07-08-2016, 04:01 PM
I don't really remember what happened last night (was it last night) after Grumble had taken me back to my stall. I remember the utter hopelessness I had had, the way the shadows seemed to be far more welcoming. The less he could see, the less I would be tortured. I remember thinking I ought to prepare myself for the long life of torture that would be lined up for me, and then eventually some kind of gruesome death. Then I remember just not even caring. I told him I would do whatever he wanted me to do and I would, even if that means dying here for this, whatever this was.
I fall asleep, remembering the vision of my mother dying and bleeding.
Oddly enough, I wake and didn't have any nightmares. I feel okay, my body feels like it's not quite right. Like, there is something under my skin where I can't quite reach it....like an itch. I feel more invigorated and know it must be something to do with Grumble's magic. He had healed me physically many times and he hadn't ever quite broken me mentally. He was just seeing what my strength was and how long I would survive. Ha, silly Grumble. He knows we are friends.
Wait?
I shake my head. That itch distracting me from my train of thought as I turn and look at my body. I don't see anything different. A small circle in the small as I check again, just to make sure. Then I mentally shrug.
The sound of footsteps in the aisle way make me stick my head out over the top of the door. I whicker when I see the little man heading my way. He smiles, that sneaky little smile of his and when he opens the door I back away so he can come in. But he doesn't, he simply grabs my halter and starts to lead me someplace else. For a moment a heavy tide of fear washes over me and I stop, my legs locking in place and causing Grumble to turn and raise an eyebrow. I couldn't return to the torture room, I wouldn't make it out a second time. A sense of calm washes through me. Of course we weren't going there, that was the doorway to the right. Grumbles had taken me to the left.
And just like that we are walking again. My ears prick and my stride is long and energetic. I look curiously in the other stalls, seeing only those that have been broken or the ones that are still waiting. Poor souls. "Don't worry, it will be okay!" I say in my youthful ignorance. I don't see any of their reactions as Grumble is nudging me through the door and into the biggest open building I would ever see in my life.
"This is a Coliseum." Grumble explains. "I've gifted you with something, but you get to figure it all out on your own. I want to see how clever you are." I can only look at him. Clever? I would have to be clever wouldn't I? After all Grumble did pick me. A small smile curls my lips. "I will be up there watching you. Don't disappoint me." He points to the throne in the middle of the Coliseum and the last little bit of his tone is darker, but I am not sure what it means. After all....Grumble and I were friends.
Adrenaline starts to course through my veins as a loud roar echoes somewhere. I turn to look, only to see the bars on the other side of the Coliseum start to open. I turn to look back at Grumble, only to realize that I was alone. "Shit." I mutter to myself. I stretch my wings out, readying myself to take to the air. Or rather, at least try. Instead I move myself closer to the opening door. I see long, clawed fingers curling itself around a bar before drawing back in. I would fight, the hormones coursing through my blood making me ready.
I would never realize that any of this was all from the halter, from that magic binding me to him. At least, not until after this was all over.
When the bars are finally down, the creature doesn't immediately rush right out. I am still, not daring to move. I don't know how long we stand like this. It could have been seconds, or hours, perhaps minutes. Either way, any measurement of time is too long and Grumble is impatient. So a zap touches my nose and jerks me, startling me and apparently whatever creature is lurking in the dark because it roars and then comes charging out.
It charges for me on four legs, like that of a lion. All of it looks like a lion, except for the long tail that curls up over it's back with a rather vicious looking barb on the end. Something lands at my feet, one of the creature's barbs and I jump to the side. Green and yellow something seeps from the stinger and then I turn and run. I move as quickly as I can behind one of the large columns. It is easily big enough for me to hide behind and I gasp, heaving. My wings are tucked tight against my side. I don't think now would be the time to learn.
"It's only a wee manticore, boy. Go kill it!" Kill it? Was he daft? Oh but what if it manages to get out and hurt him, hurt Grumble? No, we couldn't have that. Alright, fight. Grumble said- and a sharp raking pain down my hindquarters makes me scream in pain. Blood wells from the claw marks that had broken through skin and some muscle, ripping that tissue. Oh god it hurt. I buck out almost in reflex, sending a quick kick that some how manages to hit the manticore in it's arm. It roars and starts to charge again. Oh I wish I was away from the creature, out of it's reach.
And suddenly I was. I was floating in the air, the manticore below me. My wings stretch out reflexively and I move them. Oh excellent gift Grumble. I fly, er float. Something. Anyways I am moving up and out and away from the manticore below me. I need a little time to figure this out. I need to figure out some way to dismantle his stinger (as another one flies past me.) I barely manage to dodge it this time. I swoop and soar, getting a feeling for real flying where I can actually feel the wind in my wings and the muscles working beneath my skin.
A loud roar brings me back to the battle and with a narrowing of my eyes I swoop towards it. Smaller, I need to be smaller. If only I was like the falcon, swooping down with it's deadly claws and beak. I scream, a falcon scream, and my beak...wait...my beak? My beak slams into the manticore's eye. My claws find it's face and oh boy, now it's mad.
It throws me from it, but I shift again, thinking of the small crabs and their hard shells. I land on my belly and my legs scramble to get some purchase. I see the manticore looking for me and I clack my claws in preparation. Another barb slams into me this time, ricocheting off the hardness of my shell and I can only laugh some mentally. I grow larger, using my claws to snap and click at the manticore, only growing more determined as I missed his tail each time. Blood ran down it's face from the wounds I had given it as a falcon.
This shifting was nice.
Finally I grab it's tail and squeeze the poison off, but not before the damn manticore shoots off a last barb and it sticks in one of the soft parts of my body. I return to horse form, the manticore still growling but with a thought of fire, the manticore is nothing more than a howling ball of flame. I fall to my knees, looking at the wound from the barb oozing green already. My body feels weird and .....
"Oh not yet." Grumble is there pulling the poison from my body. "More to do yeah?" The poison is gone and so is Grumbles.
But another creature crawls from the gaping hole on the other side of the Coliseum. It's a Cyclops and as we fight, I grow just as big as he was, and into him in fact, replicating him. He lands a couple blows, I land some and then he is a goner. I'm beginning to figure this out, anything I can think of happens. I do all the things and then some to the creatures that crawl from that pit. I fight cyclops, griffens, orcs, ogres, rocs. I fight them all and come out victorious every time, using every scrap of magic that I can find.
Wounds and scars dot my young body now. Some of them had been too deep and Grumble had made sure I didn't die. But I was tired and the sun was finally lower. I was exhausted actually, my body heaving as I collected what breath I could in this small break. And I wait for more to be forthcoming but there is nothing. I look to Grumble to see what was going on.
I fall asleep, remembering the vision of my mother dying and bleeding.
Oddly enough, I wake and didn't have any nightmares. I feel okay, my body feels like it's not quite right. Like, there is something under my skin where I can't quite reach it....like an itch. I feel more invigorated and know it must be something to do with Grumble's magic. He had healed me physically many times and he hadn't ever quite broken me mentally. He was just seeing what my strength was and how long I would survive. Ha, silly Grumble. He knows we are friends.
Wait?
I shake my head. That itch distracting me from my train of thought as I turn and look at my body. I don't see anything different. A small circle in the small as I check again, just to make sure. Then I mentally shrug.
The sound of footsteps in the aisle way make me stick my head out over the top of the door. I whicker when I see the little man heading my way. He smiles, that sneaky little smile of his and when he opens the door I back away so he can come in. But he doesn't, he simply grabs my halter and starts to lead me someplace else. For a moment a heavy tide of fear washes over me and I stop, my legs locking in place and causing Grumble to turn and raise an eyebrow. I couldn't return to the torture room, I wouldn't make it out a second time. A sense of calm washes through me. Of course we weren't going there, that was the doorway to the right. Grumbles had taken me to the left.
And just like that we are walking again. My ears prick and my stride is long and energetic. I look curiously in the other stalls, seeing only those that have been broken or the ones that are still waiting. Poor souls. "Don't worry, it will be okay!" I say in my youthful ignorance. I don't see any of their reactions as Grumble is nudging me through the door and into the biggest open building I would ever see in my life.
"This is a Coliseum." Grumble explains. "I've gifted you with something, but you get to figure it all out on your own. I want to see how clever you are." I can only look at him. Clever? I would have to be clever wouldn't I? After all Grumble did pick me. A small smile curls my lips. "I will be up there watching you. Don't disappoint me." He points to the throne in the middle of the Coliseum and the last little bit of his tone is darker, but I am not sure what it means. After all....Grumble and I were friends.
Adrenaline starts to course through my veins as a loud roar echoes somewhere. I turn to look, only to see the bars on the other side of the Coliseum start to open. I turn to look back at Grumble, only to realize that I was alone. "Shit." I mutter to myself. I stretch my wings out, readying myself to take to the air. Or rather, at least try. Instead I move myself closer to the opening door. I see long, clawed fingers curling itself around a bar before drawing back in. I would fight, the hormones coursing through my blood making me ready.
I would never realize that any of this was all from the halter, from that magic binding me to him. At least, not until after this was all over.
When the bars are finally down, the creature doesn't immediately rush right out. I am still, not daring to move. I don't know how long we stand like this. It could have been seconds, or hours, perhaps minutes. Either way, any measurement of time is too long and Grumble is impatient. So a zap touches my nose and jerks me, startling me and apparently whatever creature is lurking in the dark because it roars and then comes charging out.
It charges for me on four legs, like that of a lion. All of it looks like a lion, except for the long tail that curls up over it's back with a rather vicious looking barb on the end. Something lands at my feet, one of the creature's barbs and I jump to the side. Green and yellow something seeps from the stinger and then I turn and run. I move as quickly as I can behind one of the large columns. It is easily big enough for me to hide behind and I gasp, heaving. My wings are tucked tight against my side. I don't think now would be the time to learn.
"It's only a wee manticore, boy. Go kill it!" Kill it? Was he daft? Oh but what if it manages to get out and hurt him, hurt Grumble? No, we couldn't have that. Alright, fight. Grumble said- and a sharp raking pain down my hindquarters makes me scream in pain. Blood wells from the claw marks that had broken through skin and some muscle, ripping that tissue. Oh god it hurt. I buck out almost in reflex, sending a quick kick that some how manages to hit the manticore in it's arm. It roars and starts to charge again. Oh I wish I was away from the creature, out of it's reach.
And suddenly I was. I was floating in the air, the manticore below me. My wings stretch out reflexively and I move them. Oh excellent gift Grumble. I fly, er float. Something. Anyways I am moving up and out and away from the manticore below me. I need a little time to figure this out. I need to figure out some way to dismantle his stinger (as another one flies past me.) I barely manage to dodge it this time. I swoop and soar, getting a feeling for real flying where I can actually feel the wind in my wings and the muscles working beneath my skin.
A loud roar brings me back to the battle and with a narrowing of my eyes I swoop towards it. Smaller, I need to be smaller. If only I was like the falcon, swooping down with it's deadly claws and beak. I scream, a falcon scream, and my beak...wait...my beak? My beak slams into the manticore's eye. My claws find it's face and oh boy, now it's mad.
It throws me from it, but I shift again, thinking of the small crabs and their hard shells. I land on my belly and my legs scramble to get some purchase. I see the manticore looking for me and I clack my claws in preparation. Another barb slams into me this time, ricocheting off the hardness of my shell and I can only laugh some mentally. I grow larger, using my claws to snap and click at the manticore, only growing more determined as I missed his tail each time. Blood ran down it's face from the wounds I had given it as a falcon.
This shifting was nice.
Finally I grab it's tail and squeeze the poison off, but not before the damn manticore shoots off a last barb and it sticks in one of the soft parts of my body. I return to horse form, the manticore still growling but with a thought of fire, the manticore is nothing more than a howling ball of flame. I fall to my knees, looking at the wound from the barb oozing green already. My body feels weird and .....
"Oh not yet." Grumble is there pulling the poison from my body. "More to do yeah?" The poison is gone and so is Grumbles.
But another creature crawls from the gaping hole on the other side of the Coliseum. It's a Cyclops and as we fight, I grow just as big as he was, and into him in fact, replicating him. He lands a couple blows, I land some and then he is a goner. I'm beginning to figure this out, anything I can think of happens. I do all the things and then some to the creatures that crawl from that pit. I fight cyclops, griffens, orcs, ogres, rocs. I fight them all and come out victorious every time, using every scrap of magic that I can find.
Wounds and scars dot my young body now. Some of them had been too deep and Grumble had made sure I didn't die. But I was tired and the sun was finally lower. I was exhausted actually, my body heaving as I collected what breath I could in this small break. And I wait for more to be forthcoming but there is nothing. I look to Grumble to see what was going on.
c h a o l