I awoke in a new, warm, comforting surrounding.
But with the comfort came a searing pain deep within my being, and I hear my own scream vibrate off of the walls of the small room, the dim light flickers, and a heavy wooden door swings open. There he stood, the demon dragon king, staring at me with what I thought was contempt and hate. He approached me as I writhed on the bed, clawing ferociously at the sheets, little white feathers pooling about my hands.
Why did it have to hurt so badly? Gaav leaned over at me, staring at me. His lower lip seemed to quiver, and he slowly wrapped his arms about my quivering body, and began to rock me to and fro, whispering things that were hardly audible...
"Val-Gaav," he whispered. "You need to stop screaming and listen to me,"
I felt his arms about me, constricting me like a snake, and I tried to claw free from him. He didn't snap back, but squeezed a little harder, and pressed me onto the tattered bed.
"Val-Gaav, shhhh," He leaned down over me, and pressed himself against me, whispering.
"Please you have to stop screaming," he would whisper. I would scream, and scream, and scream. I could see in his eyes that at moments he was frustrated, but he knew it was the change he put me through, and would not be right to punish me for the pain he caused me. . .
For hours it seemed I writhed on the bed, Gaav pressed on top of me trying to soothe my aching body.once in a while he would gently massage my permanently damaged wing and bad arm.all the while I could only scream. I didn't know if there was anyone else in the place, but I am sure I was quite the spectacle.
Then, in a fleeting moment, he leaned over to me and whispered something that stayed with me all my days. . .
"Let it turn to white," he said. "Let it all return to white,"
I stopped screaming, and gazed at him, my chest rising gently up and down, sweat beading down my brow.
He smiled.
I stared a moment longer, and nodded, closing my eyes. Gaav's hand passed over a tender nerve, and I let out a gasp, but held it in, keeping my eyes closed. I saw white, and if I made sure the white stayed there, I'd be too busy concentrating on that, rather then the pain.
After a while of massaging, Gaav gathered me up into his arms, rubbed my back, rocking me back and fourth as the change took place.
Soon, the pain faded into nothing but a numb vibration in my muscles, and when Gaav saw fit, he laid me against the pillow, which had somehow miraculously survived my fits of panic, pain and fear. He gently brushed away the feathers, and replaced the torn comforter with a new one. The feathers floating about the in air and landing softly on his nose and in his hair, only to be brushed away seconds later by a quick flick of Gaav's wrist. . .well it all seemed too poetically perfect that I was alive and well, and that I had met one of the five dark lords and lived. Better yet, he hadn't just killed me for his own entertainment, as I had initially expected him to.
He stood and smiled down at me, pulling the covers a little closer to my chin, turned and headed out of the room without a word.
I still remember those days more clearly than any others I had ever had. No one had really shown me that much kindness. They would simply dismiss me with a smile, stare at my deep yellow eyes and murmur to themselves about how I wasn't normal, how I seemed strange.
Gaav, of course, was the one who made it all the more memorable. His facial expressions seemed so unique to me. They hid the torment of a long, trying past, and when he looked into my eyes, I could tell he had had experienced pain like myself.
But with the comfort came a searing pain deep within my being, and I hear my own scream vibrate off of the walls of the small room, the dim light flickers, and a heavy wooden door swings open. There he stood, the demon dragon king, staring at me with what I thought was contempt and hate. He approached me as I writhed on the bed, clawing ferociously at the sheets, little white feathers pooling about my hands.
Why did it have to hurt so badly? Gaav leaned over at me, staring at me. His lower lip seemed to quiver, and he slowly wrapped his arms about my quivering body, and began to rock me to and fro, whispering things that were hardly audible...
"Val-Gaav," he whispered. "You need to stop screaming and listen to me,"
I felt his arms about me, constricting me like a snake, and I tried to claw free from him. He didn't snap back, but squeezed a little harder, and pressed me onto the tattered bed.
"Val-Gaav, shhhh," He leaned down over me, and pressed himself against me, whispering.
"Please you have to stop screaming," he would whisper. I would scream, and scream, and scream. I could see in his eyes that at moments he was frustrated, but he knew it was the change he put me through, and would not be right to punish me for the pain he caused me. . .
For hours it seemed I writhed on the bed, Gaav pressed on top of me trying to soothe my aching body.once in a while he would gently massage my permanently damaged wing and bad arm.all the while I could only scream. I didn't know if there was anyone else in the place, but I am sure I was quite the spectacle.
Then, in a fleeting moment, he leaned over to me and whispered something that stayed with me all my days. . .
"Let it turn to white," he said. "Let it all return to white,"
I stopped screaming, and gazed at him, my chest rising gently up and down, sweat beading down my brow.
He smiled.
I stared a moment longer, and nodded, closing my eyes. Gaav's hand passed over a tender nerve, and I let out a gasp, but held it in, keeping my eyes closed. I saw white, and if I made sure the white stayed there, I'd be too busy concentrating on that, rather then the pain.
After a while of massaging, Gaav gathered me up into his arms, rubbed my back, rocking me back and fourth as the change took place.
Soon, the pain faded into nothing but a numb vibration in my muscles, and when Gaav saw fit, he laid me against the pillow, which had somehow miraculously survived my fits of panic, pain and fear. He gently brushed away the feathers, and replaced the torn comforter with a new one. The feathers floating about the in air and landing softly on his nose and in his hair, only to be brushed away seconds later by a quick flick of Gaav's wrist. . .well it all seemed too poetically perfect that I was alive and well, and that I had met one of the five dark lords and lived. Better yet, he hadn't just killed me for his own entertainment, as I had initially expected him to.
He stood and smiled down at me, pulling the covers a little closer to my chin, turned and headed out of the room without a word.
I still remember those days more clearly than any others I had ever had. No one had really shown me that much kindness. They would simply dismiss me with a smile, stare at my deep yellow eyes and murmur to themselves about how I wasn't normal, how I seemed strange.
Gaav, of course, was the one who made it all the more memorable. His facial expressions seemed so unique to me. They hid the torment of a long, trying past, and when he looked into my eyes, I could tell he had had experienced pain like myself.