Chapter 5-Flames

How long has it been? All I know is that it was some thousand tears ago, and that I'm stuck dangling here.

"Training time, mutt!"

Woah! This floor, ceiling, rotating thing, whatever it's called! It goes off without warning!

Aww flames. It's him.

"Now I know you're probably sad and all, but he was the closest thing to an alpha you had, no?"

Darn right, and I will avenge him.

"So eliminating him, that would make me the alpha now, wouldn't it?"

Oh... that's...

"Never. You'll pay for that! I'm gonna-zztzz. Yip!"

Dang it! He left the collar on! Should be carefull if I don't want my innards to catch fire.

"Will I? Will I really? You're too young to be an alpha, so there's nothing you can really do about it right now. I hold the power anyways, or... hmm... maybe another demonstration is in order. Oh, and no talking!"

"Zztzz! Yip!"

What is with this guy, no - monster, and coursing electricity through my veins? As long as he has that remote, I guess I'm stuck... for now.

"Let's go. Head to that door over there, you've been broken in enough.

Broken in? What am I? Cattle? That's kind of demeaning, especially for a shifter.

Well, at least he's not using the wheel again.

I hope.

So what's on the other side of this door, anyways? There appears to be light coming out from around the cracks, not much, but it's there. Not outside, but definitely brighter. Maybe-

"Get moving!"

"Zztzz! Yip!"

I really hate this blasted collar.

Ow owowowow! My eyes! It's... aw karabast. Stables.

"Go to the one labeled 66."

Nope. Not doin' this. Rather be dead. Wait... dead! Yeah, that could work. Just need to get him mad enough. Bite his leg? Nah, might taste bad. But it'll be worth it... yeah.

"66 is the other way, you stupid mutt! Now turn around before I- Augh!"

He really does taste bad. Like... no. Not reliving that.

"Hey mutt?"

Ooh, he hates it when I talk! Hmm, maybe I could-

"Zztzz! Yip!"

Let's hope setting my veins on fire is worth it. Maybe...

"Evidently, more breaking was needed. I should have known: in order to metaphorically break something, you have to literally break it, too. You ready to wish you were dead?"

Ooh, I need a good retort here. Hmm...

"Jokes on you, I'm already there!"

Flames! That's the best I can do?! Flames I'm weak.

"No talking!"

"Zztzz! Yip!"

Ahh! This is not what I had in mind! I'm not supposed to be electrocuted, let alone this long!

Isn't it supposed to... stop... zapping... m... me...

No... gotta... stay... awake...

Maybe... just a short nap...

Alright, where am I? So help me, if I'm in a stable like some unintelligent cattle, I will tear this place down!

Wait, where am I? I can't see! There's something around my head, and some sort of ring - no, collar - on my neck. It seems to be metal, and cold. But not just physically... it's cold in regards to telekinesis as well; it's immune. It stops all the warmth that I normally feel from around me, so I just feel the cold. Nothingness.

I guess it's an... upgraded shock collar? Just great!

"Look who's up. Finally. Have fun on the wheel, I'll be back."

No. I'm not getting on the wheel. Wait, why is the ground moving? Oh flames, I'm already on it. Well then, I guess I just need to keep up.

For as long as I can.

On this wheel that gets faster and faster.

And faster.

Wonder what it does after that... oh, it goes faster! Again.

Until eventually, I'll just fall off from fatigue, land on the spikes again, and - oh no. No, can't... slow... down... woah!

"Yip!"

Once again, I seem to find myself impaled. I hate my life, and having metal spikes shoved into my flesh. It feels so... so... weird. Probably 'cause this whole flaming place is weird, as is my life. But I suppose the reasoning for that all comes back to... me?

"Good job. If you were an inanimate object, at least. You lasted even less than your pathetic father, if you can even call him that. I mean, he wasn't even there for your childhood!"

Alright, one; it's your fault. Not his.

Two: You took away my childhood.

Three: I'm gonna enjoy taking you out.

Just wait. Just wait, and I'll be there. I'll be there, and you won't be.

"Now, you seem to have a rebellious spirit. So in order to deal with it, every time you make a mistake or refuse to cooperate, you will be brought to the room I am about to show you. Well, you won't be able to see it, but you'll remember it."

Where does he think he's taking me? I am not going anywhere with him.

"Now, git!"

Yeah, like - oh flames! Yeah, I better go. Blasted collar. Just need to slide out of the spikes, oh flames, that's cold! Why is this room so drafty?

It seems to be getting warmer and warmer as we go, are we going outside?

"Welcome, to the furnace. Where all of your nightmares come true, young mutt."

Why did it have to be fire! And my nightmares seem to be talking to me, so I suppose they already came true a long, long time ago.

"Fire it up!"

No no no no! Gotta get out! But which way is that?!

"Don't worry, you won't die. It'll just hurt... a lot."

Why is the air rushing, is-

"Yip!"

Why did he have to kick me in?! Now I don't know which way to go!

Ow! My paws! I'm on coals! The rest of my is fine, though, so I guess they don't want me to burn. How nice. But they don't seem to be opposed to putting fire around me. I can feel it, not even a foot away. I can't move, and this smoke really does a number on the snout.

I think something happened to my blindfold or whatever they put on me, because I can see the fire. Wait, no. Not the fire I'm in. The fire. The Burning. I really wish I could cut that memory out. Lift it from my skull, and cast it into a void. Along with my heart and soul.

"They're here!"

No, not again!

"Run! "

I can't go through this again!

"Get the pups to safety! Take the hidden path, and go thr-ungh!"

"Erérf!"

(Er-airf)

(Brother)

No... I see it every night. Why must I see my Uncle die again, the dull glow of the sword sticking out of his stomach, and his face sneering at us?

"Run."

Uttering one last breathe, before death sped him away from the living nightmare that our kind has been forced to endure.

"Ahh!"

The pain.

"No! Stay away from th-ahhh!"

The loss.

"Erém!"

(Er-aim)

(Mother)

The horror.

The flames, bursting from the houses, spreading from tree to tree, like the speeding messenger of torment that it is.

All the while, they rejoiced. They took comfort and joy out of the fact that they were ridding the world of a supposed threat.

Chasing us down, one by one. I hear the screams of the wounded and trapped every night. The weak ones were finished off then and there, with the rest being taken prisoner. All of the screams were audible for miles, where my young ears had picked them up.

From that moment on, nothing was the same.

Not only had my kin died that night, but my hope and joy had, too.

Years later, maybe I can, too.

After all, even with the blindfold on, I can tell that the fire is no more than a foot away, and it's the only chance that I'll ever have for a long, long time.

Maybe I can be happy again. Or rather, feel it for once.

Or at least feel nothing.