The guards shoved Hermes into his cell with a roughness that made him stumble. He caught himself against the cold wall, his fists clenching as the door slammed shut behind him.
Rin was sitting cross-legged on her bed, her striped tail twitching slightly as she watched him. Her eyes immediately narrowed in concern.
"What happened to you?" she asked, her voice low but steady.
Hermes didn't answer right away. He leaned against the wall, rubbing his wrists where the guards had held him. His mind was still reeling from the "evaluation."
"Nothing," he muttered, though the strain in his voice made it clear that wasn't the truth.
Rin raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with his deflection. "You're a terrible liar. Spill it."
Hermes sighed and slid down to sit on the floor, his back against the wall. "They took me to some room. Strapped me down. Asked me a bunch of questions about the serum they gave me. Took my blood, too."
Rin's ears flattened slightly, her expression darkening. "Bastards. Did they hurt you?"
"No," Hermes replied quickly, though the memory of the needle piercing his skin made his stomach churn. "But it's not like they needed to. Just being there was bad enough."
Rin leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "What did they want to know?"
"Stuff about how I'm feeling," Hermes said, his tone bitter. "If I've noticed changes. If I feel different."
"The regeneration? But that's… kind of cool," she said cautiously, though her expression quickly turned somber. "But I hate how they're doing this to us. Like we're just test subjects."
Hermes nodded, his jaw tightening. "They don't care about us. We're just tools to them."
There was a brief silence, both of them lost in thought. Finally, Rin spoke again, her voice softer.
"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?"
Hermes looked at her, noting the faint glimmer of hope in her eyes despite everything. He wanted to say yes, to give her some kind of reassurance, but he couldn't bring himself to lie.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But if we do… I'm not leaving without making them pay for this."
Rin's tail twitched again, and a small, grim smile tugged at her lips. "Good. They deserve it."
They sat in silence for a while after that, the weight of their situation pressing down on them. But for Hermes, the conversation sparked something inside—a resolve to fight back, no matter what it took.
…
…
The next day, Hermes walked with his hands in his pockets, his ears flicking occasionally at the noise around him. Despite the growing familiarity of the routine, he couldn't shake the tension in his chest every time he entered the crowded space.
As he rounded the corner, the sound of laughter caught his attention. Not the lighthearted kind, but the sharp, mocking tone that immediately set his teeth on edge.
Ahead, a group of dog beastfolk had surrounded a smaller boy, who barely reached Hermes's chest. The boy had distinct mole-like features: small, rounded ears, thick glasses perched on a stubby nose, and long claws that looked better suited for digging than fighting.
"Where you scurrying off to, Moley?" one of the dog boys sneered, his sharp teeth flashing in a predatory grin.
Another jabbed a clawed finger at the mole boy's chest, forcing him to stumble back. "Bet you don't even need food, huh? You can just dig up some worms or something!"
The group howled with laughter, blocking the mole boy's path to the food counter.
Hermes felt a surge of anger rise in his chest. His tail lashed behind him as he stepped forward, pushing through the small crowd that had gathered to watch.
"Hey!" he barked, his voice cutting through the noise. The laughter died down as the dog boys turned to him, their ears perking up in surprise.
"What do you want, Catboy?" the leader asked, his grin faltering slightly as he looked Hermes up and down.
"I want you to back off," Hermes said, his voice low and steady. He didn't care that the dog boys were all taller than him or that their claws looked sharper. He stood his ground, glaring at the leader.
The mole boy glanced up at Hermes, his eyes wide with surprise and a hint of hope.
The leader sneered, trying to recover his bravado. "What's it to you? This doesn't concern you."
"It does now," Hermes shot back, stepping closer.
The dog boys exchanged glances, their tails twitching uncertainly. Finally, the leader growled under his breath and shoved the mole boy toward Hermes.
"Whatever," he muttered. "Let's go, guys. Not worth the trouble."
The group dispersed, though not without a few backward glances and muttered curses.
Hermes turned to the mole boy, who was clutching his tray tightly, his hands trembling. "You okay?"
The boy nodded quickly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Y—Yeah. Thanks."
"Come on," Hermes said, leading him to the food counter. "Let's get you something to eat."
They moved through the line in silence, the mole boy keeping close to Hermes like a shadow. Once they had their trays, Hermes scanned the room and spotted Edward sitting at a table by himself.
"Over here," Hermes said, nudging the mole boy toward the table.
Edward looked up as they approached, his eagle eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Making friends already?" he asked with a faint smirk.
Hermes ignored the comment and set his tray down. "This is… uh…" He glanced at the mole boy, realizing he didn't know his name.
"Alan," the boy mumbled, sitting down cautiously.
"This is Alan," Hermes repeated, giving Edward a pointed look.
Edward raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Nice to meet you, Alan."
Alan gave a shy nod in return, his glasses slipping down his nose.
The three of them ate in relative silence for a while, though Hermes noticed Alan glancing nervously at the dog boys across the room.
"They won't bother you again," Hermes said firmly, catching Alan's gaze.
"How can you be so sure?" Alan asked, his voice shaky.
"Because I won't let them," Hermes replied simply, the edge in his voice leaving no room for doubt.
Edward chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're something else, Hermes."
Hermes didn't respond, focusing instead on his food. He didn't feel like a hero or anything special, but he knew one thing for certain: as long as he was here, he wasn't going to stand by and let anyone suffer alone.
Alan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his claws lightly scratching the surface of his tray. After a long pause, he cleared his throat and looked at both Hermes and Edward.
"Have you two… ever heard of the Salamander serum?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Hermes paused mid-bite, his ears twitching at the question. He placed his fork down and glanced at Edward, whose eagle eyes flicked over to him with equal surprise.
"Yeah," Hermes said cautiously, lowering his voice. "I've had it. Why?"
Edward leaned forward, his wings shifting slightly as he added, "Same here. Why do you ask?"
Alan fidgeted, his claws tapping nervously on the tray. "Because… I've had it too."
Hermes and Edward exchanged a look, their expressions growing more serious.
"You're still alive," Edward said, his tone a mix of relief and curiosity. "Guess that makes three of us."
Alan nodded slowly. "Yeah, but… something's weird about it."
Hermes narrowed his eyes. "Weird how?"
Alan hesitated, his claws digging into his palms. "I… I cut myself the other day, just a little, and it healed almost instantly. It freaked me out."
Hermes let out a slow breath. "Yeah, that's what it does. I noticed the same thing when I tested it back in my cell."
Edward tilted his head, his sharp gaze studying Alan. "So we're all regenerating now. But what's the catch? Nothing they're doing here is out of kindness."
Alan bit his lip. "I don't know. But… I keep thinking about how they were taking so much blood from me. What if they're not just giving us these abilities? What if they're… taking something for themselves?"
The table fell silent, the weight of Alan's words settling heavily between them.
Hermes crossed his arms, his tail flicking behind him in agitation. "They didn't give us the serum out of the goodness of their hearts. They're using us for something. I don't know what it is yet, but I'm going to find out."
Edward nodded, his expression hardening. "Whatever it is, it's bigger than just us."
Alan looked between the two of them, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Do you think we'll ever get out of here?"
Hermes leaned back, his jaw tightening. "We will," he said firmly. "One way or another, we'll get out."
Edward smirked faintly, the sharpness in his eyes softening for a moment. "And when we do, they're going to regret everything they've done."
Alan shifted nervously, his voice barely audible as he spoke. "You guys think… there's more of us? People who've had the serum, I mean?"
Hermes frowned, his tail twitching behind him. "Maybe. But if there are, they're not here in the cafeteria. It's just the three of us who've survived it so far."
Edward leaned back slightly, his sharp eagle eyes scanning the room as he spoke. "That should tell you something. They're playing with fire. Whatever this serum is, it's not stable. If others had it, and they're gone…" He trailed off, his wings shifting uncomfortably.
Alan nodded, his claws lightly tapping the edge of his tray. "I heard them say something before I woke up—something about compatibility rates. It sounded like they don't even know how it works yet."
Hermes sighed, his gaze dropping to his tray. "Figures. They're using us as guinea pigs. And when they're done with us…"
"…they'll toss us," Edward finished grimly, his jaw tightening.
Hermes's ears twitched, and he glanced around cautiously. "We need to be careful. If they know we're comparing notes like this, they'll separate us."
Edward smirked faintly. "Let them try."
Alan looked up, his pale face serious. "What if they're planning something worse? I mean, if we've already survived the serum, what's stopping them from testing something else on us?"
Hermes opened his mouth to respond but froze as a prickle ran down his spine. His sharp senses caught the faint scent of antiseptic—sterile, chemical, and sharp. His ears twitched, honing in on soft footsteps that were too deliberate to belong to any of the other beastfolk in the cafeteria.
Edward noticed his change in posture and subtly followed Hermes's gaze. Near the far side of the room, three scientists stood watching them. The one in the middle—the same scientist who had stared at Hermes and Edward before—was staring directly at them, his thin lips curling into a malicious smile.
"Don't look now," Edward murmured under his breath, his tone cool, "but we've got company."
Alan stiffened, his claws clutching his tray. "Who?"
Hermes didn't turn his head, keeping his gaze trained on the table. "Three of them. Scientists. They're watching us."
Edward's smirk faded, replaced by a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Let them. They'll know soon enough not to mess with us."
Hermes shook his head slightly. "Don't draw attention to yourself. For now, we play along. Act like nothing's wrong."
Alan swallowed hard, forcing himself to relax. "You think they've heard what we're talking about?"
"Doesn't matter," Hermes said quietly. "What matters is that they're watching us now. That means we're on their radar."
Edward tapped his talons lightly against the table, his voice low and sharp. "Then we better make sure we stay one step ahead."
The three of them continued their conversation in hushed tones, pretending to discuss mundane topics while the scientists lingered, their eyes gleaming with cruel curiosity. It was clear they were planning something.