Independence

Chapter 1 :The Hunt


Lex knew there wasn’t time. The hunters were fast approaching and the darkness of the night sky did nothing to slow down their steps. They were trained for the hunt and there was nothing Lex could do but run. Hiding was futile; they had trained dogs, specially bred for the occasion to sniff out their prey. Lex used to love dogs, although he never really kept one, he did occasionally make trips to the pets shop to ogle and coo at the tiny puppies behind their cages. Now though, he was coming to change his mind about dogs.

Why did they have to chase him down anyway? It wasn’t fair that those that were born like him had to face the same predicament. Why couldn’t they have left them all alone? Was it too much to ask? Neither he nor those of his kind had been asked to be born this way.

The sudden surprised squeak that came from the companion running along side him brought him out of his thoughts. “Brother! Are you okay?” Lex asked as he turned to look at the hunched form of his brother who had stopped running. “What happened?” Lex asked as he crouched down to examine his chestnut haired companion. The figure merely whined in pain as he looked pleadingly up at Lex. Closer examination revealed that his companion had managed to get his foot trapped in carefully hidden trap laid out by the hunters for the hunt. It was built not to harm but to trap any careless prey that ran right through the thin layer of rope without stopping. The further you pulled the rope the tighter it got and because the rope was extra thin, you wouldn’t realize you got caught in it until you found yourself trapped in the ropes’ confines.

“Dammit!” cursed Lex as he searched the ground for a sharp or jagged piece of stone he could use to cut the rope. A soft whining coming from his companion made Lex realize that the sound of barking dogs was coming ever closer to their position. “Dammit! The hunters!” cursed Lex again as looked out into the woods to see if he could spot a tree for them to climb. It would not stop the hunters but it would buy them some time.

The whining coming from his companion suddenly grew louder and he turned his gaze towards his brother. His companion seemed to have sensed his panic and began trashing against his confines. “Stop that! You’ll only hurt yourself,” said Lex, rushing to calm his brother. Lex knew that they were trapped. The hunters would surely be on them in less than ten minutes. A distraction wouldn’t work either as there were enough dogs and hunters after them to track a whole football team down. Lex rubbed his temples with a sigh. ‘If only they were after a football team instead of us,’ he thought as he stared at the night sky. They wouldn’t be able to make it before dawn. If only he hadn’t lost his pocket knife!

The feel of a warm body curling closer into his own brought his gaze back onto his brother. Somehow his companion must have read his thoughts about there being no way out as the chestnut haired figure looked at him with light brown eyes in a resigned fashion. They wouldn’t be getting out of this one.

“I’m sorry, Angel. I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect you,” he said sullenly to his brother as he enveloped him into his arms. His brother was so small and delicate in comparison to his leaner and taller form. Lex knew that Angel wouldn’t be able to understand him but still, if only by the tone of his voice he hoped that his brother understood. They would likely be torn apart after they were caught. He might never get to see his brother ever again.

His brother though seemed to have understood his words as he nuzzled into Lex’s neck and whined softly. That was enough for Lex as petted his brother’s hair fondly and turned towards the direction in which he knew the hunters would be coming from. His thoughts seemed to be the cue line as just as his gaze fixed unto dark forest behind them; two large hound dogs ran into the clearing and howled into the night.

An answering howl floated through the forest and the dogs proceeded to circle around their prey with their teeth bared. The growling seemed to have frightened Angel as he burrowed deeper into his brother and whimpered fearfully. Lex growled at them in response and even though his current form dampened the effects of the growl, he thought he did a pretty good job as the dogs seemed a little more wary than they were before.

Voices burst into the clearing and Lex knew that the hunt would be coming to an end. His grip tightened on his brother and immediately loosened it when Angel whined painfully in response. ‘Dammit! Why couldn’t they just leave us alone?’ Lex thought as he caught sight of the team of hunters running into the clearing.

More dogs began circling around the two of them, baring their teeth in a show of dominance. Lex growled in response. ‘If I wasn’t in this form, they’d be running away with their tails in between their legs. How dare they growl at me!?’ thought Lex as he glared at the dogs.

“We’ve got them! Someone, hand me the dart gun!” ordered one of the lead hunters as the others ran to do his bidding. Lex growled louder and glowered at the lead hunter who leered at them in obvious glee. Once the dart gun had been passed into his hand, he stepped closer towards the two of them, giving them a smile that showed off all his gold teeth. “Well surprise, surprise. Two at once, this must be my lucky night,” he said as lowered the gun to aim at them.

Angel’s whimpers grew louder and Lex promised himself he would have his revenge on the hunter and all the other bastards that were behind the whole hunt. He covered Angel’s body with his own and growled at the smirking hunter. ‘Over my dead and rotting body, asshole! You’ll have to pry me off before you even get within a hair’s inch of my brother,’ he thought fiercely, glaring with smoldering eyes at the hunter.

The first dart that hit him made him clench his eyes in discomfort. It wasn’t outright pain but hell, the effect seemed to have affected him just as soon as it hit. His vision began blurring and his eyelids began to grow heavy. There was a sense of numbness at the back of his mind that made him want to forget about everything else and just fall into the welcoming darkness of sleep.

But still he hung on to his brother, forgetting his own discomfort and focusing on the whimpers coming from his companion. If only to stall, he would continue with this stubborn fight. There really wasn’t anything else that he could do really.

The hunter seemed to have sensed this as he shot a second dart at Lex, causing the sense of haziness to thicken and lure him into sleep. But still he hung on to his brother, using the sheer force of will to stay conscious. He sensed the hunter’s frustration a minute later and smirked in satisfaction. It was petty, but even some act rebellion caused him to feel slightly less vulnerable in that situation. Hey, when you’re stubborn anything works.

The third and forth dart that hit him made his arms go numb until he couldn’t even feel himself holding on to his brother. In his mind there was nothing but a sense of heaviness and yet, that single thought of his precious brother made him cling on to consciousness. The fifth dart that hit him made his whole body go lax and when he felt himself falling onto the forest ground, he knew that he had lost. He could see his brother rushing to snuggle next to him with tears in his eyes. The feeling of being useless rushed into his numb-struck mind.

“Forgive me, brother,” were the last words he whispered into his brother’s ears before darkness enveloped his whole being. Consciousness floated away and sleep welcomed him into its dark abyss.

(break)


Lex found himself waking up at odd intervals. The first was when he felt the movement of waves beating against a boat. The next was when he found himself sliding against the cold metal bars of his cage due to the impact of a vehicle, a truck (he guessed), stopping. The next time he woke up, it was due to the whimpers seeming to come from different occupants in a dark room which he knew he was being kept in. Waking up fully was difficult and soon enough, he found himself back again in Morpheus’s dark realm.

Waking up after a getting hit by not one but five darts was definitely a learning experience. First, the mind blowing headache made itself know just as soon as he opened eyes. Then, the sense of disorientation followed. The world around was a huge blur of odd shapes and different colours jumbled into one huge modern art canvas just like one he had once seen in a art museum. It looked the same way it did then, it didn’t make sense.

Next came the urge to kill the first thing that moved. Whoever put him into this blasted glass box had better be praying long and hard because just as soon as he got out, he was going to be plotting serial murders.

‘Wait a minute, glass box?’ he thought as he glanced around in panic.

Glass box would definitely fit the description of where he was. Four walls surrounded him, with three, the front and the sides, made entirely out of glass and the back being a mirror in built into the wall. The box was roughly the size of his hall back in his apartment which meant that it was not entirely too small or too big (probably about the length of two cars.). Dark red carpet covered the bottom of the box and maroon pillows were decoratively placed around making it look like the perfect display box one would use to display a pet at an exhibition. But that was exactly what it was, a bloody exhibition! He was being put on display!

Lex groaned as he flopped back onto the maroon pillows he had been laid on. With an irritated grunt he grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at the glass wall. Bloody ridiculous! He hated maroon and the interior decoration was definitely not helping him cope in this shitty situation!

Memories of what had led him into this situation made him sit up and look around frantically for any sign of his brother. How could he have forgotten his brother? What had happened to Angel after he had been knocked out by the darts? The hunters must have caught him as well; they wouldn’t have left him out. Lex glanced around spotting other similar glass boxes outside of his own little prison cell.

There were other others like him in the glass boxes that lined on two sides. However, there was a wide gap that separated the two sides which like most exhibitions meant that it was the space given to ‘spectators’ to walk through while they examined the ‘displays’.

Mentally counting, he figured that there were only about four of them of each side. Somehow, that didn’t make him feel any better. Less ‘displays’ meant more attention for those of them there.

The sight of chestnut coloured hair two boxes away from the box directly opposite his made him edge closer towards the front of the glass box to catch a better glimpse of the occupant inside. Surely enough, inside lying peacefully on a couple of maroon pillows was his dear brother. He looked so vulnerable lying there, so small and oblivious to what was going on around him. Lex swore under his breath, cursing the hunters and those that employed them. Seeing his sweet and innocent brother being put on display made him want to rip something to shreds! (Preferably the bastards that brought them here.)

If only he had his cell phone with him, that way he would be able to call for a lawyer and sue them until they bled dry! Honestly, this was positively humiliating! Being a submissive was definitely a curse. Nothing good ever came out of it and being treated like an animal just proves it.

‘But then again,’ he thought with a sigh, ‘that could just be me.’

Lex knew that he was different compared to other submissives. Ever since he was born or should he say, ‘created’, he had been different. Lex came from a race which humans call, dragons. No one knows how their race was created or how their race began, not even those of his kind. The only thing they knew was that every eclipse, when the sun and moon meet, dragons were born. They would spout from the very depths of the earth, making their way into the world as mere hatchlings, new to every sensation and sight the world had to offer.

Their race however, wasn’t like the race of men who differentiates between two genders. Dragons differentiate their race based on physical transformation. Genders are insignificant to them as dragons are not created by the mating of their species but by earth itself. Physical transformation however, tells dragons if one is a dominant or a submissive.

Dominants or better known as ‘Ro’s’ to kin, are the stronger of the species and true to the name ‘dragons’, dominants could shape-shift into said large flying, fire-breeding reptiles at will. When they are in human form however, they look like any other human being save for the height and large build that usually gives them away. And although breeding is unnecessary, dragons like all sentient beings feel a need for companionship.

That’s where submissives come into the picture, you see. Submisives or better know as ‘Ri’s’ to kin, are weaker in terms of physical sterength in comparison to their larger counterparts, the dominants. And although they are known as dragons, submissives do not have the ability to shape-shift into dragons but rather into certain smaller animals. The alternate form of a submissive is largely based on the personality of the submissive itself. Their human forms however, closely resemble normal humans but their frames however; tend to be in the ‘small’ category even by human standards.

In comparison to dominants, submissives are rare and are hardly ever born from the earth. Many attribute that to be the reason why submissives are valued above any gold or jewels, which dragons are known to treasure, and are guarded zealously by their dominant counterparts.

It is known only by kin however, that submissives are only born and found in a specific area. Naga which means dragon in local tongue is the only region and island in the world where submissives are found. The island, also known as one of the guarded lands, like several other lands belonging to the dragons cannot be found on the human atlas.

Dominants themselves are prohibited from entering the island. Only humans who are trained specifically for the hunt are allowed entry once in every four years under the supervision of chosen dominants who already possess mates. The hunters are given directions to pursue and capture submissives who, under mysterious circumstances, cannot shape-shift into their animal form during that specific time.

The hunters are given strict instructions not to hurt submissives for any reason whatsoever and any hunter who disobeys usually wind up in prison for life or are never seen again, depending on the depth of the crime of course. It was a risky job but hey, the money they earn from the hunt was well worth it. If they did manage to catch a submissive without harming them, the hunters would find themselves with their bank accounts full with more money than they knew what to do with. But occasions such as these were rare and with the amount of hunters the dominants sent to the island every four years, chances of catching a submissive before the other party was definitely low.

Submissives or Ri’s are known to be reclusive creatures who prefer to live in the wild and away from any contact whether it be human or a dominant of their own race. Submissives tend to shy away from anyone other than another submissive. Sumissives do not mind other submissives but given the choice, would prefer to live on their own. Submissives have been known to never leave the island on which they were born, preferring to remain safe and content on said island.

Unlike their submissive counterparts however, dominants have been known to be born and found in every region of the world except the specific island known as Naga. And unlike submissives, newly born dominants prefer to explore the world and learn from other humans and dominants about the world into which they were born in.

Dominants have made place for themselves in the world long before there were human civilizations and now live alongside humans. The dominants are known as the main and head of the species because of this, and also the more intelligent of the species as submissives who prefer to remain in the wild, are not as exposed to the world and its going ons’ as the dominants in their species.

And as submissives are content to remain closed off from the rest of the world, it is the dominants that are actively seeking companionship from the submissives. And as submissives are rare, it would not do for dominants to run rampage on Naga in search of submissives. As dominants fighting each other for submissives are common occurrences and fights between two dominant dragons have been known to cause havoc and destruction to the land, there is a high chance that the natural habitat of the submissives in Naga could be ruined. Thus, the high council of dragons, which consists of the heads of the seven clans, agreed that submissives were to be brought from Naga to Dragon Country, their species’ homeland.

Lex however proved himself to be a special case in terms of being a ‘normal’ submissive. A normal submissive would have stayed on the island, get caught or hide for as long as possible, get brought over to Dragon Country and get mated to one of the dominants. Unfortunately, he however, had definitely not stayed on the island.

Lex recalled being born at the same time and place as his brother. They were born together and thus, they remained together and created a home together in one of the forests of the island. Like many twins, they shared a special bond that allowed them to feel if the other was in distress or even where the other was if there was ever a need to find each other. Lex however, knew that he was unlike his twin who seemed perfectly content just to be on the island, living everyday without having to worry about anything about the outside world.

Lex was different from his brother, and he wanted to know about what lay beyond the island. He wanted to learn, he wanted explore. He couldn’t remain content on the island, not like Angel. He found a different calling and the island with its lush forests and sandy beaches did not seem to be it.

It was the very same thing that brought him to his current predicament that gave him his freedom away from the island. Hunters that came years ago to track down submissives had given him an opportunity to sneak into one of their vessels and escape to human country. He didn’t look back or say goodbye to his brother knowing that Angel had felt his restlessness and was a little upset but willing to let him go. They would be seeing each other again after all; there was no need for goodbyes’.

He made a promise then though, to return one day to take his brother with him away from the island even if he had to drag him away kicking and screaming. He was sure that one day his brother would want to explore the outside world just as much as he did then as well. Too bad it was for a very different reason Lex went back to take his brother away from the island.

Lex remembered arriving on a foreign port and on foreign land for the first time. It had been pure bliss, standing in the dream he had pictured for so long. It was a few days later that he had been found wandering the streets alone, naked and hungry in his human form by an old human man who had been kind enough to take him to a police station in hopes of finding his lost ‘parents’. When the police found no traces of a missing persons report that fit his description, they recommended sending him to an orphanage but the old man, who had grown rather fond of him decided to take in the child who looked to be only six years of age. And thus, that old man became his adopted father.

Father gave him the name Lexis and his surname Rivers, so that the child who did not know any languages would have an identity. Father taught him how to speak in the shared tongue of humans and dragons. Father had given him an education so that he would know how to survive in the human world. Father had given a home and a family to call his.

And that was how he had survived in the human world as long as he had. And as father had been working under the high council of dragons, which really was a terrible coincidence, as a human contact, that had given Lex the knowledge of dragons and all it entailed. He learned about how submissives were treated, like possessions, and maybe because he had been raised human, he knew that he would never consent to such. Who were the dominants to dictate his life? He wasn’t some brainless pet to be kept as such. And thinking of his brother in a similar position made him promise himself to one day get his brother out of the island and into human society where they would not be searched for.

This, he supposed was how they had gotten into this predicament in the first place. Lex groaned and buried his head into his hands. Why in all the days he had decided to go and save Angel did they have to be hunting on that very specific day. Curses, if only the council wasn’t so top secret about when they would open the sea gates to allow the hunters entry, I wouldn’t have gotten into this position! Stupid council! Stupid dominants! With an irritated huff, Lex threw another pillow at the glass wall. ‘I hate maroon!’ he thought as he grumbled sullenly under his breath.


A/N Well, to tell you the truth, this is actually my first original fic. Readers, could you leave a review to tell me how you found it? Please? Pretty please?