Suggest some names, male and female for this story...
The cold jail cell’s bars press hard against my face as I look out. The over grown green grass is killing most of the view; still I can see into the distance and stare at the futile camp that lies before me. My raw knuckles are holding onto the bars tighter as I try to pull myself up closer to the barred window to catch a glimpse at the moon. One of the only things that keeps me alive in here, the moon and the glow from the guards’ torches.
Tonight seems abnormal; the feeling of the air around the prison is different. Completely, not the abnormal of something super natural, but strangely more abnormal. A beast of burden is most likely being brought into this prison. In that rare case, I should stay in the darker parts of my cell where I have a higher advantage. They have horrible eyesight, the guards have brilliant eyesight. Eyesight does not matter in the darkness.
They are all defenseless; none of them have the experience of lurking around in the dark as I do. Finding the good in life, even when your home is a hole in the ground with a barred hole you were once upon a time thrown into the hole from. Before the grass all dies and turns yellow they open the bars, they cover my eyes and move me from this hole. I have no clue where they take me, but I am always brought back to the same hole.
It is cleaned once a year, a fresh set of blankets and clothing are set out for my use. Usually new thick blankets, since winter is soon to follow the yellow of the grass. Seasons, it is sad that I hardly remember them at all. My memory is so faint; all I know is that I am in this hole. In here is safety, safety from the guards and the outer world. Time is seem less to me, all that matters is that I can still breathe during the harsh winters.
The sound of heavy boots on the wet grass catch my attention. My once wondering mind comes back to me, my eyes following the boots walking closer to my hole. It is two guards; they are talking back and forth together. Just as any other night, they all do this every evening. But why does this night carry a scent in the air that presses me to be cautious? Sniffing the air I finally let go of the bars. Falling to the straw covered ground of my cell. Shivering from the pain of the fall, I wrap myself in the heavy blankets. Burrowing my head into the soft dawn feathers while huddling myself closer.
“I’m sure of this.” The noise is closer to my hole. A squeal sounds from the bars that cover the hole. Immediately I am on my feet, the blanket falling to my feet. From fright I had extended my appendages and jumped up in fright, scratching across my back. The stinging pain forces me to let out a cry.
“She is beautiful.” The man at the hole looks down in the cell; he tosses a torch down to fill the cell with light. It falls lightly onto a small pile of straw; the flame comes to life now that it is fueled by my bedding. A hiss comes from my mouth as I look back up at the man, my legs hunching down, my arms across the wall behind me. Ready to launch up at him in self defense.
“A feisty one I see.” The man looks back, another man joining him at the hole.
“She would be one of our most feisty.” The other man looks down, throwing a bucket of water down the hole onto the straw pile that had began burning. Hot ashes fly up from the water hitting the flame, most in which sting my eyes. “Feisty, and yet beautiful.”
“Is she aggressive to her own kind though?” They start walking away from the hole. The bars slam shut against the hole and I spring towards the bars. My left hand holding me up, my right hand reaching through and grabbing one of the men by the ankles.
Their torches immediately turn around and flash against my pale scaled skin. The men all laughs, a jerk from the ankle leaves my weak arms falling to the barred hole holding me up.
“I don’t think we will have problems with her being aggressive. She is, as if you couldn’t already tell, weakened.” The men continue to walk away. “It is the only way to keep her kind under control.”
“How long has it been since she was caught?” Their voices are fainter. I struggle to keep an ear on what they say. The language they speak, I understand it.
“My great grandfather caught her when he was a boy.” They are too far for me to hear the rest. These men, they live short lives. I must have been here for about a tenth of my life, and I still feel young and lack sickness.
My feet fall to the ground below the hole, the hot ashes from the once aflame straw burning my feet. Letting out a shrill scream I jump back up the wall avoiding the ground as much as possible. Finding my blanket, I pull it to the furthest corner and wrap myself in it. Once again, I burrow my head into the blanket and hope for sleep.
Sleep is hard to come by, a scream is coming from a distance and I can hear it. The scream in which belongs to the scent I have sensed. The abnormal night air, the scream fits with it. I am to the barred window again and looking out at the surrounding area. My fingers struggle to hold my shivering body up in order to see a great winged creature fall from the sky. A rustle of black wings and a human like body.
Dark scales cover the arms and down to the fingers on this creature, much like my own arms. They wear different clothing; it looks heavy and exposes many places. Most of those places covered in something the guards had begun to call muscles. Everyone rushes towards the winged creature that had fallen from the sky, ropes in their hands. My eyes grow wide looking at the similar creature, this creature; he is of my own kind.
Letting out a cry I rip at the bars eager to stop the men from capturing another innocent one. My attempts fail, the only outcome being my nails lifting up and blood falling from my finger tips. I fall back, just as a rope catches the creature by the throat, others had caught the creature’s appendages. It is too late; this creature must now forget all life behind them.
Burrowing again in the safety of my own blanket I hear the bars scream one last time. Something is thrown into the cell, the bars slamming shut. Peering over with one of my eyes I look at the tied and gagged individual. Slowly, I rise to my feet and wrap the blanket tighter around my body. Dropping only by the creature and resting my hand on the cold face. Bright orange eyes open and look at me, the oversized mouth for a human attempting to open and making a sound.
My hands slip around the gag around the creature’s mouth. Pulling it down I unleash his wild scream. He continues to struggle; I continue to softly untie the knots that bound him. Once all his bindings are cut away, he is on his feet and at the barred window screaming. His feet pressed to the window, his hands trying to pull out of the hole. Attempts fail and he finally falls to the ground exhausted by the failure.
A fowl growl is shot my way; I simply let out a whine and rush back to my corner holding my blanket close to me. Struggling to cover myself up the best I could, making sure my eyes were covered from seeing this beast that was thrown in this cell. Expecting a hard thwack of claws, I am greeted by a soft touch on my shoulder and the blanket lightly ripped away. My eyes are glued shut as I press my scaled hands on top of them to block out the image before me.
The hands struggle to move my own hands away. When they succeed I let out a scream and jump up towards the ceiling, only to land on the other side of the cell. The winged creature following after me. They use their appendages, their wings to jump up. The lift of their wings pulling them to crash into the ceiling. Ground falls down onto the straw that covers the ground. A hiss comes from my mouth as my tongue is out of my mouth and hissing as well across my lips.
This creature is stronger than me, obviously, but not nearly as educated about this cell as I am.
Fleur De Chant Community Member |
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