Possession

Episode 2

The sky was dark when I awoke again; no longer could I hear the sound of crackling flames, or the crumbling of buildings. It was silent, save for the distant noises of nocturnal creatures. I was lying on something soft, a thin blanket draped over me. It took me a moment to remember what had happened and why I had been asleep; instantly I jerked to attention, sitting up so fast my head spun. Trees broke through the ground in the distance, but I could hardly see their shapes through the dark. I, myself, was in a clearing laying on what looked like a sleeping bag. Through the trees I could see the faint glowing of the flames from the village I had lived in.

That was until we had been attacked, and I had been spirited away by the creature that had destroyed us. Having him come to mind, I frantically searched my surroundings but saw that I was left alone. Where had he gone?

The sound of wings beating, and a sudden gust of wind brought my attention to the sky, and the large creature lowered itself to the ground, landing above me. It’s underbelly was mere feet from my face, and I felt my insides twist with anxiety. For a long moment I feared he would just sit on me, crushing me under its weight, but then I thought how ridiculous that was to even consider and did my best to brush it aside. I remained silent, watching as it stood overtop of me, as if it were guarding me from something, and it was then I heard what sounded like more wings beating against the sky.

My suspicions were confirmed when not one, but two additional beasts landed beside my captor.

“You have taken a fleshling?” One of them hissed, disdain dripping from every syllable.

“Perhaps. What of it?” My abductor snarled, shifting his position above me as to completely hide me from view.

“We do not adopt fleshlings.” The other huffed, blowing smoke from its nostrils. “Give the fleshling to me and I shall dispose of it properly.” It tried to push its snout underneath his body to me.

Again he shifted above me, lowering himself so that if I wanted to, I could reach out and touch him. “It is mine.” He snapped. I could feel the rumble of his voice through my entire body he was so close.

“We do not keep fleshlings!” The other scoffed. “How will you house it, hm? Feed it? Does it need to be watered regularly? And if it should get sick! You know their bodily constitution is nearly nonexistent!” It continued ferociously.

“It. Is. Mine.” My captor repeated angrily, drawing out every syllable as if the others were lacking in mental capacity.

As they were speaking, out of the corner of my eyes I noticed movement; a humanoid shape was attempting to crawl under the dragon from the other side. I had been so preoccupied with the conversation above I hadn’t noticed the third had shifted until it was nearly upon me. In my panic I scrambled backwards, bracing myself on the belly of the creature above me. My touch, and sudden movement, caught the attention of my captor and he moved again, this time shifting into his own humanoid form. In an instant he was pulling me close, arm cradling me against his side, a sword appearing in his hand, the tip delicately pressed against the throat of the one who came for me.

The dragon whom had been accompanying my would-be attacker did not shift, but turned its beady-eyed stare to me. I felt the weight of its gaze and trembled. It looked me up and down, slowly dragging its eyes from the crown of my head to my toes and back before it settled once again on my eyes. I felt my breath catch, my stomach twisting in fear.

My captor turned the blade upon the full-bodied dragon, his eyes narrowed, lips curling in anger. “You think it wise to attempt to steal from me?”

“We cannot steal what does not belong to you.” It sniffed dismissively. “We do not own fleshlings.”

“I own one. It belongs to me, it is mine.” He seemed to be annoyed at having to repeat himself.

After what seemed like ages, which was probably only a few seconds, of them staring each other down, the dragon heaved a great sigh. “Fine. Do what you want, you always do.” It jerked its large head at the other, who shifted into its large form, unfurling its wings and stretching. “Do not get attached. When you grow bored of it, dispose of it properly, will you? Bury it far. Their dead stink when they rot.” With those words they both pushed off from the ground and disappeared into the night sky.

I watched with wide eyes for several seconds after they vanished, afraid they would return and snatch me away at any moment. When they did not, I sighed with relief and sagged against the human form of my abductor. I hadn’t realized until that moment that I had been clinging to him and quickly let go, stepping out of his grip. Having also been watching the others retreat he turned his gaze to me, frowning deeply. Giving me a once over to ensure I had all my limbs intact, he allowed me to move away, sheathing his sword.

“Uhm… thanks?” I cleared my throat, feeling awkward.

“I do not want, nor require, your thanks.” He replied shortly.

I felt annoyance bubble up in my chest, but squashed it down, my jaw clenching. “Whether you want it or not I have given it.”

He turned to face me, eyes blazing. “Do not mistake what happened here as affection. I did not kill you for only one purpose. Do not delude yourself into thinking that I would hesitate to do to you as I have done to many of your ilk.” He spat. “Until I decide otherwise you are my property, to do with as I see fit.”

“I am not a possession!” I snapped before I could use my better judgement to stop myself.

His eyes flashed dangerously, and I found myself face to face with him, his hand around my throat. He wasn’t squeezing, but there was a slight pressure, his hand trembling as if he was using great restraint to not crush my windpipe. “You belong to me.” He growled. I could see my reflection in his eyes, it felt like I was looking into a blood red sea, ready to swallow me whole at any moment. My own eyes widened, terrified, but I dared not speak, or move.

I could practically see him at war with himself, but he finally released me and I crumpled to the ground my hand rubbing my throat. “What do I call you, then?” I asked after a moment of silence.

“Nothing. I would prefer you not speak. I find your voice irritating.” He replied absently. He walked back to where the sleeping bag lay and waved his hand at it. “Sleep. We are traveling at first light.” He dismissed me so casually I wanted to scream at the disrespect, but I held my tongue; I wasn’t too keen on actually having my neck broken.

Despite my reluctance to become more vulnerable to him than I already was, the weight of my fear and anxiety fell over me like a thick blanket. The sight of the sleeping bag seemed to call out to my exhaustion, and as I crawled back under the blanket I prayed he did not kill me as I slept.