Chapter Text
“Can someone tell me what separates us from other animals?”
A scattered group of raised hands followed the professor's question. He would wander a circle around the wide array of students. The university room, ranging from uncaring jocks to steadfast note takers ran silence. The professor exhaled a disappointing huff in preparation for another round of dumbfounded young adults.
However, eventually a wavy blonde haired woman would stand out of the bunch. Catching him and his flowy black pantsuit off guard. Excitement stared at him, contrasting the girls sunken eye bags underneath. Her juddering posture and bright-eyed look indicated a level of passion for the subject of zoology too.
Something that wasn’t seen throughout the cadre of young, frenzied adults desperate to just gain a well-paying job in the field. She was dressed in a medium-sized pencil skirt draped in black. A white-tinted yellow blouse was tucked in under with a formal demeanour.
“Yes, you at the back”
He would point out to the student with his pen. The student would glance at the Colosseum of other educating young adults before looking back at the teaching professor.
“We have significant cognitive advantages that aren’t seen much else in the kingdom of Animalia. Humans can create complex tools, build vast settlements, create art, and most importantly be able to think in abstract thought that other creatures struggle with”
She would speak with an aura of confidence and procession, it was something she was passionate about, the study of animals. Ever since she was a young child she dreamed of exploring the world, finding new exciting species across the vast epic of Earth's natural beauty, it sparked her with hope in a life that tweaked a slight off-ness for the girl growing up.
“Very good, Ms?”
She would begin to feel nervous, the amount of other people students relying on her for a good answer ached but eventually a response would pop out
“Bell, Kendra Bell”
“Then well-done Kendra.”.
A breeze of relief trickled down her body as she calmed down at the professor’s pleasantly surprised expression and by extension the entire classes improvement as well.
The class would end a few minutes later, as the lecture closed in a brief summarization of what the audience learned. Kendra would start to gather her things inside her black and green backpack, attached with multiple flag pins displaying the wide array of her travels around the world.
It reminded her of the childhood vacations that she would once enjoy a long time ago, still feeling the warm sensation on her cheeks as she exited the air-conditioned plane to see tropical rainforests overlooking the airport for which she stood. It was a nice memory, in such an exhausting life of work and study, this was an anchor.
Kendra exited the class space, overhearing the loud noise of students chatting to with each other, talking about their day, what they looked forward later on, it all sending a static shock inside her body, one of loneliness, and envy. She reminisced about having those types of connections a long time ago, all the way back when she was sparkled eyed and hopeful.
The nostalgia bubbled up as she walked on, she remembered her best friend Olivia. Even four years later, she still recalled the rainy day after school where they first met. Kendra was soiled in soiled water held in her unprepared summer jacket before Olivia discovered her close to her place. It was always funny that they lived so near to each other and went to the same school together.
Yet… the last day the girls saw each other punched back, clouding the sunny memories with sorrow. No, she wouldn’t think about it today… not again.Too overwhelming to tolerate yet so difficult to carry with words, the melancholic feeling of loss refused to let her go, dragging it along with her like a sack of rotting meat leaving a strong odor.
She pattered her feet, hurdling through the large study lounge and long staircase needed to get to her dormitory. Blasts of kids mumbled away as Kendra did so. She wondered if they spoke about her, even in passing or quelled remark. Did anyone notice her? Cared to bother the girl who appeared like a Hollywood studio extra? The thought punched at her insecurities, poking doubt into her enclosed heart.
Kendra would stretch her legs across the rising stairs. It was a curse and a blessing that her dorm was so high up. Hopefully they'd get the elevator working again, Kendra thought as she made her final step to the top. A navy blue carpet greeted her entrance before jiggling out her keys from her backpack.
She'd spot the occasional student battering who knows what, to god knows who. None of the people here stood out much as friend material. They seemed... unlike her in ways the lonely girl couldn't understand. Just... something was missing... a difference that'd she would only akin to that of an alien trying to fit in as a human. Eventually, she made herself towards her door frame. Pressing her keys into the handle until the entrance accepted her messy dance.
Unexpectedly, the swish of a paper envelope made its entrance known as Kendra went inside the room. A wave of confusion stirred in her. Her parents didn't leave letters until end of the month and spam adverts only popped up in the morning. So what it could be was a mystery for her to only figure out by opening.
She turned her head to grab the letter embossed with a dark seal in the middle. With curiosity, she grabbed a metallic chair and pulled herself into the nearby table to the door.
“CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT DO NOT SHARE WITH ANYONE ELSE”
The text foretold in bold letters at the top of the page, with the tinge of mystery brought forth she continued to read.
“To: Bell, Kendra
From: West Peak Wolf Sanctuary, WA, US
Date: October 16, 1997
Hello Ms Bell,
Here at our research sanctuary in the West Panhandle of Washington State, we are happy to announce that you have been selected for a special position in our facility. You will be tasked to patrol the wolves from harm’s way, either from themselves or from potential weather hazards; this will also include… “
The document would continue on with the nitty-gritty and business speak that Kendra would get easily disinterested in reading. After all, she chose to study zoology rather than business for a reason. The girl would strain her eyes to complete the paper; she was about to throw it away before the last lines roped her attention back.
…”In exchange for your cooperation with our foundation, you will be granted half off any student debt that you are in the process of paying back.
We thank you, and we are looking forward to working together.”
“What?”
Kendra spouted out loud in pleasant surprise. From the first day of her post-secondary education, the young adult had struggled financially due to the current economic turmoil straining the globe, and even with her parents saving up from the girls' childhood, it still wasn’t enough to even pay half of the cost needed.
As such, she was forced to apply for student loans, dealing with the unforgiving nature of corporations to make her path towards a fulfilling career. Her desperate nature overspilled once she noticed the phone number at the back, rushing to the bulky wired phone to press the buttons representing each number planned out on the sheet of paper. It rang as she finished, only waiting now for an employee to begrudgingly answer the ring demanding their attention.
“Yes, is this the West Peak Wolf Sanctuary?”
...
The tall pine trees and wide bushes rushed themselves backwards as the blades swooshed through the sky. It had been a few days since first reading that letter.
The organization had covered the travel by helicopter. Something Kendra was grateful for. She struggled to find any money that wasn’t gobbled by the gluttonous nature of loans.
Regardless, today, she would put that aside. Watching the green pastures underneath her. The great peaks watched over the forest from afar as the sun shone to highlight the ground below. Everything looked like a miniature toy set from this height, Kendra thought as the terrain waved by.
On occasion, she could see a few animals strolling by, too small to piece together what species but close enough to examine. Cervids, Canids, Felids, Ursids, would the student eye as the flying vehicle ran past.
“Really are passionate about this stuff, aren’t you?”
The co-captain turned his head to ask; he wore military-like gear strapped on with sunglasses to complement the bright sky.
“Thanks, hoping to be a zoologist one day”
Kendra said while keeping her head to the glass separating her from the green forest below,
“Well this is surely going to give you an easy A!”
The two captains chuckled.
“How so?”
“You’ll see”
A quelling lured in her stomach, confusion mixed with fear veiled upwards to her head, was she being misled? She pushed down that sensation, as she continued her game of animal watching. Everything seemed normal, Deer, Foxes, and Cougars seemed more apparent as the helicopter slowly glided down to its destination, however, that soon begin to change.
She thought it was a hiker passing through the woods at first but that definite attitude slowly into morph to something more… ambiguous. It was hard to tell from such above, but the entity harboured traits that did not stray to humankind. White fuzz encased its skin with a warm coat while bright amber coloured eyes stared straight into the vehicle, just maybe, she thought, a tail swung by as the creature ran into the forest.
This wasn’t normal.
The spinning vehicle would make its course downwards as the facility would make its entrance. It was a mammoth concrete of a building overlooking the trees below with an influential gaze that struck fear into every creature that viewed its size. A pattern of windows showed its face as Kendra went slowly down to the hard ground below. A tall watchtower could be viewed too, hovering its long stature to any rebellious entity that might go against the authority of whoever holds the top floor.
Meanwhile, a team of doctor-coated men and women watch from the ground as the helicopter skids made its way down to the smooth heli-pad inviting the vehicles down to rest.
“We’re here”
The captain told Kendra before leaving the cockpit, she would follow as the blowing wind from the blades pushed her hair away.
“This is the Canadian girl, right?”
A bald-haired, tall middle-aged man would tell the pilot in a calculated tone. His face wrinkled across his cheeks when opening the narrow chapel door of his mouth.
“Yes, Sir”
The two captains would speak together in unison, implying the man’s authority with their tone. His face struck with distrust, his wide grin standing tall, a smile and hawk-like eyes piercing to the direct of Kendra. Bushy eyebrows would distill his wicked crunch into a fake smile.
“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Gerald Armstrong I am head director of our department”
The man would offer his hand to the university student, to which Kendra begrudgingly accepted the shake. It was cold and wrinkled with a hint of moisture. Kendra would make a nervous smile back, hiding her uncertainty within the gates of her head.
“It’s a delight to meet you, sir. I hope the best for this work experience”
She remarked back in calculated words created for the best possible response that she could muster.
“I’ll guide you through a tour of the areas where you will be working”
Them, with a combination of other personnel made they’re way through the security coded gate. Dr Armstrong would command the group his way, demanding an authoritative present as Kendra was directed to her first posting.
“I figured this would be a good start. Here is your office where you’d watch for any potential disturbances in the kennels, whether it be from the wolves themselves or an issue with the circuitry”
Kendra would take a view at one of the camera feeds patrolling the area. To her shock, the kennels were empty; she tried to squint for a closer look, but nothing appeared from the empty concrete cells.
“So where are the wolves?”
The head director peered down at her, his deep green eyes fired with forbidden knowledge. She knew he was hiding something, but what it was the girl couldn’t rationalize.
“All I’ll say is that it will be saved for later”
“Alright… Sir”
Kendra would nod in a demeaned manner; anxiety burned within her, strolling the depths of her body as the girl feared what this individual would do if she didn’t say what he wanted.
“Let's go to the next station, shall we?"
The rollercoaster of tone continued as the man tuned back into a friendly mask. They strolled together out to the white hallway as the director leaded her walk to a grey elevator. The director pressed the button up to the fifth floor as the inhabited metal box rose, Kendra stood uniformly with her shoes parallel and posture formal.
The machine stopped its rise as the two made their way outside revealing another room of long halls that sprang to the far way edges of the floor level. He guided her to a door which after turning keys he held in his left coat pocket, revealed a crooked wooden bedroom. The bed placed in the right side of the room was tucked in neatly enough almost as to hide from the ricked sound the floor made as Kendra stepped inside.
“We apologize for the noise inconvenience, there recently was… an incident regarding one of our wolves a few nights ago that caused the floor damage.”
“This is safe?”
Kendra snarled to face back at the director.
“Yes, I implore you that this room has been checked for hazards and it’s very much safety to stay here.”
“Okay…”
She turned to exam her new room further, a table held two drawers on both sides with a medium sized lamp to decorate on the roof of the structure were noticeable along with sticky spiderwebs sprouted along the far edges. A metallic and wooden chair, the frame designed to give her an area of study during her stay at the increasing unknowing lair she worked. Finally, a tiny glass window overlooked an encircled garden below, she mysteriously pondered what could be its purpose.
Perhaps an area for relaxation from a strenuous job, reminding workers of the importance of their work, or maybe it was where the wolves stayed, a little aura of freedom to distract from their enclosure.
Soon, the tour would continue as Kendra was shown the cafeteria, a steamy kitchen that smelled of warm cuisine joined together with benches and fluorescent light that struck from the bulbs covered by a bright sheet dangling from the ceiling.
The director would continue his lead as the young woman followed through the hallway yet again; however, this time catching a greater eye for the portraits being displayed as they walked along. The man would notice as explained the history of the facility.
“Along the walls are the leaders who helped establish our foundation in the mid-50s. They were instrumental in helping build what the West Peak facility is today.”
“What did they do exactly?”
“That is classified information”
The cryptic phrasing startled Kendra, does this place even have to do with wolves? She wondered, despite the suspicious stance however she failed to make the headway to question out loud, the fear strangling her from saying something she knew was risky.
“This is the final stop of our journey, the Canid Examination Zone or CEZ for short, and yes this is where the wolves are.”
He would proceed to claw three keys into the large steel door, dangling them in a complicated dance that communicated the locations forbidden status. The door would open, slowly at first before making its way faster, encased inside was a garaged retractable door with four operators that patrolled what happened within the wrinkled metal.
Personnel were gathered, visibly frozen with unease with their clipboards and spreadsheets that eked with robotic precision. Soon, a dark-haired young woman confronted the two, standing up from the long spread-out tables and chairs where the researchers worked.
“Sir, are you sure that you really want to show a rookie within here, it might serve to ease her in?”
“She signed the paperwork.”
He said in a quiet whisper to the other woman, ignorant of Kendra’s ability to detect suspicion, the ways that director stammered away from asking her questions, how everyone seemed nervous around her like a parent telling lies to bring their child comfort, it was so obvious now and only one lower level worker was needed to spill the beans. She could feel the water of a hot kettle boiling inside her guts as Dr Armstrong and the unnamed lady chattered on.
“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here!?!?”
The crowd of scientists and doctors stared down at her as she stood with fire. Her bottled-up confusion, frustration, and a tinge of fear came out to overflow the hot pot of emotions buried within her. Soon, she would gather the energy to speak further.
“I only came here because of my fucking unpaid loan debt, and maybe a chance to build a relationship with one of my favourite animals! So, please, just tell me what is happening here”
Kendra would huff with exhaustion, gradually building back her energy to wait for some sort of answer. The director took another look at her, a deathly stare that gazed as if he could violently suffocate her until not a single oxygen molecule could save her from the darkness of death.
On the contrary, others seemed to soften their expression as the student finished her talk, clearly expecting a powerful reaction like a weatherman telling of the coming storm their way. Whispers would follow as the conversation between Dr Armstrong and the other younger doctor turned private before a conclusion was foretold from the sigh coming from the director's mouth.
“There’s no easy way to phrase this; these wolves aren’t… regular wolves”
A gulp in the speaking woman’s throat could be seen as she spoke the last three words.
“What do you mean?”
“It's… difficult to explain”
“Just open the door, Andrea”
The director said with stumbled disappointed in his words, hinting at a sense of closeness between the two.
“Uh yes, Sir!”
The student could see dark bags were drawn under her eyes as she gestured in an anxiety-driven manner to the operators of the complex maze of switches controlling the structure. An understanding touch coursed through Kendra, she didn’t know this woman, but she did know how it felt, how it felt to expect your attention for granted, how it felt to have yourself strapped tight into a trap of your own awakening, and the core of you eroding like ancient rock on a tectonic plate.
The blanketing wall raised gradually, making a cricketing noise as it made its way off the dark glass. It was difficult to see at first, however, the more she squinted the better of a picture became visible. A humanoid figure, fetal positioned at the left back corner slowly turned more apparent as she stared into the abyssal black.
They would tune their head, noticing the team of people watching them like an audience at the zoo. The creature looked at Kendra, bright honey-coloured eyes which greatly contrasted with the rest of their lightless surroundings stared into the student's lively essence.
Most confusingly she could swear that they looked… familiar something which could be visually shared by the nonhuman viewer's shuddered gaze. From the windowed glass, Kendra looked on as they stood up from the hardened ground before walking seemingly to her direction.
“What are they doing?”
The student cried out as oozing fear filled by each step the creature took. It was a jarring sensation. Goosebumps raked her tiny hairs as each body part became more distinguished from the light attaching on their body. Some areas were more wolf-like while others were more human. A protruding snout housed the creature's fur-filled face. Meanwhile, a bipedal stand was visible in the creature’s walk.
“CLOSE IT YOU FUCKING DIPSHITS!”
“The door isn’t closing itself!”
“WELL TRY HARDER”
The director snapped at his panicked employees, their hands visibly shaken as each one desperately tried to find an alternative with no avail. As such It wasn't long before the room was filled with sounds of swishing paper. The panicked employees failing to meet the demands of their boss. Soon, to their detriment, what they feared happened.
The creature would approach the glass, their wolfy features displayed in fine detail as dark grey fur contrasted the enclosed rooms surroundings. They pressed their paw padded hand to the wall with a light plop of noise. The room startled back in fear, however, the furry creature didn’t try to break free. Instead choosing to strike its almond shaped eyes at… Kendra of all people.
It crept its stare in an unexpected sense of recognition. Visually communicating a knowing of her which stroke down to her deepest heart. Soon, the director tapped the tranced girl with her shoulder.
“Miss Bell, have you seen this lycanthrope before?”
“I’m… not sure”