Page 127 of Pets in Space 10

Tyvaron

Pain.

The stone no longer calms the pain.

Wing on fire.

Neck so tight.

Burning everywhere.

But she is here with me.

Her scent soothes.

She is light.

She has no fear. She is close, touching me.

She split her twig in two. I wonder what she intends.

I do not need a toothpick.

She leans against my neck.

Pain.

Crack.

The metal screams.

The collar splits.

For a moment, everything burns. Sparks fill my vision. My body convulses. The chains pull. Hard. Voices in the distance. Commands I do not obey.

But then-

Silence.

The weight lifts.

The metal inside my mind peels away, like claws slipping free from my skull. The commands fade. The voices fall silent.

I breathe.

Deep.

The scent fills me.

Soft skin. Warm breath.

Her.

I see her. Not just shape. Not just prey.

Female.

Small hands. Gentle touch.

She stands before me, shaking. Brave. Stupid. Glorious.

I remember more.

I was not always this. Not always metal and fire. There was a time before the pain. Before the chains. Before I was turned into a weapon.

My mind clears. My thoughts sharpen.

Language returns, stumbling like a newborn beast. Heavy. Strange. But mine.

She spoke. I heard her voice before. Words I could not grasp.

Now… I almost can.

There is an echo inside me, of someone I used to be. Not a beast. Someone more like her. But it fades, that echo, until it is almost out of grasp.

The little one chirps by her side. Safe. Trusting.

She freed me.

The collar cracks fully. The last lock snaps with a soft hiss. It falls to the ground. Gone. The weight is gone.

I lift my head slowly, carefully. My body aches. My wings drag behind me like broken banners.

But I see her.

Her.

I open my mouth. My voice is raw, unused.

Deep. Rough.

"Mine," I say.

Her eyes widen. She gasps.

I breathe again.

Alive.

Free.