Jake Walker

“Calm down. You’re getting angry and it’s not a good look for you. I did not say I agreed on those being slaves for no reason. But those who deserved it by going against. It’s like murder among humans. You know if you’ll get caught, but when you do you get sent to jail. Similar concept and on occasion you get one or two in jail that didn’t do the crime. It’s not right but the system isn’t perfect.” He could see the anger rise. Which just made him more curious. “I myself know what that’s like. My mate, he was trying to get into the city to find me and was mistaken for trying to break in. So he was thrown in the cells. Not fair, but the system never is.” 

“It’s really not a similar concept at all.” Jake said, “Considering your kind is rounding up humans and making them slaves. Then the ones who can clearly see that’s bullshit get tossed behind bars with them. The system is fucked and not at all approaching perfect.” He half-ranted. 

“Well we can’t change your status. You obviously put yourself here. You did something for the elders to deem you a slave. And unless you’d like to be referred to as such constantly I suggest you speak up on that name.” He could tell the male was ready to fight. It was in his eyes. Chance would give him a fight, but would it be fair? That was to be determined. 

“Thank you I try.” chance replied sarcastically with a smirk moving a bit closer. “You have a point, however there are plenty out there already taking care of the rebels. So I can make you a priority.” The wolf could sense something about the other making him careful of how he approached the situation. “What do you go by? I don’t really want to keep calling you slave. Makes everything feel so…rough and unreasonable.”

Jake snorted, “Seriously? Calling me slave makes it seem rough and unreasonable? Not just the fact I am one at all? That seems pretty fucking unreasonable to me, but what the hell do I know huh?” If only the guy was a vampire, maybe his sharpened stick could actually be more than just a minor inconvenience. Still, he wanted to use it. 

Chance watched the male’s face and listened to his words. It seemed to check out. He didn’t seem to be lying. “Then come. We will get you back to the rest.” Chance told him waiting to see what the male would do. “Don’t make me come and get you. I will not bring you back the easy way.” He just wanted the male to come. Honestly Chance was tired and wanted to get food and a hot shower. But he knew he needed to help out and pull his weight. 

“You’re terrifying, really.” Jake said dryly. As much as he hadn’t been planning on escaping, it didn’t mean he planned on going in easily. “Haven’t you got bigger fish to fry than me? What’s a few more hours of free time for me when you’ve got rebels running around?” That he was just itching to join. It was like fighting was in his blood in the same way a desire for pain usually was.

Watching the male appear Chance nodded. “Where’s your friend. There were two of you. The scent is clinging to you a bit.” He said moving closer, but still keeping a distance. He didn’t know if this one was dangerous or not. He needed to be careful. “Trying to run huh…Not a smart idea you know. Eventually we would have caught you all. We have a lot of people looking for you guys.”

“Already gone.” He said without worry. “Don’t know where.” Jake didn’t want to know, then he didn’t even have to lie about it. Not that he wasn’t a good liar, given that he lied to himself more than he lied to anybody else. The wolf was keeping his distance. Always smart to do with Jake. The chimera snorted, “Right and staying in a city that was crumbling, with explosions coming from god knows where is a good idea. I have no plans on running away but I’m not an idiot who’s going to play sitting duck either.” And for once he wasn’t lying about not running away. He hadn’t planned to leave, not with Heather still here.

Chance ran through the city in his wolf form. White fur a blur as he checked to make sure bodies were being disposed of and for any missing slaves. He had decided to see if any were smart enough to head to the woods. Shifting at the woods edge he looked around. He figured maybe his human form would be more appealing. “Come on out. I know you’re here. I smell you.” He shouted as he began to looked around. 

@chimerajake​

Jake had heard the wolf coming – just barely but he’d picked up the sound of his running. He doubted the wolf had realised that they were there yet, probably patrolling - so he told Bonnesar to go. To run and find her freedom. He’d distract the wolf. The chimera had covered her tracks and done his best to disguise her scent with tricks he’d learned as a soldier but he knew he was going to be found. 

He heard the footsteps change to human ones and smirked a little. So the wolf was going to attempt to play nice, was he? Easier to take on a wolf in human form when he was stuck without powers than it was to take on an actual wolf. He’d just have to be smart about what he did. The chimera had collected a few sharp sticks, he’d have to work with what he had – a couple were in his pocket. Hopefully this one didn’t know him or that would already have them apprehensive. Jake wasn’t exactly known for obedience. 

For now though, he held one hand out before shuffling out from behind the line of trees. “Is it over yet?” He asked, trying to make himself sound fearful.

“I wasn’t either, at least we have that in common?” She offered weakly, her emerald eyes darting about when there was another loud scream close to them. “Do you miss it? Being a soldier?” she wondered, having to talk a little loudly over the chaos, it was almost a strain on the dragons voice since she was typically so quiet and timid. “I hope that’s likely, I just don’t know how they can think I can stay in this tiny compressed form before I snap…” she then nodded grimly “I am, or at least was…I don’t feel much like one these days. I’m not a huge one, just a forest dragon, normally I’m about the size of an…..Elephant?” she offered, trying to find something she could relate to size wise. “What are you? You smell like….Different things” she asked sniffing for emphasis, not quite sure if she could guess what he was, he felt like something so much more and it immediately sparked her curiosity. The dragon listened to the other slave with ease, since there was something relaxing about his need to protect her. “Well, if they failed last time and are trying again….It can’t be that smart, for one they need bigger weapons” she admitted, looking around when a woman ran past them yelling. “I haven’t been here more than a few months, I think? It is so hard to tell time anymore…I used to guess time by the seasons, by the sun and moon phases..I can’t see any of that from my cell. For all I know its been years”

“I hope a lot of us do.” He murmured, tensing and surveying the area again while continuing to attempt to lead them in the right direction. “In a sense. But I miss freedom most, and that’s what I was trying to fight for.” It was a shame that he doubted even this attempt would take any real steps toward it. An elephant. Still fairly big but not what had been described to him. “I guess that’s small for a dragon?”

Jake cleared his throat, “They call us chimeras. A kind of screwed up science experiment. There was a plan to make better soldiers, try to power us up against supernaturals who wanted to enslave us. I think a lot of them went wrong. I’m part werewolf, I know that much but I don’t know what they mixed it with. Could be anything, I guess.”

The woman ran past, yelling and Jake glanced down the path before hustling them across it and hopefully out of the way of whatever she was yelling about. “I’m guessing it’s months if you don’t remember the last attack. I don’t think it happened that long ago.” Jake had kept a count in his old cell and he’d carried it on in the new one. 

“You’re a slave, but you’re so confident?” she wondered, making a confused little noise when her hand was caught to stop her from slapping herself “Witches, they can do this? They can remove it, I have heard that I am valuable…As a dragon…” she stammered, still unsure of her words, marred in confusion. The small framed woman yipped when she was led through the bowling alley, looking around with bright wide eyes, amazed by the chaos that was reigning around them “Oh wow-…It’s all so loud and-” she whimpered to the other slave, feeling that she could at least be safe with him even if in reality she had no actual idea who he was. “Does this happen often?” she called to him over the loud panics of other people and the screaming from those who had no idea what was happening.

“I wasn’t always a slave.” Jake said, “Before this place I was a soldier. Gotta have at least a little confidence if you wanna be one.” Or be completely reckless, depending on the mission you were needed for. Jake hummed in response to her question, “Yeah I’m pretty sure it’s put on by one. I’m not an expert but from what I can tell and what I’ve managed to eavesdrop on, it’s a witch. So they should be able to remove it. If you’re lucky, they’ll have allied with one.” They had to have allied with someone to get in here. “You’re a dragon?” She seemed so tiny and sweet, the opposite of what he’d understood dragons to be.

The dragon blinked a couple of times in confusion at the others words “I have no quarrel with them, some are just scared humans-” she trailed off, not wanting to go too into her sympathy for the lesser creatures, but she couldn’t help it.  “Wait, you want to help me?” she wondered, almost not believing him “No one ever wants to help me in this city, are you a Master, please be a nice Master who just wants to take my brand off” she whined, before then slapping herself across the face with a little growl to pull herself together “Focus Bonnesar” she coached herself before looking back to the Chimera. “Yes, lets…” she agreed to his words at last.

Surprised by her slapping herself in the face, he caught her hand to try and stop her from doing it again and using it to pull her to her feet. “I’m not a Master. I’m a slave like you – but I can at least help you out of here. I don’t know about the brand. Maybe if you escape you’ll be able to find someone... the people orchestrating the attack, they might have witches who can help.” Jake mused. He was more willing to trust the ones on their side now.

Bonnesar had no idea where she was, she had gotten far too curious of the humans and their games that once again the young dragon had wandered away from the Master that had rented her “Oh what is this!” Bonnesar gasped, pressing her face up against the glass of a claw machine, staring with wide emerald eyes at the shiny claw that caught the light, her dragon nature immediately surfacing “Oooh” she breathed. When the lights suddenly cut the dragon made a curious noise, pulling away from her distraction and looking around “Explosion? Huh…Big boom” she murmured, thinking back to when she’d been captured, how she’d tried to rescue humans from a huge explosion on the edge of her forest back home, the very thought making her whimper and begin to hyperventilate.  Bonnesar felt the fight or flight instinct kick in and she began to run, perhaps if she was lucky she could get out of the city, have her brand removed, have her wings and most importantly- HER FREEDOM. The woman yipped when she collided with another person, their size in compasion to her human form making her tumble back and hit the floor with an ‘oof’. “I’m confused…It’s all happening again…This could be my only chance to escape..” she peeped. 

He crouched, not wanting to scare her anymore than the panic he figured she was already feeling. Her only chance to escape. Jake had to be careful, think of Heather but he couldn’t help the desire he had to assist with the other slave’s rescue. Jake nodded a little, “Alright. Alright but we’ve got to be careful. The people attacking the city – they might leave us alone.” He hoped, even though he knew he wasn’t human anymore and if he remembered correctly, she wasn’t human. “But the people who live here won’t be too happy to let you go. So we’ll have to try and avoid them.” 

His hands had only just sprung free from the rope when the lights cut out. As they plunged into darkness, he realised he could hear screaming. Light filtered in for a moment as doors opened and some phones lit up trying to solve confusion. “There’s been an explosion!” Someone yelled.

“Another attack!” Called another and Jake sat where he was placidly for a few beats, the Master who’d rented him getting closer.  “You stay where you are boy and I might come back for you later.” And then he was gone, clearly planning on defending the city. Jake figured it was time to go – or to do something. Maybe he needed to focus on Heather this time and not escape.

Either way, the moment the man was gone, he sprang up and started making his way through the darkness until he collided with a smaller body. Grabbing her by the arms so she didn’t fall, he squinted until he realised he recognised her from the cells. Instantly the protective drive he had kicked in and he found himself doing his best to look her over. “Hey, are you okay? I’m Jake, and it’s gonna be okay. I’ll look out for you.”

          Kora awoke with a sudden start - body quickly lifting from hard fabric. Stumbling from the cot, she collided into cold, hard bars. Her head was spinning and her stomach was knotted up. What was going on - where was she? Why did her body feel so - weak?

           “Fuck -” She held her head in her hands, migraine pulsing angrily through her temples. “How much wolvesbane did those morons dose me with?” She mumbled to herself, trying to recall exactly how she ended up here. The last thing she remembered was the attack suffered by her pack. Were they all okay? Were they safe? Alive? 

          She began pacing the small space - counting each step it took to get from one side to the other. Over and over again. The longer this went on, the more irritable the young wolf became. And gods did her arm burn! It was realized moments after the adrenaline began to wear off. She pulled up her torn and blood ridden sleeve to glare down at the red and furious brand not yet fully healed upon her pale skin. This had to be part of the reason she felt so sick - she could sense its dark magic. A low, animalistic growl and suddenly she was pulling the poor excuse for a mattress off her cot and flinging it across the cell in her spurt of anger at her misfortune. Less than twenty-four hours and the small space was already driving her insane. 

          She tried to take a deep breath, unable to tell if she was having a panic attack or this was merely her wolf wanting out and fighting against the magic which kept her bound to her petite human appearance. She clawed at the brand and paced the stone floor again, her claustrophobia getting the best of her.

Stretching his legs now that his cell door had been opened for free time, Jake wasn’t much paying attention to the other cells until he noticed someone pacing, a habit he had when he started getting antsy due to a lack of pain. Not that he admitted that was why he had the habit, had he been asked and when he thought about it, he would blame it on anything but. He supposed it was some kind of anxious energy for her.

Testing out the cell door with a prod, when it swung open he cleared his throat. “We have free time now. Come and get out of this shit hole for a while.” He invited her. The brand was fairly obvious, which meant she wasn’t a human but since landing behind bars, Jake had become more forgiving. In a sense. If you were behind bars with him, then he was on your side, whatever you were. Besides, he was kind of an abomination himself he supposed, as a chimera.

The familiar nodded in agreement. Laughing at the thought of being able to teach anyone anything, Acacia couldn’t help but shake her head. “I’d like that,” she told him. It would be nice to see him a little more often. She almost wished that Gabriel would consider renting him. but didn’t have the nerve to ask. She couldn’t even say for certain if Jake would even be open to that sort of thing. 

Squeezing his hand and return, Acacia nodded at the question. “Math, and my master is helping me learn conversions for cooking, like how many teaspoons in a tablespoon. I’m hoping I’ll be able to read recipes on my own, soon. It almost makes me wonder what it would have been like to be in an actual school,” she confessed. Like so much else she’d encountered in the world, the thought was rather daunting.

“Ahh, the dreaded math.” Jake said with a soft laugh, “I’m glad you’re enjoying learning. Honestly, when you go to school I think you take it for granted. I spent a long time itching for other things.” But then, he’d always been that way, burning to get out and fight for humanity, even if it hadn’t worked out quite the way he’d intended. He didn’t regret fighting but he did regret that he’d left Heather alone and that she’d ended up drawn into all of this. He wasn’t proud of the fact he was a chimera either, exactly but he valued the weapons it had given him to fight with. 

“I could say the same, but it won’t stop you any sooner that it would me.” She reached to hold his hand with both of hers. Jake had always been kind enough to indulge her when it came to affection. “Italian food, and some desserts. And comfort food. I’ve always heard about it, but i never really knew what it was.” The familiar makes no mention of Audrey for fear he might worry more, even if she was one of the kindest people Acacia had ever encountered.

 "J - A - K - E,” the familiar repeated. “My name has an A in it, too. Well, there’s more than one but I don’t always get the number right.” It had felt good to look at her name and know it was hers, especially with Gabe’s handwriting. “It’s kind of nice though. I see stuff and it’s not just little squiggles.”

“Spelling can be hard,” Jake said with a little nod. “But you’ll get it. I bet soon you’ll be an expert, teaching me things.” He winked at her. “We can try to meet up like this sometimes.” But even if she said her Master was nice, Jake had no intentions of asking for a rental. The only one he planned to go along with was Heather’s mistress and he was going to have to figure that out because he almost never went along with anyone.

The kiss made her smile, and was another reminder of how lucky she was. Squeezing his hand in return, the familiar nodded. “I know I wouldn’t. It really is better for me this way.” Acacia didn’t want to go into further detail, but being claimed had been rather eye-opening. There was so much out there that she’d never experienced before, and it was dizzying if she thought on it for too long. 

“I am,” she promised quietly. “And I’m going to worry about you too, you know.” Acacia didn’t bother saying that she wanted him to be happy, too. There wasn’t much hope for that, not with how much fire he had. “I’ve been taking cooking lessons. Next time I’m in, I’ll try and sneak you something.” It wouldn’t be much as the familiar was far too afraid of getting caught, and the warden finding out. “How do you spell your name?” she asked, hoping to change the subject to something that might be a little more cheerful.

“I know. Not that I think you should worry about me.” Jake told her. He knew he brought a lot of what happened on himself but then he also knew that wouldn’t stop her worrying. He kissed the top of her head again affectionately. “Oh, what kind of things are you learning how to cook? Be careful with whatever you bring.” He didn’t want her in trouble for him, after all. Of course, he would be the first to kick up a stink and bring attention to himself to keep her out of trouble.

Though she was grateful he held her hand, the familiar couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t exactly pleased with her new situation. “Please don’t be disappointed in me,” she asked softly. “Really, it’s better this way. I’m..I don’t think I could ever be truly free. Or if I’d want to.” Acacia sighed, her shoulders drooping as air escaped her lungs. “I’ve never been anywhere but here, and when he started telling me how i could go out and to market..I panicked.” Admitting all this to Jake was harder than others because she admired his fight.  It wasn’t anything the familiar ever really had in herself.

“He understands me, and what I need. And he takes care of me, and makes me feel safe. He even got me this to wear when I go out,” she paused to run a finger over the tag. “He made me a beautiful necklace, but got me this when I told him I was afraid of getting lost and not being able to find my way home. He’s even started to teach me how to read and write.” Between being enamored with Gabriel and not wanting Jake to be upset, Acacia couldn’t help but try to list different reasons why Gabe was wonderful, and she was really happy with him.

Jake sighed, kissing the top of her head, “Acacia, I’m not disappointed in you. Don’t I always tell you to do what works for you?” He squeezed her hand lightly. “You’re not like me, and that’s okay. You wouldn’t survive doing what I do. As long as you’re okay and happy, that’s what matters.” He promised her, “But on principle, even if you tell me he’s nice, I’m not gonna like your Master. That’s just how I am. I’m glad you like him though.”

celine couldn’t believe how sick she had been as of late. she had a few weeks of time where she was pretty much stuck in bed, but she was finally feeling better. she had missed being outside and just enjoying time without actually feeling like she was dying.

“You’re looking a little better now.” Jake commented when he saw Celine. Even when he hadn’t been particularly close to others, Jake always paid attention to the slaves locked up with him. He’d been concerned about her lately, even if he wasn’t sure the guards were. Humans got sick sometimes though, hell chimeras probably did too, he’d just been lucky. “You getting on alright?”