Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Collar
P͟o͟v͟: Kian
I slowly open my eyes, confused for a second as to where I am. I must've dozed off... I shake my head as if to get rid of the woozey feeling still lingering in my head. With great effort I stretch my sore and cold limbs. I groan as I try to stand up. Everything starts to tumble and I quickly get a hold of one of the iron bars in front of me. Unsteady I try to stretch my neck as far as I can to look into the windy corridor where that one lonely torch has now gone out as well. Of course there isn't a living soul to be seen. So I sit back down again. And wait... I just sit there, staring at the rough stone wall in front of me. And I start thinking. Maybe the master wants me to be hungry again for a task... I shiver. Last time I went crazy with hunger and devoured a person... The memories are always like a nightmare starting to drift away after waking up. The only things I am always sure of are a dark presence constantly looking over me and the taste of blood in my mouth after I come back to my senses. I slowly hold up my hands in front of my face, thinking how these could turn into weapons in a heartbeat. How my teeth could tear a person to pieces. How they scream when I do... I let my hands fall back into my lap, my face still expressionless. Thinking is hard, as If my thoughts somehow are being surpressed. So I let my mind go blank, hoping that time will pass faster that way. And I guess it did... After a while I hear footsteps approaching from far away and the faint clinking sound of keys rattling against eachother. Of course it will take a couple minutes more for the guard to get here. As I have impeccable hearing I can hear his footsteps from incredibly long distances. I must admit it is pretty easy as there isn't a single other sound to be heard in these corridors other then the faint dropping of water droplets and my own breathing. So I sit there, silently waiting until the guard comes around the corner and walks towards my cel with big, noisy steps. He violently rattles against the iron bars of my cell with his sheath, as if to wake me up. I don't even flinch by the sudden noise and slowly rise up. I hear the guard sigh, obviously displeased as he sees I am still butt naked.
"Don't turn 'round..." He grumbles and throws a long, ragged shirt through the iron bars.
"At least make yourself decent, beast."
I slowly reach down to grab the shirt, my muscles still struggling to keep me from doing a full on face plant. I let the ragged cloth fall over my head and turn around. It's the same guard as always, I remember his face. Probably because he is in charge of feeding me and just keeping me alive in general. He draws his sword and points it my way as he pulls the keys to my cell off his belt.
"Now, no funny bussiness. Ya hear me, mutt?"
I scoff in response and raise my hands slowly with shaking arms, straining my muscles as a crooked grin forms on my lips. The guard sighs, almost in boredom it seems, as he opens my cell door with one hand, still holding his sword pointed to me with his other hand. He kicks against the door and the rusty hinges produce a horrible screeching sound as it slowly falls open. I cover my ears, wincing. The guard grins, showing his rotten yellow teeth.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt your precious little ears now?"
I scowl and look at the man, trying to hold myself back from sinking my claws in him.
"Look human..." I growl,"I haven't eaten for a l͟o͟n͟g͟ time, so I suggest you don't get on my nerves...".
I breathe in deeply, trying to keep myself together. But I can't help smelling the mans fear in response to my words. Not only that... I smell his flesh.
"It'll only get you in an even worse position than right now, mutt." The guard grumbles after a little while, trying to act cool.
I snort and look him in the eyes.
"I bet no-one would miss you down here. The Master'll just replace you." I smirk.
Silence falls as we both know I am right. We are nothing to the Master. Just pawns to be moved around, and indeed, if necessary, replaced. The guard hangs his keys back on the hook on his belt and grabs the chain hanging on the wall besides my cell. I lift up my chin exposing the collar on my neck and the guard quickly attaches the chain in a swift movement. He wraps the other end of the chain around his arm a couple times and gives me a little nod, telling me to start walking. Still shaky I manage to get my legs to move. The guard sighs as he sees me struggling and yanks my chain.
"Get a move on will you. Don't got all day..."
I wince and try my best to walk a little faster. For an eternity it seems, we walk through the dim-lighted corridors of the cell complex. Until I feel the ground beneath my bare feet start to go up. And not that long after, I see a clear silhouette of stairs in front of me, meaning we are almost there. Trembling I pull myself up the stairs, almost crashing to the ground a couple times. Until finally, I see the sudden orange-ish color of torches lighting the room in front of me. I cover my eyes, squinting to the sudden brightness. Disoriented I try to look around. But even before my eyes can adjust to the light I hear a deep voice resonating within the chamber. Like thunder it strikes me and I fall down on my knees in submission.
"Ah, there you are, mutt!" The voice exclaims.
I feel how even the guard takes a step back at the powerful tone.
"Bring him to me." The voice speaks again, in a softer but still demanding way.
The guard immediately steps forward, pulling me back up to my feet. But he does so so suddenly I can't keep my balance in this weakened state. I manage to keep up for a few steps but then my tired body finally reaches its limit. With a smack I fall to the ground. The rough, cold stone scrapes my skin and I feel a hot stream slowly trickling down my leg. I groan in pain. Dammit. This was bound to happen. Weak and trembling I manage to get up on my knees and hands, not able to stand up anymore. Even sitting like this feels like I'm using up an immense amount of power. I keep my head bowed down, looking at the deep dark purple, almost black, cloth of a cloak laying in front of me. I recognise it immediately. I fell down right in front of the Masters feet... His thundering voice now focuses back on me.
"Get up, beast. You'll get my robes filthy with your stench..."
I try with all my might, but I've finally reached my limit. My arms and legs give away beneath me and I fall flat down on the stone floor.
"Get up I said!!" Sounds the rumbling voice of the Master again.
I scrape up all that's left of my former strength and manage to get out a few words.
"I... Can't... Master... Weak..." I grunt and let the air slip from my lungs, breathing heavily.
I hear how the Master utters a dark laugh.
"Have I finally pushed you too far, beast?"
Silence. I can't even move my fingers anymore. I hear a sigh and right after that the clinking of metal chains rattling on the floor. Like a rag doll I get picked up by the collar and I gasp for breath, unable to do anything to free myself from the Masters grasp. He brings my face up to his, yet I can't see anything but two white eyes throught the shadows of his hood. No, wait... now I see his pearly white teeth as well, uncovered in a bone-chilling grin. I scowl and wriggle like a worm trying to get off a fishing hook, but the Master does't even blink. Instead he tilts his head a little to the side as if he's trying to read me. I cough and gasp, trying to breathe pointlessly. Black dots start dancing in front of my eyes and the sound of my chains rattling due to me wiggling about gets fainter and fainter. This is it... This is how I die. I feel my thoughts leaving me as I see a bright white light shining from the Masters free hand, which he brings up to my chest. The light keeps on getting brighter and suddenly the Master shoots his hand forward, hitting me on the chest, right where my heart would be. I gasp as I feel a burning power surge through me. The Master drops me to the floor again, but as I am suddenly fully energized again, I land elegantly on my two feet. Astonished I feel up my chest with both my hands. The Master just saved me... Gave me my strenght back. Why would he...? I am replacable, just a weapon... A questioning look forms upon my face as I now stand firmly upright again with my eyes pointed to the floor. I know all too well what happens if you look the Master in the face without permission.
"I have given you back your strength, beast. Now I have another task for you."
I softly nod. But... I want to ask... Why?
"Yes Master... May I... Ask..." I stutter, preparing for a hellish beating.
"Speak clearly, dog."
I bow down humbly. If I had my tail now, I bet it'd be inbetween my legs...
"Why did you save me Master, I am nothing..."
A loud laugh lets the whole room shudder.
"You are a valuable weapon, beast! I won't let you die until you become useless to me. Still, when that happens I might even kill you myself."
I clench my jaw and nod.
"So, your task... I need you to go to a nearby human village and retrieve something for me. The humans have stolen a rather important magical artifact from one of my... Subjects."
I nod.
"Of course Master."
"I have also made an important decision regarding you, beast. You have been quite useful so far, but I think there is more potential... I am willing to let you keep your memory and thoughts, to serve me better."
"Yes Master."
"You will be under my constant watch. Look at me, beast. I have something to show you before you go."
I carefully lift up my head, looking up to see the master sitting in front of me on a big, stone throne. His cloak draped over the armrests and down onto the floor. His face is shrouded in complete darkness and I finally get to see more of the room then just the floor. It looks like a giant throne room. The high-rising walls decorated with tapestries and stone carvings. The floor has frivolously decorated tiles, shining in the orange light of the many torches like they're brand new and just polished. The only thing missing, is windows. The room is completely cut off from daylight, causing my sense of time to be even more nonexistent as I don't know whether it is day or night. My attention snaps back to the Master on his throne as he orders a servant to bring him something. Now I look more closely there are several servants standing all around the edges of the room. And they all have a softly glowing blue cuff around their ankle, the chains leading back into a dark passageway behind them. The one that the Master had ordered to go fetch something went in one of three passageways and I now hear the rattling of chains again, telling me he's returned. The servant limps, as fast as he can, towards us, clearly in pain caused by the heavy chains. He kneels before the Master, holding up a blue-glowing collar.
"Go now." Orders the Master to the servant, who scurries away as fast as he can.
"So, little wolf of mine, I will give you back your mind, but know I am always watching through this."
He nods towards the glowing collar he is now holding. I nod softly. The Master gives a swift gesture with his hands and the collar that was until now tightly around my neck, falls of effortlessly, broken in pieces. Immediately I feel the mist that had been lingering in my mind lift. I had been under it's spell all along... With another gesture, the Master makes the new blue collar float towards me, swirling in the air like a snake. It spreads itself open like arms wanting to hug and then tightly wraps itself around my neck.
"Now beastie, allow me to give you a little demonstration..." I hear a dark chuckle coming from the Masters direction and I immediatly prepare myself for the worst.
As I had expected the collar starts tightning around my neck, trying to squeeze the life out of me. I fall down on my knees pointlessly trying to pull off the collar. But after a few seconds, it lets me go again. Relieved I sigh and get back up again.
"Oh, I am far from done, beast." The Master speaks.
Yet his voice seems to be coming from within my own head... Also a little trick of this damn collar? But before I can think any more of it I feel a stinging pain in the back of my neck. A sharp pain spreading throughout my whole body. I wince and scowl in agony. But then the pain goes just as quickly as it came. I breathe heavily and quickly compose myself again.
"Now, beast. You have seen how I control you. I assure you that this was just a taste of what I could do to you if you defy me."
I nod again and point my eyes back at the floor. A silence falls as I feel a cold hand touch the top of my head. I immediately feel the change within my body. My bones start bending and repositioning themselves as I yell, my call quickly turning into a beastlike howl. I let myself fall forward to stand on all fours and feel my hands turn into paws as they hit the ground. In only a few seconds I am fully turned. I shake my shining black fur and stretch my, still reajusting, muscles.
My ears jolt to the Masters direction as he speaks again.
"Now go, beast. Bring me back my artefact."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone