Warmth covered one of my sides like a constant surge of heat, the other side was left to freeze however. This uneven balance caused an annoyance that persisted no matter how angry or sad I get.
Suffocation was my norm, the more I grow in whatever I am in, the more tight it becomes. It is painful to move my limbs. Even more painful to try to gain air in my stomach. This prison seems to make me exist as painfully as possible. As time passes its grows in torture.
It is like this thing is trying to crush me to death slowly. Was I created to suffer in this prison? Cursed with knowledge I don't know about yet at the same time I know all about it. Why do I even know this?
All I've known is this suffocation and compression, but I know these words. What even are words? I just feel like I know what it means. Is this natural? Feeling uncomfortable in your body. Doesn't even help all I've known is uncomfortableness. What does comfort even feel like? Will I be able to experience that with my body?
What even is my body?
Limbs that stretch and get coated in this crushing feeling, the hardness yet softness of whatever holds me. How can something be soft yet hard? When I try to push my limbs in a direction, the soft material that either warms me or chills me hardens around me. Yet when I don't struggle its soft.
It feels like my limbs have turned into numb fleshy parts.
What am I?
Who am I?
Questions like these always find a way to creep into my thoughts.
"Its ---- Soon it will bring us a ------- Wealth, Power, and Fame----- Hatch" The echoes that seem to be the only good thing in my prison appears once more, but this time more is clearer. I can only ponder what their full meaning is.
That is the only thing I am able to do, question my existence.
Why is one side freezing cold while my other side is warm. Why did they curse me to this annoying prison? Whatever fame they wish for, is clearly not meant for my comfort.
The more I hear the echoes of my prison the more and more I resent my life. I wish to do more than wonder and ponder. Talking to myself in this pristine way. I hate it.
More and more I grow, the more the annoyance does too. I can't remember a time before this prison, only one thing that lingers before this accursed prison, and the more I remember about it the more the anger sprouts.
-Devour, grow, and conquer. The more variety, the stronger the ecosystem is.-
That rang in my brain until I could form a thought. Devour and grow plus conquer is simply to understand. Yet what does the last part mean? The echos are confusing, yet it's becoming clearer.
Soon, soon I will plan my escape, or this prison will end my limited life. I want to leave this prison, understand the echoes, and follow the first echo. Even though it's confusing, it brings me comfort, and something to strive forward.
Whatever direction is forward that is.
"Sigh" Soon cannot come sooner.
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Even though my concept of time was limited, I could still grow irritated by it. The feeling of coldness and warmth radiates my body, only making me even more irritated.
The echoes seemed to have been reverted to its previous mumbles. I couldn't even figure out what it was saying even if I used the rest of my painful time to do it.
Why am I just waiting for this prison to be broken? This prison has not even shook once in its torture since I've gained thoughts. I'm done waiting. I'm done waiting to be saved by something that only exists in my thoughts.
I struggle around, lifting my frontal limbs trying to make space. My back limbs wiggling around pushing against the walls of the prison trying to push me forward. I push and wail with my entire body.
The echoes hushed.
I've beat them in this battle, now it's time to win this war. I just need to break through this prison.
"CRACK"
Coldness rushed through, my warmth stopped as the coldness grew. Yet I felt myself heat up. I could breathe easier. It empowered me.
I pushed my entire being, my head, horns, limbs, and my wings trying to reach the crack. It felt like I was struggling against a non movable object. It was trying its best to hold me in this prison.
It resented my movement, yet I grew hotter thinking that I was angering it. It gave me the strength, the final push to free me from its grasps.
"CRACK"
Light caused my eyes to sting, but I kept moving. I clawed the walls, trying to pull myself to the light that I knew was the exit to this prison. My tail felt more alive, it was actually burning with pain but it was well accepted.
It was a new feeling from the numbness, I was so close to freedom I just can't stop. I suddenly felt my left claw fall out of the prison.
My movements halted for a second. I held my breath, was I this close to freedom? So close to breaking out? I knew I couldn't stop or I would be sealed away forever. I moved with new energy, using my left claw to pull myself out as my right claw soon appeared to assist.
Suddenly I felt like the compression vanished as the coldness of the air covered my whole body. It was amazing, I won. I defeated the prison.
"THUNK"
My head bounced and rattled. I let out a pained sound. I used my limbs to try to crawl away from the pain. But it followed me like a relentless thought.
The light burned even though my eyes weren't open. Everything around me was new, and it stung like crazy. The coldness made me shiver. The light made just existing even more painful. It was harsh outside. I wanted to open my eyes to explore this new unknown world but I couldn't.
I felt like I was drowning.
Suddenly I felt hardness grab my sides, I threw my rattling head at the hardness, I wouldn't be taken back to that prison. Fueled by the new feelings, I used my teeth to get a hold of the hardness.
"AHHH IT GOT ME!" A loud echo rang my head harder than the previous rattle. It felt like my body shook from it. But I couldn't afford to stop.
I knew if I couldn't capitalize on this energy and new found freedom that brought me out of the prison, I wouldn't get a second chance. This was the strongest I have felt and I would use all the energy that survived stagnant in my immovable prison.
I needed to use it to continue to force my way out of the danger. I needed to fight to live, for I do not imagine that I could gather this energy again to perform another breakout.
"IT LOCKED ITS JAWS!" I found myself getting flung around, my jaws the only thing keeping me from not getting sent to a direction. A cold liquid, with an odd taste, entered my mouth. It was thick, yet runny.
An impact to my head found me falling to the ground. My teeth ached and my head burned. I rolled around in pain as the echoes seemed to close in. Was this the end? Was all my power, all my struggle, ends like this?
The hardness grabbed me and I found myself getting dunked with a soaking cold liquid. But something good came out from this, my eyes opened. The light stinged my eyes more than the prison could hold me.
I can't afford to lose this though, I held my eyes open as the colors, blurry at first, cleared up. A whole new world showed itself to me, my head hurt from absorbing all this.
A bearded man with a white scar from his eye to his jaw smirked. His tanned skin was marked with weird symbols of something. It was like seven thick lines and over ten smaller ones.
His head held up a helmet that covered most of his head, avoiding his face. It shined from the light. His arm seemed to be twice as thick as me.
He was a giant compared to me.
"You will bring us great wealth." The echo, now I know, came from this being in front of me. His eyes seemed to bear much more experiences of this world than I could ever imagine.
I found myself looking everywhere around me frantically. The walls seemed to be made of wood, yet there were these strange things that held fire, bringing light. There was a tall thing that held an oval egg, it seemed to have been broken.
Wait, that was where I broke out of. I shifted my head towards the behind of the man that held me. I saw a much shorter and skinnier man that had no hair and a face full of scars. He had much lighter skin, he was holding his hand where a red substance was flowing out of it.
He was the one who snatched me, I made him pay. But what was the deal with the one in front of me?
"He fucking nearly ripped my hand off!" the skinny man yelled, his neck veins bulging. His eyes held hatred against me. I felt satisfied though, but not for long if he doesnt shut his jaw.
I tried to wingle free but the hand didn't budge. The man holding me opened his jaw, eyes still on me.
"Shush Jai, you are over reacting. This dragon is far too weak to rip off your hand." I growed, but I knew he was right, these giants could put me back in the prison. I need to play this smart, but all my thoughts combined couldn't find a way out.
These 2 men, these thick walls, my weak body, and no visible exit. I just need to wait and watch again.
"That dragon.... ITS FUCKING MOTHER TOOK DOWN A THIRD OF OUR ARMY! I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THAT DAMN THING COULD HAVE RIPPED MY ARM APART" The man caught his breath, his pale skin seemed to grow redder.
"Just because you managed to slay it, does not mean you get all the credit. It was my inventions and weapons, plus the soldiers that managed to give you the spotlight." The man known as Jai calmed down.
The man holding me turned around. "You are right, but still it was I who found the nest, and mostly your inventions that gave us this opportunity for wealth. More than the queen could give us for it."
The man smiled and walked over to a cage, I struggled. I thrashed around my life depended on it. My freedom.
But I was manhandled and tossed into the small cage.
"Soon you will give us wealth and fame, so I think it is apporight that we name you. Behave now, Greed, I'd hate to end the species."