumped to her throat in excitment upon seeing his gesture. Wait, did that mean...? "So, Nadelin, why don't we visit our elf friend here? Bit of an adventure, eh?" Nad gasped, clapping her hands together in a prayer-like position and holding them to her chest. "Yes! Yes, please!" Nad said, exuberant, the most delighted smile on her face. Wow! What an opportunity! Her father would never let her do such a thing! Her father... The smile dropped from Nad's face and she made a gesture to be quiet. "C'mon, let's hurry. If my dad seeing he might tell me not to, or worse; he'll want to come."

Logan chuckled, smiling at Nadelin. He reached into the back pocket of his khaki shorts, jingling the keys there to make sure they were still there. He ran a hand through his permanently messy dark brown hair. He nodded, offering her his elbow. "Come on, my lady. Off to see our friend?" He cast his eyes around, toward the werewolf enclosure. They acted as though they were a small family or some such. A close knit group. Social like humans, but two of them seemed to ignore one almost completely. Some sort of inner-species drama, Logan thought. He was most excited to get into the wolves' heads, most definitely, because over all other animals, dogs were definitely Logan's passion.

---

Benjamin nodded, stretching a little and retreating further into the shade. He felt Logan's eyes on him, ears trained over there. "The male has the ability to get into the cages. He's the new woman's pup. They're going to go meet the elf. They're going into the elf enclosure," he explained, his ears remaining trained on the humans. "He trains animals. To do something. Not sure what."

Hailee was scratching angrily at the door as the humans fled like Scaredy cats. Then suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she immediately calmed down when she knew and saw that it was Alexs fingers and palm. She turned around and saw him shaking and paler than usual as he spoke to her softly but weakly,"You can't get them they have to many tools to keep us in here. I'm gonna go lie down for a bit. Oh and thank you." he said shaking. Hailee hugged him and as he started to walk towards his hammock she held onto his arm helping him. He fell asleep on his hammock soundly.

Hailee wandered aoumd and sat facing the werewolf exhibit. She then noticed two humans a boy and girl making their way to it. Sat on her knees and looked sadly miserable at them. She knew the wolves would be set free and not her and everyone else in the terrible zoo. She began to cry softly tears streaming down her face but no sound or whimpering coming out of her mouth. Only tears. Soon a crowd began to crowd around her staring at her and hooting and hollering probably mean things to make her give them more emotion an actual show for them. But fortunately she couldn't hear their insults, the only thing she did see was five guys crowded squatting in the front of the line making gross and sexual things that they wanted her to do. She hissed and cryed more no being able to move from the sorrow and pitifulness she felt for herself.

"Yes please!" Nadelin smiled, absolutely delighted, and took the arm Logan offered. Walking towards the door of the elf exibit's built in lab, so they could access the door to the elf's encloser, Nadelin noticed the werewolf that had been running. She was at it again, running like mad, and unknowingly proving the scientists right. She had heard the quiet talks her father and some of his crew had been having reguarding the running werewolf. "Logan," Nadelin said as they walked, biting her bottom lip, "I'm very worried for that one." She pointed to the werewolf in motion. "I've heard my dad talking to some of his people. They're afriad something is wrong with her. Like she has some form of disease or a rupture organ or something like that that is causing her to run until she passes out." Nadelin squeezed his arm slightly, concern making her vivid gren eyes darken. "They're talking about putting plaster casts on her legs in order to protect her paws. Or disecting her if she doesn't stop, to try and figure out what's wrong. We can't let them do that- it would kill her!"

Nadelin's eyes hardened, a determined look on her face. "I'm going to break them out of here. I've got to do it- I just have to! My dad has the keys to all the enclosers. I'm going to steal them and break all of these semi-humans out of here. Then I'm gonna take them back to where they belong and get rid of all the files on their location! Dad hasn't installed any trackers on any of them yet, they no one could find them again! Then they'd all be safe and free, like they were before we came in the captured them." Nadelin chewed her bottom lip again, which she usually did when she was worried. "But I'll have to do it soon. There aren't any guards at night, just cameras, for now. And I don't think the werewolf is going to stop anytime soon... I'm afriad that if I don't break them out tonight, I'll never be able to help them get home. They'd be trapped here until they die! Or worse..."

Logan cast his gaze over in the direction of the werewolf enclosure. He shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with her. She's just not used to captivity. Wolves, as well as most wild-caught captive animals, pace when captured. It's a behavior called stereotyping. It's normal. If you were in a cage like that you'd be distressed, too, wouldn't you? She just wants a way out and a way to cure the boredom. But it might be that she's smart enough to know that she has a chance at getting out if she worries them a lot."

He sighed, squeezing her arm. "I'm with you. They need to be free. But we need to spent a little bit of time figuring out their personalities and learning about them. I also have keys. We don't need to steal them. Just give it 'til the end of the week so the defenses aren't as high, okay? We need to get to know them all, too. They're still dangerous creatures. I trust they wouldn't hurt us if they knew we were helping but at this point they probably hate all humans unconditionally. Okay? Patience is the key in this situation.

Nadelin signed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just sort of scared that if we wait too long it’ll be too late, but in the end you’re right. We’d better take this operation slow and steady if we want it to work.” A faint smile returned to Nad’s face and she looked at Logan happily. “I’m kind of glad we’re in the same boat. It’s sort of nice not having to go up against such a big problem all alone.” Nad gave his arm a small squeeze as if to say ‘thank you for being here’. They were mere steps away from the elf’s door when Nad caught the sound of jeering. “Hello, what’s that?” Nadelin muttered angrily, turning around. Her eyes trained on the five mischievous boys who were making rude gestures at a female vampire, who was crying under their inappropriate threats. Well this cruel new form of torchure certainly wasn't the way for the captives to like humans any more then they did currently.

“Oh hex no! I am not going to let this happen! Doesn’t anyone get that they’re suffering enough without all the profanity! C’mon Logan!” Nadelin fumed, furious that they would be doing something so vulgar at the expense of the poor vampires. Grabbing the boy’s hand, Nadelin marched over the five guys. Nadelin’s heart melted at the sight of the vampires who had been reduced to tears, confined in a clear prison and trapped in a strange place with wretch people like those boys. “Please… hang in there just a little bit longer…” Nadelin plead quietly to the vampiress, as if she could hear Nad’s voice. “I promise, I’m gonna get you out of here. Please hang on…” Then she turned her burning gaze to the idiots tormenting the poor girl.

“Hey you!” The boys stopped a moment to turn to the new arrival, the sick grins still on their faces. “Hey! Just what the hex do you five think you’re doing?” “Just looking at the blood-suckers.” One of them replied, and to the side another boy made a sexual gesture, triggering laughs from the rest of the group. “Do you think you’re funny?” Nad fumed, “You’re really going being stupid If you’re going to be retarded, do it somewhere less humiliating to yourself!” “Better watch that mouth chick. You don’t wanna get in trouble with it.” One of the guys sneered and another stepped foreward, gripping Nad’s wrist. “Stop it! Ow! Let me go!” Nad cried, angry and in pain from how tightly he was squeezing her wrist. Jerking her wrist from his grip she stamped on his foot and he yowled in pain whist another boy grabbed her wrists. He gripped tightly, practically crushing them in his hands and making her yelp. “Let go you jerk-offs!” The gang of boys laughed in response to Nadelin’s pain.

She paced around her habitat as the two talked, glad to know they were so enthusiastic about getting everyone out. She had a big smile on her face, one she hadn't see in years. Plus, no one but the two were at her exhibit. They were all busy with the other 'creatures', all of them having something interesting. She watched as the two walked to her door, jumping for joy in her head. She blinked as the girl ran off, though, dragging the boy with her. "What?"

She watched the girl go to the boys and talk to them, narrowing her eyes as the scene got a bit violent. She went into her tree house, pulling out a plank she had been saving for forever. She dragged it to her glass casing, growling as she began swinging it and hitting the glass. She glared at the boys, getting angrier and angrier at the fact that they were bullying her new friend. She kept swinging the large, heavy plank at the glass, not caring who was staring. She kept her focus on the group of boys that were torturing the girl, them fueling her anger as she hit the glass harder and harder with the plank. She didn't bother yelling, knowing that it would be useless.

Logan had barely noticed the boys, assuming they were just off being boys on their own, but now they were beating on Nadelin. And that was personal. He was not going to let this pretty girl who he was pretty sure he was friends with now get beaten up by five boys. He rushed forward, grabbing one boy by the back of his neck and forcing him to the ground like an animal, while massaging the pressure points on the side of his neck and releasing endorphens, calming the adrenaline flow, making his grip on Nadelin go slack. He punched the next closest boy in the gut and he doubled over, then slunk backward a bit. The other boys hung back in slight trepidation. Logan's hand found the tranq gun on his belt. The boys scattered, leaving Nadelin hissing and spitting and the elf slamming on the glass. He reached out and gently touched Nadelin's arm, helping her stand straight again.
"Are you quite all right, Nadelin?" he asked, adjusting his glasses. He smiled softly at her. "I'm sorry that my gender tend to be a bit lewd. Did they hurt you at all?"

Hailee noticed the girl who she saw earlier come to her and say something through the glass to her, but sadly all hailee could take back from the saying was that tere was hope and reassuress in the message. The boys turned when the girl stood up for Hailee and Hailee smiled a little that someOne on the other side actually cared about the beings on the inside.

Suddenly as the girl was yelling at the boys that turned on her and were starting to beat her up and other stuff. Hailee's eyes turned from fear and sadness, blue and green, to the darkness of black in the night. She was enraged by the vulgar males. Hailee stood up hissing an grew her wings big menacingly to try and scare the boys but that seemed to egg them on or something. She scratched at the glass helplessly from the inside begging to be let outside to help the girl. Suddenly the other boy tht was with the caring girl came over and did in a much nicer way than hailee woul have, beat them all up and sent them running like the pathetic losers they were.

Hailee stood glaring at them as they ran. She stood behind the glass right in front of the girlabd now boy. She put her hand up on the glass and two long tears fell down her face. Her eyes turned an unnatural electrifying green in sadness that she felt she had caused the girl. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." she said to the girl through the glass.

Nadelin glared in the coawardly boys direction and showed Logan her wrists. There were bright, red marks in the shapes of meaty hands wrapped around her small wrists. She winced at the sight of them, knowing she was going to regret this scene in the morning. "Looks like they're going to bruise." Nadelin said, rubbing them gently and blinking away tears. "Thanks Logan..." Nad said quietly, then gave him a quick hug of thanks. She owed that to him at the minimum. If he hadn't have stepped in, well, things could have gone very badly for her. She knew as well as anyone that if a fight started she wouldn't win, considering she'd never taken any kind of denfense class in her life. Letting go of Logan she turned her attention to the vampiress.

Nadelin could feel her heart breaking as the tears steamed down the girl's face. Knowing she couldn't hear her, Nad instead got out her notebook and wrote something in it, then pressed it to the glass. "Please don't cry," it read, "We're going to get you out of here as soon as we can. Just hold on a little longer." Nadelin gave a sympathetic smile of reassurance to the girl. Then she took Logan's hand and held it up, level to their shoulders, to prove they were both going to help her and the others escape. Hearing the loud BANG BANG BANG noises, Nad's attention was turned to the elf exibit where she saw the elf slamming on the glass with a board. Where had she gotten a board from? "Oh cripes! Logan, we'd better get over there!"

Lurbuk sat back and watched as several dramas played out between the werewolves, the vampires, and the elf. He was fine with it all until the humans got involved. Then it got interesting. There was even the female human, whom he was beginning to be fascinated by. But then the human kids started to abuse the girl. And that did not sit right with him. He got up and growled, but that was pretty much everything he could do. There was no destroying that glass, he was told. He had never tried, though. He retreated into his habitat for a moment and returned with a rock as big as two human heads. Hefting it, he smashed it against the glass. The glass made a wobbling sound, but after all that, it only had a scratch on it. Growling and throwing the rock aside, he sat back down, watching the combat resolve with disappointment. He had imagined himself leaping out of the broken glass and terrorizing the small humans, saving the girl and vampiress. But it was not to be. His heroic fantasies so often ended in disappointment. He watched as the girl pressed something against the glass of the vampire exhibit. What was she doing? Oh, well.

He knocked on the glass with his fist, trying to get the two humans' attention. He was so bored. He desperately wanted someone to talk to. He knew he wouldn't be able to speak through the glass anyway, but maybe they could sign. Or something. Anything! Honestly, he had come here voluntarily, he let the scientists do their little tests on him, he helped them with their problems, and they still kept him in this little glass box. Why? Hadn't he proved that he loved them? Ah, well it was useless. Maybe these humans could help him. But they seemed interested in the elf, who was banging against the glass with a piece of lumber. So Lurbuk walked back to his tree and sat on the ground, leaning against the tree. Maybe some other time. He closed his eyes and tried to think about nothing, but ended up thinking about the fact that one can't think about nothing, because then they'd be thinking about something. Then he got confused, so he growled and stood up, pacing. There was nothing to do here. He wanted some humans to come around so that he could entertain them. But noone seemed to like the orc exhibit very much. Too scary, perhaps? Whatever it was that caused the human skittishness, Lurbuk cursed it. He was so lonely until they came around!

After Alex dragged himself to the hammock to rest, Delta watched as Hailee slumped over and began to cry. To add insult to injury, a group of humans outside of the exhibit began making crude gestures toward her. Delta watched as two other humans interviened. The situation worked itself out and Delta was left with nothing to entertain herself with once again. That was the problem with being locked up in this cage. It was boring as all hell.

The dark haired vampiress shuffled to the other side of the enclosure and leaned against the glass, sliding into a sitting position. From where she sat she could see the orc exhibit. There was only one resident of the cage. A towering being who now sat against a tree. She watched him, her interest piquing slightly. She had never witnessed an orc in its natural habitat, but she could recall her mother's warnings about how they were vicious, mindless killing machines. With a neighbor like that, maybe things didn't have to be such a drag...

Logan looked up at the dusky sky on one edge of the zoo. It had to be around six. Maybe later. The zoo would close shortly, but that was okay. Trainers were allowed around until late into the evening, and for all intents and purposes, he was a trainer according to the zoo. He took Nad's hand and led her toward Elusive's enclosure, then around back to wear the door was, unlocking it with his trusty keys and slowly sliding the door open. It was best to proceed with caution from here on out, and his grip on Nadelin's hand tightened the slightest bit. His other hand rested, thumb hooked in his belt, fingers dangling close enough to his gun he'd have an extraordinarily quick draw if he needed it. He looked around the exhibit, watching the elf with a cautious curiosity.