DownBeat

3 - Upon fur and Feathers

The heat surrounded her body - a blanket promising to keep her warm for eternity. Her thoughts were sparse and anytime she came to she tried to string them together, to free herself from her prison. Every attempt left her exhausted even if she didn't move. There was no fear or any emotion in her foggy head, she only felt the unknown warmth around her.

Every time she gained conscious this plagued her, she was not able to string her thoughts together let alone form a sentence. The heat was uncomfortable and with the little energy she had she tried to position herself differently hoping to ease the aching the heat was causing in her joints. This only resulted in her draining the little energy she had to stay conscious. She let her incoherent thoughts leave her and let the heat take her.

-

The heat was unbearable and the little bit of the few coherent thoughts she was able to string together only led up to one thing, 'It's hot.' Her body ached, wanting to escape from the cramped prison that her capture trapped her in. It took an immense amount of energy to open her eyes and look around her dimly lit space, the burgundy hue greatly confusing her. With much effort she tried to push against the walls that trapped her within but this only caused her to run out of breathe quickly. So, she breathed in the stuffy hot air only to receive no rejuvenation of her sapped energy. The air was hot and thick as if breathed many times before now.

Her body ached from the attempt and the heat beckoned her back into the dreamless sleep but she resisted somehow knowing if she did she would not get another chance like this. With the little strength she had in her arms she pushed against the walls only to receive nothing in return. So she tried many times over until the satisfaction of a crack, long and thin, stretched across her vision.

Her body screamed for her to stop her feeble attempt. Surely her captures heard that loud crack and were on their way. Her body began to fall limp in her prison having used all her energy in making that long string of light across her vision. She inhaled the air only to taste its freshness, it told her to keep going renewing her energy. New fever entered her aching bones and she pushed her nose against it as the adrenaline coursed through her veins. The pressure to the crack splintered it's hold and with one last shove with her arms she tumbled from the shattered prison causing her to breathe the fresh air deeply.

Soft chirps entered her ears making her lift her head to find the source of the sounds. "It's awake" one mused "Good job you did well." Another chirped. She glanced to the side and was met with not a bird but a cat sized, creature. "Don't panic.. it won't do you any good" it chirped to her making her reel backwards. Her breathes came shallow and she struggled to upright herself only to have something smack her in the face and shove her back onto her back. Large feathered items flailed with her panic and adrenaline pumped through her. She wanted to run away, run far away. Eventually exhaustion crept into her body and she stopped her flailing.

Her breathes we loud and heaving making the voice to her left speak again, "Are you alright?" She looked to left and the creature was looking at her worriedly it's green eyes scanning her fragile body. "She seems to be- Can you stand up for us?" A creature, a deep violet, chirped to her. She tried to roll onto her belly but it only resulted in her failing miserably. "I can't-" her voice was musical just like the others. Came in low and high chirps that startled her to a halt in her attempts. She lifted her hand to her face only to find that it was a paw with four retractable claws to each. Panic raised her body again as tail came into view, slender and a dark navy blue, and two beautiful wings flapped nervously under her.

The ears on-top her head twitched nervously as her eyes met with the green ones in the glass. She took in the creature being reflected back to her and panic began to rise in her furry face the longer she starred at it. "Calm down, little one." It paused as she glanced at the two beside her glass case giving her sympathetic looks. "I am speaking to you through what is called a mind link. I am actually across from your cage. Can you reorient yourself? Just lean to one side and stand." She did as she was told before one of the two spoke to her making her look to the left of her glass prison. "Good job! Now you should fill your belly. Water and food are in the left most corner of your cage." The female chirped to her, "Nick is standing next to it if you cannot see it."