The hue in her eyes seemed to grow brighter, staining the blue a sickly seafoam green and almost seeming to strangle their original color with how fiercely it glowed. But just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped, the color receding and her pupils expanding once more. Esperanza sagged, taking her hand back from where she had held Kedryzal's chin and blinking slowly several times. She rolled her shoulders slowly and gave her head a small shake, her well-groomed, soft mane almost seeming to shimmer under the lights above.
"Let's get started then," she said, and this time when she stepped forward, she stepped to the side, placing her hand over Kedryzal's eyes so her palm rested lightly across his brow and snout. Violet light shone from her palm as she closed her eyes and focused. She knew how this went, she'd seen it enough times and had been told what it felt like, though she'd never felt it herself: Kedryal's limbs would grow heavy, his eyes would seem almost to vibrate and his mind would plunge into blackness, as if jumping into a warm, dark well.
She held Kedryzal's head as his body relaxed and lowered it to the floor. The humans would come for him with their tools and their table, and she would be on to the next crop.
Esperanza turned to leave the stall, seeing the fiery red and yellow kainu in the stall across the way, but she stiffened and looked back at the drakiri she had just put to sleep. She felt the pressure in her eyes again, felt him looking out of her eyes, and shivered in delight. Something about the drakiri had intrigued her love, and she knew he would feast in mere hours.
The dracus strode across the hall to the flighty kainu, watching him with glee as he danced back from her to stand with his side pressed hard against the far wall, as if begging it to give way and let him hide behind its cold, solid stone. She reveled in the fear in his golden eyes, almost as much as she adored the praise the other drakiri had given her. Fear was her favorite form of control, and she would take it, even when it was not willingly given.
"Do you fear me?" she asked, brushing her fingers through her own mane once more--a gesture common to her, especially when preening in self-satisfaction.
"Yes," the kainu admitted, his voice shaking as much as the rest of him.
"But you do not attempt to flee," Esperanza mused, her head cocking slightly to the side. "Why?"
Icarus's whiskers shook even harder than the rest of him, his heart hammering so loudly in his chest he was sure Esperanza would hear it.
"I have children," he said, his voice shuddering with the concern he felt for them. "I would like to see them again before I die. If I run...they'll kill me." He didn't have to say who, they were both well aware.
"And so smart you are," Esperanza cooed. "Lie down. We don't want to scuff up the knees of that pretty skin of yours."
Icarus shivered and shied away from the dracus's touch, even as he laid down, folding his legs under himself and drawing them in close. He was cold, lonely and afraid. Not for himself, but for his children. He had no idea where they were, no idea if they were dead or alive, though he'd been told they would not be harmed. Could he believe these people?
"You have a restless mind," Esperanza said as she placed her hand on his face like he'd seen her do to the drakiri across the way. "Quiet now, and sleep. You'll wake soon enough."
He closed his eyes when the light began, it blinded him until he saw nothing but white, and then black crept in around the edges as he lost hold of his own body, falling into a pit in himself where up and down had no meaning, it was all black.
Hellcatstrut Staff Member
The hue in her eyes seemed to grow brighter, staining the blue a sickly seafoam green and almost seeming to strangle their original color with how fiercely it glowed. But just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped, the color receding and her pupils expanding once more. Esperanza sagged, taking her hand back from where she had held Kedryzal's chin and blinking slowly several times. She rolled her shoulders slowly and gave her head a small shake, her well-groomed, soft mane almost seeming to shimmer under the lights above.
"Let's get started then," she said, and this time when she stepped forward, she stepped to the side, placing her hand over Kedryzal's eyes so her palm rested lightly across his brow and snout. Violet light shone from her palm as she closed her eyes and focused. She knew how this went, she'd seen it enough times and had been told what it felt like, though she'd never felt it herself: Kedryal's limbs would grow heavy, his eyes would seem almost to vibrate and his mind would plunge into blackness, as if jumping into a warm, dark well.
She held Kedryzal's head as his body relaxed and lowered it to the floor. The humans would come for him with their tools and their table, and she would be on to the next crop.
Esperanza turned to leave the stall, seeing the fiery red and yellow kainu in the stall across the way, but she stiffened and looked back at the drakiri she had just put to sleep. She felt the pressure in her eyes again, felt him looking out of her eyes, and shivered in delight. Something about the drakiri had intrigued her love, and she knew he would feast in mere hours.
The dracus strode across the hall to the flighty kainu, watching him with glee as he danced back from her to stand with his side pressed hard against the far wall, as if begging it to give way and let him hide behind its cold, solid stone. She reveled in the fear in his golden eyes, almost as much as she adored the praise the other drakiri had given her. Fear was her favorite form of control, and she would take it, even when it was not willingly given.
"Do you fear me?" she asked, brushing her fingers through her own mane once more--a gesture common to her, especially when preening in self-satisfaction.
"Yes," the kainu admitted, his voice shaking as much as the rest of him.
"But you do not attempt to flee," Esperanza mused, her head cocking slightly to the side. "Why?"
Icarus's whiskers shook even harder than the rest of him, his heart hammering so loudly in his chest he was sure Esperanza would hear it.
"I have children," he said, his voice shuddering with the concern he felt for them. "I would like to see them again before I die. If I run...they'll kill me." He didn't have to say who, they were both well aware.
"And so smart you are," Esperanza cooed. "Lie down. We don't want to scuff up the knees of that pretty skin of yours."
Icarus shivered and shied away from the dracus's touch, even as he laid down, folding his legs under himself and drawing them in close. He was cold, lonely and afraid. Not for himself, but for his children. He had no idea where they were, no idea if they were dead or alive, though he'd been told they would not be harmed. Could he believe these people?
"You have a restless mind," Esperanza said as she placed her hand on his face like he'd seen her do to the drakiri across the way. "Quiet now, and sleep. You'll wake soon enough."
He closed his eyes when the light began, it blinded him until he saw nothing but white, and then black crept in around the edges as he lost hold of his own body, falling into a pit in himself where up and down had no meaning, it was all black.
2021-12-16 02:04:57
Feature Comment