Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 32: Life and Death

-We'll start a little backward in time for this chapter, then it'll quickly jump back to the present during a time skip. For those of you who are waiting for the plot to get going already, don't worry, the turning point is very close. 

Things are gonna start changing pretty fast in the next chapter; new foreshadowing, more in-depth details about you-know-who, long-hidden stuff revealed, and other things I won't spoil just yet. Bear with me for one more chapter, and we'll get to the more interesting stuff.

Otherwise, enjoy!

-NFD

~~~

"Long time no see, grandson."

I bolted awake with a shout, only to collapse again as pain stabbed through my side. Someone rushed to me and tried to hold me down, but I shoved their paw off of me and looked around frantically. "W-Where..." I wheezed, struggling to my paws again. "Nox... Where...?" 

"Lay down, Vaskr."

"Shut up," I hissed breathlessly, dizzily sweeping my gaze around me in search of Nox. The white dragon pushed me to the ground again, snapping my already fragile calm. I lunged with a furious roar and plunged my teeth into the dragon's foreleg. It merely grunted and wrenched its leg from my jaws, forcibly shoving me to the ground and putting its claws to my throat to halt my thrashing.

A familiar, frustrated face lowered to look into my narrowed eyes. "Stubborn," she growled. "Just like your father. I'm trying to help you."

"I don't... need your damn help... you bastard!" I spat vehemently, my anger getting the best of me. "I need to... find Nox! I need-" A gravelly wheeze cut me off as my body shuddered violently, feeling as if all of my energy was ripped out of me. I even felt my heart stall for a couple of seconds, making my consciousness falter, only for it to resume pounding hard in fear as my energy abruptly re-entered my body. I gasped for air with wide, frightened eyes. Somehow, I had died for a second or two, then lived again, and that terrified me.

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you need me now?" She growled. Before I could reply, the same thing happened again. Without that foreign energy, my organs failed almost instantly, making me fall limp as my heart stopped. Before my consciousness could wink out of existence, however, the energy rushed back into me and forced my body to function again. I shrieked hoarsely, tears flooding my eyes as my terror overwhelmed me. "Maybe you need another reminder!"

"NO!" I wailed, trembling in terror. "I-I'm sorry! D-Don't d-do it! I-I'll do anything! P-P-PLEASE! I d-don't wanna die!"

I almost didn't see the spark of regret in her blue eyes before she lifted her paw off me and backed up a step. "Apology accepted," she muttered. "I came here to help you, Vaskr. Don't start insulting me when I could've left you and your friend to die multiple times by now." I didn't answer, shakily curling up with a choked sob. I'd never been more scared in my entire life. She had played with my life, taking and giving it back without a care in the world, and I was powerless to stop it.

A soft sigh sounded from outside my curl. "I guess that was too far," she admitted guiltily. "I apologize."

My haywire emotions abruptly changed again, drawing out a growl. "Y-You guess?" I repeated slowly, lifting my eyes to give her a very pissed-off glare. "You killed m-me twice!"

"You try being dead and alone for season-cycles," she shot back. "Then come back and tell me how you react to being insulted by the first dragon you see again!"