Hopefully it’s not wrong to fill this.
They had been tied to that metal grate for a week now. Their wrists twisted as to loosen up the ropes holding them down. Unable to move more than that. They looked at the sky turning red slowly going black.
It was finally nightime. Finally, the desolated street was filled with pedestrians. Human and others. Only seeing them with disgust.
They knew they were covered in rain, dirt and blood. Nobody liked that. Nobody would even attempt to get close or say a word. It was normal to see pets dying on the street everyday. They were nothing special.
Their master had left them and nobody would take them.
That was the price of their mistake.
That’s why they had found a way of at least getting food.
They were a shapeshifter. And they were in the red light district.
Many had approached them thinking they were a hot girl, a strong man, a weak elf, and a long etcetera. The rope was specially made for them. Gift from their master. The magic on it allowed them to shift alongside them. So, even if they transformed into a dog, they would be tied and unable to move away.
“Why here all alone?” They would ask them often after they were done. The shapeshifter would often hide their urge to puke with a smile.
“I don’t like people seeing me” they would reply. They always went for a kiss before hand feeding them. It was part of the service they would tell them. Then they would simply walk away and the shapeshifter would wait until someone else happened across.
It wasn’t always like that, however.
There were some that never paid and simply used them. Once they knew they were a shapeshifter, they would beat them to see all their forms. The gross, the beautiful, the exotic, the inhuman, the famous. And they would enjoy them in each of them.
The sun was going up after one of those beatings when they were feeling like passing out. Their head was carelessly hanging in front of them. The real clothes shattered and ripped around them. Sitting on the cold floor as rain started to pour over them, they closed their eyes. Their real ones. Purple colored with yellow irises. Blue bruises all over their body and peeled skin on their wrists, making even a single shift send sharp strikes of pain, felt a slight relief with the raindrops.
Their ears, deer like, hanged low. Too slow to perk up when picking up the sound of steps getting closer.
“You poor thing” a man’s voice went kneeling down to meet teary eyes.
The shapeshifter inhaled and pulled strength out of their inner selves to shift into a beautiful human girl with bright red dress. “What you looking for mister? I’ve got them all cheap. No silver or gold, just for a bit of food” they said in a cheery tone hiding almost perfectly how much pain were they in. The man simply stared at them before standing up. They allowed themselves to collapse and shape into something else. “Mister has more refined tastes I see. I can do as many as you can think of. I can be whoever you want” their voice changed with each word. Not stopping shifting until a hand was on their wrists. Taking out a growl they didn’t know they were holding.
They were in their original form. Bruised and covered in dirt and blood. They pulled their knees up to their chest hiding their face. No hands trying to hold them down or anything.
He didn’t like that form. Their former owner said it was disgusting. It was because they transformed back into it without permission that they were tied there.
A simple mistake like that...
They felt warm hands and less pressure on one of their wrists. Their eyes flew to the place the human was untying the ropes. Not even a sign of it being difficult on his face. Had it always been that easy? The human passed to the other wrist as they, for the first time in a while, moved their hand freely in front of them. Then they felt the other hand being freed.
They twisted their wrists. Curled and straightened their fingers. Was it a dream? Had they lost consciousness and were dreaming? They didn’t wanna wake up. They looked up to the human once again kneeling down to see them eye to eye. Coat now on his hands covering their naked greenish body.
“Can you stand?” They asked them simply. They tried to pull themselves up immediately. They didn’t want to look ungrateful. But their right leg was broken and were too exhausted. They shook their head embarrased. “Its ok. Hold on to me. Lets get you somewhere dry ok?” He said pulling one of their arms over his shoulders and standing up swiftly.
They walked away slowly. When they reached somwhere with a roof and a bench the man carefully sat him.
“What’s your name?” The shapeshifter shooked their head. The man made their lips a thin line. “Im guessing you don’t have anywhere to go now” they nodded slwoly “how long were you sitting there?” He asked him taking out bandages and improvising an splinter with cardboard from discarded boxes.
“A-A week” they said sensing the rage on the man as he gently pulled a knot on their leg and sat next to them.
“I see” they limited to say. The shapeshifter tried their hardest to stay awake but they were falling on their place. “My friend will take a while to pick us up. You can rest if you want” the said allowing them to rest their head on their shoulder.
“Thank you sir” they replied closing their eyes. Wondering if it was safe to do so. “Thank you so much” their voice came out strained. They wouldn’t stop mumbling thank you even when they passed out.
The man stared into the distance waiting for his friend’s car to show up. When a man suddenly started touching the shapeshifter’s neck.
“Oh you taking them with you? Some guys around won’t like you taking away free merchandise” the man smiled with a crooked smile. Their hand now under the coat “I would have taken them myself when I saw them. Tied them up, put a gag and...” he couldn’t finish whatever he was saying because the man threw him away flying with powerful magic. He stood up shakily and ran away screaming.
He pulled the shapeshifter closer to him. And then pulled their hand up to make the man on his back come to his hand. Choking under his wrip.
“Tell your friends that if they touch them, see them or even smell them one more time, they will suffer the consequences” he stared deeper into the terrified man’s face “Understood, rat?” The man nodded and ran away histerically once he let go.
He waited on the bench unbothered. When a blonde on a black car pulled in front of him.
“What was the rush, Bernard?” The boy pulled down the windows to see his friend with a shapeshifter on his shoulder “Oh...Are-Are they alive?” They asked opening the back doors for Bernard to delicately lay them on the sit. Then he entered the car and closed the door. “Are you gonna keep them?” The boy said driving away.
“They’re not an animal, Swift” he said with a humbre tone. Swift pulled their hands up. “Im just gonna help them until they can walk on their own” the blonde choked in laughter.
“I remember you said the same about me” he smiled glancing back at him for a second. The tattoo on his neck was an intricate ancient spelling. But the boy was no magician. The tattoo served the purpose to hide the numbers on his skin. “And the others. Well, they look cute. Hopefully they’re easy to get along with” he replied smile still on his face.
“Swift, please. Just drive”
