Zagan returned to the containment facility with Sage dangling from the scruff like a stray kitten that had been caught by a predator.

"Put this one in an inner room,

" the vampire growled, tossing Sage toward one of the lycans who had been left behind to guard the place while the others searched the island.

Sage was taken through the lobby and into the central part of the facility accessible by elevator. The elevator had doors on either side—one side opened to the larger, public areas of the four wings where there were fewer restrictions on alyko residents and fewer containment barriers and procedures in place while the other side of the elevator opened to a restricted area that few ever saw.

The restricted area was still beautiful to behold. Sage found himself in a room shaped like a rectangle that had been molded around a circle on one side. It was long with four glass walls, but the walls were curved. The longest wall where his bed was positioned faced nothing but the stone facade of a building. But the shortest wall—the inner wall—opened to a cylindrical atrium that Sage was immediately drawn to.

He pressed his face against the glass and looked up. Water and beautiful green vines cascaded down the wall of his room and other rooms that he could see surrounding the atrium like his did. His room was only one of many, but most of them appeared empty. Either that or their inhabitants were not close enough to their atrium sided walls to see.

An old tree rose from the ground two floors below and twisted through the very center of the atrium, drawing his eyes along the beautiful ridges and furrows of its bark and up toward where its limbs that reached for the sky. A black crow swooped down and perched on one of the vines dangling over Sage's wall, turning to look at the pup with its one blue eye and tilting its head before pecking at the glass. Sage put his hand flat against where the crow was rapping with its beak, and the bird stopped.

Sage sighed and retreated back to the bed, sitting down and staring at the crow who stayed watching him. It was as if they were both thinking, considering a way for Sage to get out of here.

"Hi there,

" a voice called, and Sage startled, hopping back further on the bed before he looked around to see where the voice had come from.

An older female with long dark hair and a kind smile was standing in a room next to his that shared his wall. He had been so taken by the atrium that he hadn't noticed his room shared its side walls with two other similar rooms.

Sage smiled uneasily without returning the greeting.

"Are you new to the island? You must be so scared,

" the female said, her brows tilting up. She had on a simple natural linen dress with long flowing sleeves.

"It isn't as bad as it seems. It isn't great of course, but we are safe in here,

" she tried to reassure him.

"Did you get tossed with the pigs?

"

Sage nodded and looked down at himself. He must look like he had been with the pigs. There was hay still clinging to his clothes.

The female chuckled seeing him examine himself.

"We all started there. I still can't understand why.

"

"It's because they look at us like animals,

" another female answered on the opposing side of Sage's room.

This female was older as well, but she appeared far less welcoming. Her green eyes were narrowed and her pale hair was unkempt, sticking up in all directions. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed.

"Which is rich considering the lycans are literally wolves,

" she grumbled.

The first female kept a soft smile on her face.

"Or perhaps they wish to remind us that we are indeed animals just like them.

"

"What's the difference?

" the second female snapped.

"What is your name child?

" the first female asked, ignoring the second.

Sage looked down at the bed. He had pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"Speak up!

" the second female snapped again.

"It's okay. We are friends. Even she is nicer than she seems,

" the first female smiled and gestured with her head toward her companion across the way.

"What? I don't seem nice?

" The cranky response came, causing Sage to giggle a little.

"I am Sage,

" he finally answered.

"Hi, Sage. Welcome to the lotus. I am Maggie.

"

—————————

Once Zagan dropped the male pup off for containment, he returned to the castle's map room. He was eager to see the two alyko—one of whom had to be responsible for whatever the hell just happened—but he wanted to first check if his other alyko were lighting up anywhere on the island. If they were not here… he didn't even want to consider that possibility. But it was a possibility. And if it were the case, he would need to dispatch his lycans to find them immediately… wherever they had gone. Perhaps they were just outside the portal.

Zagan's personal map was located in an office adjoining the bedroom that he kept despite the fact that he slept very little, and when he did sleep it couldn't really be called that. He would be bored or exhausted or thirsty and uninterested in drinking from anyone. The monotony of such a long life wore on him, and most days lost all of their interesting color—turning instead to a dull grey that matched his eyes and hair once they lost their blood-given luster.

But no matter how long he laid in that bed, no matter how weak or depressed he became, his life never came to an end. Eventually he would find the spark deep within to get back up and find something else to do. And the alyko had provided that entertainment well, particularly now.. Now this was more entertainment than he bargained for.