Prologue

The male heard the locks disengage and then he heard screaming. He lifted his head from his pallet, and then rested it back down. It was another female. He allowed himself to close his eyes and take a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever was to come. Two guards held her and she stared at him, brown eyes wide with fear and confusion. He had never seen her before. She was very tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. Her hair was long, brown, and shiny. Many of his kind spent their time grooming and getting strong between whatever pain and injury the technicians and doctors at Mercile inflicted on them.

He yawned widely, trying to show his disinterest. His tail whipped from side to side before he curled it back around his body. For her sake, and his, he hoped the guards would take the hint and get her away from him.

He didn't think he could take another night of sobbing and begging from a female he had no intention of hurting. All they needed to do was take one look at him before they showed two emotions: disgust and terror.

"Not interested?" one of the Guards asked him, mocking.

He heard the door open again and breathed in the scent of Dr. Maas. The male snarled, his lip curling and his claws extending as he surveyed the cruel human.

"Animal," the doctor said, "you will mount this female."
The female was sniffling, watching him warily. Her large eyes were glossy with tears, but when he breathed in, he didn't scent her fear anymore.

The door to the cage opened and the female was pushed inside. He wasn't chained; he rarely was unless he was tranquilized first. The female kept her back to the cage door, before moving to the wall. She didn't look away from him, and appeared curious.

"Leave them," Dr. Maas ordered, gesturing to the guards.

"I think we should stay," one of them said, "make sure he does what you ordered. Adds incentive, you know?"

Dr. Maas grunted, "Leave," he ordered again, "if he doesn't mount her, shoot him. I refuse to waste anymore resources on this failure."

The male tried not to let the words bother or concern him; it certainly wasn't the first time he had heard that. It was usually before some sort of torture began: pain thresholds, healing rates, instinct responses.

The guard's face was angry and disappointed. He observed him and the female for a moment before following behind the doctor and locking the door behind him.

The female cleared her throat, drawing his attention. She was canine; they usually sent him felines, and once, one horrible time that ended in the female's death when she ran head first into the concrete wall as soon as laying eyes on him, primate. He would do anything to avoid that again.

He sat up, and shifted back, staying low; not wanting to scare her and trying to appear nonthreatening, especially since she wasn't crying. She was brave.

"I'll let you mount me," she said cautiously, peering at his tail, "I don't want you to be destroyed."

He tried not to let his surprise show. She was not acting like the others. She did not show disgust, and he could no longer scent fear. A tiny sliver of hope began to spread through him. He was lonely, but he didn't want to die.

He nodded and stood, "I will use my mouth to prepare you." He would make this as good for her as he could given the circumstances.
The female started to rip at the velcro holding her clothes together before slowly moving closer.

A loud alarm suddenly sounded from outside the room. The lights dimmed and red emergency lights began to flicker. A strange popping sound echoed through the halls, starting quieter and getting much louder. The door to the room was thrown open and the male leapt in front of the female. His fingers curled, releasing claws, and he snarled warningly. His tail flicked from side to side, a sign of his agitation.

A moment later a strange scent hit him. It was familiar somehow. A figure stepped through the door, almost as tall as the male. The figure was dressed all in black, the letters NSO, written across his chest. The male continued to snarl, warning off the figure.

Then he removed his helmet, and his snarl broke off in shock. The face he saw was similar to his own. That was why the scent seemed familiar.

He heard the female growl behind him and then cut off as she got a look at the figure. He could smell her surprise and confusion.

"Who are you?" she whispered, moving around the male.

"My name is Bestial," he said, "I am New Species, like you. We have come to rescue you and bring you to a place of safety. You will not be hurt anymore."

He felt a tremor reverberate through the female who had gripped his shoulder. His own body trembled as he realized what was happening. He was free, no longer at the mercy of humans who hurt and used him. Free.