FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Sanctuary Secrets

Chapter Four

© Cederwyn Whitefurr

1st March, 2024

All Rights Reserved.

Nervousness swept over the sanctuary, spreading like wildfire and almost as dangerous in its destruction. Knowing their precious sanctuary was no longer the safe place they had struggled to build – a general meeting was called between the Therians and those precious few humans who knew and trusted them.

“How did they find us?” Rachel whimpered, hugging the confused Misty from behind.

Misty, confused, looked up at her caregiver, her trust in her absolute, even if she could smell the others – they remained far enough away, so Misty would remain relatively calm.

“I do not know,” Dr. Kalis sighed quietly. “We've had this sanctuary for nearly twenty years – they've never taken an interest in us... until -”

His eyes widened as he turned and stopped pacing, staring wide-eyed at Misty.

“No...” Rachel moaned, pulling Misty tighter like she was trying to protect the increasingly frightened young red kangaroo doe. “No, it can't be – she can't be...”

“We don't have the time nor the ability to test her - “ Another spoke, their voice filled with fright. “We must scatter, run and hide...”

Misty, perceiving the rising tension in the air, began quivering in Rachel's grasp, grunting and struggling.

“No, there's another way – a... Nurse Well's, you're her caregiver – she trusts you – as much as she can, given the circumstances. Can you... will you – help us? We must know if she is...”

Misty become even more afraid, pressing back against Rachel, her frightened cries growing louder by the moment.

“Easy, easy...” Rachel gently cuddled Misty, trying to calm her, fearing Misty would become dangerous if she felt threatened.

As one of the staff left the room, returning shortly with a small syringe and capped needle. They placed it on a table, and then left the room, the others quickly following. Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat, gently releasing Misty who trembled and quivered.

“I know you're scared, I'm scared too – bad people... are coming for us... they'll...” Rachel's voice cut off, as she shivered helplessly. “I need you to be brave little one, I need a little blood – okay? Just a tiny little bit – please? It's either... this way or one of them will change and...”

Misty looked up at Rachel, her eyes wide and fearful, seemingly not understanding a word. Rachel in turn, hesitated, her eyes pleading with the young doe for understanding.

“Please, please...just, trust me?” Rachel begged her, as she backed away and reached for the syringe. “A little sting, that's all – I promise!”

Gently, Rachel approached Misty, offering soothing words and comforting touches as she prepared to draw the small sample of blood. Misty, despite her fear, seemed to sense Rachel's desperation and reluctantly extended her forelimb. The needle pierced Misty's skin, and the collection tube was quickly half-filled before Rachel pulled it out.

As the procedure concluded, Misty recoiled slightly, her eyes wide with distress, before she began clucking and growing, clawing at Rachel's arm – as if begging her for something.

“Woah, ow! Hey!” Rachel gasped, pocketing the vial and gently grabbing Misty by the forearms. “Woah, stop...easy girl, easy!”

Misty's distress intensified, as she struggled in Rachel's grasp, uttering terrified grunts and coughs, her head staring at the pocket that Rachel had put the sample in.

No... she can't be... Rachel's mind reeled.

Misty began to turn violent, her eyes wide in terror, as she struggled wildly in Rachel's grasp, her frightened cries becoming more insistent and similar to the grey's when they were under stress.

“Stop it!” Rachel growled, then slapped Misty hard on the cheek, snapping her head to the side.

The room fell into an eerie silence as Misty stared up at Rachel, her eyes wide and locked onto the human before her. Misty's violent struggles ceased, replaced by an unsettling stillness. Rachel, catching her breath, looked at Misty with a mix of concern and confusion.

“I... forgive me little one, I had... to do it,” Rachel whispered, her voice filled with sadness and regret for striking Misty. “We're in danger – all - of us. We need to know, if you're... what I think, what we think, you are. Please, please try to understand me...”

Misty remained motionless, her intense stare unwavering. The air in the room hung heavy with tension, the consequences of Misty's blood test would prove Rachel's terrifying thought right... or wrong. Rachel shuddered, fearing what was coming next, not just for the young, terrified kangaroo before her – but for all of them at the sanctuary...

As the seconds crawled by, Misty's frozen state persisted. Rachel, growing increasingly worried, carefully released her grip on Misty's forearms, hoping that doing so, would help calm the terrified kangaroo...

Despite Rachel's attempts to soothe Misty, the young red kangaroo doe remained unresponsive. Her eyes once filled with curiosity and growing trust, now held a distant, haunted look. It was as if Misty's very essence was suspended in a moment of uncertainty.

The room's tension intensified, as Rachel backed away, then rapped at the door, never taking her eyes off of Misty. Carefully, she slid her hand into the coat pocket, only to freeze as Misty's low, threatening growl erupted from her throat and she tensed – visibly distressed and hyper-aggressive. As Rachel removed her hand, Misty's tension remained, but her aggressive posture remained.

You're afraid little one, I see that now, it's your blood – isn't it? You're...no, I don't want to believe it...

“Dr. Kale, I need you – now!” Rachel gasped in a panic. “I need the real you...”

*

Misty shrieked as the large, powerful eastern grey buck crawled into the room, his hide scarred and one ear heavily notched. He grunted quietly, crouching down and trying to make his posture less threatening. Terrified, Misty retreated to the back wall, her body shaking hysterically as she grunted and growled, her eyes wide with fear. Dr Kale now revealed in his true therian form, attempted to deescalate Misty's fear, using soft grunts, coughs and non-threatening body language.

“Misty,” He spoke, his voice a little unusual, but close to his normal voice. “It's me, Dr. Kale, you know me – not as well as you know Nurse... Forgive me, Rachel. I won't hurt you. Please, try to understand young one. I know, I can smell your fear, it's to be expected – but we need to know, please?”

Misty, however, remained trapped in her heightened state of distress. The revelation of Dr Kale's true form had unleashed a primal fear within her, and she couldn't reconcile the gentle man who'd operated on her with this formidable kangaroo before her.

“She's terrified - “ Dr. Kale sighed, shaking his head, his ears slapping from side to side. “If I try to get near her... Damn it, we don't have time to play games, Rachel! At any moment, those people will come for us. Maybe in moments – maybe in a month – I don't know! Already, we've scattered the feral kangaroos. Hopefully, with a few of us chasing them, they'll get far from here and be safe. Those of us left are...”

He grunted as he was suddenly kicked hard, the smaller doe's paws struggling to grip his powerful shoulders as she launched another kick at him. With a cruel growl, he grabbed her back, then wrestled her to the ground, pinning her down as she trashed and struggled.

“I'm... not going to hurt you!” Dr Kale growled, flexing his powerful muscles and standing over Misty, using his powerful, heavy tail like a third paw. “Please, little one? Please don't...”

Misty, hysterical, struggled beneath him, forcing the large buck to exert himself, nearly crushing her to the floor, and trapping her paws beneath her body.

“Dr. Kale!” Rachel sobbed. “You're hurting her!”

“If I wanted,” He snapped sharply. “to hurt her – I could.”

Misty squealed and struggled for a few more moments, before at last her resistance broke and she went limp, coughing in submission and terror.

“Now, please... Just... stop. We're not your enemies young one and...” Dr Kale leaned down, frowning, before he sniffed Misty's scent, then again, his eyes widening in shock, as he climbed off her shaking his head. “No... it can't be – her blood! Now, quickly!”

Rachel, horrified, fearing for the sobbing kangaroo who lay on the floor, quickly brought the vial out and unscrewed it.

“Here...” Rachel stammered.

Dr. Kale almost snatched it from her hands, holding it awkwardly, as he clutched it between his paws. Quickly, he lifted it up and with a look of disgust that made him wrinkle his furred lips, he drank some of it. He gasped and twisted away, struggling to get to the nearby sink where he dropped it and immediately flooded his mouth with water. Again and again, he irrigated his mouth, trying to remove the sickening taste of the still quite warm blood – the darkness within him almost surging forward from the taste.

“Dr. Kale - “ Rachel moaned, moving towards him.

With a choking cough, Dr Kale shook his head and waved a leathery paw at her. “No – stay back... God's, how could we be so...”

He clawed at his mouth like he wanted to tear his tongue out before he washed it again and again.

Rachel grabbed Misty, pulling the hysterical kangaroo close and rocking her like she was a joey, trying desperately to soothe and comfort her. Misty's heart was thundering in her chest, dangerously high, and her wide, brown eyes rolled in terror and pain.

“How could we be so careless!” Dr. Kale shuddered. “I should have noticed the signs! Her resistance to the anaesthetic, enough to kill a kangaroo, stop its heart, yet she...”

Dr. Kale rinsed his mouth again, gripping the stainless steel of the sink in his paws, as thick, ropy strands of saliva dripped from his lips, making him shudder as he fought that thing within him for control.

“She's, a therian... One of us -” Dr. Kale's whisper barely reached the shocked Rachel's ears.

“No, you're wrong – she's a...a...” Rachel stammered, squeezing Misty tight.

Misty uttered a low, quiet submissive cry, Dr. Kale's ears snapping backwards as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

“What...” Rachel began, but a warning slash of Dr. Kale's paw silenced her.

“Little one,” Dr Kale whispered, as he forced himself to lay down on the floor, in that half-laying, half-sitting position. “Can... you talk, like me?”

Misty looked up at Rachel, who gently kissed her between the ears, and tenderly stroked her belly, trying to offer security and comfort.

“Go on, please?” Rachel asked.

Misty seemed to fight against something internally before she grunted and coughed, then shook her head, her paws reaching up to touch her throat, before she growled in frustration, looking back at Rachel, a plaintive gesture of trust and longing.

“You... you sure? I can - “ Rachel murmured, gently taking Misty's paws in her hands and squeezing them.

Misty again seemed to fight some inhibition or fear within her, before she pulled her paws away and crouched down, tilting her head as far back as she could – in a submissive, vulnerable pose that wasn't lost on Dr. Kale. Carefully, Rachel reached her fingers around Misty's throat, as the startled grey kangaroo watched – Rachel parted the fur – revealing the old, deep scar tissue.

“Oh my god - “ Dr. Kale gasped, sickened and horrified. “How...”

Rachel released Misty, and then the doe cried out and wrapped Rachel in a tight hug, shivering uncontrollably.

“Little one?” Dr. Kale murmured. “I... want to try something, please?”

Misty flicked an ear, nervously twisting her head to look sideways at him.

“We won't hurt you, sister, I promise - “Dr Kale tried to put as much empathy and gentleness into his voice as he could. “Doctor Mercer? Can you enter please?”

Misty twitched, seeing another human enter, but this one she was at least passingly familiar with. He'd been the one who regularly checked on her, and he was always exceptionally careful and gentle. He stopped just inside the door, looking confused.

“Little one,” Dr. Kale resumed, clapping his paws together and getting Misty's attention. “Was it, something like...”

Looking around, he found a lamp. Picking up the cord, he held it between his paws, quite tightly.

“Was it like this? A..a fence? Did you get caught in a fence?”

Misty blinked, glancing back at Rachel, who smiled weakly and gave Misty a reassuring cuddle and petting. “Go on, if you can – tell him, please?”

Misty shivered and then shook her head.

“Okay, so not an entanglement...” Dr. Kale released the cord and pondered, before he gently gestured for Dr. Mercer to approach, who did so, keeping a wide berth between himself and the quivering young red doe and Rachel.

Misty's eyes perceptibly widened, and she instinctively pressed back against Rachel, who wrapped her arms around her, giving a comforting hug. Misty quivered, staring up at Dr. Mercer, before she growled, clucked and grunted, gesticulating wildly.

“Woah, hey!” Dr. Kale gasped. “Easy girl, it's alright... wait, I think I understand, nod if I'm right, please?”

Placing a paw lightly on the human's forearm, Dr. Kale gave a subtle nod and Dr. Mercer left as quietly as he'd entered.

“Human... a human hurt you, didn't they? One? More?” Dr. Kale gently probed at Misty, his expression and voice quiet and concerned. “One of those in the...”

Dr. Kale visibly shuddered, knowing now, how much this was about to cause mental vanquish, his gaze quickly looking at Rachel, a silent entreaty to tighten her grip.

“Humans, men – like those that had you... that...” He struggled to bring the words forth, his own fear and sickened horror threatening to steal them away – or worse – bring that side of him forward.

Misty began trembling helplessly, the terrifying memories of her first capture springing forward in her mind...

*

Misty's early memories were shrouded in the darkness of a traumatic event that forever stripped away her innocence. Captured alongside her mother in the merciless clutches of the Hunter's, Misty, just newly turned out of her mother's pouch, endured sickening brutality and torture that echoed through her mind to this day. The air had been tainted with the blood and screams of herself and her mother, as the Hunter's mercilessly tortured them both, the shadows of their cruelty stretching across their small world. Misty's mother, bleeding, nearly depleted in her strength, lay broken on the desert sands, gasping her last breaths.

She had fought like a doe possessed, indeed she was, her eyes as black as coal, the dark therian within her fighting with a strength and will that'd left four of the five Hunter's dead or dying around them.

Yet even its strength had its limits – bullets had torn apart flesh and fur, knives had done the same – and even the dark therian within her mother – couldn't fight much longer. As the survivor, bloodied and wounded himself – grabbed Misty by the tail as the baby joey screamed and struggled – he laughed and unsheathed a long, cruel knife.

“I'm already dead... doe – before I let you die... you can watch as your bitch of a joey drowns in her own blood...” He'd mockingly choked, before he lifted Misty up – then slashed her throat from ear to ear.

Misty tried to scream – all that come from her throat was choking cries, as he cruelly threw her to the ground and for good measure, kicked her solidly in the chest, breaking at least six of the young joey's ribs.

It was his last mistake...

Through desperation and a last, final effort – Misty's mother's teeth flashed and severed the Hunter's Achilles tendon. With a scream, he stumbled and fell, clutching at his leg, shrieking in agony.

Driven by the last beatings of her heart, Misty's mother grappled with him, clawing her way up his body armour one painful grip at a time – her inky black eyes locked on his terrified ones. Her paws gripped the silver-infused armoured collar, the sickening smell of searing flesh and fur filling her nostrils. With a titanic effort, she wrenched it off – then snapped her head down and locked her jaws onto his carotid artery – severing it in one bite...

Through amazing luck, the newly orphaned joey survived that horrific attack – but it would forever rob her of the ability to use speech like she'd heard her mother use with her, teaching her from her earliest memories.

*

Misty shrieked, clawing at her head, until Rachel moaned and grabbed her forearms, holding her painfully tight, as Misty struggled wildly.

“Shh, it's alright, it's alright,” Rachel wept heart-brokenly, as she struggled against Misty's increasing irrationality.

“Dr. Mercer! 25 milligrams of entorphine – now!” He shrieked.

“Hey, easy girl - “ Rachel moaned, struggling to hold the increasingly hysterical and violent red kangaroo doe.

Misty screamed, pure, primal cries of marsupial fear and pain, as the newest memories surfaced in her mind, threatening to destroy what fickle hold she had left on her sanity...

*

Misty didn't have the knowledge of the words, to describe what she'd seen. She only knew she had to run, to flee, to escape – her tears sliding down her muzzle, she'd fled blindly. Soon, she found herself trapped in a canyon that ended at a large sandstone wall. Twisting about, Misty's irrational mind, driven by fear, looked desperately for an escape... right as the four armour-clad humans stepped into view.

“Finally – I've half a mind to gut you like a fish and leave you to die - “ One snarled in anger. “If my orders were to bring you in – alive...”

Terrified, Misty crouched and trembled, before she suddenly froze, her deep brown eyes instantly turning to pure, inky black.

“There you are...” Come the mocking snort from their leader. “Come out to play at last, have you?”

Misty crouched every burning, aching muscle in her body as hard as steel and tense.

“Think I'm scared of you, little doe? You're... what? An adolescent? I've taken out far more dangerous beasts than you will ever be...” He mocked the Therian that glared at him. “Want to try it? Think you're fast en...”

Misty tried...

Misty failed...

She was mid-leap when there was a loud bang and some strange webbing enfolded her, the heavy corners weighted and she was slammed onto the canyon floor, tumbling head over tail as the net entangled her. Irrational, snarling and kicking, Misty's dark Therian bit, tore and kicked at the net – all to no avail.

Quickly, she was hopelessly entangled, and then two others approached with long sticks that they slammed down on her – the sharp stabbing pain as needles punctured her, only fuelled the darkness within her. As the powerful tranquillisers flooded her, Misty's body failed her and in a few moments, she could barely even breathe – let alone try to fight.

“Hit her again!” Their leader growled. “I want this fucking bitch under – you hear me?”

“Sir – we've already given her enough to sedate a...” One stammered. “More might kill her, our orders were to hunt her down, bring her in alive...”

There was a sound of something pulled from leather, then a menacing click-click as a pistol was cocked and pointed.

“I said...again...” Raged the team leader. “Or I'll do our organisation a favour and remove you – permanently...”

A third dart was quickly slipped into the delivery device. With malicious cruelty it was stabbed hard into Misty's sensitive pouch, Barely conscious, Misty wanted to scream in fear and agony, but only a choked growl escaped her throat. The plunger instantly depressed and injected a third dose of the powerful sedative into her young body.

“Secure the Romeo Kilo for transport, I want no mistakes – she's young, but she's still just as dangerous and violent as a full-grown adult...”

Quickly, the poles were used to slip through the net, and the now barely conscious Misty was carried, suspended and helpless. They returned to their vehicle, where she was restrained to large O-like bolts mounted into the van's floor, flat on her back. Two of them sat in the back, both armed with pistols and more darts, as Misty's inner Therian screamed and raged within her – as helpless and powerless as she herself...

*

Misty's wildness took both of them to control. Dr. Kale violently wrestled Misty to the floor again, standing over her and exerting a terrifying amount of force, trying to hold Misty still. Rachel kneeled over Misty's awkwardly bent legs and feet, struggling as the hysterical doe thrashed and struggled.

At last, Dr Mercer rushed in, then as Dr. Kale held Misty's muzzle shut between his paws he nodded hurriedly to Dr. Mercer. Quickly, Dr. Mercer slid the needle into Misty's scruff and depressed the plunger.

It took only seconds for the overdose to work, as Misty's struggles eased before she went completely limp beneath them.

“What on earth - “ Dr. Mercer gasped.

“That - “ Dr. Kale shuddered. “Is the side of what a few of us are – I pray you never see...”

Rachel sobbed helplessly, as she climbed off Misty, then held her hands out, Dr, Kale was grateful for the assistance as he stood, panting and shuddering.

“Move her, immediately, to the van, no - wait... It's too risky, get the reversal drug! Now! We need her awake. I just pray its the doe you know, that comes back... I don't know how much time we have, but I do know it'll be short. We've been discovered... they're coming for us – all – of us...”

TO BE CONTINUED...