The wolf rested within his cage, Yelana’s hand firm upon his shoulders. The walls of this cell seemed to illuminate with bright blue light whenever his eyes would close, the tainted meat dulling the sound that would blare around him. Sleep was no necessary part of rest to the wolf. If their goal was to rob him of that, they were mistaken. Eventually, the cage would open, and three beasts would enter his domain. He pondered if they were monsters, but their appearance was little different than his own. Neither hungry for blood nor driven by madness. Still, Yelana’s hand was removed without clear direction.

He approached the beasts, trying to examine their scent. Despite the stench of blood about them, he didn’t smell anything special about these individuals. They seemed to be investigating him as well, curious as to the wolf’s nature in kind. It was only when he felt cold metal encase his arm that the wolf realized they only wondered why their prey did not fight or run. His arms completely encased behind his back, the hunters revealed their gleaming blades and began their work. Tooth and claw of a monster, the got to work on him. Repeated punctures, strikes intended to shatter bone and rattle the mind, and even exploratory slices of his scales to see if they could be lifted. He fought as hard as he could, knocking tooth and blood to the floor. Headbutts and kicks, but restrained and unarmed he was easy victim to these trained killers.

They left him battered, bound, and broken in that cell. The wolf looked at Yelana, wondering why she would allow this to pass. Her answer was to run her hands through his fur to examine the wounds and to soothe his pain. Soon, meat encased in cold steel came and began to tend to his wounds. He could not tell what to make of them. He could smell their meat and blood as if it was in open air, but he saw neither. He could sense fear and agony, but their movements were cold and mechanical. These dolls sealed his wounds with heated blades and rubbed an ointment on his skin which seemed to return numbness to his body after the beating he had received.

His instincts could not sort out the conflicting information that they were receiving. Yelana’s hand rested firmly on his muzzle, holding it closed as they worked, his body tensing only as the blades burned his wounds closed. Wrenching his body as though to bite them in half, he felt Yelana holding him back. When they had finished their work, the dolls waited by the door. The panels upon which they stood opened and they fell, the smell of ash and burning meat rising up shortly afterwards. The floor panels snapped closed and the smell vanished with them.

The wolf found himself sniffing around where they fell, concerned for their plight, but Yelana’s hand pulled him back by the scruff of his neck. This was nature. Life and death were simply results. One could only ever control what they did to avoid oblivion. At times as these, others are of little concern as long as survival was necessary. The wolf returned to his rest, his numb and damaged body stumbling in its effort to do so. Exhausted from the endeavor, he now found irritation at the lack of sleep. But rest would not escape him.

————

Gavin was alone with his misery, the pain becoming a dull throb in his leg. He felt his heart closing in on itself, as though he was chained here to this bed. His ship felt entire planets away and he knew that there would be no rescue. That his freedom was dependent on himself, and he wasn’t sure if he had the strength to make it happen. Still, testing his limbs, he felt his left hand begin to open and close. He could feel his ice cold breath coming in and out of his body. When the ‘goddess’ returned, he did all he could to hide his recovery.

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She mounted him again, smacking him a few times in case he was drifting and leaned forward with soft loving smile that from her filled him with dread. She teased, “Oh, Gavy. You will love this. Reijaa was a total gem and made a gift for you. Straight from the heart and by her own hands.”

He again found the cold dread filling his heart. One of the eventualities he had planned for had potentially come to pass. His sweat was like ice water on his skin. Permiso injected him with a needle, his blood beginning to boil, his skin beginning to itch, and his jaw clenched. He grabbed her by the throat, provoking a purr of approval from her as her eyes sparkled with wonder. She whispered past his grip, “So eager… I knew you were there…”

He released the hold after a few moments, disgusted with himself for being baited this way. He swallowed down his dread as his eyes drifted back up to see what he feared most. Before him stood a golden gynoid, serpentine eyes staring helplessly back at him. Its arms were outstretched and in its hands was a snakeskin jacket. The scales were a familiar pattern of purple and gold. Permiso took the jacket from it and put his arms through the sleeves of it before running her hands along his shoulders seductively. She said reluctantly, “I have to admit. It is rather fetching. You can carry her with you everywhere you go while thinking of me.” She then kissed his cheek and asked, “So, how do you thank her for this gift she put her all into?”

Gavin walked up to the gynoid and kicked one of the legs so hard at the joint that it cracked and blood started to pour out. He sighed with a measure of relief, much to Permiso’s confusion. He stated firmly, “I know you well enough by now. But trying to fool me with a fake jacket and a paint job is just cruel.”

Her smile grew but there was something darker behind her eyes. Something angry. She taunted, “As was you shattering that poor girl’s legs simply to test your theory. The jacket, however is very real.”

Gavin pulled a sizable knife from his boot and jammed it into the head of the gynoid, as her blood poured out he growled, “Real or not, the torture you inflict is sadistic.”

Her voice grew dismissive, “And your murder is my mercy. A release from their pain by your own power in my name.” She feigned a lack of interest as she returned to the bed. “Are you truly wasting your ever dwindling time before release on such petty semantics?” She was right. He was wasting his time on the stage. It wouldn’t be much longer until the inevitable. “How about we enjoy one more blood feast before I bestow my blessing upon you one last time?”

He smiled in a way that she was uncertain of how to interpret it. “There is nothing I would love more.”

“Don’t get too thirsty. It is all from the survivors of the batch of sacrifices you brought me. You might recognize their faces in the brief moments before they are distorted in hunger and agonizing death.”

He laughed a dark laugh that seemed to give her the chills. She wrapped her arms around one of his as they walked to the observation glass. “I missed you, Gavy. Welcome home.” He was sure she was going to try and drug him again, but he didn’t care. It was almost time. All he had to do now was wait, having the luxury for the first time in these walls of hoping for the health of others.