The Cub (Troya)

I had been alone for awhile when I was found rummaging through the garbage of a trash field. I was found half naked with a missing leg by three sanitation officers at the age of 5. I was found lost, starving, and afraid. They tried to help, but they didn’t know what they were dealing with......no not quite. They didn’t know they were dealing with a lycanthrope. (A mortal with the ability to transform into a humanoid animalistic creature-example: werewolf).

From what I can remember from the story they told me, the workers were just doing their jobs, which was preparing trash for transport off world, when they kept hearing strange noises. They reported loud rustling coming under a large mountain of garbage as they were sorting transport.

Three of the worker investigated while they sent two others to go get sentries. They approached slowly. One was armed with a wrench while the others stayed behind him.

The one armed with a wrench started to go through the trash to investigate. Slowly after some digging, the three found a small dugout opening. The dugout was almost like a “lair” or “hideout”. A memila’s* home (*mouse). The three workers were confused. They had heard and seen people making refuge in the trash fields, but this was different.

The hideout reeked of decay. It was extremely small and terribly made. There was barely any structural support to keep it held together. Some of the refuge had caved in, meaning it had originally been larger at one point. They found two corpses. The bodies had long been dead for awhile. Their bodies were picked clean of all possible flesh. Flies, maggots, and other insects swarmed them making a sort of living coat. The three looked around some more when they heard a noise. A small gasp could be heard around one of the collapsed supports.

The three looked at each other and cautiously approached. They could hear soft grunts of frustration the closer they got. One worker pulled out a flash light and shone it in the direction of the noises. The light illuminated a little girl. She was very small and extremely malnourished. She had soft caramel skin and vibrant emerald green eyes. She had brown curly hair with natural light honey gold tips.

The child was filthy, stormed with dirt and matted with dried blood. Cuts and bruises lined her small fragile frame. Her lips were cracked and the bags under her eyes were black. This fragile creature.... this poor terrified little girl.... this was me.

The three workers looked at each other, astonished. They didn’t know what to think. They didn’t know what to do. They sat there in awe looking at me, the little girl. A memila in her hole.... dying. Slowly rotting away. One of the workers took a step closer and pointed the light at my legs. All of them gasped.

My left leg was missing from the upper thigh down. Maggots and flies were it’s replacement gnawing away at my flesh. I could hear them whispering amongst each other. Taking random glances at the bodies long gone in the corner and back at me. Me, I couldn’t understand them, nor could I speak. I didn’t know how. All I could perform were grunts and whimpers, and since I was afraid I was doing that a lot.

One of the workers focused his attention back to me. He slowly approached me with arms forward to reassure me that he meant no harm, but I didn’t know that. All I could focus on was the adrenaline pumping in my ears and the fear in my heart. I saw the wrench in his one of his hands and immediately started to drag myself away from him. Small yelps of pain escape my tiny frame but I could barely feel the pain because of the fear.

The worker was only a breath away when something happened. I could feel my body tearing and stretching as my heart rate rose. I whimpered in pain as tears trailed down my face. I could feel my body grow hotter. My already long nails on my finger turned in razor sharp serrated talons. My mind began to fog as the three workers began to step back. The look of fear in their eyes was something I had seen before..... but I couldn’t remember where. My vision began to blur and in a moments notice I black out.