Shame I wasn’t able to live up to the shoelace bitch’s fear. Whatever she was afraid of was gone; the fierceness blazing in my heart just a little while ago, quenched; what happened, not hard to figure out. The beast awakened within me took the brunt of her attack, shielding my mind from being destroyed, but leaving me weak as a kitten.

The irony of it all was sickening.

The bitch threatening to turn me into her daughter’s pet basically saved me from succumbing to the feral beast I had feared turning into for over a year and a half, while the beast, whether knowingly or not, protected the last remnants of my humanity. Worse, without its help, I might lose it anyway.

Under threat of being left alone with me, the deranged master of ours picked himself up off the ground, wet shackles in hand.

“What are you waiting for? For the mutt to recover?”

The asshole looked at me, gulped, and took a step. “Stay still!”

‘Move!’ I willed my body to defy his command.

It didn’t.

“Stay still! Stay still! Stay still!” He chanted with every breath.

‘Move, damn it, move!’

Yet, I stayed put, my body oblivious to my cries, bound by the accursed will of the collar and the array.

“Stay still!”

Much to my horror, I did, forced to watch the asshole bend down to my leg, the darn shackles in his hands. The runes engraved in them, dormant as yet, an ominous mockery of what I was and of what I could become. Once on, I might never be myself again.

“Stay still!”

‘No! Please, I beg of you, Korra - MOVE!’

But all I did was flinch when the deranged asshole touched my leg.

‘Shit, shit, shit...p-please...help me...help me, beast.’

»ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!«

As if the beast had waited all this time for me to give in, an ear splitting primal roar ripped from my throat, backed by my might. Breathless, I watched everything around me shake with my rage, be it the humans, or the room. The beast was back and pissed. It pounced from the depths within me and tore through my body with savage ferocity. The wild energy, however, was... strangely liberating. All my fears and worries, however small, shrank to a few basic ones.

To break free; to show these two humans whom they were dealing with; to taste their blood.

But instead of blood wetting my tongue, the smell of shit pinched my nose, and the scream of the deranged male cut into my ears. Annoyingly, though, despite being seized with fear, the human managed to scramble out of my paw’s reach in time.

The pesky shackles. They held me back from tasting revenge.

Anger built up in my chest once more. So much of it that it hurt.

»ROOAAAARRR!!!!!«

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A swipe of my free paw, claws out, and the chain binding my left foreleg was cut in two.

“D-do something...” the deranged human stammered. Male was weak. His own legs failed him. Only with the use of a piece of furniture did he get up. Pathetic.

“Now you’re willing to listen, you brainless imbecile?” hissed the female, weak as the male. Strong in mind, though. Broken now. Scared, panicking...thinking. A sense of danger.

Should kill her, now.

‘Wait. Kill?’

No. No, no, no, no. What was I even thinking? I was no killer. But if they were not the prey, I was. Unacceptable. They hurt me. Hurt my pack. Had to pay.

“Fuck!” the female cursed, tossing aside the bottle of concoction she drank. Stupid. Those things vile, smelling bad. Not the female, her smell getting better, healthier.

“But she will be mine, you understand, Dungreen?”

Arrogant.

»I belong to no one!«

Both stupid. Male not understanding the growl. Female arrogant, full of herself, self-assured, and no longer in my head. Still dangerous, though. Kill.

‘No, no killing...please!’

At least maim, then. Deserving.

‘Well, they ... f-fine.’

Fangs bared. They prey. But must break free first.

Swing of the claws and another chain cut in half.

“Yes, yes, you can have her, just for fuck’s sake...subdue the beast.”

The deranged human desperate. Good. The female baring her teeth.

‘That’s a smirk, damn it.’

Challenge!

She confident. Caution. Tools appeared in her hands. Sharp, claw-like. Daggers, but not.

“I hate to use these on a mutt like you, but...catch.”

She quick. Flick of her wrist, and the tools left her hands. Me not slow either. I moved, the claws hitting my wings only. No pain. Just damaged feathers. Good.

“Well, fuck me. Nice trick, mutt. But enjoy the sweet dreams.”

* You were poisoned

Big runes spoke. Annoying. Go away! Shoo!

‘No, forget the notification. Focus. That bitch poisoned me.’ I needed to get out of here before...before...shit!

Tired. So very tired. Bad sleepiness, though.

“Come on, be a good girl, don’t fight it.”

»Do not tell me what to do!«

With the growl, I shook my head, chasing away the sleepiness. Claws out. Swinging a paw. Last chain cut. Free, again. Fatigue weighed heavily again. Needed to...to...to NOT close my eyes.

“It’s pointless; the poison can put bigger beasts than you to sleep.”

Bigger. Yes, bigger. I too small. Needed to grow.

The mana inside me stirred.

»ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!«

A mighty roar, my might. The female staggered. Eyes wide.

The room shrunk; so did the humans. Annoyingly, the shackles as well, too tight. Paws hurting. Not the collar, though. The runes. The iron adjusted. Glad. Hate it, anyway. Wrong. Messing with the mind.

“Oh, fuck me. Determined to prove me wrong, huh? Then how about this, you big mutt?”

A bottle shattered at my feet. Another vile concoction. Fumes rising. Better not breathe. A few flaps of the wings. The fumes gone, scattered throughout the room.

“Stupid mutt, that’s not gonna help you.”

* You were poisoned

Big runes spoke, again. My body heavy. Paws hurting bad. Me, drowsy. Mind twisted human fine, though, baring her teeth in a smirk. Not so much the deranged male. He rummaged through cabinets in haste, drinking one vile concoction after another.

‘An-antidotes.’

An-annoying.

Pissed off at being tired. Had enough. The mana within me swirled, chasing away the poison, the fatigue, bristling my fur.

‘W-wait, what is this?’

The mana strained my skin - my tail the most. The pressure very unpleasant. Building up.

“You dull-witted mutt, will you fall asleep already?”

My fangs bared. Grin. Mind-twisted female wrong.

»You sleep, evermore.«

Pressure released. Relief. The room filled with orange fumes.

‘A-are you shitting me? Did I just fart or what? And...are those apples I smell?’