The New Arrivals

From the small sliver of light, I could see as the pack guards dragged the rogues down the stairs and throw them into the unoccupied cells. I watched as the rogues growled at the guards through the locked cell door and starting ramming into them with their bodies. Of course, the bars didn't break under the strain but it sure as hell looked intimidating. I'm definitely glad he wasn't in my cell. I could see only three rogues in the other cells, an older man no older than twenty-five, a teenage girl and a young boy who had be around five years old. He was crying in the corner of the cell, the girl cradling him to her chest. I could tell she wasn't his mother; her behaviour would've told me otherwise.

Long after the guards had left was, he continuously ramming his shoulder into the bars. I have no idea how painful that would be, but he continued his mindless motions.

"It's pointless." My voice cut through the almost silent black room, the man stopped what he was doing and tried to find me in the dark, but his eyes have not had months to adapt as had mine have to the dark.

"Who's there?" He asked in a nervous tone, which was surprising for a rogue. Being forced to survive on your own usually leaves you with a tough attitude to the world around you.

"My name is Dawn." I told him slipping off my mattress and retrieving my hidden matches and lantern that Rosella gave me to keep in case the dark got too much for me at night. When the storms roll through the pack lands, tearing at the cracks in the walls, it can create terrible allusions.

I light the match and use it to light the fuel in my lantern, once I do the basement lights up the room under the flicker of the flames. I watch the flame as it lingers over the faces of the rogues. My guesses at their age were much more accurate under this new light. The child seemed even more terrified in this light though, I preferred it when I could only smell his fearful tears.

"How long have you been here?" The teenage girl asks fearfully and I turn my attention to her for the first time and that was when I noticed something. Neither of them had the markings of the rogue, meaning they were not banished from a pack, but a pack taken from them.

"About eleven months." I tell her and her mouth drops open in shock and gulps nervously. I can tell she scared; I assume she's worried If she'll be forced to stay here for that long if they don't kill her of course.

"What pack were you from before it was attacked?" I asked subtly with no compassion at all, they all seemed to tense at my questions. I could see the inner turmoil through their eyes.

"The Great Mountain Pack." The man replied and I nodded, I had gained great deals of information from Zack about numerous packs. Helping to ensure I stay away from them and if necessary which ones to invade for supplies. It wasn't a very powerful pack in any aspect but they had strong loyalties to their Alpha and their fellow pack members.

"I'm sorry for your loss, is this why you are rogues?" They all seemed to flinch at the 'rogue' label but otherwise looked sadden by my question. I got my answer from their body language alone.

"What's a rogue?" The little boy asked stepping out of the women's grip walking up the bars. The man wrapped his arm around his front and held him back away from the bars. I almost took offence by his protecting nature; it wasn't like I could hurt the child from behind two gates of metal bars five metres apart. I walked over to my bars and sat down cross legged with my lantern in front.

"Well little boy a rogue is someone who doesn't brush their teeth twice a day and doesn't listen to his parents." I tell the little boy in metaphors trying to limit his knowledge of how cruel this world really is. The man lets out a breath, seeming relieved that I told his son a story instead of the truth.

"Why are you here?" The teenager asks, hoping off her mattress and walking closer so I could see her better in the thin light. She was thin, some of her bones could be seen through her skin. This definitely comes with the territory of being a rogue, her hair was blonde and short. She was pretty but what did I know.

"I think the word is natural born rogue." I explain and they seem to take a step back from the bars, a natural born rogue are ranked as the third most dangerous kind of rogue, the first kind is the rogues who are banished for violently attacking or killing someone and the second is those two betray the pack in others ways (sharing confidential details, letting rogues sneak into the pack grounds).

"You can disobey the Alpha command?" The man asks nervously and I nod my head running my fingers through my hair before dropping my head staring at the suddenly interesting concrete.

"My Alpha commanded me to hide in his closet, but I decided to rescue my mother instead." I explained and every time I hear those words leave my lips, I hear how ridiculous it sounds. I received the second highest punishment a criminal can receive besides execution, because I saved my mother’s life. I got banished for saving my mother's life, well that is assuming that my efforts weren’t in vain. Deciding to change the subject I look up to face my new cell mates.

"What are your names?" I asked and the topic quickly changed fortunately for my sake.

"My name is Joey, this is Sarah and my son Patrick." The man whose name is obviously Joey and I nodded my head trying to ensure I remember their names, who know how long we'd be staying together…