Cured [ManxMan]

Chapter Two

The humans were smart, I had to give them that.

While I was still on the ground, muscles twitching and low groans escaping my near paralyzed throat as echoes of the previous pain rattled through my body, they tied me up in a well practiced fashion. They encased my hands in thick mittens before binding my wrists and ankles together with half inch thick rope. As a final precaution, my mouth--really the entire lower half of my face--was covered by some kind of muzzle that came over my nose and curved down past my chin, so once the straps were secured at the back and top of my head, I was unable to open my mouth, and had to draw breath through the mesh front of the thing.

The dark haired man who had drawn my attention stood back and let the others bind me. He was older than the others, or at least he held himself as if he were, though that may be because he seemed to be in charge. One of the men grabbed me under the arms, another by the legs, and they lifted me. The world spun around me, my chest rumbling with a growl. I tried to strike out at them, tried to wiggle out of their grip, but my muscles were still too weak to do more than make them grunt.

The kid hurried ahead and popped the trunk of a nearby SUV. It didn't appear to be any different from all the other old, beat up vehicles lining the streets, and I never would have guessed it was any different from the others. Yet after the men deposited me in the back, they piled in with their leader in the driver's seat, and when he turned the keys in the ignition, the vehicle rumbled to life. Someone took good care of this thing, it didn't even roll over before starting.

I could see over the backseat into the main body of the car, which also meant the scent of the humans had no barriers to keep it from me, and my throat burned at the scent, even through the mesh over my face. I rolled onto my back, my muscles still aching but my strength was returning. My arms lifted so my hands could claw at the muzzle covering my face, but between the straps of the muzzle and the mittens blocking my claws, I couldn't get it off.

My chest rumbled with my frustration. A snort drew my attention to the backseat, where the kid sat, turned to the side so he could peer over the headrest at me. He didn't seem nearly as afraid as he should have been, so I snarled at him, though the effect was muted by my inability to move my jaw and his inability to see my bared teeth. Still, he didn't have to laugh at me. If I could just get out of these stupid bonds I'd give him something to laugh at, stupid, rude little human.

I redoubled my struggling, hoping to at least loosen the ropes enough to wiggle my hands free. Whichever of them tied them knew what they were doing, so my efforts only let to more growls and frustration. Eventually I had to admit defeat and collapsed, panting for breath and glaring up at the kid still staring at me over the seats.

He still didn't look the slightest bit intimidated, but he continued to watch me through narrowed eyes, his head turned slightly to the side and ash blonde hair falling into blue gray eyes. I didn't like the way he looked at me, and I bared my teeth at him, though he couldn't see them.

"It looks familiar," he said, glancing over his shoulder at his boss. The older man didn't respond, so the kid returned to staring at me, not seeming fazed by his elder's disinterest. "How do I know you?" he muttered, like I was going to answer him.

The vehicle slowed, shouting and the shrill sound of metal against metal filtering in through the windows. My heart stuttered in my chest before picking up the pace, and I renewed my efforts to escape. Shouting meant more humans, and somehow I knew we'd just arrived in a whole nest of them. My body thrummed, my blood singing danger, danger, danger.

All it meant was I was out breathe by the time the vehicle came to a stop and the human passengers disembarked. When the trunk opened, the late afternoon sun blinded me, and I snarled at the silhouette reaching for me.